Seeking Consultants to Conduct a Training of Trainers Programme in Digital Security

Civil Rights Defenders is looking for an experienced security trainer in Ethiopia to conduce a digital security training of trainers, ToT programme. Please read ‘Terms of Reference’ below.

Terms of Reference 

For Digital Security Training of Trainers 

Contracting Party: Civil Rights Defenders  

Reports to: Aklile Solomon, Africa Department 

Project: Resilience and Protection for Human Rights Work in Ethiopia 

BACKGROUND 

Civil Rights Defenders is an international human rights organisation based in Stockholm, Sweden, that partners with and supports human rights defenders (HRDs) globally. It has extensive experience in supporting HRDs most at risk. Civil Rights Defenders working through flexible, context sensitive and, when needed rapid interventions to support local actors who are at the core of ensuring the respect of human rights.  

Civil Rights Defenders works in the Africa region with the same mission of partnering with local HRDs and civil society to support local efforts that promote and defend human rights in the region. Civil Rights Defenders works closely with its local partners to create enabling internal capacity and external environment that ensure their continued presence and the impact of their work. 

Civil Rights Defenders is an expert organisation that partners with and supports human rights defenders (HRDs) globally. We have extensive experience in supporting HRDs by working through flexible, context-sensitive, and, when needed, fast interventions in order to support local actors who are at the core of ensuring respect for human rights. Our vision is a world of democratic societies in which we all enjoy our civil and political rights.     

Civil Rights Defenders works in the Africa region through close collaboration with local HRDs and civil society to support local efforts that promote and defend human rights in the region. We work to create an enabling internal capacity (skills, knowledge and resources) and external environment that ensure the continued presence and the impact of their work.   

Civil Rights Defenders has been partnering and working with local civil society organizations in Ethiopia with the aim of enhancing the role of human rights organizations and human rights defenders for an impactful participation in the protection and promotion of Human Rights in Ethiopia. With this objective, the project aims at contributing to create enabling environment for human rights work through increasing safety and organisational capacity of HRDs. 

The Training of Trainers (ToT) program in Digital Security is a part of this effort. The ToT aims to educate human rights defenders carry out security trainings and supportive activities independently. The program has 3-week self-study and 5 days of in-person training. The remote self-study period provides a theoretical background to technical skills and teaching methodologies. The in-person training adds emphasis on practical exercises and participatory learning. After completing the course, participants will conduct their own trainings as part of the training program. 

DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY 

Civil Rights Defenders is looking for an experienced security trainer in Ethiopia to contextualize, strengthen and conduct a digital security ToT program. The training will include human rights defenders by especially focusing on women HRDs, HRDs with disability, environmental rights defenders and HRDs working with marginalized communities.  

The objective of the consultancy is to train a group of human rights defenders to become security trainers ready to independently conduct their own trainings. The training will have a hybrid model in which the participants will have three weeks of self-study whereby they are supported by the trainer to read, get assignments, and attend weekly webinars, followed by one week in person training and after that a mentorship phase follows.   

1. Contextualize Civil Rights Defenders digital security TOT program for a group of 10 participants to the Ethiopian context. These should be done in collaboration with Civil Rights Defenders.  

2. Prepare reading materials, assignments and supporting webinars for the participants during the three weeks of remote self-study.  

3. Plan and conduct the one week in-person section of the program, including designing cases, scenarios, and practical exercises.   

4. Provide mentorship and support for participants during the course of the training program based on their individual needs.   

5. Provide tailor made guidance and support to participants as they conduct their own trainings after the training program.  

6. The training adopt a feminist perspective and must have equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at the core of planning and execution.   

7. Create a safe space for learning and foster cooperation in the group of learners.   

SCOPE OF WORK AND EXPECTED DELIVERABLES 

The consultant is expected to deliver a training in digital security that meets the objectives listed under section 2.  

Training deliverables include:   

1. Contextualize content and training curriculum for digital security ToT.  

Civil rights defenders has a developed curriculum for a hybrid digital security ToT through its regional programme. The consultant is expected to adopt the curriculum and content of the ToT to ensure it is tailored to the Ethiopian context. This includes: 

• Developing the structure, assignments, and content of the training program for both the remote and in-person segments of the program.  
• Adapt the content of the Digital Security ToT to suit the needs and background of the participants;  

• Direct participants to supplementary resources and reference materials;  
• Manage the learning platforms, and support participants as they complete their assignments. 

