ToR for Consultancy to Conduct Formative Research and Develop a Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy for RAYEE II

The purpose of this consultancy is to bridge the gap between economic opportunity and social participation for Rural Young Women (RYW). The consultant will:

• Conduct evidence-based formative research to identify the behavioral, social, and cultural drivers that influence the meaningful participation of RYW and those with disabilities in agribusiness and economic opportunities.
• Design a comprehensive, multi-level SBCC Strategy for RAYEE II that addresses identified barriers, promotes positive social norms, and creates an enabling environment for young women’s agri-preneurship/entrepreneurship and financial inclusion across the seven target regions.

General Objective

To develop a data-driven Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy that empowers rural young women and disadvantaged youth to actively participate in and benefit from employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship opportunities within the RAYEE II program.

The lead consultant firm and the team it deploys for this assignment should possess the following competencies and academic qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Social and behavioural Sciences, Communication, Sociology, social sciences, development studies, or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in SBCC, behavioural research, and social norms programming, particularly in development projects.
• At least 10 years of proven experience in conducting formative research, behavioural analysis, journey mapping, or social norms assessments or norm exploration exercises for development programs.
• Strong experience in designing and implementing qualitative research methodologies, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, participatory research methods, and social norms exploration tools.
• Demonstrated experience in synthesizing existing research (such as gender analysis, barrier analysis, or market assessments) into actionable behavioural insights to inform SBCC strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse social norms, gender dynamics, and behavioural barriers affecting youth employment, particularly for young women and marginalized groups.
• Strong capacity in developing practical SBCC recommendations, including messaging strategies, community engagement approach and employer behaviour change interventions.
• Strong knowledge of Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI), and Behaviour Change Communications
• Experience working with youth employment or livelihood programs
• The consulting firm shall include a team of experts who are specialized in the selected areas and teams who can assist in message/content development, graphics design.

• Team work

For detailed TOR, please check the following link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EY8AsAW43qDiD2pWZ75Yi0T4XHiiKZAk/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110887480410632260964&rtpof=true&sd=true