1. Background /Program Description

The Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP) is a multi-year effort by seven leading NGOs to tackle the challenge of recurrent droughts – and the chronic vulnerability that results – among pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and peri-urban poor which include the internally displaced people (IDPs) across Somalia. The aim of the consortia is to collectively help protect livelihoods against continuing shocks by contributing to improved resilience for communities and households. The Consortia target interventions that aim to build adaptive, absorptive, and transformative capacities toward achieving improvements in economic wellbeing, hence improving their resilience to cyclic shocks. The program builds on collective lessons learned by consortium members: World Vision, Oxfam, DRC, COOPI, CARE, ADRA and AAH. Furthermore, the consortia advocate for the importance of resilience building at the household and community level within the broader agenda of moving Somalia towards peace and development. Since the inception in 2013, SomReP has grown significantly and to date, the consortium has over five active donors with ongoing program interventions in the 17 districts targeting pastoral, agro pastoral and peri urban groups by the seven consortium members.

World Vision Somalia (WVS) has been in Somalia since 1993, serving the most vulnerable children and their communities. Working hand-in-hand with local partners and government, WVS reached 2,001,000 people directly, with over half (between 60-62%), female and 44% of them are children. WVS aspires to contribute to protect and enhance the well-being of two million children by building the resilience of their families and their communities from 2021 to 2025. To achieve this, WVS seeks to employ a multi-sectoral and sequenced programming that addresses the root causes of vulnerability at households, communities, and institutional levels. Following the growing needs to strengthen gender equality, elimination of institutional barriers and the desire to increase access to resilience opportunities to diverse individuals and groups, SomReP and WVS intend to conduct a gender analysis and from the outcome develop a gender equality and social inclusion strategy to support programming across Somalia.

The broad goal of the gender analysis is to have a deeper and enhanced understanding of how gender dynamics/trajectories influence positively or negatively the ability to women, men and people with disability among other marginalized people groups to participate in SomReP and WVS interventions.

In order for the program to achieve its intended goal and objectives, there is a need to hire the services of a consultant/consultants to develop a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy. However, the consultant will be required to start with a Gender Analysis study with the outcome informing the strategy development. Understanding that the success of consortia’s resilience programs is somehow very much dependent on the consortia’s ability to reach out to the most vulnerable individuals, households, communities and clans, this study will help to understand the level of Gender inclusion and participation in terms of their relative position in the society, distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints they face relative to each other and power while investigating the underlying factors that affect gender equality among the marginalized or vulnerable groups.

2. Purpose and Objectives of the Gender Analysis and Strategy in Programming

The objectives of this assignment is to provide an assessment of the extent to which SomReP and WVS technical sectors and structures are responsive to gender and social inclusion. This will be achieved by review of gender mainstreaming actions applied in the SomReP resilience program and in WVS programming. Based on the assessment findings, a joint gender equality and social inclusion strategy for SomReP and WVS will be developed. This exercise will also provide an understanding of the different levels of access and control over resources and services among the different groups (men, women, youth, disabled people, and other excluded people), where different groups/identities spend most of their time, and where they travel to.

Specifically, the consultant will be required to:

Objective 1: Conduct a Gender Assessment using the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion DME Toolkit and the Organizational Gender Assessment tools to collect qualitative and quantitative data. This should include the following:

· Assess to what extent the SomReP and WVS programmes and structures are responsive to gender and social inclusion. This includes an understanding of the following key questions:

• How has SomReP and WVS programmes addressed the needs and constraints of women, men, boys and girls including those living with disability in the target areas?
• To what extent has the projects ensured equal and fair participation and representation, and distribution of resources to women and men in the project.

· Identify gender gaps, for men and women particularly female headed households, in terms of:

• Livelihood needs, constraints, opportunities and aspirations.
• Access and control of land, household finances and other factors of production.
• Access to micro-credits and savings groups, access to business development services, enterprise development, language and other relevant training, level of indebtedness.
• Participation of men, women, youths and persons with disability in decision making at the community level and in the design, implementation and monitoring of WVS and SomReP programs.
• Access to management and leadership positions in village development committees and producer groups, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) including other community led informal structures like water management committees, protection committees.
• Assess the relevance and adequacy of the existing SomReP and WVS strategies in addressing the gender equality and social inclusion gaps.
• Access to education for the children of women headed households should also be ascertained. It will also identify gender gaps with regards to the percentage of women in management positions in village development committees, producer groups, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• Develop seasonal calendar from a gender lens to inform appropriate project typology targeting and timings.

