: Plan International

Deadline: 27 May 2021

General Information

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners. We engage people and partners to: Empower children, young people and communities to make vital changes that tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability; Drive change in practice and policy at local, national and global levels through our reach, experience and knowledge of the realities children face; Work with children and communities to prepare for and respond to crises and to overcome adversity; Support the safe and successful progression of children from birth to adulthood.

The Plan International Zimbabwe (PIZ) ‘Supporting Adolescent Girls Education’ project is working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and targets out of school girls aged 10-19 who have never enrolled in school, who have dropped out before completing basic education, including girls with disabilities.

The girls are enrolled in a two-year programme of accelerated learning in foundational literacy and supporting them in achieving Grade 5 outcomes. On completion of the programme, girls will transition onto clear and supported pathways to further training, income generation or continuation of mainstream education. In addition to improving educational outcomes, SAGE supports adolescent girls having increased self-efficacy and life skills.

Against this background, PIZ seeks the services of a Contractor whose work will be guided by Plan International’s Editorial Standards. The SAGE project is currently reviewing its Course outlines and Step by Step Guides for further training on income generation for its target group and has recently developed drafts that need to be reviewed. One of the outcomes of the review is a desire to make use of a web-based editing and typesetting platform (Booktype), with an emphasis on quick turnaround and more agile production processes.

Copyright of all deliverables shall be transferred to Plan International Zimbabwe as per the terms in the ‘General Conditions for Framework Contracts’. The Contractor will be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section of publications, but not on policy papers, policy briefs, event reports, and discussion papers or communications material.

The work will take place at the Contractor’s premises. Occasional in-person meetings/consultations may take place at PIZ or by using electronic meeting platforms.

Scope of Work

The Contractor will provide high quality editing and proofreading services to Plan International Zimbabwe for one or more of the following categories: Category A - Developmental/substantive editing; Category B - Copyediting; Category C - Proofreading.

Typical assignments under a Framework Contract entail, but are not limited to:

Category A - Developmental/substantive editing (Booktype or Word file): In developmental editing (also known as substantive editing and comprehensive editing), the editor will consider the document’s concept and intended use, content, organization, design, and style. The purpose is to make the document functional for its readers, not just to make it correct and consistent.

The editor will examine the overall structure and help with the organization of the content. The editor should help authors fill in blanks and eliminate repetitions and they may suggest that the chapters or paragraphs be rearranged. The editors are not concerned with grammar or spelling. Ultimately, the substantive editor’s job is to help the author deliver clear, coherent writing to the intended audience.

All changes made to the original text should be visible using the ‘track changes’ function in MS Word, or equivalent in Booktype.

Category B - Copyediting (Booktype or Word file): Substantive language editing which aims at improving the overall coverage and presentation of the product, its content, scope, length, level and organization. The editor may also suggest improvements for the author(s) to make or may (by agreement with the author(s)) rewrite and rearrange the material. The Plan International staff member, in charge of coordinating the specific publication, is responsible for coordinating with the authors and getting approvals on edited texts; Detailed editing for meaning: checking whether each section expresses the author’s meaning clearly, without gaps and contradictions. This also involves looking at each sentence, the author’s choice of words, the use of abbreviations, comparing the data in tables with relevant texts, checking text against the illustrations and their captions; When applicable, weaving sections and contributions together to form a coherent and consistent book, including editing to avoid repetition; Checking for consistency. This involves reinforcement of the Plan International Editorial Standards regarding spelling and language style. This also includes checking the numbering of illustrations, tables and notes, and any cross-references to them; Looking out for legal problems such as copyright, plagiarism and libel; Checking quotations or illustrations that may need permission from the copyright owner; Creating, when applicable, the list of acronyms and the table of contents as well providing guidelines for the indexer, when applicable; Ensuring the clear presentation and format of the material for the typesetter/designer: Making sure that the material is complete and that all the parts are clearly identified, for example the grade of each subheading, which pieces of text, such as long quotations and pull outs, should be distinguished typographically from the main text, and where tables and illustrations should be placed.

All changes made to the original text should be visible using the ‘track changes’ function in MS Word, or equivalent in Booktype.

Category C - Proofreading (PDF file): Carry out a final and thorough check for consistency especially in terms of spelling, style and headings; Check spelling and grammar, font sizes and fonts, bullet listings and spaces; Make sure that no text has disappeared or was cut out accidentally during layout; Check all numbering, paragraphs, headings, sub-headings, to make sure they correspond to the table of contents; Check the pagination of the publication, to make sure that it corresponds to the Table of Contents and Index (if an Index exists); Check footnotes and endnotes; Check that the heading structure is clear and logical; Check for ‘orphans’ and ‘widows’ (that is, when a word or part of a sentence is left on its own on the bottom/top of a page, with the continuation on the next/previous page); and Check the title pages, the cover and the copyright page carefully, verifying consistency in titles, ISBNs, photos/artwork copyright and so on.

All questions about usage, grammar and spelling can be found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary 12h Edition. Exceptions regarding spelling as well as general guidelines on language style can be found in the Plan International Editorial Standards (To be shared with selected consultant).

The Contractor will deliver the PDF file with each comment and edit visible using the ‘Comment and mark-up tool’ in Adobe Acrobat.

Deliverables and Reporting

The Contractor will work on specific course outlines and brief step by step guides (20 in total) with the SAGE Gender Coordinator and Communications Team or any other team of Plan International Zimbabwe as directed by the SAGE Program Manager.

Management and Organization

Specific needs of particular assignments will be agreed by the Contractor and PLAN International Zimbabwe’s Program Manager and Head of Communications.

Duration of Assignment

The duration of the Framework Contract will be for a maximum total duration of four (4) weeks from the date of signing contract.

Eligibility

Qualified candidates with the following attributes are eligible to apply: Companies /Teams with individuals a degree in English Language or a background in writing, Journalism or Communications; Minimum 5 years professional experience as an English-language editor with demonstrated experience working on technical texts in education and sustainable development; Prior experience copyediting, editing and proofreading documents related to the data and/or international development communities or INGOs; Detail-oriented, organized, enthusiastic, able to manage tight timescales during crunch periods; Demonstrated experience in desktop publishing softwares or similar; Exceptional skills in grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax and vocabulary; Professional-level knowledge of the English language is an asset; Exceptionally strong grasp of professional writing and editing for superb clarity, brevity, and Style.

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