Terms of Reference (ToR): Consultancy to Develop a Policy Learning Brief on Young Women’s Access to Finance under the Kataza Programme

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Programme:	Kataza – Young Africa Works Rwanda MSME-Financing Program
Funding partner:	Mastercard Foundation
Consortium lead:	Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD Plc)
Consortium partners:	African Management Institute (AMI), MVEND Ltd, Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR), I&M Bank Rwanda PLC and RWAMREC
Contracting organisation:	Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC)
Assignment:	One evidence-based policy learning brief on young women’s access to and use of finance in the Agriculture and Tourism & Hospitality (T&H) sectors
Type of consultancy:	Evidence synthesis, targeted qualitative data collection and policy writing
Primary audiences:	Policy makers and regulators, BRD, partner financial institutions (SACCOs, MFIs, FinTechs, banks), AMIR, Mastercard Foundation and development partners
Estimated duration:	Six (6) weeks from contract signature; approximately 22 consultant working days
Tender Method	Open Tender
Submission deadline	November 20, 2026
Tender reference number	RWAMREC/TND/025/2026

1. About RWAMREC

The Rwanda Men's Resource Centre (RWAMREC) is a non-governmental organisation striving to achieve gender equality by promoting positive masculinities and male engagement approaches to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) in Rwanda and the region. RWAMREC's vision is a peaceful society where women and men share roles and responsibilities in raising families and governing society through equality and respect. Its mission is to promote gender equality by transforming masculinities and femininities through awareness creation, advocacy, capacity development, movement building and service delivery.

2. Background and Context

Kataza is the Young Africa Works Rwanda MSME-Financing Program, a three-year proof-of-concept programme funded by the Mastercard Foundation and led by the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD). It aims to enable youth-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Agriculture and Tourism & Hospitality, especially those owned by young women, to access and use affordable, tailored finance and to grow in ways that unlock dignified and fulfilling work. The programme combines a concessional liquidity facility for SACCOs, MFIs and FinTechs, de-risking instruments (an unfunded credit guarantee, guarantee-fee subsidies and agricultural micro-insurance), interest-rate buy-downs through I&M Bank, the digitisation of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), proximity business advisory through Growth Guides, and institutional strengthening of financial service providers. At least 80% of targeted MSME beneficiaries are expected to be young women.

Evidence consistently shows that the barriers limiting young women’s access to finance in Rwanda are not only financial. The FinScope youth thematic report (2020) found that most young people struggle to obtain formal credit, and women are more likely than men to rely solely on informal financial services. Beyond high cost of credit and collateral requirements, young women face barriers rooted in gender and social norms: limited control over household income and co-owned assets, restricted participation in financial decisions, the burden of unpaid care work, limited mobility and information, and lending practices and credit committee attitudes that perceive women and youth as high risk.

Within the Kataza consortium, RWAMREC leads the social norms and men engagement component. Through the Journey of Transformation (JoT), an evidence-based couples curriculum that engages men as allies in women’s economic empowerment, and Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) sessions for Growth Guides, Village Agents, digital champions, young men, and financial institution staff and credit committees, RWAMREC works to dismantle the normative and structural barriers that limit young women’s access to and control over finance. Community members and local leaders are further engaged through men-engaged clubs. The programme proposal commits RWAMREC to produce policy briefs addressing challenges identified during programme monitoring, including unpaid care work and collateral issues for women entrepreneurs.

Kataza is designed with a learning agenda to inform scale-up and a potential second phase. It is therefore timely to document what the programme is revealing about how young women access, use and benefit from finance, what is working, what is not, and what changes in policy and practice are needed. RWAMREC is seeking a qualified consultant to develop an evidence-based policy learning brief on young women’s access to finance that translates programme evidence into clear, actionable recommendations for policy makers, regulators, financial institutions and programme partners.

3. Purpose and Objectives

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to generate and communicate policy-relevant learning on how gender and social norms, household dynamics and financial sector practices shape young women’s access to and use of finance in the Agriculture and T&H sectors, and how Kataza interventions are contributing to change.

