Consultant for women and youth capacity building in plastic solid wastes management and recycling

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title: Consultancy for women and youth capacity building in plastic solid wastes management and recycling in Bukavu City.

Open to: Local Non-Government Organizations, Local Associations and Small Private Enterprises.

1. Background

   The Ruzizi Basin is both host to a rich diversity of threatened and endangered species, and the lynchpin for economic growth opportunities in the region. For instance, it serves as a critical supplier of hydropower to the Eastern DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda with the potential to generate over 500 megawatts of electricity. The Ruzizi Basin, holds great promise for large-scale restoration as NBS interventions have the potential to have an outsized impact on Africa’s rainfall patterns critical for food and water security and more immediately for the 11 million local Ruzizi Basin residents whose livelihoods rely on the health and well-being of the Basin.

   Despite this importance, the proliferation of informal settlements on steep slopes has drastically reduced open and green spaces within city boundaries and increased the density of impervious surface areas. The loss of vegetation has subsequently contributed to a high volume of runoff, polluting the waters with sediment and trash. Furthermore, the loss of vegetation in these areas has increased urban heat island effect, which has consequences for human health, economic productivity, energy use, and social connectivity. A high rate of deforestation for biomass energy production (charcoal) and unsustainable agricultural practices on steep slopes in the peri-urban areas have contributed to recurring flooding and landslides. These disasters have caused loss of life and significant economic damage. Landslides and soil erosion contribute to the siltation of the Ruzizi River and the hydropower dams that it hosts. Due to a serious lack of basic infrastructure in these settlements, there are significant water and sanitation concerns for untreated waste, limited access to clean drinking water, and significant air pollution.

   According to UN Habitat (2022), Bukavu city produce 898 tons of household solid waste per day and only 7% is collected, i.e. 62.22 tons. Bukavu city receives also tons of plastic waste from cities located on the shores of Lake Kivu, notably Goma, Sake, and Kavumu in the DRC, Gisenyi, Kibuye and Kamembe in Rwanda. A large part of this waste is dumped into the Ruzizi River and deposited in the Ruzizi I and Ruzizi 2 hydroelectric dams, which reduce their capacity in hydropower production. There is therefore an urgent need to manage and recycle solid waste in this city by acting through women and youth mainly because they constitute the potential key actors. In the light of the above, WRI is seeking the Consultant/Service provider to establish Women and Youth groups to manage and recycle plastic solid wastes in Bukavu City in the framework of circular economy.

   Thanks to the financial support from Caterpillar Foundation in the framework of WRI Cities4Forests Programme, WRI developed and is implementing the project entitled “NBS for climate and water resilience in urban and peri-urban areas for people, climate, and nature” with aim to enhance community and ecosystem resilience for 2.3 million residents in the cities of Bukavu and Uvira in Ruzizi Basin by designing and implementing locally appropriate NBS, increasing access to sustainable livelihoods, and improving energy and water security.

   Specific targets of this project are the following: i) Over 10 kilometers of water-related NBS interventions improve water quality and quantity in wetlands, lakes, rivers; ii) 20 hectares of priority degraded urban green spaces rehabilitated; iii) 10 kilometers of planted trees along key transportation roads/urban avenues and streets increase flood and landslide protection while increase the capacity of carbon sequestration and storage and urban amenity; iv) 10% reduction in sedimentation and solid wastes deposit in Ruzizi I and Ruzizi II hydropower dams, greatly increasing electricity supply; v) 1,000 jobs created for women and youth through NBS implementation and solid waste management activities.
   

   Restoration of Bukavu urban spaces efforts and solid wastes management and recycling focus on the urban and peri-urban areas in and around the cities of Bukavu and Uvira in the South-Province of DRC. These cities are among Ruzizi Basin’s largest cities, as well as among the fastest growing cities in the region due to the migration of people fleeing from armed groups operating in surrounding rural areas.

   Small-scale project interventions will focus on integrated approach involving re-greening efforts and the establishment of riparian buffer zones around the hydropower dams and upstream on the Ruzizi River, halting the rate of ecosystem loss, and management of solid wastes from urban areas to protect water bodies including hydropower dams and rivers. A multi-partner approach to address landscape degradation and water-based risks in these cities will be implemented. Leveraging WRI success in designing and implementing NBS and deep experience in engaging stakeholders (NGOs, Women and Youth Associations, local NGOs, academia and research institutions, and private actors), we will support the interventions that will deliver improved resilience outcomes for the residents of Bukavu and Uvira.

   Specifically, key activities of the project include: i) Conducting baseline studies to create the basis for monitoring improvements in tree cover, flood and sedimentation risk reduction, solid wastes management, gender, equity an social inclusion for the implementation of the project; offering the Caterpillar Foundation and WRI an opportunity to track the progress and the impact of the project overtime; ii) Establishment of efficient and effective stakeholder consultations sessions that both address local power dynamics and increase local buy-in and ownership of the urban and peri-urban interventions; iii) Facilitating experience and knowledge sharing trips between the stakeholders of Bukavu and Uvira, as well as other cities where urban water resilience and greening cities are being developed to help spur cross-collaboration learnings and scale up adoption.

   1. Expected deliverables

      2.1. Overall objective of the activity

      The overall objective of this activity is to contribute to the resilience of the populations of Bukavu by improve the production of water and hydroelectric energy through reduction of solid wastes deposit in Ruzizi I and Ruzizi II hydropower dams and to improve local communities’ economy and livelihoods through creation job opportunities with a focus on women and youth employment.

      2.2. Activities and expected deliverables.

      N°

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      Activities (2 months)

      Expected deliverables

      1

      Establishment of women's groups and development of their capacities for management and valorization of plastic solid waste

      After 2 months of the signature of the contract with WRI, at least 20 groups of 400 women established and their capacity for management and recycling plastic solid wastes in Bukavu City developed

      1.1

      Training women’s groups on the concepts and entrepreneurial opportunities of plastic solid waste management and valorization through their recycling (plastic bottles and slippers) in the framework of circular economy.

      At least 40 delegates from 20 women's groups received training on plastic solid waste (plastic bottles and plastic slippers) management and recycling/valorization in the framework of circular economy.

      1.2

      Provide technical support to women trainers in knowledge sharing and selective collection of plastic bottles for their valorization (construction of floating platforms and production of artisanal materials).

      At least 400 women are trained in plastic solid waste (plastic bottles and plastic slippers) management and recycling in the framework of circular economy (400 potential job opportunities created for women).

      2

      Establishment of youth groups and development of their capacities for management and valorization of plastic solid waste

      After 2 months of the signature of the contract with WRI, at least 300 youths are trained in recycling plastic bottles waste through production of handicraft objects (baskets, stools, decorative objects, etc.)

      2.1

      Training of youth trainers on the concepts of plastic solid waste (plastic bottles and slippers) management and recycling in the framework of circular economy;

      At least 40 delegates from 20 youth groups received training on plastic solid waste management and recycling.

      2.2

      Provide technical support to youth trainers in knowledge sharing on selective collection of plastic solid wastes their valorization (construction of floating platforms and production of artisanal materials)

      At least 300 youth are trained in plastic solid waste (plastic bottles and plastic slippers) management and recycling in the framework of circular economy (300 potential job opportunities created for youth).

      2.3

      Training of youth on recycling plastic waste (manufacturing of multi-use baskets with plastic bottles)