RFI 72069621RFI00001 Homes and Communities Activity.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI Number: 72069621RFI00001 Issuance Date: November 19, 2020 Due Date and Time: December 10 2020, 17:00 Kigali time

SUBJECT: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Rwanda Homes and Communities Activity

Dear Interested Parties, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Kigali, Rwanda posts this Request for Information (RFI) to collect written information for an upcoming Homes and Communities Activity. This potential five-year award will improve home and community support for literacy learning. Potential funding for the activity is estimated to be between $15 and $18 million.

This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering and planning purposes. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Application (RFA) and is not be construed as a commitment by the United States Government (USG) to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunities, ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request. Responses to this RFI must not be portrayed as proposals and will not be accepted by the USG to form a binding agreement. It should be noted that responding to or providing comment on this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement(s), if such as procurement(s) is released. USAID will not provide answers to anything submitted in response to this request. USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on www.beta.sam.gov or www.grants.gov . It is the potential offeror’s/applicant’s responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities.

Responses to this RFI may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted by email only to Elvira Kassimova, Sr Acquisition and Assistance Specialist at ekassimova@usaid.gov no later than the date and time shown above. Please include RFI Number 72069621RFI00001 in the subject line. Responders will not receive individualized feedback. All inquiries concerning this RFI must be directed only to the email addresses identified above. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be entertained.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/Rwanda’s programs and we look forward to your comments.

Best regards, //s//

Simone Cho Agreement Officer Office of Acquisition and Assistance http://www.beta.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:ekassimova@usaid.gov

RFI Number 72069621RFI00001

Response Requirements

Responses should include the following:

1. Cover page, not to exceed one (1) page that includes:

a. Organization name and address;

b. Point of contact name and contact information;

c. Size and type of organization, including if applicable U.S. small business or other status;

d. Legal registration status in Rwanda;

e. Brief statement that indicates the organization’s interest in applying as a prime or subcontractor/subrecipient, if applicable. If a team or consortium is envisioned, please provide the names of the potential partner organizations.

2. Comments on the draft Activity Description, not to exceed three (3) pages. USAID is interested in feedback on the following:

a. Comments on the activity’s Results Framework:

i. In particular, provide feedback on whether it captures the challenges and opportunities in the sector, and whether the expected results are likely to lead to the achievement of the overall objective;

ii. Note if there are any results that you recommend adding or revising;

b. Comments on the proposed Scope and Scale;

c. Comments on the Implementation Approach and Sustainability, and any ideas that may help us refine it;

d. What, if any, changes would you make or lessons would you like to share to strengthen the approach;

e. Provide your views on possible coordination with other partners in the country and integration with other education activities in Rwanda ;

f. Any other comments or inputs you may have on the Activity Description.

No other documents or information are requested at this time. USAID asks respondents to not send any additional information other than what is requested above and to adhere to the page limits mentioned.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

I. Introduction

Studies have shown clear links between children's home literacy environment–the experiences, attitudes and materials related to literacy that a child experiences and interacts with at home–and the development of reading skills.

The Homes and Communities Activity will support progress toward the goal of USAID/Rwanda’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020-2025: Rwanda has the strengthened human capital, robust private sector and accountable institutions required to advance self-reliance. 1 Development Objective 2 (DO 2) of the CDCS is improved learning outcomes, setting out three major results to be achieved over the next five years: (IR 1) inclusive and quality early grade literacy classroom instruction, (IR 2) strengthened education systems management, and (IR 3) strengthened community support for learning .

DO 2 of the CDCS will be operationalized through the LEARN Project, approved in September 2020 (see Annex for LEARN Project Fact Sheet). The purpose of the project is improved literacy outcomes for all Rwandan children by the end of primary grade 3 (P3). To achieve this, the LEARN Project will strengthen the capacity of Rwandan systems to provide quality learning environments with the support, instruction, and materials that children need while they are in school, at home, or in the community. The LEARN Project will focus on learning for children with disabilities to ensure project approaches reach all children.

LEARN Project Purpose and Theory of Change

The LEARN Project will be implemented through the ongoing USAID Soma Umenye (“Read and Know”) and USAID Mureke Dusome (“Let’s Read”) activities, alongside a set of new complementary activities not yet procured. Two of those new activities are currently in design:

1 Available online at www.usaid.gov/rwanda/cdcs http://www.usaid.gov/rwanda/cdcs the Homes and Communities Activity, as well as a Schools and Systems Activity (RFI available on www.grants.gov) .

