Call for Expressions of Interest – UN Human Settlements Program

Introduction
Energy access in poor urban and peri-urban areas of Kenya and Cameroon remains very low despite progress made in the last 10 years. The majority of the youth are unemployed despite holding high school diplomas. Both countries are endowed with immense renewable energy potential and also have readily available material for in-country assembly of solar lighting systems. The drop in the cost of solar energy in the last 5 years has made it more affordable than ever. However, the finished product in the market remains out of the reach of the urban and peri-urban poor who still rely on kerosene lamps for lighting. Best practices on locally assembled solar equipment are now available. Transferring this know-how to the population through a training of trainers will bring benefits which include improving livelihoods and generating income opportunities for the youth.

The proposed training falls within the UN-Habitat’s “Urban Youth Empowerment and Ecological Safety project” that aims to address issues of youth unemployment, poverty, and ecological safety through the development of models and policies that will lead to the meaningful engagement of young people in the development of Cities. The training is also in line with two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are SDG 7 on Universal energy access” and SDG 11 which commits to making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Through this call for Expressions of Interest, UN-Habitat invites eligible international and national organizations including NGOs, consultancy firms, research institutions, civil society organizations and individuals to submit their expressions of interest to conduct training of trainers on the assembly of solar street lights and solar lanterns in Kenya and Cameroon. The training in each of the two countries will last for a period of three (3) weeks. The beneficiaries of the training of trainers (ToT) will go on to train young people in their respective countries on the assembly of solar street lights and solar lanterns.

Scope of the Assignment
The scope of the assignment will include but not limited to the following;
• Design of the training programme on solar street light and solar lantern assembly with input from UN-Habitat;
• Provide the trainees with a theoretical understanding of how solar street lights and solar lanterns work to ensure that they understand the basic circuitry of the lighting systems;
• Conduct a step by step practical training on the assembly of solar street lights using locally available materials;
• Conduct a step-by-step practical training on the assembly of solar lanterns using locally available materials;
• Oversee the assembly and installation of 100 fully functioning solar street lights in strategic locations to improve public space lighting;
• Oversee the assembly by the trainees of 100 fully functioning solar lanterns; and
• Preparation and submission of a final report to UN-Habitat following the completion of the training activities.

HOW TO APPLY:
Requirements of the Expression of Interest
In order to be considered eligible, organizations submitting an Expression of Interest must have a proven track record of past training work conducted in the assembly of solar energy systems
Applicants will need to submit;
• A proposal clearly outlining how the organization intends to implement the assignment. This should include the technical approach and the methodology;
• Organizational track record detailing similar work completed in the past;
• The organization’s registration documents;
• Audited financial statements for the last 2 years;
• The CVs of key staff to be involved in the delivery of the project; and

The Expression of Interest must be submitted to UN-Habitat no later than the close of business on the 27th of November 2017 to the following address:
Helda Wandera
Urban Basic Services Branch
UN-Habitat
PO Box 30030-00100
Nairobi
Kenya
Submission in electronic format should be sent to;
Helda.Wandera@unhabitat.org.
The subject line should be “Training of trainers in Cameroon and Kenya on solar street light and solar lantern assembly”. Please note that UN-Habitat will only contact those shortlisted for the interviews.

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