Terms of Reference – Building the Potential of Youth - Ethiopia

Gender Equality and women Empowerment capacity building and sensitization Training consultant  

 Background:

Launched in 2015, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Building the Potential of Youth Activity (POTENTIAL) is implemented by Save the Children Federation, Inc. (SC) and its partners: Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), Facilitator for Change Ethiopia (FC), HUNDEE-Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative (HUNDEE), Professional Alliance for Development in Ethiopia (PADet), and Relief Society of Tigray (REST). The goal of the Activity is to assist un- and underemployed youth (male and female), aged 15-29 to attain skills, knowledge, and social capital that lead to increased income and economic self-sufficiency, with a particular focus on girls and young women. 

The program increases young men and women’s access to skill building and employment promotion services through: (1) targeted assessments to align training with market relevant skill needs; (2) tailored technical and soft skills training to create viable livelihoods prospects; and (3) work-based learning. Ensuring women’s involvement and benefit though out all these activities have been a key focus area since the beginning of the implementation.

The program’s strategies and interventions respond to un- and underemployed young men and women’s capacity needs, leverage existing youth development activities, and contribute to improving the quality and accountability of local training and business service providers by ensuring existing entities work in together.  By the end of 2019, this Activity will have reached more than 34,000 young men and women across 30 Woredas of Afar, Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, Somali, and Tigray region. 

 Within the scope of the program, POTENTIAL has made efforts to improve women’s participation through facilitating access to employment and business ownership opportunities and creating awareness on different gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. In addition to these strategies, reference documents and guidelines exist to assist and guide partners and staff in implementation. However, learning to date indicates that unraveling the socio economic and cultural practices, beliefs and barriers for young women requires intentional focus and concrete actions.

Overall Purpose of the Consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a capacity building training for project staffs, youth facilitators and stakeholders on gender equality and women empowerment. The training is based on a recent gender assessment finding which identified the gender norms continue to limit women’s ability to join and participate in POTENTIAL: There are several traditional beliefs or perceptions which are holding women back. These include the concept that women belong at home taking care of children and housework rather than engaging in commercial activities, husbands’ beliefs that they should be the sole breadwinners, and concerns from family members about women being able to go trainings and work and still carry out their household responsibilities. Many single and married women have had to convince their family members to allow them to participate in the Activity, which is often a complicated process requiring a great deal of negotiation. Therefore, this training will intend to sensitize and improve the capacity of the aforementioned training participants mainly on gender norms, roles and responsibilities and women empowerment. The training is expected to ensure the support provided for young women is based on knowledge and skill and paves the way to resolve gender gaps and create distinctive strategies to improve young women business in particular and their livelihood in general. After this training participants will be responsible to cascade, mobilize and support young women beneficiaries and their parents and the overall community among their respective kebele.  

 Objectives:

ü  To sensitize regional and head office program staff’s knowledge and skill on gender equality and women empowerment from youth development perspective with upgraded national and international agenda

ü  To build the capacity of youth facilitators and program stake holders on gender norms, roles, women empowerment concepts and practical aspects, 

ü  To clarify and create awareness on the identified gender gaps and information among the training participants from different social and cultural background,

ü  To ensure participants acquire suitable gender strategies and exchange valuable ideas that enable them to assist unemployed/underemployed young women in the respective regions,   

Scope of the Assessment and Methodology:

The overall scope of this training is to provide a three days training on gender equality, roles and women empowerment for target participants in three regions namely: Amhara, SNNP and Somali. The size of training participants is expected to be 20-25 persons which includes POTENTIAL regional program staffs, youth facilitators and experts from different public sector stakeholder such as women, children and youth office, MFI and TVETs.

The consultant will design appropriate training delivery methodologies (power point presentations, exercises, role model, group discussions…) and tools for consultancy service that align with the objectives of the training. The consultant will submit the detailed consultancy service delivery methodology plan and work-plan if selected.

 Deliverables of the consultant:

·       A training module that shows detail training content and methodology,

·       A short summary on participant’s expectation of the training Vs the response or knowledge and attitude difference after the training,

Education

University advanced degree in Gender studies, sociology, economics, statistics or any related qualifications with:

Experience

·       Minimum of ten years of proven and strong research experience in gender equality and women empowerment field of work

·       An understanding of gender equality and issues related to youth development aspects in Ethiopia

·        Proven experience in training facilitation and coordination skills

·       Proven experience in preparing different training modules

·       Experience traveling and working in different parts of Ethiopia

·       Experiences in communication and facilitating learning workshops 

·       Excellent oral and written communication skills in Amharic and English, communicating with the language of the regions is an advantage.

·       Experience in conducting similar consultancy assignments