National Individual Consultancy - For Value Chain and Market Study to Identify Viable Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Opportunities for Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

Value Chain and Market Study to Identify Viable Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Opportunities for Survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)

Hiring Office: UNFPA Mozambique

Purpose of consultancy: Value Chain and Market Study to Identify Viable Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Opportunities for Survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)

The purpose of this consultancy is to undertake the following task: To identify feasible, market-driven, safe, and sustainable economic empowerment opportunities for survivors of SGBV through localized value chain and market analyses in the four target provinces.

Scope of work: (Description of services, activities, or outputs)

Background:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been operating in Mozambique since 1987, supporting the Government in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, promoting gender equality, and strengthening population data systems to inform evidence-based policy and programming. UNFPA works in close partnership with government institutions, civil society, and development partners to address structural inequalities and improve the well-being of women, adolescents, and young people, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations. 

UNFPA’s Work on Gender-Based Violence in Mozambique:

In the area of gender-based violence (GBV), UNFPA Mozambique plays a central role in supporting national efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence through a comprehensive, survivor-centred approach. This includes strengthening multi-sectoral response mechanisms, expanding access to quality essential services, promoting prevention through social and behaviour change interventions, and addressing harmful gender norms.  

Through the Tolerância Zero! à Violência Baseada no Género programme, funded by the European Union and Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, UNFPA aims to  protect women, men, girls, and boys in all their diversity from all forms of gender-based violence in both public and private spheres in Mozambique. The programme is structured around four main pillars:

1. Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
2. Provision of available, accessible, and quality essential SGBV services.
3. Strengthening of women’s movements and CSOs to influence and advance progress on ending SGBV.
4. Enhanced institutional, technical, and coordination capacities for a multidisciplinary and integrated response to SGBV, grounded in quality data. 

Under Outcome 2 of the Tolerância Zero! Programme; access to quality essential services for survivors of SGBV, UNFPA aims to strengthen and promote Women’s Economic Empowerment opportunities as a critical component of recovery and resilience for survivors of SGBV. 

Women and girls who experience violence face heightened economic insecurity, limited access to livelihood opportunities, and structural barriers linked to gender inequality, poverty, disability, stigma, and harmful norms. As such, enabling economic autonomy is fundamental to breaking cycles of violence, supporting long-term recovery, and preventing further vulnerabilities.

In this context, the programme calls for a comprehensive Value Chain and Market Study across its four target provinces (Maputo City, Maputo Province, Gaza and Manica Provinces). The goal is to identify realistic, viable, and safely accessible economic opportunities specifically for survivors of GBV. The study must incorporate a climate resilience lens and account for the unique barriers faced by diverse groups, including adolescents, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals. 

The findings from this study will directly inform and determine the design and implementation of all subsequent WEE activities under the programme through partnerships with CSOs, CBOs, training centers, and institutions. 

The study will generate actionable evidence that enables UNFPA to:

1. Design survivor-centred WEE interventions appropriate for different demographic groups and suitable for local socioeconomic contexts.
2. Strengthen referral pathways between SGBV services and economic opportunities.
3. Identify technical training institutions and/or private sector enterprises with willingness to participate in capacity building activities for survivors of SGBV.
4. Inform avenues for establishing long-lasting partnerships with the above-identified institutions.
5. Improve the capacity of WEE service providers to deliver inclusive, risk-mitigating, and empowerment-oriented support. 

The consultancy will ultimately support the programme’s goal of expanding access to dignified livelihood options that contribute to survivors’ autonomy, wellbeing, and long-term recovery. 

Overall Objective: 

To map and analyse the local economic landscape and identify viable WEE pathways that survivors of GBV can effectively pursue across the four target provinces.

Specific Objectives:

1. Conduct survivor-centered provincial-level value chain and market analyses with a climate resilience lens, and identify economic activities and value chains that are accessible to survivors of GBV, including adolescents, women with disabilities, and LGBTI+ survivors.
2. Assess risks and barriers (social, cultural, economic, safety, mobility, care burdens, stigma, etc.).
3. Identify required skills and link opportunities to existing technical/professional training pathways.
4. Assess the landscape of existing WEE actors, services, institutions, and private sector stakeholders.
5. Identify lessons learned and best practices on WEE - including actors, institutions, and private sector - in order to understand what truly works; rather than simply identifying who is doing what, the study will focus on who is doing what successfully and how.
6. Provide strategic recommendations for survivor-centred WEE programming and based on the lessons learned and best practices from Objective 5.
7. Develop a practical implementation framework outlining how opportunities can be integrated into GBV support and referral services. 

Scope of Work:

The consultant/firm will conduct the assignment in Maputo City, Maputo Province, Gaza Province, and Manica Province. 

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

      1. Desk Review

• Review national WEE frameworks, labour market reports, value chain studies, and climate resilience assessments.
• Review existing SGBV services, referral pathways, social services as part of the multisectoral mechanism, and socio-economic support mechanisms.
• Map current WEE implementing partners and institutions (NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, financial institutions, technical training centres, private sector actors). 

       2. Inception Report

• Outline the methodology for conducting the study; the data collection tools, listing the key informants, geographic coverage and a work plan for undertaking the research and report development. 

      3. Field Research & Market Analysis 

• Conduct participatory assessments with survivors (ensuring ethical standards).
• Identify high-potential value chains and market entry points aligned with survivors’ capacities, mobility, safety, and socio-cultural contexts. 
• Analyse gendered and climate-related vulnerabilities affecting market participation.
• Evaluate urban, peri-urban, and rural differences. 

      4. Institutional & Services Mapping

• Assess availability, capacity, and gaps in WEE service providers.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships for skill-building, entrepreneurship support, vocational training, and savings groups. 

Methodology: The consultant/firm is expected to propose a detailed methodology that incorporates:

1. Survivor-centred, trauma-informed, ethical research standards.
2. Gender equality and human rights frameworks.
3. Climate resilience and risk mitigation.
4. Qualitative research methods.
5. Participatory approaches with government partners, CSOs, and survivors.
6. Triangulation of findings across the four provinces.

Duration and working schedule: The assignment will require 40 working days of dedicated work, over a period of 2 months (between August and October 2026).

Place where services are to be delivered: Maputo City

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The consultant is expected to propose a qualitative approach, combining desk review, qualitative data collection, and stakeholder consultations. The methodology should be survivor-centred, gender-responsive, and aligned with ethical standards for GBV-related research, including confidentiality, informed consent, and do-no-harm principles.

UNFPA encourages participatory approaches that engage key stakeholders and promote ownership of findings among partners.