The specific objectives are to:

Synthesise existing Kataza programme evidence and relevant national data on young women’s access to, use of and control over finance, including credit, savings, guarantees and micro-insurance.
Analyse the demand-side, supply-side and normative barriers, and the enabling factors, that shape young women’s financial inclusion, with particular attention to household decision-making, unpaid care work, asset ownership and financial institution practices.
Document emerging learning on how the JoT, GTA sessions with financial institution staff and credit committees, Growth Guides, VSLA digitisation and concessional finance are, individually and in combination, influencing young women’s access to and benefit from finance.
Identify policy, regulatory and institutional gaps and formulate practical, evidence-based recommendations for Government, regulators, BRD, partner financial institutions, AMIR, development partners and RWAMREC.
Present the learning in a concise, accessible and visually engaging policy learning brief suitable for advocacy and policy dialogue.

4. Key Learning and Policy Questions

The brief shall, at minimum, address the questions below. These will be refined with RWAMREC at inception.

4.1 Barriers and enablers

What are the main demand-side, supply-side and normative barriers preventing young women in Agriculture and T&H from accessing and using formal finance, and how do these differ by age, marital status, location (rural/urban), sector and enterprise segment (Invisibles, Bootstrappers, Gazelles)?
How do household power relations, joint decision-making, control over income and co-owned assets, and unpaid care responsibilities influence whether young women apply for, obtain, control and productively use loans?

4.2 Programme contribution

What changes are observed in young women’s access to, use of and control over finance among Kataza participants, and to which programme elements can these changes plausibly be attributed?
How has engaging men and partners through the JoT, and financial institution staff and credit committees through GTA sessions, influenced attitudes, lending decisions and young women’s financial behaviours?
To what extent are the programme’s targets and design features (80% young women, capped interest rates, VSLA savings history as an alternative to collateral, Growth Guide referrals) translating into equitable uptake? Where is the gender gap not narrowing, and why?

4.3 Policy and practice implications

How gender-responsive are current financial products, credit policies and appraisal practices of partner SACCOs, MFIs, FinTechs and banks? What changes have been adopted, and what remains?
Which national policy and regulatory frameworks (financial inclusion, gender equality, agriculture and youth employment strategies, and relevant BNR regulations) enable or constrain young women’s access to finance, and where are the gaps?
What should be scaled, adapted or discontinued in a potential second phase of Kataza, and what are the priority actions for each key stakeholder?

5. Scope and Methodology

The consultant will propose a detailed methodology in the technical proposal and refine it at inception. The assignment is expected to rely primarily on existing programme and secondary data, complemented by targeted qualitative data collection to fill evidence gaps. The methodology should include:

Desk review: Kataza programme documents, baseline and monitoring data, the programme MEL platform data disaggregated by sex, age and location, JoT and GTA reports, stories of change, partner reports, and relevant national data and literature (e.g., FinScope, BNR and NISR reports).
Key informant interviews (indicatively 12–15): BRD Project Implementation Unit, partner SACCOs, MFIs, FinTechs and I&M Bank, AMIR, AMI, MVEND, Growth Guides, local leaders, and relevant government and regulatory institutions.
Focus group discussions (indicatively 6–8): young women entrepreneurs (borrowers and non-borrowers), JoT couples, VSLA members and men-engaged club members, in a sample of programme districts agreed at inception.
Analysis: thematic analysis applying a gender-transformative and social norms lens, triangulating quantitative programme data with qualitative evidence, and clearly distinguishing what the evidence shows from what can be plausibly inferred.
Validation: a half-day validation workshop with RWAMREC, BRD, consortium partners and selected stakeholders to test findings and sharpen recommendations.

6. Key Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for:

Holding an inception meeting with RWAMREC to agree on scope, learning questions, methodology, sampling, deliverables and timelines.
Reviewing all relevant programme and secondary documentation and data provided by RWAMREC and consortium partners.
Developing data collection tools and a sampling plan, and submitting them to RWAMREC for approval before fieldwork.
Coordinating with RWAMREC to mobilise respondents, and conducting KIIs and FGDs in line with ethical and safeguarding standards.
Analysing and triangulating data, and drafting the policy learning brief with clear findings, lessons and targeted recommendations.
Facilitating the validation workshop and incorporating feedback from RWAMREC, BRD, the Mastercard Foundation and other stakeholders.
Designing and formatting the final brief with infographics, data highlights, anonymised quotes and case examples, in line with programme branding guidelines.
Preparing a short technical report documenting methodology, data sources, limitations and detailed findings.

