TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION CONSULTANT JASIRI PROGRAM.

1.Purpose

The Jasiri Consortium comprising Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS Kenya), Collaborative Center for Gender and Development (CCGD), Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD) and Advocates for Social Change Kenya (ADSOCK) are jointly implementing the Jasiri Program for a period of 5 years (2023-2028). The consortium seeks to hire an experienced consultant to support the development of a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion strategy (GESI) and Action Plan for the 5-year program. The successful consultant will work closely with technical leads from the consortium to co-create a robust GESI strategy and Action Plan to enrich program implementation.

2.Context

The Jasiri program builds on the achievements of a pilot program implemented by the consortium during the COVID Pandemic to address the high incidences of gender-based violence.The program seeks to deepen support to most at-risk girls and young women who are survivors of gender-based violence in 16 counties^[1] in Kenya that are recording high prevalence rates of Gender Based Violence. The Jasiri Program will expand its scope to address GBV and the heavy load of unpaid care and domestic work as an emerging gender barrier that disproportionately affects adolescent girls and young women living in rural areas and urban informal settlements.

This program will address the following systemic and structural barriers:

1. Limited access to gender-responsive financial resources and skilling would reduce entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for adolescent girls and young women who are GBV survivors or at risk of GBV.
2. Limited capacity and resources among national and sub-national (county) governments and GBV service providers to effectively respond to GBV and unpaid care work faced by adolescent girls and young women.
3. Social norms and harmful cultural beliefs, attitudes and practices expose AGYW to abuse and discrimination and prevent them from meaningfully participating in the world of work.

 

The programs broad interventions are:

1. Engage financial services providers and State department of gender to build up responsive and inclusive financial services that cater to the full range needs of young women especially gender-based violence survivors.
Support and collaborate with community skilling partners to provide skilling opportunities (life skills, entrepreneurship) to GBV survivors and most at-risk Adolescent Girls and Young women (AGYW) as a pathway to work
2. Collaborate with national and county governments and to address unpaid care and domestic work through policy, practice, and budget reforms.
Engage community leaders and gatekeepers (including men, boys, and cultural and religious leaders) in shifting perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that perpetuate gender inequalities e.g GBV and the heavy load of unpaid care work.
3. Enhance capacity and resilience GBV service providers including Safe shelter actors to provide timely, safe, and confidential services to support the short- and long-term healing and empowerment of GBV survivors.
Enhance capacity of National and county governments (e.g., sensitization on how to domesticate national GBV policies and SOPs) to implement laws and policies that prevent and respond to GBV.

Some of the expected program outcomes will include:

1. Increased utilization and uptake of gender responsive and inclusive financial services/products by young women and young women owned MSME’s.
2. Enhanced resilience of GBV survivors and most at-risk adolescent girls and young women in entrepreneurship and in the world of work.
3. More time and agency for adolescent girls and young women to participate in economic opportunities.

3.Deliverables

A robust GESI strategy and Action Plan and monitoring framework that supports the Jasiri Scale up program as follows;

1. Ensures effective inclusion of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) program participants.
2. Maximizes impact by tailoring interventions to specific contexts, ensuring that resources are allocated where they are most needed
3. Recognizes intersectionality and ensures that the program addresses the complex  and multiple      forms of discrimination and inequality that adolescent girls and young women experience,
4. Promotes sustainability by fostering social cohesion and reducing the risk of patriarchal backlash or resistance to the program interventions,
5. Challenges discriminatory social and gender norms, practices, and structures that perpetuate inequality and exclusion for adolescent girls and young women and
6. Ensures that Jasiri scale up program contributes effectively to Sustainable Development Goals that contribute to gender equality.

 

4.Scope.

 

1. Carry out a GESI analysis covering the 16 target counties of the program
2. Develop a GESI Strategy and Action Plan which will support the program to:

• Ensure due diligence, compliance and address risks, basic needs and vulnerabilities of adolescent girls and young women in the 16 target counties.
• Ensure the program builds assets, capabilities and opportunities for adolescent girls and young women,
• Drive the program towards achieving institutional and systemic change by addressing unequal power relations.
• Contribute to development outcomes in the Young Africa Works Strategy and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

5.Requirements.

 

The GESI Strategy and Action Plan should meet the following requirements:

• Logically structured, concise, well presented and understandable to diverse audiences.
• Clear impact analysis ensuring the programme aims to address identified gender and social inclusion issues, and demonstration of how gender and social inclusion considerations have influenced decisions that affect adolescent girls and young women across all their identities and intersectionality.

• Clearly links impact analysis to the program interventions and activities, explaining rationale for interventions and activities, and clearly explaining the linkage to outputs and outcomes for each intervention

• Clear risk analysis and mitigation plans on gender and social inclusion.
• Clear baselines and indicators for interventions and activities.
• Clear key performance indicators for monitoring linked to MEAL plan and including G&SI disaggregated data and G&SI-specific indicators.
• As a minimum, the program should collect disaggregated data by sex, age , disability and economic status and to include at KPI’s on gender.
• Clearly identify and allocate financial/human resources for implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan, with narrative on how GESI-related activities have been costed in
• The GESI Action Plan format is flexible but at a minimum should include key activities, timelines, responsibilities and any budgeted costs.
• Submission of the GESI Strategy and Action Plan should be in 3 phases: (a) Outline of GESI Strategy and Action Plan (b) Draft GESI Strategy and Action Plan (c) Final GESI Strategy and Action Plan.

6.Timelines.

The level of effort for this assignment is approximately 45 days from the date of execution of the consultancy agreement. The consultant should ensure the completion of the GESI Analysis , GESI Strategy and Action Plan within this timeframe.

7.Qualifications of the consultant.

 

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies and Development, social sciences or related fields
• At least five years of progressive experience in gender equality and social inclusion assignments.

• Demonstrate experience in developing a programme-wide GESI Strategy and Action Plan and monitoring framework

• Familiarity with gender-, age- and disability-sensitive approaches to gender equality and social inclusion.
• Demonstrated skills in preparing quality reports and other knowledge products
• Commitment to high professional ethical standards; and strong ethical standards to safeguarding.

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral), strong command of English language and excellent research and analytical writing skills.
• Experience in and/or knowledge and understanding of Kenya context.

 

8.Application requirements

 

• Please submit an Expression of Interest which should include the following:
• A detailed technical proposal including;

• Description of how your skills and experience match the TOR requirements,

• Understanding of the assignment
• Proposed methodology and work plan.
• A financial proposal: Should include a detailed budget in Kenya Shillings

• CV, including track-record of recent projects, references of at least three (3) recent clients.
• Sample of similar GESI Strategy and Action Plan and monitoring framework developed.

 

9.Application Submission.

 

Please respond with your Expression of Interest to consultancy@creaw.org by close of business 17^th June 2024. Contract: Contractual obligations will be defined through a standard consultancy agreement, outlining deliverables, timelines, payments.

 

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview.