Consultancy Gender Analysis

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to the displaced and refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The humanitarian crisis in Venezuela continues to intensify. Venezuelans face hyperinflation, which puts them out of reach of basic goods and services, including health care and food. A shortage of medical supplies means that it is difficult to diagnose and treat communicable diseases and sexual and reproductive health needs, among other services. Hunger, economic meltdown, and violence have led to over 5.4 million Venezuelans (nearly 20% of the population) leaving the country since 2014, according to UN figures. By the end of 2021, the number could rise to 7 million people.

The IRC has responded to the crisis by supporting Venezuelans who cross the arc of the migration pattern, including Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. In Venezuela, the IRC has been developing programs since 2018 through the support of local partners, having a presence in Caracas, Zulia, Barquisimeto and Valencia. The IRC works to strengthen the capacity of local partners to provide access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, nutrition, and Child Protection. In Colombia, the IRC works in the areas of health, protection, education, and multipurpose cash assistance in Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Nariño and Norte de Santander, with funding through various donor, including BHA/USAID, ECHO, SIDA, GFFO, among others. Ecuador is IRC’s most recent program intervention which will be done through local partners in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and protection for women and children.

Goals of this Consultancy:

The Venezuela Crisis Response (VCR) Program in IRC has chosen Gender Equality as a crosscutting Global Standard that the country program aims to make progress in as part of its Strategy Action Plan. As a baseline for this, IRC will be conducting a Comprehensive Gender Analysis (CGA) that will target communities and programs across the different settings that IRC VCR operates in (specifically Colombia and Venezuela). The CGA’s results will be used to inform existing and future program activities and enable IRC VCR to implement more gender-sensitive programs that recognize the specific needs of, and risks faced by, women and girls and identified marginalized groups and where possible, design and plan for gender transformative programming.

IRC aims through this assignment to:

1.Explore the gender differentiated needs of the Venezuelan migrants, refugees and IDPs, as well as host communities, in a cross-section of the different settings in two of the countries that IRC operates in (Colombia and Venezuela).

2.Identify and understand the present gender inequalities, risks and opportunities for women, girls, men and boys and other marginalized groups (i.e.: indigenous communities in Venezuela, families on the move- caminantes, in Colombia).

3.Gather information to better understand the impact of gender inequalities on individuals’ agency, their relationships, and the ways they interact with the systems around them, with a particular focus on education messaging and safe access to education services.

4.Assess how IRC’s chosen operational approaches and program delivery systems affect, and are affected by, gender inequalities.

5.Assess, and map out a selection of IRC’s available services, and the extent to which they meet the identified needs, as well as the existing gap to address the specific needs of women and girls and other marginalized groups of diverse backgrounds.

6.Provide recommendations on how IRC’s program activities need to adjust to improve accessibility, safety and appropriateness for women and girls, men and boys of diverse backgrounds.

7.Provide recommendations on how to implement IRC programs to actively influence the identified inequalities.

8.Show case examples from each sector where possible transition to gender transformative programming is possible.

Methodology

Using the IRC’s Comprehensive Gender Analysis Toolkit, IRC VCR aims to get a detailed understanding of the existing gender gaps within the host communities and target population and review a representative sample of education projects, with the aim of designing and implementing gender-sensitive programs. The Toolkit is designed to collect qualitative information through conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and in-depth Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), to build on existing program data and an initial desk review. This data is used to do a full gender analysis using the Ecological Model, and then facilitate a dialogue on how the analysis informs and impacts the IRC VCR interventions in a phased approach that takes the current COVID-19 pandemic into account.

To be able to get the needed information for the CGA the consultant will conduct the following:

Phase1: Desk Review:

• Background reading to gain a basic understanding of the context.
• Review of existing program data
• Review of existing research and gendered information about the IDP, migrants, refugees and host community populations

Phase 2: Data Collection (remote or face to face taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize risk of transmission/infection)

KIIs with IRC clients and/or community members, partners, local decision makers and local authorities across field locations:

KIIs with IRC program staff across program sectors, and across levels (officers, managers, coordinators, SMT)

Phase 3: Data collection (remote or face to face taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize risk of transmission/infection)

FGDs and KII with IRC clients and/or community members and local decision makers and local authorities at the following locations:

Venezuela: Maracaibo. Caracas. Barquisimeto.

Colombia: Cundinamarca (Bogotá), Antioquia (Medellin), Valle del Cauca (Cali), Nariño (Ipiales), Norte de Santander (Cúcuta)

Phase 4: Gender Analysis Workshop and Program Review

Do you want this to be in person? If so, we will need to account for it in the budget. It’s important that decision makers from the sector (Education + other included sector), DDP, advisors supporting, and program staff participate in the workshop.

Phase 5: Sensitization of implementing staff through info sharing session/webinar + power point/infographic of main findings and recommendations

Data Collection

The distribution of the FGDs will be as follows for each location:

Deliverables:

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

1.Inception summary to cover the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, detailed work plan, tools, final report structure before field work starts, for review and feedback.

2.Initial desk review and remote key informant interview report (end of Phase 2)

3.Training workshop for data collectors in gender equality analytical lens and FGD tools (taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize infections)

4.Conducting all FGDs and KIIs with the host-community and IDP communities with the support of IRC staff taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize infections.

5.Conducting KIIs with the IRC’s program staff and key stakeholders - taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize infections.

6.Providing a clean Excel version of the database with all raw data and translated data.

7.Conduct a two day Analysis and Validation Workshop including some of the following - taking into consideration COVID-19 SOP to avoid or minimize infections – with possibility of remote or online workshop):

·Program coordinators and managers

·Technical advisors (mostly remote participation)

·Field coordinator/manager, senior field staff

·Data collectors

·M&E staff

·Grants staff

·DDP and DDFM

·Advisors supporting on the analysis

8.Draft of the final report for review.

9.Producing the final report containing an executive summary, findings and the interpretation of the findings, conclusions and recommendations and illustrative pictures. This should include a section on the findings for women and girls with disabilities.

10.Final analysis report summary in PowerPoint format or other visualization (infographic, Prezi, etc.)

11. Conduct sensitizing sessions with implementing staff on “why” we are doing these programmatic changes and have discussions about what common practices they can change and how they can begin to implement programs in a gender-sensitive way.

IRC’s role:

The IRC will be responsible for the following:

·Providing Comprehensive Gender Analysis Toolkit and technical advice on its use

·Technical support and review from program team and gender equality team

·Provide background on the Strategy, Programs and the activities implemented by IRC VCR

·Arranging the logistics to conduct the interviews with IRC and non IRC clients in the field.

·Support on data collection and training on Covid-19 prevention measures, as well as provision of PPE items.

·Organizing and attending the Analysis & Validation Workshop

·Providing timely feedback on the draft report and the final report

Treatment of the information

All data and information received for the purpose of this assignment is to be treated confidentially and is only to be used in connection with the execution of these terms of reference. All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these terms of reference are assigned to the IRC. The contents of written material obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the expressed advance written authorization of the IRC.

Time Frame:

Detail work plan will be developed in consultation with the consultant. However, the whole assignment from Phase 1 – 5 to be completed within 2 months from start date tentatively 15^th September – 15^th November 2021. 

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Consultancy Manager: Cassandra Chaire, Deputy Director of Programs Venezuela and Clara Gamiz, DDP Colombia.