TERMS OF REFERENCES
Capacity Building for Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Analysis for GREEN+ Project
Socio-economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Children and Youth as well as their Families with Special Focus on Green Economy, Uganda and Ethiopia
1. Summary:
The GREEN+ project, co-financed by the Austrian Development Agency, implemented in Uganda and Ethiopia, is an integrated part of SOS CV’s Family Strengthening Program (FSP), which aims to strengthen the families of 1,460,000 children and young people worldwide with a focus on preventing family separation. The GREEN+ project is designed to strengthen the socio-economic empowerment of children and youth as well as their families, with a specific focus on green economy, through a range of complementary measures at the individual, household, community, national and international levels around the following three thematic areas: (1) sustainable socio-economic empowerment of families and youth; (2) social status of marginalized groups among families and youth, and (3) awareness, knowledge, and practice about issues around a safe and sustainable environment.
In this action, cross-cutting themes are of crucial importance:
- Green economic activities and household practices
- Gender equality and participation of marginalized persons
- Social protection, alternative care, and social accountability
1.1. Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to support GREEN+ implementing teams to develop their capacities to identify and analyse the capacities, needs, and challenges of community members according to their sex, age, disability status, and other diversity factors in a participatory fashion. The ultimate objective is for the teams to be able to facilitate processes through which community members can identify key concerns for different population groups and individuals, and develop strategies and interventions to address them, through activation of community resources, strengthening agency, and addressing power relations.
The GREEN+ project is, at its core, a continuation of a long term “Family Strengthening Program” (FSP), with a successful economic strengthening component. In a bold move towards innovation, the GREEN+ project is now starting to integrate elements of environmental protection and green economy opportunities into this FSP concept. Therefore, the gender, diversity, and inclusion concerns to be analysed need to be linked to green economy.
Participatory processes are part and parcel of the project design; the idea is for communities and families to identify their own priorities for green economic initiative at both the micro (household) and meso (community) level, within the broader framework of the project design. In this process, SOS CV teams assume the role as facilitator for communities to set their own agendas rather than implementors of a pre-defined plan. This approach bears great potential for shifting community perceptions and practices towards more equality and inclusion; however, it also requires a new set of skills from SOS CV teams in terms of engaging with communities, families, and individuals. During the inception phase, the SOS CV teams have already been trained in participatory methodologies (e.g. sculpting) for supporting communities in identifying priority concerns and designing appropriate response strategies.
Therefore, it is expected from the successful bidder to…
· Develop a methodology for participatory, action-research gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis in the context of green economy that integrates into the ways of working and community engagement strategies/methodologies already applied in throughout GREEN+ project cycle management;
· Train SOS CV GREEN+ Coordinators and implementing teams in Ethiopia and Uganda (four location teams (i) in conducting participatory gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis and practical implementation of the same, with a focus on green economy; Mentor the four SOS CV implementing teams throughout the analysis of gender, diversity, and inclusion concerns that are of particular importance to their specific contexts;
· Facilitate 1-2 review workshops where SOS CV teams present their research processes and findings to their peers;
Support SOS CV teams to document their analysis findings as well as lessons and good practices related to the analysis process so findings, lessons, and good practice models become available as reference for the GREEN+ project as well as for other SOS CV teams and external stakeholders. .
1.2. Partners
Name of Organisation in Austria
· SOS-Kinderdorf Österreich,
Stafflerstraße 10a, 6020
Innsbruck, Austria
Implementing Partners
· SOS Children’s Villages International,
Regional Office for East and Southern Africa (ESAF)
P.O.Box-2491, 1000 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
· SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia,
Bole Sub City, Kebele 03/05, House No 2/229,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
· SOS Children’s Village of Uganda Trust,
P.O. Box 27510, Kampala, Uganda
Donor Agency for the GREEN+ project: Austrian Development Agency (www.ada.gv.at)
The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) is the Operational Unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). It is in charge of implementing all bilateral programmes and projects in ADC's partner countries and ad-ministers the budget earmarked for this. Another focus of ADA’s operations is education and information in Austria to convey the issue of development cooperation to a broader public.