Objective II: Conduct an analysis of Somali NDP 9 and Somali Women’s Charter to access to what extent the SomReP design contributes to the Somali NDP-9 Gender Cross-Cutting themes, and Somali Women’s Charter.

· Analyze Draft SomReP Gender Strategy to determine if existing activity typologies (menu of activities) contribute to priorities and themes highlighted in the NDP-9 gender cross-cutting themes and Somali Women’s Charter goals/objectives.

· Review project typologies (menu of activities) and appraise through KII with SomReP members and TU technical staff if assumed/hypothesized linkages of activity typologies and women’s economic and social empowerment are valid.

· Revise/develop info-graphic to articulate how SomReP’s existing interventions (menu of activities) contribute to priorities highlighted in the NDP-9. Imbedded revised analysis as part of revised SomReP Gender Strategy.

· Conduct detailed and updated Somali gender context review and analysis-drawing on most updated secondary source information on gender context in the country. Updated analysis should feature in revised SomReP Gender Strategy as part of Context Overview to enhance/strengthen current draft.

Objective III: Revise/update a joint Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy for SomReP and WVS taking into consideration gender and other dynamics across all the SomReP and WVS themes of Economic Empowerment, Agriculture (crop and Livestock production), Community Disaster Risks Management, Education, Child Protection, GBV Response, Food and Cash Assistance, Health & Nutrition and WASH. This strategy should include the following:

• Review the WVS strategy and SomReP Theory of Change with an aim of providing revised proposals to ensure both the causal pathways and assumptions are gender responsive and demonstrate progression and integrate activities that are gender transformative in their design.
• Approaches to mainstream gender across SomReP’s intervention areas and sectors contributing to WVS National Office strategy from a policy and practice perspective.
• Recommend approaches to resolve and navigate social cultural norms and perspectives around gender across various institutional levels (Household level, Community, local governance and regional and national levels).
• Review the Resilience policy framework such as the RRF and the NDP 9 to identify opportunities through which WVS and SomReP’s menu of activities can align or pioneer approaches to scale practical Gender inclusive approaches and interventions around resilience.

Objective IV: Develop a monitoring plan of key gender indicators for each sector (Economic Empowerment, Agriculture (crop and Livestock production) and Community Disaster Risks Management under SomReP; Education, Child Protection, GBV Response, Food and Cash Assistance, Health & Nutrition and WASH. This should include both Quantitative and Qualitative gender equality indicators to assess perceptions, beliefs, or attitudes, and how these change tailored to the various strategies, proposed interventions and provide an assessment to inform SomReP’s progress towards gender transformative change in a resilience theme. These indicators should be sensitive to appreciate and assess differences in participation, benefits, and outcomes for women, men, girls, and boys, and to assess changes in gender relations as well as keep track of structural change in policy at various levels of governance. Provide recommendation of how indicators contribute to NDP-9 cross-cutting themes and Somali Women’s Charter.

3. Scope of work

The analysis and the strategy will cover the overall SomReP and WVS programmes with major focus on inclusion of gender aspects across all the sectors. The Consultant will be required to align the work with the existing SomReP and WVS Strategy documents.

In SomReP and WVS operation areas, the geographical coverage will be limited to the following locations:

Region: Togdheer, Districts: Hargeisa, Burao

Region: Nugaal, Districts: Eyl, Burtinle, Garowe

Region: Bay, Districts: Baidoa, Qansadhere

Region: Gedo, Districts: Doolow, Luuq

Region: Bakool, Districts: Xudur, Wajid, Elbarde

Region: Lower Shabelle, District: Afgoye

Region: Lower, District: Kismayo

Region: Sool, District: Las Anod

4. Methodology

To develop the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy, the consultant will be required to conduct a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion analysis, which will help in building the actual Gender strategy. Specifically, the consultant is expected to employ a combination of approaches with reference to the GESI DME toolkit among other appropriate tools and conduct desk reviews of the key SomReP and WVS strategy documents, KII and FGDs with the stakeholders including beneficiaries, the donors, and programme staffs among others. The analysis shall be carried out in a multi-disciplinary manner and cover relevant cross-cutting issues. The consultants will have to work in a collaborative manner and will have to engage country partners and other stakeholders as deemed necessary. After the finalisation of the gender analysis, a validation workshop will be held with SomReP and WVS stakeholders to finalise the gender analysis report and also inform the development of the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy.

