Background
The horizont3000 (h3) Framework Programme 2023-2026 “Gender Equality4Sustainable Development.” co-funded through the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), aims at advancing Gender Equality and the empowerment of women in two main sectors: Human Rights & Civil Society and Sustainable Livelihoods, with a focus on Gender Equality, Climate Action and Policy Dialogue. We work with communities that have been marginalised in claiming their rights and leading self-determined lives, foremost with smallholder farmers, disadvantaged women, children and youth, women’s and human rights groups as well as indigenous people.
All project interventions are implemented through our local partner organizations, including Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), national NGOs, and Catholic Dioceses with their development offices. These partners are central to our work, driving the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of their own project ideas with support from h3.
Purpose and Objectives of the Assignment
The framework programme aims to address the root causes of gender inequality through targeted, transformative actions. At the heart of this effort are community gender dialogues, which drive social change, challenge harmful norms, and promote equitable decision-making. To support these conversations, a comprehensive Facilitator’s Toolkit was developed in English. We are now seeking a high-quality Kiswahili translation that is clear, accurate, and culturally resonant- to ensure local facilitators in rural Kenya and Tanzania can effectively guide these conversations.
The main objective of this consultancy is to engage a specialized individual consultant or firm to:
- Translate the complete Gender Dialogue Facilitator’s Toolkit from English into clear, contextually accurate, and culturally appropriate Kiswahili.
- Adapt and translate all visual captions and illustrative text to align with the translated core content.
- Typeset and format the Kiswahili version to retain the original graphic design, layout, and visual aesthetic of the English document.
Scope of Work
The service provider will carry out the following key tasks:
- Translation & Adaptation: Translate all modules, exercises, and facilitator prompts into natural Swahili easily understood by rural facilitators in Tanzania and Kenya, appr. 48.340 words in English language.
- Visual Captions: Translate all image captions, callouts, and visual elements (mostly included in above word count).
- Proofreading: Perform rigorous proofreading and copyediting to correct grammatical errors, incorporating all feedback provided by horizont3000 upon review.
- Optional: Layout & Formatting: Insert the translated Kiswahili text into the original graphic design templates. Ensure layout consistency, including font hierarchy, spacing, page numbering, image placement, and overall visual structure.
Required Technical Expertise
- Advanced degree in Translation, Linguistics, Communications, or a related field.
- Minimum of 5-7 years of professional experience in English-to-Kiswahili translation, localized adaptations, and editing.
- Strong localized gender fluency to translate socio-cultural concepts into clear, respectful, and idiomatically accurate Kiswahili that resonates with rural community facilitators in Tanzania and Kenya without diluting or distorting the gender-transformative intent
- Demonstrated expertise in translating community facilitator guides, gender-transformative training materials, or social development toolkits.
- Optional: Proficiency in graphic design software (e.g., Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) for Desktop Publishing (DTP).
- Optional: Ability to deliver print-ready and digital publication formats while maintaining original design integrity.
Timeline and Location
- Timeline: Starting mid of November; the assignment has to be duly completed by latest 20th December 2026.
- Location: Remote- Must be able to conduct virtual meetings with teams across different time zones in East Africa and Europe.