Women in the informal economy face a double burden of unpaid care and income-generating activities, leaving little time for skills development training. Unlike their formal sector counterparts with structured career and personal development training, women in informal economy are often excluded from training programs due to rigid training schedules, eligibility barriers, and a lack of institutional support. Additionally, childcare burdens limit the time available for the women to leverage on training opportunities that could enhance their business acumen.

To address these challenges, Wow Mom Kenya has partnered with the Nairobi City County Government to provide quality and affordable childcare services in Mwariro and Gikomba Markets. While childcare services have increased women’s gainful labour participation, low business management skills coupled with lack of financial literacy hinders them from profiting from their businesses. The Wow Mom Capacity Building Program is an initiative designed to empower women, particularly female traders in the market centers, with essential business management skills and financial literacy enabling them to thrive in their businesses. The program is based on findings from the Capacity Building Needs Assessment conducted in Gikomba Market, Mwariro Market, and Kangundo Road, where 89% of women in these markets reported having no access to training opportunities in the past two years. The program aims to bridge this gap by providing tailored training sessions to enhance economic empowerment and improve childcare practices. To achieve this, Wow Mom is seeking a consultant to develop a tailored curriculum and provide training to enhance the skills of female traders in business management and financial literacy.

Objective

The main objective of this consultancy is to develop a structured training program and facilitate training sessions aimed at improving business management and financial literacy among female traders with an emphasis on long-term skill retention and business sustainability. The training will be conducted in 3 markets i.e Gikomba, Mwariro and Kangundo Road markets in Nairobi Kenya.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Methodology – modules/ literacy Use the baseline data on capacity needs assessment to Design a comprehensive curriculum covering essential aspects of business management and financial literacy that includes but not limited to business planning and goal setting, budgeting and cash flow management, record keeping, marketing and sales strategies, Customer service among others. 
2. Training Delivery: Facilitate engaging and interactive in-person training sessions for 150 female traders across the three markets divided into cohorts of 25 women per session. 
3. Resource Materials: Develop user-friendly training materials, including manuals, worksheets, and case studies to be used for the training purposes.
4. Monitoring & Evaluation: Design and implement an evaluation framework to measure the impact of the training.
5. Final Report: Provide a detailed report outlining the training process, outcomes, challenges, and recommendations.

Key Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• A comprehensive training curriculum, including the schedule for the capacity building and work plan
• Training materials and tools.
• At least three in-person training sessions for female traders per cohort.
• A final report documenting the training outcomes and impact.

Duration

The consultancy is expected to run for 45 days spread over a 9 months period including preparation, training delivery, and reporting.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal consultant should have:

• A degree in Business, Finance, Entrepreneurship, or a related field.
• Proven experience in capacity-building training, especially for women entrepreneurs in the informal economy.
• Strong knowledge of business management and financial literacy.
• Experience in curriculum development and training facilitation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in Kiswahili is required 

Application Process

Interested consultants should submit the following:

• A technical proposal detailing the approach and methodology (limit to 5 pages). The proposals should outline:
  • Curriculum Development: Describe the methodology and approach for curriculum development that is gender-responsive and culturally relevant to business management and financial literacy training of female traders in market centers; 
  • Workplan: Outline the work plan with suggested activities, deliverables and timelines for the program
  • Delivery Mode: Describe the proposed format  of in-person delivery including session structure, instructional methods and training material
  •  Mentorship Plan: Framework for providing individualized mentorship and support during and after training;
  •  Monitoring & Evaluation: Approach for tracking participant progress, measuring learning outcomes, and providing impact reports. A financial proposal outlining consultancy fees and work plan.
• A CV highlighting relevant experience.
• At least two references from similar assignments.

Submission Deadline

All applications should be submitted by 15th April  2025 to info@wowmom.co.ke 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance and quality of the proposed methodology.
• Consultant’s experience and expertise.
• Cost-effectiveness of the financial proposal.