The selected consultant will prepare a detailed methodology and share with the SomReP and WVS PDQA team for review and approval through an inception report.

5. Management of the Consultancy and Reporting

The consultants to undertake the assignment will report directly to the Economic Empowerment Technical Advisor for SomReP and the Protection Technical Specialist to ensure compliance with the intended objectives. Regular consultation meetings will be arranged between the SomReP and WVS Technical Unit and the consultant as need arises.

5.1. Authority and Responsibility

SomReP and WVS Technical Unit **

· Coordinate with the Partners to ensure all the relevant information and documentation are available to the consultant.

· Create linkages with field staff, implementing partners and other stakeholders to ensure effective accomplishment of consultancy.

· Review report and provide feedback to the consultant to ensure consistency with the SomReP and WVS implementation objective.

· Arrange key informant interviews and focus group discussions as deemed necessary.

· Provide necessary orientation and training to the consultant.

· Review and approve field approaches to be used by the consultant.

· Review the draft report and provide feedback to the consultant.

· Provide the necessary government clearance in event that the consultant is required to visits field locations.

Consultant

· Develop the overall SomReP and WVS gender strategy between 15 to 30 pages.

· Conduct gender analysis across SomReP and WVS locations to provide relevant information to support the development of the Gender Strategy; collect information and disaggregated data on the target group.

· Develop assessment plan, methodology and appropriate/relevant data collection tools to help in Identifying existing gender inequalities and their underlying causes.

· Conduct interviews with key stakeholders including SomReP and WVS staff, partners, the donors, government stakeholders, beneficiaries and others as deemed necessary.

· Incorporate feedback into tools, strategy and reports which will be given by the SomReP and WVS technical units and the partners.

· Collect and analyse sex, age and disability disaggregated data on needs, priorities and capabilities relating to resilience programming.

· Prepare approximately one-hour PowerPoint presentation of results and discussions.

· Do debriefing on the preliminary findings to the field team soon after data collection. The result is expected to be shared with the stakeholders and the consultant needs to give due attention for the quality of the report/strategy.

5.2. Logistics

SomReP/WV will facilitate travel logistics including access to operational area, flights and accommodation where necessary.

5.3. Proposed timelines

Task Proposed date Responsibility

Gender Analysis

• Initial briefings and provision of key documentation; by date: 14th Jan ’21 by Consultant
• Receive inception report; by date: 18^th Jan ’21 by WVI Team
• Data collection (remote or on-site) and analysis; by date: 19^th – 15th Jan ’21 by Consultant
• Submission of draft report; by date: 15^th Feb ’21 by Consultant
• Validation of findings; by date: 18^th Feb ’21 by Consultant & WVI
• Submission of the final report and data sets to WVS team by date: 26^th Feb ’21 by Consultant

Gender Quality and Social Inclusion Strategy

• Submission of a draft strategy for review by date 5^th Mar ’21 by consultant & WVI
• Submission of the final strategy document by date 12^th Mar ’21

6. Proposal Content

Proposals from Consultants should include the following information (at a minimum):

· Technical proposal with clear methodology of developing the strategy, including analysis of gender issues.

· CV of key consultant(s) attached to the technical proposal.

· Proposed budget.

· Proposed timeline.

6.1. Technical Evaluation Criteria

• Qualification and experience (40%)

• Track record of successful completion of past assignments (30%)

• Financial bid (10%)

• Willingness and flexibility to work within the required deadline (20%)

7. Desired profile of the consultant

The CV of this expert, references from similar previous consultancies will be submitted along with the technical and financial offer from the Consultant. The profile of the expert is outlined below.

7.1 Qualifications and skills

· In-depth knowledge of Somalia and its regions including government and community level service delivery structures.

· Postgraduate university degree or equivalent with relevant work experience in development studies, social development, gender studies or equivalent.

· Strong writing and communication skills.

· A minimum of five years’ work experience in social development and/or gender and development

· Specific experience and expertise on the use of the Gender Equality and Social Exclusion (GESI) Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit

· Extensive experience working on organizational national gender policies in fragile contexts

· Experience of working in Somali context is essential, other field experience being desirable.

7.2 Working languages **

The expert must be fluent in English, both oral and written