Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust, and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make life choices and changes.

We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning, and her livelihood.

Because 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 

Girl Effect is implementing an intervention to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in Migori County through social behaviour change messaging targeting girls, parents, and other community members. 

The messaging will be done through multiple channels, including radio, community events, community theatre, comics, and magazines, to spark safe dialogue, highlight positive role models, and strengthen referral pathways for sexual reproductive health and child protection. 

Through these efforts, the project seeks to ensure girls remain in school while accessing health and protection services. 

Scope of work 

Girl Effect is seeking the services of a community theatre group to produce and roll out forum theatre performances in various locations in Migori.  These performances will be used to spark conversations, encourage community involvement, and generate insights on how communities can address child marriage incidents. The overall aim is to inspire communities to keep girls in school, strengthen referral pathways to health and protection services, and enable girls to pursue empowered futures, while also generating lessons that can inform wider scale-up.

Purpose of the Role

The Community Theatre Group will create, coordinate, and perform a forum theatre piece in various community convenings in up to eight locations in Migori. 

The group will use the principles of forum theatre to prepare a performance, receive community feedback, and replay the piece, leading the actors and participating audience into a scenario with a more positive, insightful, and empowering end. 

The theatre presentation will aim to engage diverse audiences, including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), adolescent boys and young men (ABYM), parents and guardians, community-based organizations, schools, child protection officers, and health workers.

The forum theatre will integrate local Migori theatre talent, fostering the development of emerging artists throughout the preparation and presentation phases.

Objectives of the Forum Theatre Engagement

• To develop a culturally relevant and impactful forum theatre piece that highlights issues related to child marriage and adolescent empowerment.
• To facilitate community dialogue and awareness through engaging performances.
• To promote reflection, discussion, and potentially, behavior change among community members.
• To support the broader goals of the child marriage reduction pilot through community-led storytelling.

What You’ll Do
The community theatre group will be responsible for the entire end-to-end creation and packaging of the theatre forum performance. This includes:

• Collaborative Briefing: Participating in briefing and workshop sessions with Girl Effect's Creative, Social Behavioural Change (SBC), and youth and Safeguarding staff.
• Creative Development: Developing and scripting the theatre concept and presentation based on Girl Effect’s formative research studies, including creating protagonists, antagonists, allies, the story world, and scenarios.
• Casting and Talent Acquisition: Identifying and recruiting actors, performers, and any other necessary talent for the production. Please note: the cast should also include Migori theatre talent in cast and crew positions.
• Rehearsal Management: Coordinating and overseeing all rehearsals to ensure the performance is well-prepared and meets artistic and thematic objectives.
• Logistics and Performance Management: Arranging for appropriate venues for rehearsals and performances, including technical requirements like stage, production design, costume, and sound.
• Audience Engagement: Developing pre-performance activities and multi-disciplinary performances (including music and dance) to attract audiences to the venue.
• Interactive Warm-up: Creating interactive warm-up activities for the audience.
• Performance and Intervention: Performing the scripted theatre piece, leading audience participation and interventions, performing alternative scenarios, and working towards the final version of the theatre piece.

Learnings from these performances will be documented and integrated into future content developed with Girl Effect. The theatre group will travel to various locations, engaging with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), parents, community-based organizations, local leaders, and health stakeholders.

 Scope of Work

The selected Theatre Group will: 

• Conceptualize and develop a theatre script based on community insights, project themes, and local cultural contexts.
• Cast, rehearse, and prepare the forum theatre performance, with inclusion of some cast and crew members from Migori (to be co-ordinated by Girl Effect and a Migori community-based organisation)
• Perform the theatre piece in up to eight community locations within Migori County.
• Travel to each community site for performances.
• Engage community members during and after each performance to facilitate dialogue and reflections.

Deliverables

• A culturally sensitive and engaging forum theatre script aligned with the themes around reducing Child marriage and Community involvement in empowerment for vulnerable Adolescent girls
• Rehearsal plan and attendance records.
• Successful performances in up to eight community locations.
• Facilitated community dialogues following each performance.
• Brief reports summarizing each performance’s community feedback, challenges, and successes.
• Final project report that includes lessons learned and recommendations.

Skills and Experience

The Theatre Group should demonstrate: 

• Proven experience in forum theatre methodologies, development, participation, and execution.
• Familiarity with community engagement and social change initiatives, preferably in theatre-for-change and community engagement and interventions for social change initiatives, including but not limited to gender and youth issues, community health (e.g., HIV/AIDS, maternal health), environmental concerns, conflict resolution, human rights, poverty, education, and disability inclusion.
• Ability to adapt content to local cultural and linguistic contexts.
• Capacity to work collaboratively with project staff, community members, and stakeholders.

Other Considerations

• All performances must be culturally sensitive, respectful, and adhere to health and safety protocols.
• The Theatre Group shall uphold high ethical standards in its engagement with communities.
• This engagement is part of a broader effort to promote innovative, community-led approaches to tackling child marriage.
• Additional materials or support needed will be communicated in advance.

Expected Commitment

• The engagement is expected to start in October 2025 and end in January 2025.

Location

The Community Theatre Group should primarily be based in Nairobi or Migori County. However, Theatre groups  residing in other Kenyan towns or cities with reliable digital communication access will also be considered.

Management

The consultant will have a primary point of contact with the Create lead and also be supported by the Programme Lead. The language of the early script drafts and reports shall be English. The contract supervisor shall approve all deliverables submitted by the agency before any payment is made

Who You Are

An able and reliable Community Theatre Group with proven experience in forum theatre for social change, storytelling, and community intervention.

Qualifications

• Proven experience coordinating community-based projects focused on GBV, FGM, child marriage prevention, or similar social issues
• Strong background in community mobilization, facilitation, and stakeholder relationship management.
• Knowledge of diverse theatre techniques, creation, performance, and audience participation, with experience performing to diverse Kenyan audiences.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse community members, leaders, schools, parents, and adolescents.
• Commitment to safeguarding, gender equality, and child protection principles.
• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity about the cultures within which Girl Effect operates.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Swahili, with an ability to cut through complexity and communicate effectively to multi-disciplinary audiences.
• Commitment to realizing girls' potential and to the Girl Effect's vision and values.
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications studies and related fields.
• 3+ years of experience.

Tentative Timelines

•       Terms of reference published:16th September 2025.
•       Deadline for responses: 29th September 2025.
•       Project commencement: October 2025.

Proposal Submission

Your proposal should be 7 pages max and cover the following:

• Your understanding of the brief and why you feel you are well-placed to advise us on this
• Credentials/Profile/CV - 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 clearly identified in KES. Consultants should provide their daily or hourly billing rate or their proposed fixed fee 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 cost 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

The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below.

Technical Evaluation

• Experience and qualification as outlined in your CV/Credentials/Profile - 20%
• Showcases relevant experience in having done previous similar work with relevant agencies or organizations - 20 %
• Geographical Experience in Kenya/Migori- 10%
• Interpretation and understanding of this TOR - 10%
• Evidence of a minimum of three contactable references - 10%

Financial Evaluation

• Value for money/proposed budget breakdown - 30%

How to Apply

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a proposal by email with the subject line “Community Theatre Group” to suppliers@girleffect.org by 29th September 2025. 

Tax

Girl Effect is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure that 16% VAT is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions of Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.

Copyright

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

Disclaimer

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed 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).

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. The successful applicant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding and data policies. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found at this link. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff. 

Equal Opportunities

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

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.