TERMS OF REFERENCE

YOUTH AND WOMEN EMPOWERED NETWORK

STRATEGIC PLAN 2025–2030

Terms of Reference
Empowerment & Amplification of voices of Youth and Women

1. Introduction

Youth and Women Empowered Network (YWEN) is a network established in 2024 by youth- and women-led organizations that participated in the Girl Get Equal project by Plan International Rwanda. Guided by a vision where women and young people in Rwanda are empowered to lead, drive change, and live their lives to the fullest, YWEN promotes meaningful participation of youth and women in decision-making spaces across society.

Since its establishment, YWEN has prioritized youth and women empowerment. It has implemented various programs across Gatsibo and Nyaruguru Districts, focusing on mindset transformation, promoting gender equality, challenging harmful social norms, and fostering socio-economic opportunities through participatory approaches.

2. 2025–2030 Strategic Plan Summary

To strengthen its institutional capacity and ensure evidence-based, inclusive programming, Youth and Women Empowered Network (YWEN) is undertaking the development of a comprehensive 2025–2030 Strategic Plan. This strategic planning process will be led by a qualified consultant and is designed to position YWEN as a key actor in advancing youth and women empowerment, gender equality, inclusive governance, and climate action in Rwanda.

The strategic plan will serve as a guiding roadmap for YWEN’s future interventions, partnerships, and advocacy work. It will enable the network for its focus and scale its impact by aligning programming with national development priorities, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and International development partner’s strategic directions.

Through this process, YWEN seeks to:

• Conduct a thorough situational analysis to understand the evolving context, challenges, and opportunities in the youth and gender equality landscape;

• Engage key stakeholders including youth, women, community leaders, local authorities, development partners, and civil society actors—in participatory consultations to ensure that the plan reflects the voices and priorities of those it aims to serve;

• Assess its institutional strengths and gaps, including governance systems, policies, and resource capacity, to better align internal structures with its strategic ambitions;

• Define clear strategic objectives and thematic areas, supported by robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track results and promote accountability; and

• Promote inclusive, gender-transformative, and climate-conscious strategies that respond to the realities of diverse youth and women, including those from rural areas and marginalized communities.

Overall Objective:

To develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan that will guide Youth and Women Empowered Network (YWEN) in effectively empowering youth and women, promoting gender equality and Inclusion, ensuring meaningful participation in decision-making processes, decision making spaces and civic spaces engagement over the coming years; Combating GBV as well as taking actions on Climate change for sustainable development.

Specific Objectives:

1. To conduct a situational analysis and baseline assessment to understand the current context, challenges, and opportunities related to youth and women empowerment in YWEN’s areas of intervention.

2. To engage key stakeholders (including youth, women, partners, state actors and non-state actors, and civil society actors — both nationally and international development partners) in a participatory data collection process to inform the strategic planning. This refers primarily to secondary data, meaning data that has already been collected and analyzed, such as relevant reports and evaluations, research studies, sectoral assessments, lessons learned, and best practices.

When engaging with international development partners, the consultant’s role will be limited to:

(i) Accessing and reviewing existing documentations and data voluntarily shared by the partners.

• Participating in consultative meetings as needed to gather contextual insights; and relying on publicly available and/or officially provided information.

(ii) The consultant will not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of data provided by international actors. Any data delays or gaps will be transparently noted, and recommendations will be based on the best available evidence at the time of reporting.

3. To assess YWEN’s institutional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to ensure strategic alignment with its mission, vision, and operating environment.

4. To define clear strategic priorities, objectives, and results frameworks for YWEN’s programming that reflect the needs and aspirations of youth and women in all their diversity.

3. Strategy, approaches and activities

YWEN centers on the opening up of spaces for inclusivity, equal power among youth and women in all their diversity, thereby connecting all societal levels for a significant and sustainable socio-economic impact in Rwanda. The activity, through participatory approaches, engages constructively with local and national government officials to ensure that they not only understand the purpose of youth and women participation but also that they support the activity’s efforts.

Strategic Approach:

• Participatory Planning: Engage youth, women, and key stakeholders at all levels to ensure the Strategic Plan reflects their realities, needs, and aspirations.

• Evidence-Based Decision-Making: Ground the strategic direction in data collected through situational analysis and baseline assessments.

• Equity and Inclusion: Ensure the strategic plan is gender-transformative and inclusive of marginalized voices, including rural youth, young women, Historically Marginalized Communities and persons with disabilities.

• Alignment and Integration: Align the strategy with national development priorities, SDGs, and Plan International Rwanda’s strategic directions.

Key Activities:

1. Inception Report (Consultant):
   a. Develop and submit inception report

2. Conduct Situational Analysis and Baseline (Consultant):

   • Desk review of existing documents and data

   • Field data collection (surveys, interviews, focus group discussions)

   • Mapping of existing programs, gaps, and opportunities

3. Stakeholder Engagement and Consultations (Consultant):

   • Organize and facilitate at least three (3) participatory workshops and/or focus group discussions with the following key stakeholder groups, ensuring inclusive representation across age (17–30), gender, and geographic location:

     • Youth and Women

     • Community Leaders and Local Authorities

     • Partner Organizations and Donors

4. Institutional Capacity SWOT Analysis (Consultant):

   • Review YWEN’s internal systems, structures, policies and procedures, governance, and resources

   • Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

5. Strategic Framework Development (Consultant):

   • Define the strategic vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives

   • Develop thematic pillars and result areas

   • Outline indicators and success measures

   • Design an M&E framework for the Strategic Plan

6. Drafting and Validation of the Strategic Plan (Consultant):

   • Prepare first draft and share with YWEN Leadership

   • Incorporate input and update the draft strategic plan

   • Conduct a validation workshop

   • Integrate feedback and finalize the document

7. Reporting and Dissemination (Consultant):

   • Submit final Strategic Plan

8. Deliverables, reporting and feedback

• A comprehensive implementation, monitoring, and evaluation (IME) framework

• A comprehensive final Strategic Plan document that is evidence-based, inclusive, and practical

10. Supervision and Working relationships

The Consultant will report to the YWEN Office and work closely with the YWEN team.

11. Contract and payments

YWEN will sign a consultancy contract with the selected consultant. Payment terms will be negotiated.

12. Desired professional competencies/qualifications and experiences

• Consultant with experience in Rwanda or East Africa

• Advanced degree in relevant fields

• 5+ years in strategic planning for NGOs

• Experience in youth and women inclusion

• Proficiency in English and preferably Kinyarwanda

• Excellent facilitation, writing, and analytical skills

• Familiarity with SDGs and national policies

• Strong M&E experience

13. Instructions for Applications

Submit your expression of interest (max 4 pages), methodology, financial proposal, and CV by 25th June 2025 at 5:00 pm to info@ywen.org / youthwomennet@gmail.com. Firms should also attach registration documents and tax clearances.

14. Property Rights and Confidentiality

All materials and outputs remain the property of YWEN. Confidentiality must be maintained unless authorized.

END.