Strategic Visual Asset Library: Broadening Public Perception 13 views0 applications

1. Introduction & Background

Kakenya’s Dream is a high-impact nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls, eradicating harmful traditional practices including female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage and catalyzing community transformation through holistic education, health, and leadership initiatives.

While our foundation lies in providing world-class education through our primary boarding schools, Kakenya’s Dream has evolved into a sophisticated organization managing complex, multi-sectoral community development, healthcare, and economic empowerment systems. Our integrated model dismantles systemic barriers throughout a girl’s lifecycle, ensuring enduring institutional and community-wide change.

2. Objective & Scope of Work

Kakenya’s Dream seeks to engage a professional photographer to curate a high-caliber library of dynamic visual assets. This comprehensive library will be vital in elevating our global digital presence, high-level print collateral, annual reporting, and strategic fundraising efforts.

This project is a critical component of our strategic storytelling: it is designed to fundamentally redefine public and donor perception of Kakenya’s Dream. The resulting imagery must encapsulate our institutional maturity, illustrating our transition from a local school to a leading multi-layered organization that secures girl-centered transformation through integrated health, leadership, and economic systems.

The selected consultant will produce compelling, dignified, and high-resolution imagery that illuminates the following areas of our work:

A. Gap Year & Leadership Programming

• Document secondary school graduates participating in professional transition workshops, advanced leadership training, and high-impact community service.
• Capture action-oriented imagery of peer-to-peer mentors executing outreach strategies and university preparations.
• Visually articulate the progression from student to empowered, independent community leader.

B. Economic Empowerment Initiatives

• Photograph girls engaged in financial literacy training, business and robust agricultural cooperatives.
• Highlight the profound impact of economic stability on family structures, prioritizing dignified and powerful livelihood narratives.

C. Linda Dada Campaign & Outreach

• Document community advocacy forums, safe-space interventions, and grassroots awareness campaigns focused on the total eradication of FGM and child marriage.
• Capture active engagement across demographics, including youth, community elders, and local leaders championing human rights.
• Emphasize the unified protection network constructed to safeguard vulnerable girls.

D. Kakenya Health & Wellness Center

• Document clinical professionals providing maternal healthcare, outpatient services, and comprehensive community health seminars.
• Showcase youth-friendly health services and active community wellness interventions.
• Produce professional architectural and clinical visuals alongside compassionate patient-provider interactions.

E. Environmental and Community Context

• Capture contextual imagery that situates Kakenya’s Dream’s work within the landscapes and communities of rural southwestern Kenya. This includes villages, schools, roads, homes, natural landscapes, and other everyday environments that help international audiences who may be unfamiliar with the region better understand the geographic, social, and cultural context in which our programs operate.

A basic shot list outlining the minimum assets we hope to capture will be provided. However, we enthusiastically welcome the photographer’s creative vision and expertise in identifying compelling moments and visual opportunities beyond what the list includes.

3. Deliverables

The selected photographer is required to deliver the following items according to the established project schedule:

1. Pre-Production Strategy: A comprehensive creative brief, production schedule, location checklist, and finalized shot-list approved by the communications team.
2. Initial Selection: A curated digital contact sheet featuring raw high-resolution images for collaborative review.
3. Final Master Library: A minimum of 200 expertly retouched, color-corrected, high-resolution files (RAW and JPEG), organized by thematic programming, and a library of at least 30 professionally captured b-roll video clips. The footage should include a mix of horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats and capture program activities, participant interactions, facilities, landscapes, and environmental details. These do not need to be long clips, ~10 seconds each or slightly less is permissible. All video footage must be delivered as individual, retouched, color-corrected, high-resolution clips suitable for future use in social media, website, fundraising, and other multimedia storytelling content.
4. Usage Rights: Assignment of full, unrestricted, worldwide, and perpetual usage rights to Kakenya’s Dream for all nonprofit and promotional purposes.

4. Technical Requirements & Professional Ethics

• Equipment Proficiency: Use of professional-grade DSLR/Mirrorless systems, high-aperture lenses for low-light environments, and portable lighting solutions optimized for rural settings.
• Ethics and Dignity: Absolute adherence to ethical photography standards. All subjects must be depicted with agency and strength; exploitative or stereotypical imagery is strictly prohibited.
• Child Protection and Consent: The consultant must comply with Kakenya’s Dream’s Safeguarding Policies. This includes securing signed, informed consent for every individual (or legal guardians for minors) and ensuring participants understand the global utility of their images.

5. Timeline & Milestones

Field production is projected to last 5 to 7 days across Transmara West, South, and East, as well as Kenyenya. The critical project milestones are outlined below:

6. Submission Instructions & Requirements

Your submission package must include:

• Technical Proposal: A detailed methodology, statement of understanding, and a technical equipment inventory.
• Professional Portfolio: Curated samples or links demonstrating excellence in documentary, editorial, and humanitarian photography.
• Financial Proposal: A transparent budget inclusive of professional rates, post-production, and travel logistics.
• References: Contact information for three professional references, preferably from the NGO or international development sectors.

7. Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria:

• Technical Mastery & Artistic Style (40%): Evaluated on the quality, composition, and emotional resonance of the portfolio.
• Mission Alignment & Experience (20%): Proven track record in ethical and dignified humanitarian photography.
• Financial Value & Feasibility (20%): Clarity and competitiveness of the proposed budget.
• Strategic Approach (20%): Depth of methodology and commitment to safeguarding protocols.

How to apply

Qualified photographers or agencies are invited to submit their proposal packages electronically to [email protected] by July 3rd, 2026, at 5:00 PM EAT. Subject line: “RFP – Professional Photography Services”.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Kakenya’s Dream is a child safe organization, and all partners are expected to comply.