Job Description
Terms of Reference for Documentation of Success Stories
Project Title: Building Resilience in Gokwe South Communities
Project Duration: November 2021 – October 2024

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR DOCUMENTATION OF KEY SUCCESS STORIES FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE IN GOKWE SOUTH COMMUNITIES PROJECT
1. BACKGROUND
The Building Resilience in Gokwe South Communities Project, implemented in 9 villages of Ward 13, aims to enhance community resilience through improved access to water, sanitation, hygiene practices, income-generating activities, and sustainable agricultural practices. As the project nears completion, it is crucial to document key success stories that capture the impact and transformative changes experienced by beneficiaries. These stories will serve as evidence of the project’s achievements and provide learning opportunities for future interventions.
Methodist Development and Relief Agency (MeDRA) seeks to engage a consultant to document these success stories in a compelling and comprehensive manner. The consultant will be responsible for capturing narratives, conducting interviews,high quality resolution pictures, production of short videos and creating a storybook that reflects the voices of the community members and showcases the project’s impact.
2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY
The primary objective of this consultancy is to document key success stories from the Building Resilience in Gokwe South Communities Project. The consultant will capture and present the stories of change and impact experienced by project participants, demonstrating the outcomes of interventions in a way that is engaging, informative, and suitable for diverse audiences, including donors, stakeholders, and community members.

Duties and Responsibilities
3. SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will be required to:
1. Review Project Documentation: Conduct a thorough review of existing project reports, monitoring data, and relevant documents to understand the project context, objectives, and key achievements.
2. Develop a Documentation Plan: Create a detailed plan outlining the approach to capturing success stories, including key themes, potential interviewees, and story angles that reflect the project’s impact.
3. Field Visits to Gokwe South: Conduct field visits to the 9 target villages in Ward 13 to engage with project participants, conduct interviews, and gather testimonies. The consultant will work closely with MeDRA staff to identify and interview beneficiaries, local leaders, and other stakeholders.
4. Capture High-Quality Photographs: Take high-quality photographs that complement the stories and provide visual evidence of the project’s impact. The consultant will ensure that photos are well-composed, captioned accurately, and ethically obtained with consent from participants.
5. Short Videos: Production of 3–5 short video clips (2-3 minutes each) that highlight significant project outcomes, featuring interviews with beneficiaries and showcasing on-the-ground project activities.
6. Develop Success Stories and Comprehensive Storybook: Compile the collected stories into a coherent and engaging storybook, highlighting key themes such as improved livelihoods, access to clean water, improved sanitation, enhanced agricultural practices, and community resilience. The storybook should be professionally designed, edited, and formatted for print and digital dissemination.
7. Conduct Staff Training: Conduct a training session focused on documentation skills, effective storytelling, photography, and captioning techniques. The training will equip MeDRA staff with the skills needed to enhance the quality of future project documentation.
4. DELIVERABLES
The consultant will be expected to deliver the following:
• A detailed documentation plan, including key themes, story angles, and a work schedule.
• A minimum of 10 well-documented success stories featuring diverse project participants and highlighting different aspects of the project’s impact.
• A small documentary of 5 minutes with some 3–5 short video clips (2-3 minutes each) that highlight significant project outcomes, featuring interviews with beneficiaries and showcasing on-the-ground project activities.
• A comprehensive storybook with at least 10 success stories, accompanied by high-quality photographs and engaging narratives that capture the essence of the project’s achievements.
• 10 high-quality, professionally printed copies of the storybook (to be determined based on budget and needs).
• Training session for MeDRA staff on story writing, videography and photography skills, with session reports and feedback summaries.
5. DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assignment is expected to take place over a period of 21 days, with field visits, story development, and training sessions scheduled in consultation with MeDRA.


Qualifications and Experience
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The consultant should possess the following qualifications and experience:
• Proven experience in documentation, storytelling, and report writing, particularly in the development sector.
• Strong photography skills with experience capturing project impact in community settings.
• Demonstrated ability to develop high-quality publications, including storybooks and reports.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for conducting interviews with diverse community members.
• Experience conducting training workshops on story writing, videography and photography skills is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of rural development, resilience-building, and community-based projects in Zimbabwe is desirable.