Consultants Needed at Women for Women International (WfWI)

Posted by Future on Tue 22nd Feb, 2022 - nigeriantenders.com

Women for Women International (WfWI) invites experienced and qualified consultant or consultancy firm(s) to tender applications for the following works:

Women for Women International is an International non-governmental organization whose mandate includes providing women survivors of wars, civil strife and other conflicts resources for survival, reduce poverty level and ensure their self-sufficiency. The organization, with headquarters in Washington DC, USA, has country offices in eight countries, including Nigeria.

We implement a 12-months training and education program designed to improve key social and economic outcomes for the most socially excluded women. The program targets every aspect of women’s lives; health and wellbeing (including nutrition, hygiene & HIV/AIDS prevention and protection), economic stability, family decision making and social safety nets.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Terms of Reference for Contracting a Consultant or Research Firm for Foundational Analysis of GBV in Plateau State, Nigeria

Location: Plateau

Employment Type: Contract

Duration of Contract: 4 - 6 weeks, decided in contract

Project Start Date: 14th March, 2022

Type: Short-term Consultancy (Individual or Firm)

Project Title: Foundational Analysis for Mobilizing Community-Led Solutions for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria.

Background

WfWI-Nigeria has been working with marginalized women since 2000, with 20 years of experience working in Enugu, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna states. WfWI-Nigeria has been engaging men in our work towards gender equality since 2001. WfWI has been training men and women as community advocates and activities since 2016.

WfWI’s current approach to addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) is primarily focused on prevention: creating a culture supportive of women’s right to live free from violence. Our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program provides training and resources to marginalized women that enables them to know their rights and reach their goals. Our Men’s Engagement Program engages men to support the efforts of these women and to shift knowledge, behaviors and ultimately attitudes towards gender equality and VAW prevention. Our Change Agent and community engagement work ensure community buy-in and support, and a shift in harmful social norms, beliefs and practices, both of which are critical to VAW prevention.

Women for Women International’s (WfWI) participation in DfID’s flagship research program ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ was a tremendous opportunity to learn from the rigorous and growing evidence on the most effective interventions to drive down rates of VAWG. There is strong evidence of the effectiveness of interventions using community activism to change gender attitudes and social norms in reducing VAWG. We have used this evidence and learning to ground this project.

Overview

This Terms of Reference (ToR) document is for conducting a Foundational Analysis in 5 communities across 3 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Plateau State, Nigeria (Pankshin, Riyom, and Jos East LGAs) to better understand the context-specific gender norms and forms and types of gender-based violence (GBV) and drivers of GBV in those communities specifically, the harmful gender attitudes, roles and social norms in the target communities - and use that information to inform more targeted learning and programming.

Women for Women International in Nigeria (WfWI-Nigeria) is seeking an experienced and qualified consultant or consultancy firm for a short-term consultancy project to conduct this foundational research and analysis, such that WfW-Nigeria can use that information to inform more targeted learning and programming. Results of the analysis will be discussed with community members and stakeholders to generate focused plans and approaches for community actions to address harmful gender norms, roles, and attitudes in the three target communities.

We invite proposals from consultants or consultancy firms with expertise in social research in GBV/VAW, gender analyses, associated monitoring and evaluation practices, and in linking research results to policy and advocacy related to GBV.

Major Activities

The Major Activities covered in this ToR include:

The co-development of methodology and approach, sampling scheme, and tools, with WfWI staff;
Leading data collection that includes qualitative data collection, quantitative data collection, and secondary data collection from relevant credible sources;
Data analysis and synthesis;
Write-up of findings and recommendations for the design of subsequent community advocacy activities; and
Presentation at a workshop for WfWI staff and local stakeholders to share findings and support learning, and group facilitation to support staff program planning activities.

All of these activities will be completed in close collaboration with WfWI-Nigeria and WfWI-Global Support staff members. If the selected consultant / firm performs these activities to satisfaction, there will be additional opportunities for partnership with WfWI as part of this 3-year project.

Project Objective

The overall objective of this three-year project undertaken by WfWI, “Mobilizing Community-Led Solutions for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria” is to transform the social norms that trigger and drive GBV by better understanding the causes of violence against women in three target communities, positioning community stakeholders to adopt more targeted interventions to address the various forms of violence experienced by women in their communities. Defined by the following outcomes:
- Outcome 1: Communities have deepened understanding of context-specific gender norms and drivers of GBV, and participate in change measurement;
- Outcome 2: Local stakeholders have improved capacity to respond to community GBV; and
- Outcome 3: National CSO actors strengthen advocacy for GBV prevention.
The Foundational Analysis detailed in this ToR will provide the learning to directly feed into the following programming activities that will lead to Outcomes 1-3 above.
The project is taking place in five communities across three LGAs: Joe East LGA- Shere and Angware communities; Riyom LGA- Bachi and Riyom communities; and Pankshin LGA- Pankshin community. The data collection activities of the foundational analysis will take place in these five communities.

