Terms of Reference (TOR) Sermon Guide Consultant (Individual consultant) Rimin Gado, Kano state, Nigeria

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust, and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives.

We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning, and her livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

We reach girls across the world, where they are -online and offline,  to support them at the critical moments in life when choices around their health, education, and economic future need to be made. 

We use our expertise in behaviour change science to motivate and equip girls with information and support to help them see a different future for themselves, act on those choices, and drive greater demand for the opportunities and services available to them. 

Girl Effect builds youth brands that girls love and trust, reaching girls where they are and creating change. Chhaa Jaa in India, Tujibebe in Tanzania, Yegna in Ethiopia, Ni Nyampinga in Rwanda - these are some of our youth brands. They exist across multiple channels - digital ( Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp), TV, radio, print, and offline. Together, these brands reach over 50 million girls worldwide.

Girl Effect’s goal is to inspire over 10 million girls and young women in Nigeria to defy gender norms and take control of their futures. Girl Effect has been piloting different approaches to change in Nigeria for the last ten years. 

In 2014, we developed a mobile platform that trains young women to become technology-enabled girl ambassadors to conduct peer-to-peer research in some of the hardest-to-reach communities in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Kano states. In 2014, we launched a zero-rated online mobile platform available on the web and social media called Springster. Providing entertaining content written by girls, for girls, Springster gave users access to an A-Z of everything they needed to know to thrive in English and Hausa. We learned we can use digital channels to engage girls at scale in Nigeria and that there’s a real thirst for honest, authentic content related to topics that girls are too scared to talk to their friends and family about.

In 2021, we partnered with Meta to use Instagram and Facebook to deliver social behaviour change communication campaigns designed to tackle myths around COVID and the COVID-19 vaccine, working with influencers like Taaooma and Kate Henshaw to break through the clutter to reach more than 9 million people.

 In 2025, we successfully developed and launched two significant campaigns: Oya (HPV), which focused on increasing HPV vaccine uptake among 9-year-old girls in Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Delta, and Kaduna states, and Saabi (SRHS), which aimed to boost Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) uptake among young couples aged 18–24 years. Both initiatives effectively leveraged a comprehensive strategy,  including grassroots implementation, community outreaches, the Champions program, and the strategic use of social media and relevant tools to successfully reach and make a significant impact on our target audiences.

Girl Effect Nigeria is deploying a new program in Kano state, CIFF ECM project. The objective of this program is to sustainably reduce child marriage in Rimin Gado LGA by shifting harmful social norms, expanding girls’ access to education, strengthening protection systems, and increasing economic resilience for girls and their families, through a government-led, community-owned model.

Girl Effect seeks to engage a qualified consultant with demonstrated expertise in Islamic teachings, social norms change, and community engagement to develop a culturally relevant and theologically sound Sermon (Khutbah) and Discussion Guide to support Imams and Islamic leaders in communicating child marriage prevention and girls’ protection messages within communities in Rimin Gado LGA, Kano State. 

• Parents/ caregivers and community leaders 
• Other religious leaders in the community 

The Imams and Islamic scholars are the appropriate facilitators because of their credibility, influence, and community reach. They are trusted religious authorities whose teachings are widely respected. They have regular access to large audiences through sermons and community engagements, allowing them to consistently reinforce messages. As community advisors and counsellors, they also influence family decisions, including marriage.

The assignment is expected to result in:

• Increased capacity of Imams and religious leaders to communicate positive social norms and child protection messages;
• Improved community dialogue around delaying child marriage and promoting girls’ education;
• Development of a practical, culturally appropriate, and rights-based faith engagement tool adaptable for broader community use.

