Comparison Analysis Assessment Specialist.

1.About FEMNET.

The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is a pan- African, feminist and membership-based network based in Nairobi, Kenya with over 800 individual and institutional members across 50 African countries and in the diaspora. FEMNET envisions a society where African women and girls thrive in dignity and well-being, free from patriarchal and neoliberal oppression and injustices.

FEMNET recognizes that the commitment to alter relations of power, structural injustices, and systemic oppression lies at the heart of feminism. FEMNET is therefore committed to pushing towards altering power structures that perpetuate gender inequality by nurturing the African women’s movement to enable women and girls in their diversity to effectively claim, affirm, and use their collective power to end all forms of exclusion, oppression, exploitation, and injustices against them.

Founded in 1988, FEMNET exists to facilitate and coordinate the sharing of experiences, information, and strategies for human rights promotion among feminists, activists, and women’s rights organizations as a strategy for collective organizing; policy influencing & advocacy; strategic communication; capacity strengthening as well as feminist solidarity and movement building.

Over the years, FEMNET has strategically positioned herself as a convenor, organizer, and facilitator of critical dialogues around women’s economic justice and rights; transformative women’s leadership; sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR); climate justice and natural resource governance as well as, ending all forms of violence and harmful/ discriminatory practices against women and girls.

FEMNET continues to be intentional in influencing decisions made at national, regional, and global levels, constantly ensuring African women voices are amplified and their needs, priorities and aspirations are prioritized in key policy dialogues and outcomes that have direct and indirect impact on their lives. FEMNET mobilizes African women to hold their States accountable to women’s rights and gender equality commitments.

Vision: African women and girls thrive in dignity and well-being, free from patriarchal and neoliberal oppression and injustices.

Mission: To mobilize African women for achievement of gender equality and the realization of women’s and girls’ rights at all levels.

FEMNET’s Core Values:

• Feminist solidarity
• Respect for diversity
• Intersectionality
• Integrity
• Commitment to women’s rights
• Professionalism and learning

2.About the project.

Despite the progressive EVAWG (Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls) and SRH&RR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights) policies and frameworks put in place to address Women Rights issues in the continent, remains the existence of weak accountability and coordination mechanisms at the regional level. These have been fuelled by controlling female bodies and sexuality as a root cause of the gender inequality inherent in discriminatory patriarchal societies, social norms and beliefs, and failure to prioritize Action Plans within policy and programs. These norms are reflected in the restrictive laws and policies; lack of political will; poor implementation of policies, inadequate allocation of resources to SRH&RR, weak and overburdened health systems.

The My Health My Rights project is a regional, multi-year partnership between the European Union and Plan International Denmark, Plan United Kingdom, Plan Ireland and FEMNET towards, ‘’Promoting universal Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of vulnerable adolescents in West Africa’’. The project aims at contributing to public and community health systems in six West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Togo) providing adolescents, especially girls, with quality sexuality education and adolescent responsive SRHR information and services in an enabling, empowering, and safe environment. There is a need for an increased knowledge on SRH and community level change of the values and social norms underpinning SRH related practices and behaviours that will lead to increased bodily autonomy for adolescent girls and to increased demand for ASRH services. To realise this hypothesis, a key objective will include enhanced capacity and advocacy for adolescents, adult gatekeepers, National health and education authorities and SRHR-focused CSOs and CSO coalitions on the development and implementation of Action Plans and increased SRH&RR advocacy in line with regional and global human rights standards on strategic interventions that reinforces the ongoing efforts on strengthening existing strategies and initiatives towards ending VAWG and Harmful Practices (HP) are required.

CSE analysis are currently conducted in each of the six target countries with the aim to fully understand the internal overview in regard to CSE, including policies, programme and curricula on CSE and different strategies currently in place to support the introduction and/or the deployment of CSE policies. Report from this first stage will inform a comparative analysis targeting the six countries as well as other countries in West Africa.

In that regard, FEMNET intends to develop a comparative analysis assessment on Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) targeting Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Togo and others countries in West Africa. The comparative analysis will guide the development and implementation of Action Plans on positive community engagement to support SRHR- focused CSOs and CSO coalitions in advocating against SGBV and towards progressive SRHR-R policies in- the West Africa region.

3.Objective/ Purpose of Assignment.

To conduct a comparative analysis assessment on the introduction of Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) and policy advocacy and programming needs for adolescents, adult gatekeepers, National health, and education authorities and SRHR-focused CSOs and CSO coalitions in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

4.Scope of Work and Terms of Reference.

• The consultant will conduct a comparative analysis assessment for adolescents, adult gatekeepers, National health and education authorities and SRHR focused CSOs and CSO coalitions in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea- Bissau, Sierra Leone and Togo on CSE based on the reports from the current country CSE analysis ongoing in the six countries.
• The analysis will include contents and advocacy tools to influence member states to develop, implement and/or intensify national evidence-based action plans to support CSE activities.
• The consultant will ensure that the process of the comparative analysis assessment on CSE will influence Action Plans and (advocacy for) increased policy influencing by Member States embraces the highest value of feminist principles.
• The consultant will deeply and technically consult with all relevant groups and ensure that the comments developed is reflective of the diverse realities of stakeholders and African women and girls.

5.Key Deliverables and Outputs.