Scope of Work for This ToR
The Scope of Work for this ToR includes the following steps, to be completed over 4-6 weeks from inception:

1.) Development of Methodology, Sampling Scheme, and Tools, with WfWI Staff:

The first step for the consultant(s) will be to work with WfWI staff based in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and the United States to make a data collection plan, that includes the overall approach, the methodologies to be used, an appropriate sampling scheme, and tools for data collection.
Depending on the experience of the consultant(s) in research on these topics, WfWI can review and provide feedback to the workplan and tools that consultants develop and propose or WfWI can co-develop the tools for the research with the consultant(s). Please detail the expected level of WfWI support in the proposal.
We welcome the use of tools that have been already developed for GBV assessments, gender analysis work, and social norms research as they fit the purpose of this learning exercise.
WfWI seeks a diversity of opinions in learning about and understanding GBV in these communities. This means ensuring representation of respondents with different ages, religion, tribes/ethnicities, gender, and disability.
WfWI requests that the methodology for this foundational research includes:
- Desk research to review past WfWI-collected qualitative and quantitative data and research/reports from additional actors,
- Secondary data collection by collecting relevant data from service providers, security forces, community leaders, implementing partners, and government institutions who have relevant data on the topics at hand. WfWI can make connections to existing community and state-level partners, and also welcome suggestions from the consultant(s) on relevant actors with data we can access.
- Qualitative data collection that includes in-depth interviews and focus groups with different members of the communities, and key informant interviews that cover a diverse set of perspectives.
The data collection activities should take place in the five communities listed above, which constitute the project area. WfWI will assist the consultant(s) in developing the list of respondents for primary data collection to include representatives of the following key groups: community leaders, religious leaders, youth leaders, security officials, lawyers, women’s group leaders, people with disabilities, teachers, healthcare providers and others who can provide important perspectives to understanding GBV in the communities. WfWI will also provide contacts for people already engaged in community advocacy: Change Agents, male champions, CSOs and WROs, local influencers and leaders.
In the proposal, we ask that the consultant(s) propose a sampling scheme that details the types of people/institutions to provide relevant data, how to collect data from them (which methods), and how many people/institutions to talk to from each community.

2.) Data Collection that includes Desk Research, Qualitative Data Collection, and Secondary Data Collection from relevant sources:

The consultant(s) will be responsible for hiring and managing data collectors who speak the relevant local language (Hausa), training data collectors on the final tools, piloting tools as appropriate and making revisions, translating tools to local languages, collecting data following appropriate safety and COVID-19 protocols, and recording all raw data (eg transcripts for qualitative data collection, excel spreadsheets for quantitative/secondary data) for submission to WfWI.
Desk research: The desk research will include review of older quantitative and qualitative data that WfWI provides the consultant(s). The desk research will also include doing a search for relevant data from other organizations and researchers at the local, state, and national level. This will involve reaching out directly to relevant implementing organizations for any reports that aren’t available on the internet.
Qualitative data collection: The qualitative data collections will include all logistics for conducting interviews and focus groups (scheduling, venue, equipment, provision of renumeration for time, recording sessions, transcribing and translating to provide English transcripts). WfWI-Nigeria staff can assist in making linkages to some groups of respondents including people who have participated in WfWI programming and community leaders that we work with. We also expect the consultant(s) to assist in choosing some respondents based on criteria that WfWI-Nigeria provides.
Secondary data collection from relevant sources: The secondary data collection process will include generating a list of institutions to seek data from, contacting institutions, receiving copies of the data via email and in-person visits, inputting data into an electronic format like Excel databases, and cleaning and organizing received data for analysis. Note that WfWI does NOT want this formative exercise to include primary data collection to measure of prevalence of experienced GBV, and we do not want to be asking survivors direct experiences with violence. Primary data collection methods should ask other types of questions to learn about GBV In the community as opposed to individuals’ own experiences.
Ethics in data collection of sensitive topics: Any methodology of the above list should follow strict ethical principles when it comes to measurement of sensitive topics and should have necessary safety precautions in place in terms of: informed consent procedures; how questions are asked (no direct questions about personal experiences of GBV); the gender and required sensitivity of any enumerators; of making linkages to referral services if respondents become distressed; and in data security to keep information confidential. Please detail these special considerations in the proposal.

3.) Data Analysis and Synthesis:

The consultant(s) will be responsible for analysing and synthesizing data from all methods of data collection, and sharing the synthesis with WfWI staff for feedback.

