Terms of Reference Impact Story Content Production on Psychosocial Wellbeing and Business Mindset

Terms of Reference

Impact Story Content Production on Psychosocial Wellbeing and Business Mindset

ABOUT FIRST CONSULT

First Consult is a leading economic development consulting firm implementing projects in Ethiopia. Founded in 2006, First Consult (FC) has grown to design and implement projects across the agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors. Our multidisciplinary teams combine a capacity to execute with clarity of the local context. As a result, we have delivered at-scale real impact in terms of job creation, business formation, business growth, and investment attraction and mobilization.

MESMER PROGRAM

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Recovery and Resilience Program (MESMER) is a 5-year program launched in October 2022 to support 72,200 MSMEs and 410,800 jobs by creating access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to realize their growth prospects and resilience. MESMER works to provide support to MSMEs through business development support, psychosocial services, and technical assistance to financial institutions. MESMER is a countrywide program implemented by First Consult in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy and will strive to create dignified and fulfilling work for the youth, the majority of them women.

MESMER is a national scale-up of the existing MSE Resilience Facility launched in 2020 to capacitate enterprises affected by the COVID pandemic. The Programme will mainly be following a four-pronged approach to meet its objectives: a) Grants and soft loans to MSMEs through a risk-sharing liquidity fund arrangement, b) Technical assistance to financial institutions, c) Business development services and life skills, d) Psychosocial support. The FDRE Ministry of Labour and Skills will be the main government counterpart for the program. Other partners include financial institutions (microfinance institutions, banks, and digital financial service providers), BDS, and psychosocial support providers.

BACKGROUND OF IMPACT STORY CONTENT PRODUCTION

MESMER program’s primary objective is to support MSMEs’ bankability and facilitate sustainable access to finance, fueling their growth and unlocking their potential for development and job creation. Psychosocial Support (PSS) is a key component of the MESMER program, aimed at strengthening enterprises by enhancing psychological well-being and business mindset. PSS is specifically designed for enterprises affected by conflict, flood, and drought, with the goal of empowering them to build resilience.

With this background, the PSS component was implemented in six regions (Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Oromia, Somali, and Tigray), targeting 16,000 informal and formal enterprises. By employing different approaches, the component successfully met its targets, achieving meaningful impact and reaching its closing stage.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this Terms of Reference (ToR) is to hire a qualified service provider to create a high-quality creative and informative video. The video will present a collection of case stories from program participants, showcasing the impact of the PSS intervention and highlighting its transformative effects on individuals, businesses and communities. It will capture the overall journey of the PSS program, providing a comprehensive narrative that highlights the intervention’s key learnings, achievements, and handover process. The service provider will be responsible for crafting interactive and engaging visual stories, tailoring the content to effectively communicate key messages and ensure resonance with the target audience.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

Specific Activities

1. Pre-Production Planning:
   • Review existing reports, case stories, and documentation on the PSS component and conduct meeting with MESMER team and stakeholders for additional insights.
   • Conduct interviews with PSS participants, implementers, and other stakeholders for authentic and relatable storytelling.
   • Assess/explore and document impact of the PSS intervention on mental wellbeing of the participants and how it is translated into visible business outcomes.
   • Site visits to selected key regions (Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Oromia, Somali, and Tigray) to capture diverse, context-specific visuals and narratives.
   • Develop a detailed script and storyboard outlining the flow, key messages, and visual elements of the content and ensure alignment with the programme and regional contexts.
2. Content Development:
   • Produce high quality digital content such as short videos of impact stories, social media clips, and a comprehensive documentary of PSS journey highlighting the impact it had on the lives and businesses of the participants.
   • Emphasize to develop engaging human-interest stories to showcase the real-life impact of PSS.
   • Capture the closing events (workshops) in selected regions.
   • Develop case story booklet highlighting impactful narratives and success stories.
   • Develop infographics to visually represent key achievements, such as the number of MSMEs reached and the outcomes achieved.
   • Translate and localize the content into required four languages: Amharic, Afan Oromo, and Tigrigna and include culturally appropriate voiceovers and subtitles.
   • Ensure all contents pass through the programme’s quality control and approval before finalization.
3. Post-Production:
   • Ensure all content is optimized for various platforms, including websites, social media, and LMS.
   • Submit draft versions for review and incorporate feedback from MESMER team and relevant stakeholders
   • Submit all editable resources, including scripts, videos, and graphics and provide a final report summarizing the impact story process and lessons learned.

 

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAMES

The minimum deliverables are listed in the table below.

Activities	Deliverables	Timeframe
Initiation	Inception report	Feb 20, 2025
Development of story boards	Script and Storyboard	Mar 07, 2025
Digital content	Draft 1 – video	April 04, 2025
	Draft 2 – video	April 18, 2025
	Case story booklet	April 04, 2025
	Completed digital content including all visual and interactive elements	April 30,2025
Handover	Submit all editable resources, tested and well-functioning that can be integrated to digital PSS	May 09, 2025

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The service provider is expected to have.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of expertise in creating educational and impact-focused media production
• Proven experience in developing digital educational content, preferably for Startups and MSMEs or similar audiences.
• Expertise in both storytelling, animation and illustrative content creation.
• A demonstrated understanding of psychosocial well-being and business development concepts.
• Ability to produce high-quality, engaging, and culturally relevant content.
• Experience in implementing interactive and feedback mechanisms in digital content.
• Willingness and pro activeness to work in team and entertain different perspectives for success of the assignment

WORKING ARRANGEMENT

• The service provider will be working under a contract with First Consult Plc. The service provider will report directly to MESMER PSS team.
• Service provider is obligated to work within the required deadlines and be available by schedule which can be adapted at any time as deemed necessary.

TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

The technical proposal should comprise the following

• Understanding of the assignment, methodology, timeframe for delivery of assignment
• Dedicated team composition in animation, sketching and project focal person
• Samples of previous work, such as scripts, videos, or similar content related to psychosocial well-being and MSME topics.

The financial proposal, costs should be stated in ETB and including any taxes. The budget should also indicate unit cost, quantity and number of days (number of videos or video length as needed). The budget should be presented in a format where cost areas are clearly identified for each activity such as.

• Script preparation and rewriting
• Production work
• Production crew, equipment and postproduction services
• Localization and translation

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Experience in creating media production and script writing
• Experience in developing digital educational content with similar audience
• Team composition and competencies
• Detail production schedule (workplan)