1. Inception report with a work plan on the design, and methodology on the understanding of the assignment.
2. To map out key regional partners including Plan International Country Offices and CSOs working on EVAWG and SRH&RR in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea- Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Togo
3. Conduct a comparative analysis assessment of CSE to identify the needs relating to CSE in the targeted countries.
4. To map out existing country-level frameworks addressing CSE, including EVAWG and SRH&RR in the targeted countries and report on the implementation status of the country framework.
5. To help identify and Map out key EVAWG and SRH&RR advocacy spaces, agenda, and key players for the countries of target that the regional partners and WRO’s can use to push for their advocacy ASKs.
6. To develop the comparative analysis assessment of CSE Action Plans and (advocacy for) increased policy influencing by Member States. To facilitate consultation and validation workshops with the stakeholders and CSOs, and prepare validation workshop report.
7. To facilitate in-person tailored consultative sessions with stakeholders.
8. To provide inputs and resources that will be used to help stakeholders identify and populate Strategy worksheets that will help in guiding their EVAWG and SRH&RR Advocacy work aimed at improving CSE policies and reiterating commitments to the progressive set of actions that will be used to hold our governments and institutions accountable for what they agreed to do for women’s rights 25 years ago following the FP 2020 and 2030 commitments made at the Beijing +25 and Declaration and ICPD+25.
9. To write and deliver the first, second and third draft of the final consultancy for review by FEMNET.
10. To deliver final reviewed training reports to FEMNET for final submission
11. The comparative analysis assessment will be based on a participatory and experiential learning methodology. The consultant should be able to adopt a feminist and gender lens.

6.Required Qualification, Skills, and Competencies.

Academic Qualification.

• Minimum of a master’s degree in social sciences, international relations, International/community development, Law, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights or related field, with an emphasis on human rights.

Experience.

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in conducting comparative analysis assessment
• Thorough understanding of the SRH&RR & EVAWG policy Advocacy, development, and implementation of Action Plans for the elimination of VAWG including SRH&RR in the West Africa Region context, and experience working with regional organizations/institutions (AU/RECs) supporting efforts of EVAWG and SRH&RR.
• At least 3-4 years’ experience implementing and consulting on EVAWG and SRH&RR policy advocacy work across the African region.
• Proven ability to work on strict timelines
• Current knowledge of the latest developments and trends in the field of Financing, Advocacy and EVAWG including SRH&RR work.
• Flexible and pro-active
• Experience in conducting EVAWG including SRH&RR advocacy training through use of creative and participatory methodologies.
• Strong writing skills, and experience of presenting complex technical information and content in a user friendly or in an easily comprehensible way for non-specialist readers.

Technical Expertise

• Have good knowledge of EVAWG and SRH&RR advocacy that will guide and influence decisions in key advocacy spaces, processes and legal instruments relating to women’s rights in Africa
• Have good writing skills (summary notes, reports)
• Have a good command of English and French
• Have strong communication skills and be able to lead meetings and lead/facilitate consultation workshops.

Other attributes

• An African feminist and a national of an any African country
• Be flexible, organized, and responsive
• Good information and communication technology (ICT) skills (virtual meetings, Microsoft Office package)

7.Duration of Assignment.

This is a 3-month assignment and the consultant is expected to submit their bid and share their workplan for the assignment with expectation end date for the assignment 31st May 2023

8.Liaison, Coordination and Reporting .

The consultant will report to the SRHR Lead, SRHR Coordinator and will work closely with the FEMNET secretariat, Cross Country Coordinating Unit and any Plan International entity who is involved in the implementation of the My Health. My Right project in the six targeted countries and beyond.

9.Selection of Consultant.

The consultant shall be contracted by FEMNET. The contract will include Withholding Tax (WHT) deduction in line with laws of contracting where FEMNET is headquartered. A WHT certificate will be issued to the consultant. Payment will be done through bank transfer to the consultant bank account. FEMNET will not meet the costs of bank charges. Payment schedule will be agreed upon with the consultant upon successful selection. In case of team/firm applicants, a designated assignment contract manager will be the contact between FEMNET and the team and responsible for all deliverables.

10.Intellectual Property Rights.

The consultant expressly assigns to FEMNET any copyright arising from the outputs produced while executing the service contract. The consultant may not use, reproduce, disseminate, or authorize others to use, reproduce or disseminate any output produced under the service contract without prior consent from FEMNET.

11.Terms of Service.

This is a non-staff contract and therefore the consultant is not entitled to insurance, medical cover or any other status or conditions as FEMNET staff.

How to apply

Interested applicants should send the following:

• Technical proposal (not more than 3 pages responding to the scope of work outlined in 5 above). The technical proposal should include a work plan outlining how the consultancy days will be utilized.
• Not more than a 1-page financial proposal.
• CV/ CVs of not more than 3 pages for each consultant/team member which includes names and contacts of 3 professional referees
• Sample work from relevant assignments

Applications are by e-mails only, sent to: [email protected]. Please indicate the reference on the subject line as ‘**FNT/EOI/08/2023-Comparison Analysis Assessment Specialist’ Deadline for submission of applications is on 28th February 2023.

Please note: Our recruitment and Selection procedures reflect our commitment to safety for all in all our activities. FEMNET is committed to welcoming people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, culture, and experience. We will make any practical adjustments to enable people with a disability to participate fully in an inclusive working environment. Please let us know in advance if you have a disability and require any special assistance in making your application. FEMNET upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches.

Only applicants who have been shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.