The Austrian Development Agency cooperates with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and combines official development assistance with numerous civil-society initiatives. This way, government and civil society make a joint contribution to poverty reduction and improving the conditions of life in developing countries.
The strategic partnership programme for Austrian NGOs, under which the GREEN+ is implemented, is one of the various co-financing instruments in the collaboration with NGOs. ( https://www.entwicklung.at/en/actors/civil-society/strategic-partnerships ). The programmes are based on the NGO’s own initiatives and are directed at meeting the actual needs of the target groups in developing countries. Per definition, an ADA strategic partnership project consists of coherent and interactive programme interventions with a common strategic and development objective (see Strategic Partnership Guidelines: https://www.entwicklung.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Zivilgesellschaft/Strategische_Partnerschaften/StratPart_Funding_Guideline.pdf).
1.3. Duration: 58 calendar days (see breakdown section below)
1.4. Estimated Dates: 1 May 2020 – 31 December 2021
1.5. Geographical Location:
· SOS CV Ethiopia - Mekelle & Hawassa
· SOS CV Uganda – Entebbe & Fort Portal
· SOS CV International – Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF), Addis Ababa
1.6. Deliverables:
The consultant needs to provide the following deliverables:
· Inception report, including conceptual approach, methodology, and training and mentoring plans (within three weeks from contract signature) Concise training and workshop reports (within three weeks of each training/workshop)
· Compendium of documentation of analysis findings, and lessons and good practices related to the research process (interim by December 2020, final by December 2021).
(See detailed timelines under section below)
1.7. Methodology:
The capacity building for gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis will employ a mix of training, mentoring, and workshops. As a result of the process, SOS CV teams Ethiopia and Uganda should be able to apply participatory, action research-oriented methods to analyse the realities of the communities, families, and individuals in the GREEN+ project areas with focus on gender, age, disability, and other diversity factors in the context of green economy.
The methodology laid down in the offer is expected to be developed in more detail by the successful bidders during the inception phase and shared with the SOS CV for review and approval.
Assessment Management Team:
· SOS CV Austria - Programme Coordinator
· SOS CVI - Regional Grants Advisor,
2. Background Information
The co-funding agency:
ADC is in line with EC’s definition of a gender analysis: “The study of differences in the conditions, needs, participation rates, access to resources and development, control of assets, decision-making powers, etc. between women and men in their assigned gender roles”. (European Commission, 1998).
The ADC guidelines for Gender Analysis are aligned with the EU GAP II (https://www.entwicklung.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Publikationen/Downloads_Themen_DivBerichte/Gender/ADC_Guidance_for_Gender_Analysis_at_sector_level.pdf). “The EU commitment towards Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) has been renewed and expanded by the adoption of the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2016-2020 by the Council on 26th October 20152:
The new GAP II focuses on three different thematic areas and one horizontal. They are: (1) Ensuring girls’ and women's physical and psychological integrity, (2) Promoting the social and economic rights / empowerment of women and girls, (3) Strengthening girls' and women's voice and participation, and (4) Shifting the Institutional Culture to more effectively deliver on EU commitments (horizontal goal), including leadership, systematic reporting, results-focused, coherence and coordination.”
The GREEN+ Project:
The GREEN+ project, co-financed by the Austrian Development Agency, implemented in Uganda and Ethiopia, is an integrated part of SOS CV’s Family Strengthening Program (FSP), which, overall, aims to strengthen the families of 1,460,000 children and young people worldwide with a focus on preventing family separation. Within this programmatic framework, the GREEN+ project is designed to strengthen the socio-economic empowerment of children and youth as well as their families, with a specific focus on green economy, through a range of complementary measures at the individual, household, community, national and international levels around the following three thematic areas:
- Sustainable socio-economic empowerment of families and youth.
- Social status of marginalized groups among families and youth.