II. Development Context

Rwanda is committed to improving human capital, with a focus on building strong foundational skills. This is clearly stated in the Education Sector Strategic Plan III (ESSP) (2018/19-2023/24), Priority 1: All learners achieve basic levels of literacy and numeracy in early years and beyond.

Over the last decade, support for learning at home and in the community has been increasingly recognised as a necessary condition to improve student learning outcomes. The Ministry of Education has drafted the National Literacy Policy to purposefully integrate literacy-promotion activities and opportunities into everyday life, in a way that builds cross-sectoral ownership and elevates literacy development to a national priority. The Soma Rwanda platform has spurred and coordinated literacy promotion activities during National Literacy Month, as well as the ongoing National Reading Campaign. The book industry has been supported to produce more high quality children’s books and low-cost reading materials. Book banks have been established in each village with a public and government-aided primary school (over 2,500), and are being used by community education workers to facilitate reading clubs and other community literacy activities. Head Teachers and School General Assembly Committees have been trained to increase community support for reading. Rwanda now also has 60 community libraries with books and trained librarians.

These interventions have been effective to strengthen the partnerships between schools and the broader community, but continued investment is necessary to sustain and further these gains.

The Mureke Dusome knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey 2 revealed that while the proportion of children participating in community reading activities increased from 17% in 2016 to 31% in 2018, the majority of children still have inadequate opportunity to practice reading outside of school. While the number of parents/caregivers or other household members who encourage their children to read and write increased from 59% in 2016 to 78% in 2018, 62% of parents and 74% of children still believed that only literate parents could help children read. And while more children have access to storybooks outside of school (10% in 2018 compared with 6% in 2016), the vast majority still do not.

A broader look at factors that affect student learning highlights the need for continued support of positive parenting. A recent report also indicates that while not pervasive, violence against children in the form of physical punishment and neglect remains in Rwanda. 3 Fifty-seven percent of children were exposed to inadequate care, including being left with another child below 10 years old. Nearly half of the respondents believed that children need to be physically punished to grow up well.

The experience of children and families also varies among communities. The USAID Mureke

2 Save the Children Rwanda. Mureke Dusome Impact Evaluation Endline Report, 2018.

3 UNICEF. Situation Analysis of Children in Rwanda, 2018.

Dusome Performance Evaluation 4 found that the communities that were most successful in improving literacy-related knowledge, attitudes and practices had the following characteristics:

school leaders, teachers and parents who actively monitored community reading clubs; program activities linked to imihigo performance contracts; and local structures utilized to promote reading such as umuganda (monthly nationwide community service) and Faith-Based Organizations. Other organizations and structures that have the potential to be mobilized to support children’s literacy development include Community Education Workers, Community Health Workers, Inshuti z’Umuryango (“friends of the family”), Umugoroba w’Abayeyi (“parents’ evening”), Urugerero Youth Volunteers, community libraries, Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Additional resources that could be leveraged include the National Parenting Curriculum developed by the National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP) 5 , and recent experiences mobilizing family support for learning during the extended school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

III. Activity Purpose and Theory of Change

The Homes and Communities Activity purpose is to ensure that all children have safe, stimulating and literacy supportive home and community environments. The activity’s theory of change is that if home literacy environments are improved, if community engagement in promoting children’s literacy is increased, and if learning opportunities for children with disabilities are improved, then , children’s literacy outcomes will ultimately increase. The activity will support the following results in the LEARN Project Theory of Change: IR 1 (All children have a safe, healthy and stimulating home and community environment), IR 2 (Children with disabilities have improved access to quality learning opportunities), and IR 5 (Children enter P1 with improved school readiness skills).

IV. Results Framework

The following table summarizes Homes and Communities Activity Results Framework.

4 Protekn ô n. Mureke Dusome Performance Evaluation: Documenting successful approaches and lessons learned in promoting early grade reading though sustainable school-community partnerships in Rwanda, 2020.

5 Now restructured with the National Childhood Development Agency (NCDA)

CDCS Development Objective 2: Improved Learning Outcomes

LEARN Project Purpose: Improved literacy outcomes for all Rwandan children by the end of grade 3.

Activity Purpose: All children have safer, stimulating and literacy supportive home and community environments.

V. Activity parameters

A. Scope and Scale

Through its focus on the systems of outreach and education service delivery in homes and communities, USAID expects to have nationwide reach; however, some interventions may be more intensive in some districts of Rwanda. The activity will serve children of pre-primary and primary school age.

