Terms of Reference (TOR) For Hiring a Consultant to Document the History of the Ethiopian National Association of the Blind (ENAB)

Background

The Ethiopian National Association of the Blind (ENAB) is a non-governmental and non-profit making mass-based organization that was founded on January 1, 1960. At present, it has 31 Branches that are found in different regions and localities throughout the country with a total of more than 17,000 active members. The Association’s overall objective is to see that the rights of all blind persons are respected and they enjoy equal opportunity and full participation in the development of the country. Thus, the Association strives for becoming a strong voice of the blind in the planning and implementation of all measures that affect their civil, social, economic and cultural rights.

Throughout the years, ENAB has made immense contribution in the disability movement in general and in particular in policy advocacy, raising awareness, disability inclusion, OPDs capacity building and community engagement related to disability issues. As the association is a pioneer disability organization with track record of outstanding achievements which needs to be archived, be shared among partners and above all to be documented for future generation to take key lessons and scale up further. To this end, it is compelling to write the history of the association and ENAB seeks the services of a professional entity to write and document its history which should capture the Association’s genesis, development milestones and historical impacts so that the document will be used as a resource for future generations, funders, scholars and partners.

Objectives of the Assignment

• To prepare and submit a synthesized and comprehensive historical narrative account of ENAB researching various data sources such as written documents, key informants, audiovisuals and other accounts.

Scope of the Assignment

The scope of the consultancy service is made to assess the overall history of ENAB in its 65 years operational and institutional experience at national level. It covers areas related to the historical dimensions, institutional memories, accounts of founders, its establishment, key contribution and for- running services in the disability moment and historical impact at larger. The data collection process may cover wide range of sources at head office, at some branch offices and key persons at various places with varied formats. The submission is to be made in narrative format based on scientific history write-up format.

Key Role and Services

The consultant will be responsible for:

• Reviewing existing documents, reports, and archives of ENAB.
• Conducting interviews with founding members, leaders, staff, stakeholders, and beneficiaries.
• Research, collect and organize photographs, archival materials, and audio-visual content to be used as part of the document
• Produce draft an accessible historical account document for comment (print and digital).
• Present draft document for key stakeholders with time intervals and incorporate feedbacks for final submission
• Submit well-written and synthesized document including comments as per the ToR

Methodology

The consultant is expected to apply a mixed-method approach including:

• Literature and document review.
• Key informant interviews (KII) and oral histories.
• Focus group discussions, where necessary.
• Research and review visual and audio documentation.
• Review reports, organizational documents, media records and other best practices

Deliverables

• Inception Report – outlining the methodology, work plan, and proposed table of contents.
• Draft History Book – with chapters covering the foundation, growth, impact milestones, and key personalities of ENAB.
• Photo and Visual Archive – organized collection of relevant photographs with captions and sources.
• Presentation – summary presentation of key findings to ENAB staff and stakeholders.
• Final submission of the historic account document (Amharic Version) – fully edited, formatted, and accessible version for both print and digital publication. It should be made with an attractive style of narration, storytelling, and/or ethnographic write up design.

Timeline

The assignment is expected to take 4 (four) months from the signing of the contract agreement. Key milestones include:

• Inception Report: within 3 weeks
• First Draft Submission: within 9 weeks
• Final Submission (after feedback): by the end of Week 16

Required Qualifications of the Consultant

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in History, Journalism, Literature, Social Science, and related field.
• Proven experience of writing the history of an organization or individuals (minimum 5 years). This can be checked by the final print out of the document done.
• Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills in both English and Amharic.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct oral history, archival research, and handle sensitive historical data.

Application Requirements

Interested consultants should submit:

• A detailed technical proposal including qualification, practical organizational history or biography write up experience, methodology and timeline.
• A financial proposal, itemized by activity
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting relevant experience.
• At least two samples of similar historical documentation or publications.
• Contact details of at least three referees.

Evaluation Criteria