- Awareness, knowledge, and practice about issues around a safe and sustainable environment
In this action the cross-cutting themes are of crucial importance:
- Green economic activities and household practices
- Gender equality and participation of marginalized persons
- Social protection, alternative care, and social accountability
For the SOS CV teams to acquire capacities for gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis it will be of key importance to design the process with a specific attention to the cross cutting theme “Gender equality and participation of marginalized persons”, which is described in the project document as follows:
“With regards to promoting gender equality and the participation of marginalized persons, the Action employs an empowerment methodology to activate the capacities of vulnerable women and girls to access economic opportunities and to support them as well as members of special interest groups to participate more actively in local decision-making processes. Key project components designed to contribute to strengthen the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable community members – including business and marketable vocational skills development and establishing links to community-based saving/loan services and improving access to social protection services – are focused on women and female youth, in an effort to compensate for existing structural inequalities and to enhance gender equality in terms of access to income-generating activities. The Action also addresses the fact that vulnerable women and girls largely lack access to community decision-making processes, including those on environmental and economic issues – yet they are strongly affected by degrading environmental conditions and lack of sustainable economic opportunities. To address this challenge, the project will seek to strengthening women, and girls (through building the capacities of women and girls to participate in community decision-making, green skills training, training in psychosocial support, etc.), while at the same time seeking to identify and activate allies for gender equality. In addition, the Action will continue to promote role-model men/boys approach successfully implemented in Uganda during the ICAP project, where men and boys from the communities are mobilized to promote gender equality among their peers and encourage them to critically reflect on the roles and responsibilities of different age-gender-groups with regards to child care and protection in homes and communities.
The Action will also engage with adults and children with disabilities, children living with parents/caregivers with disabilities, and older persons – who are often excluded from community decision making – to strengthen their capacities to engage in decision-making processes, and – in Uganda – also support them to participate in community decision-making.”
Contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Union Gender Action Plan II (EU GAP II):
By contributing to strengthening the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable parents/caregivers and youth, with particular focus on the socio-economic empowerment of women and female youth, the project contributes to reducing poverty, thereby contributing to the realization of SDG 1. In addition, by stringing the socio-economic empowerment of parents/caregivers and by enhancing access to social protection and basic services, the Action contributes to the realization of SDGs 2 Zero hunger, 3 Good health and wellbeing, and 4 Quality education, in particular for children and youth.
By integrating measures to promote the socio-economic empowerment of women and female youth, and to enhance the capacities of marginalized groups, including women, girls, persons with disabilities and their children as well as older persons or refugees, to participate in community decision-making processes, the Action supports the attainment of SDG 5 Gender equality, and SDG 10 Reduced inequalities. In addition, these measures also contribute to the attainment of goals set within the EU GAP II focus areas 2 Promoting the social and economic rights / empowerment of women and girls and 3 Strengthening girls' and women's voice and participation.
By mainstreaming a ‘green’ approach into improving households’ socio-economic situation and communities’ participatory planning and implementation processes, the Action supports progress towards SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation, and SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy as well as SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 12 Responsible production and consumption.
Geographic focus
Ethiopia: two major cities of two regional states: Mekelle, and Hawassa
In Mekelle city, the project will be implemented in the five five most vulnerable communities of Semien Sub-city (Dedebit, Mesfin, Lekatit, Industry, and Meles).
In Hawassa, the project will be implemented in two vulnerable sub-cities, Addis Ketema and Haik Dar.
SOS CV Ethiopia has organizational presence in both cities through both Children’s Villages and FSP Offices.
Uganda: Wakiso district (Entebbe office) and Kabarole and Kamwenge districts (Fort Portal office):
In Wakiso district, the project will specifically operate in the communities of Kisubi, Nalugala, and Nkumba parishes.
In Kabarole district, the project will be implemented in 3 sub-counties of Karangura, Kichwamba, and Mugusu.
In Kamwenge district, project activities will be implemented in the area around Rwamwanja.