The Consultant shall:

• Review relevant programme documents, formative research, safeguarding guidance, and relevant Nigerian laws and policies relating to child protection and child marriage;
• Review relevant Islamic teachings, Qur’anic verses, Hadith, and scholarly interpretations related to:
• Child wellbeing
• Education
• Consent
• Responsible parenting
• Prevention of harm
• Protection of girls

Conduct consultations with:

• Religious leaders and Islamic scholars
• Traditional/community leaders
• Programme and safeguarding teams
• Content review committee

The purpose of consultations will be to:

• Validate theological accuracy
• Ensure cultural relevance
• Strengthen community acceptability
• Ensure alignment with safeguarding and rights-based approaches

Develop a user-friendly and practical guide that includes:

• Key messages on the harms and consequences of child marriage;
• Messaging around:
• Girls’ education
• Child protection
• Economic empowerment
• Delayed marriage
• Positive parenting

• Qur’anic verses
• Hadith references
• Relevant Islamic principles and scholarly guidance

• Sample Khutbah outlines
• Discussion prompts
• Community dialogue guidance
• Group facilitation methods
• Recommended seating and engagement arrangements
• Listening and probing techniques
• Suggested responses to common concerns/questions

• Child safeguarding and protection messaging
• Referral and support guidance where appropriate
• Ethical engagement considerations

• Facilitate at least one validation session/workshop with stakeholders;
• Revise and finalize materials based on feedback received.

The consultant is expected to deliver:

1. Draft Sermon  (Khutbah) and discussion guide
2. Validation workshop report
3. Final Sermon (Khutbah) and discussion guide

• Terms of reference published: 13th May, 2026
• Proposal Submission Deadline:18th May, 2026
• Commencement: May, 2026

The consultant should have:

• Demonstrated experience in developing Islamic or faith-based guidance materials, with samples of previous work where possible. 
•  knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Qur’an, and Hadith related to child marriage, child protection, and social wellbeing.
• Experience engaging with Imams, Islamic scholars, or traditional and other Muslim community leaders.
• Strong understanding of child marriage prevention and the social norms change context.
• Excellent writing and facilitation skills.
• Familiarity with the local Muslim cultural context in Kano state is highly desirable.

• Highly responsive and able to manage short turnaround times under pressure.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to take creative direction and adapt to Girl Effect's brand and guidelines.
• Reliable, punctual, and self-organised.
• Commitment to ethical storytelling and safeguarding principles when working with vulnerable populations, particularly young girls.

The consultant will report to the Project Manager and work closely with program staff throughout the assignment.

The consultant may work remotely; however, availability for in-person engagement in the office, where required, is highly desirable. Strong familiarity with Northern Nigerian Islamic and cultural contexts is essential. 

Your proposal should be 5 pages max and cover the following:

• Cover letter - Please tell us why you feel you are well-placed to advise us on this
• Credentials/Profile/CV - Please showcase any previous work that you consider relevant to what we are trying to achieve, how we approach our work, and the audience we cater to. Describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the firm or consultant in providing the requested services.
• Reference- Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance.
• Breakdown of Costs with applicable taxes and other charges clearly identified in Naira. Consultants should provide their daily or hourly billing rate or their proposed fixed fee for the requested deliverables. 
• All applicable taxes should be quoted separately.

In their proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the TOR and demonstrate how the bidder will meet the requirements of the evaluation criteria.

GE is not liable for any cost incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.

VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for 90 days from the date of bid closure

The criteria for evaluating proposals are listed below.

Technical Evaluation:

• Experience with Islamic/faith-based content -30%
• Understanding of child marriage/social norms -20%
• Clear and Concise Profile/CV demonstrating relevant technical expertise - 30%

Financial Evaluation:

• Value for money/proposed budget breakdown - 20%

Please submit proposals, as described above, to Girl Effect’s procurement team (suppliers@girleffect.org) by the 18th of May 2026.  Please mark your email with the subject line, ‘‘Proposal -  Sermon Guide Consultant: Kano state, Nigeria.’

Girl Effect Nigeria is obliged by the Nigerian tax authorities to ensure all taxes are charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure they have a clear understanding of their tax position under Nigerian tax legislation when developing their proposals.

All materials/documents arising from this consultancy work shall remain the property of Girl Effect.

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity, or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is truly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy services of organizations and individuals with a deep understanding and experience of our programming markets and diverse professional, academic, and cultural backgrounds.

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found here. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff. 

All content developed under this assignment must:

• Be respectful and non-discriminatory;
• Avoid inflammatory or politically sensitive language;
• Align with safeguarding and child protection principles;
• Be reviewed and approved by Girl Effect before use.

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice, and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform the ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the TOR and using our specified email address (suppliers@girleffect.org).