Deadline: 31-Aug-2025
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a call for proposals seeking an implementing partner to facilitate self-employment for skilled persons with disabilities in Kebrebeyah and Koloji, Somali Region, Ethiopia, while also strengthening the capacity of PROSPECTS implementing partners on disability inclusion.
The focus is to improve the livelihoods of persons with disabilities among internally displaced persons, refugees, and host communities in Kebribeyah and Qoloji by supporting their transition into employment and facilitating linkages to financial institutions and self-employment opportunities. The project will be implemented in close collaboration with regional and local government structures, OPDs, CSOs, Jigjiga Polytechnic College, community-based trainers (CBTs), and other relevant stakeholders. In addition, the assignment will provide capacity-building training for PROSPECTS implementing partners and government stakeholders, focusing on the practical handbook for partnering with PWD in host communities, refugees, and forcibly displaced people to promote decent work.
The assignment builds on previous work in the Somali Region, where 178 persons with disabilities completed short-term skills training in occupations such as tailoring, metal works, furniture making, and beauty salon. The implementing partner will support these individuals in their transition to self-employment by providing refresher training, on-the-job mentoring, business development services, and startup facilitation. This will include access to startup capital, work premises, and continuous mentorship.
An essential component of the initiative is collaboration with financial institutions to develop sustainable financial models for persons with disabilities, combining grants and loans to improve access to resources. Alongside this, the implementing partner will carry out Disability Inclusion Scorecard assessments and deliver training to 150 government and PROSPECTS partners across Addis Ababa, Amhara, and Somali regions to strengthen institutional capacities for inclusive programming.
The project will run for twelve months, with a structured set of deliverables including training, mentoring, policy toolkit distribution, financial access facilitation, and monitoring of beneficiaries’ employment outcomes. Payments to the selected partner will be issued in phases based on successful completion of deliverables.
Eligible applicants are registered civil society or non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities, with proven expertise in disability-focused programming, project coordination, and experience in the Somali Region. Proposals must include both technical and financial details, organizational qualifications, and relevant supporting documentation.
For more information, visit ILO.