GREEN+ is a five year intervention, which is the successor of four consecutive phases of framework programs over a total of 11 years. It is designed to bring the previous phases including the core FSP approach to a next level, fostering innovation in environmental friendly economic strengthening of our target families and youth through a partnership between SOS Austria, SOS Children’s Village International (CVI), the National Associations SOS Ethiopia and SOS Uganda and local Community Based Organisations in cooperation with the Governments of Ethiopia and Uganda. The themes identified are in line with the current programmatic and strategic themes and model of SOS family strengthening programme (FSP) and ADA policies.
The programme’s strategy is based on a process oriented approach, which is highly participatory, involving all stakeholders in defining needs and responses and which provides opportunity for communities to develop more detailed action programmes based on stronger knowledge and understanding of what is possible, what addresses needs most appropriately and what will work.
SOS Austria cooperates with the three project implementing partners: SOS Ethiopia, SOS Uganda and the Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa (IOR ESAF): IOR ESAF is located in Addis Ababa / Ethiopia and has a branch office in Nairobi / Kenya where the financial coordination of the ADA framework programme is located. The role of the SOS International Office Region (IOR) Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) in this project is to provide programme, financial and organisational support to National Offices / Member Associations (SOS Ethiopia and SOS Uganda) and strengthen measures for child protection, gender equality, transparency/accountability and anti-corruption. The IOR has also the role of monitoring and controlling the Member Associations operations and ensure compliance with federation (SOS CV) and donor policies and standards through advice, guidance, information, knowledge sharing and capacity development.
The GREEN+ project that is 80% co-financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), and 20% by SOS Austria is running from 01.01.2019 to 31.12.2023.
3. Objectives
The capacity building for gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis will provide SOS CV teams with an opportunity to develop solid competencies for applying participatory, action research-oriented methods for identifying inequalities in terms of access to economic opportunities, public services, resources etc. and participation in household and community decision making of different community members depending on their sex, age, disability status, and other diversity factors in the specific implementation area (2 locations in Uganda, 2 locations in Ethiopia), their underlying causes, intersecting vulnerabilities and inequalities; and how they affect the socio-economic situation, and social status, within nascent ‘green’ development contexts. Following the capacity building process, the SOS CV teams will be better able to support communities, families, and individuals in the project locations to identify and address intersecting inequalities based on gender, age, disability status, and other diversity factors. Their capacity to activate community resources and capacities around green growth will be at the centre of attention.
Following initial training, the SOS CV teams will conduct location-specific gender, diversity, and inclusion analyses on specific questions that are of high relevance to their specific project context; during this process, the consultant/s should remain available for the teams to provide support and mentoring as needed. The SOS CV teams will then reconvene (one or two times) to present their analysis findings, together with any lessons learnt or good practices they would like to share with the group on the research/analysis process. Through this approach, the SOS CV teams will learn from each other both in terms of methodology and gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis findings. The SOS CV teams are then expected to use the analysis findings to re/design project interventions that allow disadvantaged groups to fully and equally participate and benefit from the project activities and community processes and resources.
The capacity building on gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis will enable SOS CV teams to collect, identify, examine, and analyse information on the different roles of women and men, girls and boys with and without disabilities, to understand these three questions:
What are gender-related rights denials in the context of the GREEN+ project’s target group? How do unequal gender relations, gendered discrimination, subordination and exclusion influence right denials? How do these rights abuses intersect with other areas of discrimination – based on age, disability status, ethnicity, culture, class etc.?
How will gender relations affect the sustainable achievement of the planned results?
How will proposed interventions affect the relative status of men and women, girls and boys with and without disabilities? Will it exacerbate or reduce inequalities?
The ADC guidelines for gender analysis[1] referenced above need to be understood as an integral part of the conceptual framework that underpins the capacity building for gender analysis and are therefore a binding document for the consultant to be adhered to and fully complied with. This includes EU GAP II.
4. Scope of work
The main purpose of the consultancy is to design and implement a process through which SOS CV teams can develop their capacities to guide participatory, action-research oriented gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis within the context of green economic development, and to co-design effective interventions to address inequalities related to gender and intersecting vulnerabilities through activation of community, household, and individual resources.