B. Implementation Approach and Sustainability

Sustainability will be at the core of the implementation approach of the Homes and Communities Activity. The activity will identify and build on existing strengths in communities, local systems, and organizations that may be used as leverage points to support children’s learning at home and in communities. Given that communities and organizations hold additional unique strengths and opportunities, USAID expects that there may not be a one-size-fits all approach to strengthening home and community literacy environments. The activity will, to the extent possible, engage local organizations that contribute to children’s literacy and maximize their capacity to expand and sustain home and community literacy promotion.

The activity will build the capacity, knowledge and skills of local stakeholders and partner organizations, alongside relevant Government of Rwanda (GOR) actors. Acknowledging that results will require significant attitude and behavior shifts among stakeholders and beneficiaries, the Homes and Communities Activity will utilize a behavior change approach to achieve sustainable results. Rigorous and innovative research techniques will be used to evaluate behavior change outcomes.

IR 1: Improved home literacy environment

IR 2: Increased community engagement in promoting children’s literacy

IR 3: Improved learning opportunities for children with disabilities

Sub-IR 1.1: Positive parenting and caregiver support to children’s emergent and early literacy at home improved

Sub-IR 2.1: High quality community-led literacy activities increased

Sub-IR 3.1: Participation of children with disabilities in home and community reading interventions increased

Sub-IR 1.2: Children’s access to high quality educational content and materials at home increased

Sub-IR 2.2: Community literacy structures strengthened

Sub-IR 3.2: Parent, caregiver and community literacy volunteer knowledge and skills to support children with disabilities increased

Sub-IR 2.3:

Home-community-school partnerships to promote children’s literacy strengthened

At the national level, the activity will primarily work with the Ministry of Education and Rwanda Education Board for all matters related to education and community libraries. It will collaborate with the Ministry of Youth and Culture for all matters related to the culture of reading, and the Ministry of Local Government for community reading interventions. The activity will also work with the Kigali Public Library, which oversees the 60 community libraries in Rwanda. The team will work actively with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and the National Childhood Development Agency as institutions in charge of family and children.

The activity will work closely with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities to ensure alignment for interventions serving children with disabilities. Moreover, the activity will coordinate with other development partners operating in the area of literacy promotion, including active participation in the Soma Rwanda platform. If the draft National Literacy Policy is approved, the activity will work with the GOR to support its implementation (as is relevant to the Homes and Communities Activity Results Framework).

The activity will work hand-in-hand with the Schools and Systems Activity at the national and local levels to strengthen holistic support for systems affecting children’s learning, including joint work planning at national and local levels, and shared responsibility for supporting district-level governance of learning outcomes.

C. Coordination with other partners and activities

The activity will collaborate effectively with other development partners and stakeholders operating in the areas of literacy promotion, positive parenting, and community engagement to build on existing strengths and maximize results, and especially avoid duplication of programming. These existing projects and organizations may include but will not be limited to the following:

For IR 1: Improved home literacy environment

● Sub-IR 1.1: Positive parenting and caregiver support to children’s emergent and early literacy at home improved

○ Save the Children ’s Early Childhood Development (ECD), positive parenting, and child protection programming, including the First Steps program

○ Imbuto Foundation ’s ECD and positive parenting programming

○ Sugira Muryango ’s home visiting approach utilizing Inshuti z’Umuryango

● Sub-IR 1.2: Children’s access to high quality educational content and materials at home increased

○ Rwanda Children’s Book Organization

○ Reading Ready program (piloted by Save the Children and funded by the World

Bank)

○ Digital platforms for reading materials such as Nabu

○ eKitabu for accessible reading material

IR 2: Increased community engagement in promoting children’s learning and literacy

● Building Learning Foundations , funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth &

Development Office (FCDO)

● World Vision ’s community engagement programming (implemented with funding from

USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education program)

● Umuhuza’s community engagement programming

● Members of Soma Rwanda platform

IR 3: Improved learning opportunities for children with disabilities

● National Umbrella of Disability Organizations in Rwanda (NUDOR), including members Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB), Rwanda National Union of the Deaf (RNUD), and Uwezo Youth Empowerment

● Humanity & Inclusion

● UNICEF’s pilot programs supporting learning for children with disabilities

(End of Request for Information)

Annex:

- LEARN Project Fact Sheet