7. Deliverables and Timeline

#	Deliverable	Description	Timing
1	Inception report	Refined learning questions, methodology, sampling plan, data collection tools, brief outline and detailed work plan. Approved by RWAMREC before fieldwork.	End of Week 1
2	Data collection and preliminary findings	Completed KIIs and FGDs; short presentation of preliminary findings to RWAMREC.	End of Week 3
3	Draft policy learning brief	Full draft brief (6–8 pages) submitted for review by RWAMREC and consortium partners.	End of Week 4
4	Validation workshop	Half-day workshop to present and validate findings and recommendations; summary notes captured.	Week 5
5	Final policy learning brief	Final designed brief (6–8 pages) incorporating feedback, in print-ready PDF and editable Word formats.	End of Week 6
6	Policy messages summary	Two-page summary of key messages and recommendations in English and Kinyarwanda, for advocacy and dissemination.	End of Week 6
7	Technical report and data	Short technical report (methodology, limitations, detailed findings), anonymised transcripts or notes and a PowerPoint presentation of key findings.	End of Week 6

8. Data and Documents to be Provided

RWAMREC will provide, at inception, access to the following materials, subject to data protection requirements:

Kataza programme proposal, theory of change, results framework and relevant operational guidance.
Baseline study and programme monitoring data, including MEL platform extracts on lending disaggregated by sex, age, sector and location.
JoT and GTA curricula, training and attendance reports, and men-engaged club reports.
Quarterly progress reports, stories of change, case studies and learning notes.
Contacts of consortium partners, partner financial institutions and relevant stakeholders.

9. Ethical Considerations and Safeguarding

The consultant shall comply with RWAMREC’s safeguarding, child protection and confidentiality policies and with Law N° 058/2021 of 13/10/2021 relating to the protection of personal data and privacy. Informed consent must be obtained from all respondents; quotes and case examples must be anonymised; and data must be stored securely and returned to RWAMREC at the end of the assignment. Given that discussions on household finances and decision-making may expose sensitive issues, including gender-based violence, the consultant shall follow a do-no-harm approach and apply RWAMREC’s referral procedures where needed.

10. Qualifications and Experience

The assignment is suitable for an individual consultant or a small team. The lead consultant should have:

An advanced degree in Development Economics, Gender Studies, Finance, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or a related field.
At least seven (7) years of experience in research, evaluation, or policy analysis on financial inclusion, women’s economic empowerment, or MSME development, preferably in Rwanda or East Africa.
Demonstrated experience producing policy briefs, learning briefs or advocacy papers that translate evidence into practical recommendations for policy and financial sector audiences.
Sound understanding of gender-transformative approaches, social norms and male engagement, and of how they relate to women’s financial inclusion.
Good knowledge of Rwanda’s financial sector, including SACCOs, MFIs, FinTechs, VSLAs and the relevant policy and regulatory environment.
Proven skills in mixed-methods analysis and qualitative data collection (KIIs, FGDs).
Strong writing, editing and data visualisation skills; experience working with a graphic designer is an advantage.
Excellent written and spoken English; proficiency in Kinyarwanda is strongly desirable.

11. Reporting and Management

The consultant will report to the RWAMREC Kataza Project Coordinator, with technical oversight from the RWAMREC Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager. Deliverables will be reviewed by RWAMREC, with input from BRD and the Mastercard Foundation as appropriate, and approved by RWAMREC before payment. All products and data generated under this assignment are the property of RWAMREC and the Kataza consortium and may not be used or published by the consultant without written permission.

12. Payment Schedule

● 30% upon approval of the inception report.

● 70% upon approval of the final policy learning brief and all remaining deliverables.

All costs shall be inclusive of applicable taxes (PAYE, WHT and VAT where applicable). RWAMREC will support respondent mobilisation and host the validation workshop.

13. Evaluation Criteria

#	Criteria	Score
1	Understanding of the assignment and proposed methodology	30
2	Work plan	10
3	Qualifications and relevant experience	30
4	Financial proposal	30
	Total	100

14. Application Process

Interested consultants should submit:

A technical proposal (maximum 6 pages) outlining understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, and work plan.
A financial proposal in Rwandan Francs (RWF), inclusive of all applicable taxes.
Updated CV(s) of the consultant or team members, highlighting relevant experience.
At least two examples of previous similar work (e.g., policy briefs, learning briefs or research reports).

All applications should be addressed to the RWAMREC Executive Director by e-mail at info@rwamrec.org by 20th Nov 2026 at 5:00 pm (Kigali time), with the subject line “Application – Kataza Policy Learning Brief on Women’s Access to Finance”. Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. RWAMREC is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds, particularly women.

Done at Kigali, 4 November 2026

Fidèle RUTAYISIRE,

Executive Director