Terre de Hommes, Africa Coordination Office (AFCO) is seeking proposals from qualified organisations to implement a project aimed at enhancing youth participation in the tourism value chain in Livingstone and Kazungula districts, Zambia. The project will be a pilot project, the project will focus on addressing youth unemployment by equipping young people with relevant skills in the tourism sector, enhancing the capacity of local training centres, and establishing business hubs to create sustainable employment opportunities.

Background

Livingstone and Kazungula districts are rich in tourism potential, boasting attractions such as the Victoria Falls and vibrant wildlife reserves, this presenting significant opportunities for economic growth and job creation for young people. Despite these opportunities, youth unemployment remains high, with minimal participation in the tourism sector due to skill gaps, limited access to training, and insufficient institutional capacity. This project seeks to bridge these gaps through enhancing youth participation, targeted skills development, capacity building, and enterprise creation.

Target Beneficiaries

Direct Beneficiaries: 15 youths (18-25 years old) over two years, with at least 60% female participation.

Indirect Beneficiaries:

Local tourism businesses (hotels, safari companies, restaurants air B’n’Bs, lodges).
Tourists and visitors benefitting from improved services.
Communities in Kazungula and Livingstone and surrounding areas.
Intermediaries:
Youth training centres, local government authorities, tourism agencies, and other stakeholders.

Project Objectives

Develop Youth Skills: Train 15 youths in relevant tourism-related skills, including business management, marketing, concierge, food and beverage making skills, house keeping, bar tending, chefs, tour guides and entrepreneurship.
Enhance Training Centres: Strengthen the capacity of three local training centres to deliver industry-relevant curricula and professional development for trainers.
Establish Business Hubs: Establish at least 5 operational business hubs to provide employment and resources for youth-led enterprises.
Improve Project Management: Implement effective monitoring, evaluation, and documentation to ensure project impact and sustainability.

Scope of Work

The selected organization in expected to implement a project that will:

Increase youth awareness and knowledge of the tourism value chain and its opportunities.
Recruit and train youth in tourism related skills in collaboration with tourism industry experts.
Conduct apprenticeships, internships, and site visits with local tourism businesses.
Develop a comprehensive training curriculum informed by results of a community mapping exercise that was conducted in preparation of the project.
Procure starter kits and mentor youth to establish business hubs.
Provide professional development for trainers and strengthen capacities of participating training centre (s).
Monitor, evaluate, and document project progress and outcomes.
To increase youth opportunities in the tourism sector.

Eligibility Criteria

Proposals are invited from experienced organizations with:

Locally registered organisations and private sector companies with experience in tourism development.
Proven expertise in youth empowerment, tourism skills training, and entrepreneurship development.
Experience in curriculum design and capacity building for training centres.
Strong partnerships with local government, tourism stakeholders, and communities.
Demonstrated ability to implement multi-stakeholder projects effectively.

Submission Guidelines

Interested organisations should submit proposals that include:

Organizational profile and relevant experience.
Technical proposal detailing the approach to achieve project objectives.
Detailed logical framework, Implementation/Work plan and timeline.
Budget breakdown with justification.
Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework.
References from government departments and organisation/companies that you collaborated with in similar projects.
To provide and end of project evaluation report of any similar projects that the organisation implemented

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Relevance and innovation of the proposed approach to meeting objectives and need of the target group
Organizational capacity and experience.
Cost-effectiveness and alignment with project objectives.
Detailed Logical framework which aligns with the implementation plan.
Sustainability and long-term impact.
Deadline

Proposals must be submitted not later than  5 June 2025 to tdhsaco@gmail.com   and w.jenje@tdh.de