Terms of Reference Translation Service -Yegna school program collaterals

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit organization dedicated to addressing challenges faced by adolescent girls and youth in Ethiopia. Operating in the country since 2013, the organization leverages Social and Behavior Change (SBC) strategies, combining media and on-the-ground interventions to tackle various societal issues and empower young people. Girl Effect Ethiopia created the youth brand Yegna in 2014, since then has reached over 10 million people through multiple products, outreach programs, girl networks, and research pieces done all for the betterment of adolescent lives.

We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, relationships, etc. And we use innovative technology so we can reach girls at scale. We arm girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible, so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and livelihood.

When a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

Background

Yegna, Girl Effect’s branded multi-media platform established in Ethiopia in 2014, focuses on empowering adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) through fun, factual and fictional content using role-modeling and storytelling to inspire them to think and behave differently.

Meaning “Ours” in Amharic, Yegna brings young people together to overcome life’s challenges and realize their ambitions. Our platform comprises a national TV drama, music, digital and social media channels, and club activities. All our content is research-driven and co-designed with our audience. Testing, tracking and learning are critical to our design process. We aim for our content to be authentic, relevant, relatable to our audiences, and as engaging as possible.

In recent years, Yegna extended its impact by delivering its TV drama to rural schools through a structured viewing and discussion program. Targeting girls and boys aged 13–15, the weekly sessions combined drama screenings with facilitated discussions on key themes, supported by student manuals and fact sheets to encourage dialogue at home.

Building on the success of this school program, we are now preparing to roll out the initiative in selected schools across the Sidama region. As part of this rollout, we plan to translate and print the student manuals, fact sheets, teacher guides, and safeguarding materials into Sidaamu Afoo to ensure accessibility and relevance for students in these communities.

What we are looking for

Girl Effect is seeking a professional translator/agency to support the rollout of its Rural School Program (RSP) in the Sidama region by translating student manuals, fact sheets, teacher guides, and safeguarding materials from Amharic into Sidaamu Afoo. The translation must go beyond word-for-word conversion, capturing cultural nuance, local context, and the intended tone of the original materials.

Scope of Work

The selected translator or agency will be responsible for delivering accurate, culturally resonant, and age-appropriate translations of the following materials:

• Student manuals
• Factsheets
• Safeguarding tools and guidelines

All content must be translated from Amharic into Sidaamu Afoo in a way that reflects the cultural values, norms, and everyday language of the Sidama community.

Responsibilities

The agency will undertake the following key responsibilities:

• Translate all materials clearly and accurately, preserving tone, intent, and meaning.
• Adapt content to ensure cultural relevance and age-appropriateness for young audiences in Sidama.
• Avoid literal translations that could lead to confusion or misinterpretation.
• Use consistent terminology, especially for key concepts related to education, health, gender, and safeguarding.
• Work with Girl Effect to align on preferred terms and language guidelines.
• Review and refine all materials to ensure high-quality, error-free delivery.
• Incorporate feedback from the Girl Effect team and make timely revisions as needed.
• Participate in regular check-ins and feedback sessions to ensure quality and alignment.
  
  

Expected Deliverables

• Final Sidaamu Afoo translations of all student manuals, submitted in editable Word format.
• Final Sidaamu Afoo translations of factsheets and safeguarding materials in editable Word format.
• Translations that are culturally appropriate, grammatically correct, and ready for immediate use without further editing.
• Revised versions of all documents incorporating feedback from Girl Effect’s team.
• Timely submission of all deliverables according to the agreed timeline and milestones.

Expected Commitment

• The assignment will run from Jul 23, 2025 - Aug 29, 2025

Management

The agency will have a primary point of contact within our Ethiopia Create team.

Procurement Timeline

• Terms of Reference Published: Jul 10, 2025
• Deadline for Proposal Submission: Jul 17, 2025
• Project Commencement: Jul 23, 2025

Proposal Submission

Your proposal, should you be interested (Max 5 pages), should cover:

• Credentials/Profile - Please showcase any previous work that you consider relevant to what we are trying to achieve, how we approach our work, and the audience we cater to. Describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the firm or consultant in providing the requested services.
• Reference - Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance.
• Breakdown of Costs with applicable taxes and other charges identified in Firms should provide a financial budget and work plan for the requested deliverables.
  • All applicable taxes should be quoted separately.

In their proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the TOR and demonstrate how the bidder will meet the requirements of the evaluation criteria.

GE is not liable for any costs incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.

VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for 90 days from the date of bid closure.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical Approach and Relevant Experience (50%) – Demonstrated capacity to deliver accurate, culturally appropriate, and audience-relevant translations of educational and safeguarding materials, reflecting local context, tone, and terminology suitable for youth in the Sidama community.
• Team Composition (10%) – Qualifications and expertise of the proposed personnel.
• Financial Proposal (40%) – Cost-effectiveness, value for money, and alignment with project deliverables.

How To Apply

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a proposal by email with the subject line “Translation Services - Ethiopia” to suppliers@girleffect.org  by July 17, 2025.

Copyright

All materials/documents arising from this translation work shall remain the property of Girl Effect.

Equal Opportunities

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, gender or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is truly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy services of organizations and individuals with a deep understanding and experience of our programming markets and diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted suppliers will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found here. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.

Tax

Girl Effect Ethiopia is obliged by the Ethiopian tax authorities to ensure all taxes are charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions of Ethiopian tax legislation when developing their proposals.

Disclaimer

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of shortlisted participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform the ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the TOR and using our specified email address (suppliers@girleffect.org).