Other preparations includes:   

• Supporting Civil Rights Defenders in assessment and selecting participants.  
• Conduct a needs assessment of participants and design the training based on the outcomes.  

• Provide supplementary resource material prior to the training for participants in need of additional support.  
• Pre – training/baseline and post training assessment of skills and training results to assess immediate results or knowledge gain. The results of these assessment will be conducted and analysed by the trainer to be included in the report. 
• Develop post training survey focusing on knowledge gain and adoption of security measures to assess long term adoption. The assessment will be conducted and analysed by civil rights defenders 3 months after the ToT has been finalized. 

b) Deliver a digital security ToT program based on the hybrid program curriculum developed in cooperation with Civil Rights Defenders.   

c) Provide mentorship, assess participants’ skills, and provide tailored support as the ToT participants design and conduct their own training sessions. Allocate a reasonable number of hours for each participant as per their needs (approximately half a day per person). 

d) Evaluate the training program and document lessons learned for Civil Rights Defenders and future trainers. 

e) Narrative report and evaluation of participants’ skills after the training program.  

Duration of Work 

The consultancy will be conducted tentatively over a period of four months from 01 December 2023 to 30 April 2024 as follows. 

• Participants selection will be conducted in November – December 2023. 

• The three weeks long self-study sessions run from 18 December 2023 to 05 January 2024. 
• The in-person training will be conducted for five days from 22 – 26 January 2024. 
• The mentorship for the ToT participants will be conducted from 05 February to 31 March 2024 (approximately 6 working days in total). 
• Final experience sharing webinar for half a day in April 2024.  

REQUIRED EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS 

Required Qualifications  

• Extensive experience in teaching digital security to human rights defenders, including knowledge of gendered security threats. Knowledge in holistic security or other fields of security is considered an asset.  
• Understanding of gender and security as well as gendered threats with Women Human Rights Defenders.  
• Experience of working with human rights defenders, CSOs and local communities in Ethiopia. Experience of working with women human rights defenders or marginalized communities is considered an asset.  

• Experience of innovating, designing, developing, conducting, and evaluating training programs.  
• An advanced skill level in training and facilitation skills and engagement of adult learners.  
• Experience in interactive and participatory learning methods.  
• Experience in delivering online and remote trainings.   
• Experience and knowledge in creating safe spaces for adult learners.   

Preferred qualifications  

• Strong communication, presentation, and public speaking skills.  
• Strong organizational and time management abilities.  
• Diploma or otherwise documented trainings in security management, digital security or similar is an asset.   

Ethics  

• An understanding and strict adherence to all human rights principles provided in international instruments and jurisprudence is mandatory.  
• An understanding of the unjustness of inequality (whether based on gender, sexual orientation, class, ethnicity, citizenship, economic status, etc.) and a commitment to strive for social change towards equity and justice. 

Payment schedule 

The consultant will receive 30% percent of the total payment in advance upon signing the contract.  The consultant will receive the remaining amount (70 percent of the total payment) upon the completion of all deliverables as approved by Civil Rights Defenders. 

Application 

Interested applicants should send the following documents to aklile.solomon@civilrightsdefenders.org and Africa@crd.org. Applicants should use the phrase “Digital Security ToT – Ethiopia” in the subject line to submit their application.  

1. The Applicant’s profile (max. 1 page) focusing on what makes the applicant the right person for the consultancy – Your experience performing security trainings and a brief overview of how you work—your “teaching style” or methodologies.  

2. CV and Relevant experience    

3. A narrative proposal including a proposed curriculum and structure for the remote studies as well as in person training.  

4. Financial proposal.  

5. Two references (at least one fellow HRD and one human rights organization) should be included in the application.    

We welcome applications until 15 November 2023. We encourage potential applicants to contact us directly in case of questions or further discussion.    

Criteria for selection   

Selection will fully be based upon the proposal submitted by the applicant. The narrative proposal will be 70 percent and the financial proposal will have 30 percent weight.  

Evaluation: Narrative proposal (70 percent) 

1. Applicant Qualification (30 percent) 

• Qualification of those involved in the project (10 %) 
• Knowledge and experience on project evaluation (20 %) 

2. Proposed Methodology (40 percent) 

• Technical understanding of the scope of the work, proposed curriculum, structure and timelines for deliverables (40%) 

3. Financial proposal (30%) 

• The best offer made and consideration of best value for money will be used in the financial evaluation.