About Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi:
Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi! is a Kenyan grassroots social movement organization founded in 2009 and registered/incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 2012. It envisions a peaceful, united and well-governed Kenya with equal economic and social opportunity for all citizens. The organization exists to empower Kenyan citizens to improve their lives and demand good governance as a means to achieve socio-economic growth and equality of opportunity among all Kenyans. It aims to curate a social movement (the Ni Sisi! Movement) that will seek to unite Kenyans to forge a collective identity, drive transformation in leadership and improve maisha — wellbeing — for all Kenyans. To this end, Inuka supports community groups/organizations and collaborates with initiatives at the local, national and regional level to build capacity and linkages for effective collective action. Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!’s philosophy is underpinned by the concept of “dignity before development” — each individual’s inherent dignity must be upheld at all levels of interaction.
Inuka Kenya has developed three strategic objectives which, together, will form the basis upon which citizens at the local level will find their efforts to take charge of their citizenship and governance processes. As such, the three objectives are the key pillars that will support the creation of a Ni Sisi! Social movement.
These three objectives are:
1)Transformative Leadership and Governance Pillar:
Strategic Objective 1: To create and curate narratives that seek to transform leadership and governance to be in accord with Utu.
2)Individual Agency, Dignity and Livelihoods Pillar:
Strategic Objective II: To harness a collective positive and resilient identity in order to build, protect, restore and ensure human dignity for all.
3) Movement Building Pillar:
Strategic Objective III: To build a social movement of active citizens who take charge of governance at all levels.
About the Project
One of our initiatives is the Wellness Resilience Resource Hub. The Wellness Resilience Resource Hub is inspired by the conviction that the East African Region, specifically Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, needs a sanctuary for those citizens amongst us who have dedicated their lives to pursuing the public interest, often at great cost to themselves and their families. The Wellness Resilience Resource Hub comprises places, processes and spaces for individuals and collective civic actors (Civic Catalysts – Whether currently active or in retirement and their immediate families. Civil Veterans – Retired from frontline engagement as civil activists but who have been Civil society actors in one way or another for a significant Time.
Civil Thinkers – people working on intellectual projects on civil society. Civil Supporters – Institutions and or individuals who invested in supporting civil Activists as their own contribution) to rest, reflect, heal, learn and invest, far from the stressors and pressures of organizing and agitating. The Wellness Resilience Resource Hub is being facilitated by Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi Ltd, Uganda National NGO Forum and Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania.
Most people, including civic actors, spend a large part of their lives working—on average, around 90,000 hours over a lifetime. This means that work has a big effect on our overall quality of life. Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to work and to choose their job freely. Because of this, workplaces are important spaces for promoting wellness and preventing mental health challenges.
In line with this, and as a key focus for 2025, the Wellness Resource Hub plans to develop Workplace Mental Wellness Guidelines specifically for civic actors.
Why does Workplace Wellness matter?
Globally, around 15% of workers live with a mental health condition. In Kenya, this means about 3.7 million people in the 24.9 million-strong workforce could be affected. Civic actors face unique pressures: a challenging political climate, rising costs of living, economic instability, and the weight of pushing for justice and human rights. These factors can greatly affect their mental well-being. In Kenya, organizations, movements and formations that civic actors work with often do not prioritize workplace wellness in part because there is a lack of knowledge or resources that they can draw on. Thus, wellness interventions are often episodic, uncoordinated, not based on evidence or facts, stigmatized and lacking in depth. Civic Actors are thus unable to access the resources or support they need to lead mentally healthy and productive lives in their work, families and communities. This leads to poor mental health manifested by alcohol and substance abuse, risk of developing or exacerbating severe mental health conditions behavioral violence and poor interpersonal relations in the workplace, suicide and self-harm, increased stress and anxiety, poor productivity and burnout and lack of job satisfaction. Workplace mental wellness can create a more supportive and positive work environment, fostering mental health and well-being, ultimately leading to a more productive and satisfied civic actor sector, creating impactful and sustainable change in society.
Scope of Work
The Wellness Resource Hub is looking for a consultant to develop a Workplace Mental Wellness Guideline for Civic Actors. The Consultant shall:
- Conduct an analysis of workplace mental wellness challenges, issues, gaps, resources, risk and protective factors related to civic actors in the region
- Review existing national or local workplace guidelines with a view of incorporating best practices, adaptable and scalable approaches
- Develop a comprehensive, appropriate, gender sensitive, and context-specific Workplace Mental Wellness Guideline for Civic Actors
- Providing ongoing support and guidance to the Hub to ensure the sustainability of workplace wellness efforts.
Deliverables
- Inception Report to clarify the scope, purpose, and methodology of the assignment to ensure a shared understanding between Inuka and the consultant on the assignment’s direction and deliverables
- Brief State of Workplace Wellness Desk Review Report (10 -15 pages) summarizing key civic actor wellness issues, barriers to workplace wellness and suggested approaches to realize effective workplace wellness for civic actors
- Draft and Final Workplace Mental Wellness Guideline for Civic Actors
- Facilitate and Validation Meeting with Civic Actors and other stakeholders on the Workplace Mental Wellness Guideline for Civic Actors
Qualifications
- A background in social studies, social sciences, or related fields
- Proven and demonstrable experience in mental health advocacy, research and interventions among civic actors
- Knowledge of the policy and legal issues around mental health in the region
- Knowledge of human rights, democracy and governance issues in the region
- Demonstrated ongoing involvement in mental health and wellness initiatives at local, national or regional level
- Knowledge or involvement in the development of guidelines, curriculum or training materials
- Proven involvement and intimate knowledge of the Civil Society sector and civic actors’ context, issues and challenges
- Lived experience expertise is an added advantage
Reporting
The consultant shall report directly to the Wellness Programme Officer
Timelines
The contract is expected to commence on 25th May, 2025 and come to an end by 30th June, 2025. The specific timeline for activities and deliverables will be 20 working days.
Application requirements
- Technical and financial proposal highlighting understanding of the assignment, proposed approach and workplan (3 – 5 pages)
- Written commitment regarding availability for the assignment
- A capacity statement summarizing individuals’ / organizational experience relevant to the assignment ( 1 page)
Offer deadline
The deadline for receiving proposals will be 5.00 pm on 20th May, 2025. Proposals to be submitted electronically by email to procurement@inukakenya.com and copy info@inukakenya.com
Timeline
We plan to engage an external consultant in May 2025 to lead the development of the guidelines. Afterwards, we will validate and officially launch the document.
Expected Outcome
The guidelines will help civil society organizations identify mental health risks in the workplace, encourage wellness practices, and prevent mental health issues. The approach will be mindful of the specific environments civic actors work in. This initiative supports our broader mission to provide consistent, comprehensive, and effective wellness support tailored to the needs of civic actors.