4.) Write-up of Findings and Recommendations for Subsequent Community Advocacy Activities:

The consultant(s) will be responsible for writing up the findings from the Foundational Analysis into a report which includes the details of the methodology, the findings of the data collections and analysis, and recommendations for the WfWI team on subsequent community advocacy activities.

5.) Presentation at a Workshop for WfWI Staff and Local Stakeholders to share findings and Group Facilitation to Support staff Program Planning activities:

The consultant(s) will be responsible for developing a presentation on the forms, types, and drivers of GBV in the 3 target communities, and leading this presentation in a workshop for WfWI and local stakeholders.
This workshop purpose is to:
- Share the findings of the Foundational Analysis, and
- Facilitate the staff and partners to develop their plans for community-based advocacy work, specifically targeting the norms and drivers of GBV in the 5 target communities across 3 LGAs, and strengthening of work to prevent GBV and specifically violence against women (VAW).

Expected Outputs

Inception report with data collection methodologies and learning approach to be used, ethics considerations and safety protocols (for sensitive topic data collection, COVID-19, and instability in communities), proposed population to be sampled & sampling frame per methodology, drafted tools for feedback, and proposed analysis/synthesis.
Data collection completion to high standard, ethical consideration, and timeliness, with raw data submitted to WfWI.
Analysis of data collected and materials through desk review and secondary data analysis into a draft report, which shows an understanding of GBV in the 3 communities, including the types of GBV, the drivers of GBV such as the harmful gender attitudes, roles and social norms, and the priority areas for intervention amongst community members and leaders. This report also features recommendations for next-stage community advocacy work in the project, helping to establish priorities.
Final report with summary key findings and details, based on WfWI staff review of the drafted report.
Presentation for WfWI staff and stakeholders & facilitation of learning and planning sessions during a workshop.
Debrief with WfWI to discuss process and outputs after completion of all other steps.

Budget and Timeline

The total budget for this assignment is $8500 USD or 3.5 million Naira (NGN). This should cover all costs associated with the assignment, which will primarily be the time of consultant(s). A budget must be included in the application, demonstrating the distribution of spend across activities and outputs. Please detail all costs.
This project needs to be completed on a fast timeline. The project must start by March 14, and be concluded in 4-6 weeks (by April 30, the latest). Please provide your proposed timing of the key steps and objectives to achieve the project in this timeline.

Budget:

$8500 USD or 3.5 million Naira (NGN).

Essential Skills / Experience

Skills / Experience:

Demonstrated expertise conducting research and/or assessment of social norms, GBV and other relevant gender-specific topics
Demonstrated experience using desk review, qualitative methods, and secondary data analysis on GBV or similar topics.
Experience learning about GBV in studies in conflict and post conflict contexts
Understanding of different approaches to learning about GBV/VAW, specifically to learn about root causes and drivers of GBV; demonstrated expertise in data collection of such sensitive topics and ethical considerations.
Expertise in analysis of different types of data, specifically document review, qualitative methods, and secondary analysis.
Experience to produce synthesis into a concise report of findings and recommendations for policy and advocacy at a range of levels including grassroots programming and national influencing.
Knowledge of participatory, gender-sensitive and inclusive MERL approaches and methodologies
Ability to work to tight deadlines and meet the timeline in the ToR
Ability to work with diverse stakeholders
Ability to work across contexts, and adapt to local needs
Excellent writing and presenting skills
Ideally, experience working on women’s rights and gender equality in Nigeria
Strong preference for national candidates/teams, or regionally-based (must be able to meet budget & timeline).

Application Closing Date

28th February, 2022.

Submission of Documents

Interested and qualified Individuals or Firms should submit their Proposals, which should include the following below, by email to: nigeriajobs@womenforwomen.org and include the subject line "Ford GBV Foundational Analysis" so your email is directed to the correct staff members. Please also send any questions to this email address and include the same subject line.

Please submit:

A proposal that is maximum of 10-pages single spaced and includes the following:
- Your qualifications for the project,
- Relevant past experiences, especially conducting work in Plateau State, Nigeria or similar locations,
- Proposed approach, methodologies and measurement techniques to use,
- Timeline and workplan discussing your approach to producing the main deliverables described under Expected Outputs, including Gantt chart,
- Anticipated challenges and solutions,
- Budget, in USD and Naira, including all estimated costs and time allocations for personnel. (Detail all costs; no %-based indirect costs line).
1 or 2 examples of similar work completed, including methodology and final report/presentation products.
2 references we can contact who can speak to your technical work and financial management.
CV / Resume for project lead and any other relevant team members.

Note

Top candidates will be conducted for an interview by 7 March, 2022, with final selection and signing of agreement by 11 March, 2022.
The work on this project will commence on 14th March, 2022.