Reporting management and writing training

1. BACKGROUND

Asmae-Association Soeur Emmanuelle ("Asmae") is a French international NGO and registered charity, specialized in the education and protection of vulnerable children. Independent, secular, and political, it is open to all. Founded in 1980 by Sister Emmanuelle, based on her experience with rag pickers in the slums of Cairo, Asmae continues its actions in line with the values and methods inherited from its founder: listening and proximity, pragmatism, taking account of differences, professionalism, and reciprocity. Asmae's actions aim to support vulnerable children and their families through personalized and continuing support for local actors working in the fields of education and child protection.

Asmae’s Strategy (2023-2025) focuses on the following thematic areas: Access to quality education/ Socio-economic development and vocational training/ Child protection and Social cohesion/

Moreover, Asmae’s programs are being implemented using different approaches such as: Promotion of gender equality, Right-based approach, Inclusion, and Youth Participation.

The main Strategic axes of Asmae are quality, impact, influence, and efficiency.

Asmae Lebanon is currently implementing four different projects in different geographical areas in Lebanon, in partnership with local organizations using a long-term partnership approach.

1. Rationale

Since the capacity development of the local partners is an essential component of our work, in order to foster the localization concept, ensure sustainability, and empower the local community to achieve quality implementation goals, Asmae aims to develop the capacity of its partners through different training, consultancies, coaching and other types of support.

The reporting management system training is one of the training series that Asmae will provide to its partners as per their needs, taking into consideration the importance of reporting in the humanitarian sector.

1. OVERVIEW of the main objectives

This consultancy is expected to equip participants with a solid understanding of report management and professional writing, and also to address the challenges faced by professionals in reporting management and professional writing in a way that allows applying the acquired knowledge to practical work.

After the training, participants should have the competencies needed to write informative reports in the humanitarian context through active and participatory learning of the best process for reporting which will reduce wasted time and deadline stress and lead to writing that has a more significant impact.

Moreover, Asmae aims to provide partners’ staff with the required skills and tools in order for them to be able to create an effective Reporting Management System/ Mechanism among their organization to eventually provide quality reports.

1. Methodology and Topics

The following topics are expected to be covered during interactive physical training, noting that the consultant could provide suggestions to adjust the topics or the flow of the training:

• The importance and objective of a report (including but not limited to accountability, learning, decision-making, regaining focus, documentation, and recording)
• Formal and informal reporting / internal, external, and donor reports
• Elements of reports: structure and components (cover page contents, table of content, executive summary, progress, outcomes measurement, challenges description, addressing ways, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, impact, conclusion content, specific recommendations, and other potential required elements such as visibility, coordination, and networking, lessons learned, success story, risk management,)
• Highlight on key sections reporting including but not limited to (Gender equality, youth participation, sustainability, environmental consideration, cost efficiency
• Principals of professional writing skills, including organized ideas, language, layout, format, and finishing, logical flow of reports.
• Write clear reports using appropriate writing styles and making sense of data
• Tools for planning and preparation (reporting database, templates, Select data collection methods…)
• Writing process (using tools to effectively plan for single-author and collaborative report-writing with a unified style)
• Good writing style (objectivity, democracy, inclusiveness, using of a third person, consistency, simple language, 5Ws, straightforward, ideas and arguments where needed…)
• Drafting and editing the reports
• Importance of previous reports to build on the next reports and avoiding changes or repetitions
• Reporting tools (reporting checklists to ensure quality reports, Reports tracking tools, reports databases, automated systems for big organizations, etc.)
• Donor requirements, guidelines, and preferences (EU, UN agencies, USAID, and others)
• Produce effective reports that are designed to meet the readers’ needs (taking into consideration the level of knowledge of the reader, and the level of details required…)
• Ensuring transparency and credibility by the following:

• Cross-cutting with M&E and program indicators and logical framework
• Cross-reference to the proposal and log frame 
• Compliance with the financial reports

1. Tasks and expected deliverables

Deliverable

Deadlines

Kick-off meeting with Asmae to establish an understanding of the scope of the assignment

Feb 27

Inception report including detailed plan and material of training

Mar 2

Approval of the inception report from Asmae

Mar 9

Training implementation

Mar 13 – Mar 16

Draft training report including participants’ evaluation

Mar 22

Final report + recommendations

March 27

1. Other Information

• Asmae will be responsible to provide the venue in Beirut and refreshments.
• 20 participants from different local organizations
• Training should be provided in English; however, explanation of concepts and discussion will be in Arabic.
• Training materials should be shared with the trainees
• Follow-up after the training may be required