Specifically, the consultant/s are expected to perform the following tasks:
• Develop a methodology for participatory, action-research gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis in the context of green economy that integrates into the ways of working and community engagement strategies/methodologies already applied in the GREEN+ project;
· Train SOS CV GREEN+ Coordinators and implementing teams in Ethiopia and Uganda (four teams in total) in conducting participatory gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis, with a focus on green economy; Mentor the four SOS CV implementing teams throughout the analysis of gender, diversity, and inclusion concerns that are of particular importance to their specific contexts;
· Facilitate 1-2 review workshops where SOS CV teams present their research processes and findings to their peers;
· Support SOS CV teams to document their analysis findings as well as lessons and good practices related to the analysis process, so findings, lessons, and good practice models become available as reference for the GREEN+ project as well as for other SOS CV teams and external stakeholders.
To be able to focus on the core interest areas for the gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis within the project framework, it is necessary to get familiar with the GREEN+ strategic approach, specific objective, the six result areas and the respective indicators. (see details in annexes V and VI).
Core areas of inquiry for SOS CV teams in the gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis could include, but are not limited to the following[2]:
Ø Sexual/gendered division of labour
Ø Household and community decision making and
Ø Control of productive assets including land
Ø Intersectionality between gender, age, disability, and other diversity factors with environmental issues
Ø Access to public spaces and services
Ø Violence and restorative justice
Ø Access to social protection and community-based rehabilitation
Ø Polygamous households
Ø Access to education
Ø Access to information
Ø Protection issues such as child labour, trafficking and exploitation because of closed schools and increased absenteeism
Ø Priorities and opportunities for gender-responsive programming
Across those areas a special attention needs to be given to the situation of children and youth.
5. Methodology
The methodology needs to take into account the GREEN+ approach and participatory methodologies already introduced to the SOS CV team, such as sculpting, etc..
The methodology should incorporate, but is not limited to the following elements[3]:
· Desk research, including review of programme documents and reports, secondary data research, policy analysis, relevant training and mentoring methodology;
· Training of SOS CV teams;
· Remote mentoring of SOS CV teams throughout the analysis process;
· Remote meetings/discussion calls;
· Facilitation of workshops and presentations with / by SOS CV team members;
· Support/mentoring of SOS CV team during the write-up of key analysis findings, and lessons and good practices regarding gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis within the context of green economy.
6. Quality & Ethical Standards
The consultant/s shall take all reasonable steps to guide SOS CV teams to ensure that participatory research/analysis processes are designed and conducted with respect for of the rights and welfare of the people and the communities involved, that they are inclusive, and provide all community member with an equal opportunity to make their voices heard.
The consultant/s shall support SOS CV teams:
· To identify possible risks to participants or community members linked to this study and develop mitigation measures to ensure that the analysis process will “do no harm”.
· To develop analysis processes that ensure accountability, promote women´s and girls’ empowerment, and in particular for population groups that are generally excluded from community decision making, and facilitate participatory, community-driven learning.
· To design measures to ensure that the analysis process is done in a gender responsive and respectful way.
· To identify accessibility and participation requirements, e.g. for persons with different types of disabilities, older persons or lactating mothers, and develop reasonable accommodation measures.
7. Qualifications and Experience for Consultants
• Post graduate degree in social sciences or another relevant field
• 5 – 10 years of experience of conducting gender and/or diversity and inclusion analysis, and; a minimum of 5 years’ experience and expertise in geographically and/or thematically closely-related projects. The consultant/s should have conducted at least three comprehensive gender analysis processes in the last five years (corresponding reports need to be submitted with the application, this is also one of the most relevant requirements for shortlisting),
• Training and experience in facilitating qualitative, participatory research processes;
• Ability to facilitate trainings and workshops and to mentor culturally diverse teams
• Geographically: knowledge about and work experience in Ethiopia, Uganda, Eastern African Countries;
• Thematically: gender and diversity programming, inclusion of persons with disabilities, community development, child- and youth-centred development, green economy, socio-economic strengthening, etc.) (reference persons, including their contacts need to be listed in the application;)
• Excellent oral and written English skills;
8. Management of the Assignment **
Duration: The capacity building for gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis will commence on May 1st, 2020 and end on December 31st, 2021.
