Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA)

Deadline: 7 June 2021

Background and introduction

The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, a public interest organisation which seeks to promote environmental justice, sustainable and equitable use of natural resources, democracy and good governance in the natural resources and environment sector seeks the services of a digital brander to develop a user manual for the Envirobot WhatsApp chatbot

About Envirobot

Envirobot is a chatbot built by ZELA in partnership with GIZ in 2019. This chatbot is embedded in WhatsApp and allows mineral host communities to share and receive environmental law related information, as well as to report cases happening in their area. This platform was tested and piloted in the district of Zvishavane in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe and later upscaled to cover Mutare, Gwanda, Bulawayo and Mutoko. It also works in dissemination of environmental law updates and case reporting, the chatbot also has other functionalities, for example, that allows stakeholders to share updates on upcoming meetings or permits the community to schedule a call with a pro-bono environmental lawyer.

Why Envirobot?

Envirobot seeks to take advantage of information and communication technology (ICTs) in enhancing access to environmental information and access to justice to mineral host communities. Mineral hosts communities in Zimbabwe suffer the brunt of the negative impacts of mining such as pollution, arbitrary eviction, open pits and environmental degradation. This has huge implications on the community health, development and livelihoods. Despite this access to information has been a challenge and there is a need to package it through mediums mostly accessible to most of these communities for them to effectively seek remedy in the event of a violation. According to studies Zimbabwe has improved its use of ICTs in communication with WhatsApp connections comprising almost half of all internet usage in Zimbabwe.

What are the specific features of the chatbot?

Dial a Lawyer; News Updates; Access to Legal Information; Report Case; Noticeboard; Help.

Main Objective of the Consultancy

The Envirobot WhatsApp chatbot is undergoing development to scale up from the initial minimum viable product (MVP). To this end, ZELA is seeking the services of an expert or consultancy firm to carry out digital branding and develop a user manual for the Envirobot.

The objective of this assignment is to develop a user manual and brand the Envirobot based on the revamped product

Scope

The consultant is expected to carry out the following core activities and to align the following: Assignment inception meeting with ZELA, review of platform and current design, clarification of the work plan (up to 1 day); Development of a brand style guide, including mission statement, target audience, colour palette and typography (4 days); Review of current user manual and development of first draft for the second version of the user manual, including layout and design; Assist in coming up with an outline on how to publicise the Envirobot (marketing strategy) (3 days); Presentation of the user manual and Envirobot draft marketing strategy to ZELA Staff for comments (1day); Addressing the comments and presentation of the final documents (2 days)

Total max. number of consulting days under this contract: 14 days

Expected Output / Deliverables

The key expected outputs/deliverables of this exercise will include: Revised Envirobot user manual (in pdf and MS version); Draft user manual for second version of the Envirobo; Draft Marketing Strategy and Monitoring Template.

Qualification, Experience and Language

The Consultant must have: At least a university Degree in media, communications, design or similar field; Master’s degree/ Professional Diploma in related field will be added advantage; At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in digital branding, marketing and design; Understanding and experience of working within various Zimbabwean contexts; Experience in community development work especially related to natural resource governance is an added advantage; The Consultant must be fluent in written and spoken English.

In addition to the specialist qualifications, the following qualifications are required: Team skills; Communication skills; Efficient, partner- and client-focused working methods; Interdisciplinary thinking.

Assignment Duration & Reporting

It is expected that the assignment shall be conducted within 14 days of signing the contract with ZELA.