Home-based: Consultancy to Support the Development of the DG MENA Project Concept Note and Full Proposal

Terms of Reference (ToR): Consultancy to Support the Development of the DG MENA Project Concept Note and Full Proposal

1. ORGANISATION: 

Terre des Hommes (Tdh) – Foundation Lausanne

Established in 1960, Terre des Hommes (Tdh) is the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid. The Foundation works to protect vulnerable children and their communities by delivering humanitarian aid and long-term development programs worldwide, regardless of race, creed, or political affiliation. Tdh operates in over 45 countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine, through three key intervention pillars:

1. Direct aid to children and youth in need, managed either directly or through local partnerships.
2. Capacity-building for national and local actors to promote sustainable child protection.
3. Advocacy for children’s rights through campaigns and legal frameworks, especially the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989).

Tdh's main thematic areas include Health, Migration, and Access to Justice. Tdh began operations in Syria in 2021 and is now a recognized actor in the field of child protection, especially in juvenile justice and emergency relief.

2. BACKGROUND – DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT: 

Although Syria is a signatory to the CRC and possesses a legal framework for juvenile justice, the country continues to face severe implementation challenges. These include:

• Limited access to specialized legal aid for children in conflict with the law.
• Prolonged detentions without psychosocial or reintegration support.
• Lack of adequately trained staff and child-sensitive detention environments.
• Systemic justice issues exacerbated by conflict and institutional mistrust.

The political transition following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 has further stressed Syria’s fragile justice system, but also presents a critical window of opportunity for systemic reform.

Purpose of the Assignment: 

In this transitional context, Tdh aims to co-lead a consortium to be directly awarded funding by the European Union Delegation for a project that strengthens prison management and detention conditions, in line with human rights standards, and particularly focusing on children.

The consultant will support the development of a robust, contextually grounded Concept Note (CN) and full project proposal, ensuring alignment with the EU’s objectives, partner inputs, and field realities.

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT: 

General Objective: 

To lead and coordinate the development and drafting of the Concept Note and full proposal for the EU-funded project under the DG MENA framework, on behalf of Terre des Hommes and its consortium partners.

Specific Objectives: 

• Lead an inception meeting with consortium partners and draft a workplan and timeline.
• Liaise with team leads, programme coordinators, and advisors to gather inputs.
• Conduct a secondary literature review to inform the concept note.
• Draft the Concept Note in line with EU guidelines and consortium feedback.
• Draft the full narrative proposal, logframe, and relevant annexes in EU templates.
• Ensure coherence between narrative, logframe, and budget.
• Incorporate all feedback from partners and finalize all documentation.

4. LEVEL OF EFFORT: 

Task 1: Inception meeting & planning

• Deliverable: Concept outline, retroplanning
• Estimated LOE (days): 1 Day

Task 2: Desk Review

• Deliverable: Situational Analysis
• Estimated LOE (days): 2 Days

Task 3: Draft Concept Note

• Deliverable: Draft CN for feedback
• Estimated LOE (days): 3 Days

Task 4: Final Concept Note

• Deliverable: Final CN
• Estimated LOE (days): 2 Days

Task 5: Draft Full Proposal

• Deliverable: Draft narrative, logframe, and budget
• Estimated LOE (days): 8 Days

Task 6: Final Proposal

• Deliverable: Final version in donor format
• Estimated LOE (days): 3 Days

Task 7: Coherence Check

• Deliverable: Ensured consistency across all documents
• Estimated LOE (days): 1 Day

Total Level of Effort (20 Days Tentative)

The duration of the consultancy: July 2025 till 30th of September 2025

5. SELECTION CRITERIA: 

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following:

• Proven experience developing proposals for the European Union (EU).
• Prior experience in developing consortium-based proposals.
• Demonstrated expertise in child rights, child protection and juvenile justice programming.
• Experience in access to justice or prison reform initiatives (preferable).
• Prior engagement with Syrian partners or experience working within Syria (desirable).

6. HOW TO APPLY: 

Interested consultants are invited to submit their application by email to: atheel.mohammed@tdh.org

Deadline for submission: Asap and on a rolling bases.

Closing Date: 04/08/2025 15:00 PM Syrian Time. Noting that suitable candidates' CVs will be screened prior to the closing date.

Required Documents:

Technical Proposal, including:

• Consultant profile and CV.
• Detailed work portfolio (e.g., writing samples, session plans, methodology).
• Draft approach and workplan for the assignment.
• Financial Proposal, structured as follows:
  • Daily rate and estimated number of days per deliverable.
  • All costs inclusive (fees, taxes, VAT, etc.).

Payment Terms:

• 20% upon signing the consultancy contract.
• 80% upon submission and approval of final deliverables.

7. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION: 

The consultant will report directly to the Tdh Country Director in Syria. All deliverables are subject to approval by Tdh and consortium partners.

Payments will be made in Euro (EUR) or Swiss Franc (CHF).

8. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: 

• 8.1 Copyright: All deliverables and intellectual property arising from the consultancy will remain the property of the Tdh-led consortium.
• 8.2 Ethical Guidelines: The consultant must adhere to Tdh’s ethical standards and child protection policies throughout the assignment. A signed Code of Conduct may be required upon contract award.