Deliverables:
· Inception report detailing the following:
o Concept for the Gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis capacity building process;
o Detailed plan and methodology for the training;
o Outline for follow-up workshops – to be further specified after the initial training;
o Methodology for mentoring process;
o Methodology/formats for documentation of training/workshops;
o Methodology and/or formats to support documentation of analysis results, lessons, and good practice examples by SOS CV teams.
o agreed budget and work plan for the entire 17 months period.
This should be delivered by 15 May, 2020
· Facilitation and documentation of training and workshops:
o Facilitate a training on gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis for SOS CV teams between May and August 2020;
o Facilitate one-two workshops where SOS CV teams present their findings and experiences with participatory gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis methodologies;
Concise Documentation of training and workshops. This should be delivered within three weeks following each training/workshop
· Mentoring process for gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis;
Compendium of analysis findings, and lessons/good practices for participatory gender, diversity, and inclusion analysis based on documentation submitted by the SOS CV teams and concise documentation of the mentoring process; This should be delivered in 2 steps: interim by 31st December 2020, final by 31st December 2021 **
8.1. Assignment Management Team:
The assignment management team shall consist of
· SOS CV Austria - Programme Coordinator
· SOS CVI - Regional Grants Advisor
· SOS CV Uganda & Ethiopia GREEN+ project managers, supported by their respective gender advisors
They shall ensure that the deliverables agreed upon and approved in the inception report are achieved on time.
Role of Assessment Management Team:
• Lead the recruitment and capacity development process
• Review and provide feedback on deliverables including methodology for training, workshops, and mentoring, and reports
• SOS CV will organise logistics on the ground for the training and workshops;
• Avail all necessary SOS documents for desk review, in particular project documents, and documentation of previous trainings/workshops;
• Fund the activity budget;
• Participate in the trainings and workshops;
• Final approval of the deliverables.
9. Application Requirements
To apply, the consultant shall prepare in writing both technical and financial proposals and submit them adhering to the outline in Annex 1. The financial proposal SHOULD BE SENT IN A SEPARATE FOLDER FROM THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.
Please also note that the people whose names appear in the team composition template should be the ones to undertake the assignment. As such, they should be the ones to participate in the interview if the proposal moves to shortlisting stage.
The Technical Proposal should comply with the outline provided in Annex 1 while the financial proposal shall conform to the template provided in Annex 2. Team composition should conform to Annex 3.
Failure to adhere to any of these requirements will lead to automatic disqualification or breach of contract if the work has begun.
SOS CV reserves the right to cancel the contract if, convinced that the consultant is in breach of the terms and conditions, including those approved in the inception report.
10. Submission of proposal
The technical and financial proposals need to be addressed to the assessment management team (see email address below) by 20th of March 2020.
The bidders should email a technical and financial proposal in two separate folders clearly marked “Technical Proposal” and “Financial Proposal” to the below contact details:
valerie.neuhold-maurer@sos-kinderdorf.at
zerihun.endale@sos-kd.org
· Annex I: Technical Proposal Format
· Annex II: Budget Template
· Annex II: Proposed Team Composition Template
· Annex IV: Tender Assessment Criteria
· Evaluation of the Technical Proposal
· Interview
· Evaluation of the Financial Proposal
· Annex V: Logical Framework/Planning Matrix for Programme Interventions
· Annex VI: Narrative Project Proposal
Please note that all annexes can be found here. **
[2] https://www.care.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Good-Practices-Brief.pdf
[3] https://www.care.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Good-Practices-Brief.pdf
How to apply:
The technical and financial proposals need to be addressed to the assessment management team (see email address below) by 20th of March 2020.
The bidders should email a technical and financial proposal in two separate folders clearly marked “Technical Proposal” and “Financial Proposal” to the below contact details:
valerie.neuhold-maurer@sos-kinderdorf.at
zerihun.endale@sos-kd.org