Consultancy to Conduct Gender Assessment in Cross River and Ondo State

1.    INTRODUCTION
Save the Children is an international organization that works globally to address issues that affect children promoting their rights to learning, survival and protection. SCI has been working in Nigeria since 2001 implementing both humanitarian and development programmes. Save the children envision a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection development and participation. Its mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. We have five core value which are Accountability, ambition, collaboration, creativity, and integrity.  
We are committed to ensuring our resources are used as efficiently as possible, to focus them on achieving maximum impact for children.
Since 2001, when the Harkin Engel Protocol to address child labor in cocoa supply chains was developed, companies have become more global, supply chains have become more complex, and sourcing communities have become a priority for ensuring that commercial agricultural practices around the world minimize human rights violations and environmental degradation. Unfortunately, due to inconsistent adoption and recent crisis (COVID-19, climate, and conflict), child labor persists and has even increased. National and multilateral bodies are developing new regulations and guidance to address this and other concerns to promote more sustainable supply chains. The European Union (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is the latest effort to address business practices in supply chains. While it is commendable that regulators and companies alike are trying to eliminate human rights abuses, such as child labor, from supply chains, the regulatory approach is not a long-term solution. 
Save the Children believes that if appropriate resources are focused on the root causes, then companies will need to invest less year over year in maintaining the child labor monitoring system, as the incidence of child labor will decrease over time.

Save the Children through the Future for Ever Child (FUFEC) project aimed to ensure child protection through reduced child labor and increased accountability in the cocoa-growing communities in Cross River and Ondo States in Nigeria. The project aims to deploy a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) + Child Protection System approach, to address the short-term needs of child labor reporting requirements while simultaneously working to address the underlying root causes of child labor. 
The combined approach will, over the course of three years, demonstrate a successful pilot that can be scaled to sustainably and permanently reduce the incidence of child labor, thus decreasing the need for corporate investment over time. A key component of this project is the focus on reducing the time it takes to close out a reported case of child labor from an average of 18 months to 9 months, providing a more responsive corporate system that addresses child labor in the cocoa supply chain.

To bring the corporate sector a viable solution to addressing child labor in supply chains, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), of which FuFEC and Save the Children are members, has adopted a comprehensive approach known as the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) to address child rights violations in the cocoa value chain. The CLMRS is a multi-stakeholder initiative to detect, prevent, and remediate child labor in cocoa-growing communities. The overview of the key components of the CLMRS approach includes:

Community Awareness and Empowerment: ICI focuses on raising awareness among cocoa-growing communities about the hazards of child labor and forced labour and the importance of education. Community members are educated about child rights, the negative impacts of child labor, and the benefits of sending children to school.

Child Labor Monitoring: The CLMRS employs a monitoring system to identify child labor cases within cocoa-growing communities. Trained Community Facilitators regularly visit households and cocoa farms to identify and register children engaged in hazardous labor including forced labour. They collect data on child labor prevalence, working conditions, and other relevant information. Remediation and Support: When child labor cases are identified, ICI facilitates remediation activities to ensure the well-being of affected children. This includes providing educational support, such as school enrollment, scholarships, and supplies, and addressing the underlying causes of child labor within families through income-generating activities and adult literacy programs.

Stakeholder Engagement: ICI collaborates with various stakeholders, including cocoa companies, governments, civil society organizations, and local authorities, to promote collective action and shared responsibility in combating child labor. They work together to develop and implement policies, programs, and initiatives to protect children's rights and improve labor practices in the cocoa sector.

Monitoring and Evaluation: ICI regularly monitors and evaluates its CLMRS activities to assess progress, identify challenges, and make necessary improvements. This allows for continuous learning and adaptation to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the intervention. The CLMRS approach by ICI recognizes that eliminating child labor requires a holistic approach that addresses the root causes and provides comprehensive solutions.
2.    BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Gender equality is a basic right for all people, including girls and boys. Based on this understanding, Save the Children believes that it is critical to directly address gender discrimination and promote gender equality and inclusion to ensure that no harm comes to children, and to advance clear vision for a world where every child attains their equal right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

The FUFEC project is implemented in strategically selected cocoa farming communities of  Ikom LGA-Cross River state, Ondo East and Ondo West LGA in Ondo State. 
In Ikom, the project have seven catchment cocoa farming communities (Nkpanjen, Ntrukim, Ogbagante, Nkanacha, Balep, Adijinkpor  1, Adijinkpor  2). 
In Ondo West, there are  6 communities (Aratudin 1, Aratundin gate, Obunkeko, Obado, Orisumbare 1, Orisumbare 2) of implementation and 13 cocoa farming settlements (Omiluri,Wasimi,Kotajo,Solo,Sekoni,elkana,Tekunle,Fagbo,Paadi,Okegelete,osun-camp, Lijoka, Onikokodiya Bolurunduro) in Ondo East Local Government area of Ondo State.

As part of the SCI's mandate to deliver an inclusive programme that addresses gender and social norms issues and aimed at mobilizing communities to support the reduction of child labour in the cocoa farming communities to derive the maximum benefit from the child labour reduction opportunities available to them, SCI is looking for a consultant to conduct gender analysis on the FuFEC project.
2.1    Purpose, Objectives and Scope
This assessment will be carried out to determine the gender equality trends and social and power dynamics related to women, men, boys, and girls in the cocoa value chain. Findings from the assessment will be utilized to inform the development of a Gender Equality action plan in collaboration with key community stakeholders and community-based service providers to address the identified gender barriers for women, men, boys, and girls with intersecting factors and considerations. The Gender Equality action plan will equally serve as an assessment and guidance tool to measure gender mainstreaming in the cocoa project.
Specific Objectives:
•    Conduct gender analysis to understand and support to address discriminatory social - cultural norms: (e.g.) norms that discriminate against women/girls/men /boys.  For example: child marriage for girls in comparison with boys; gender roles within the household that confine girls from participating in school (e.g. domestic work). Sexual and GBV within cocoa farms.
•    Conduct gender analysis to identify Gender-based barriers and gaps experienced by women, girls, men or boys including children/persons living with disability that may prevent them from fully accessing, participating in and benefiting from project interventions e.g., harmful physical labour that might lead to school dropout among boys, lower literacy levels or early pregnancy  among girls.
•    Conduct gender analysis to understand women, girls, men, boys, and children/Persons with disability control over resources that can be used to address gender disparities in the communities. 
2.2    Intended Audience and Use of the Study
The primary intended audience of the analysis include project donor, project team, implementing partners, government stakeholders, community groups, and beneficiaries.
The analysis will inform program review and delivery of FuFEC project to ensure active participation of project participants. It will also provide critical insights into major barriers  and proffer strategies for overcoming constraints that inhibit meaningful participation and ownership.

Use of the study:
It is expected that the outcome of the assessment will help in implementing gender equality and disability inclusive programs that contributes to the overall goal of FUFEC project which is to challenge system inequalities most often faced by women and girls and develop efficient and equitable strategies to address the  concerns in the context of the cocoa supply chain across the implementing communities. 
The analysis findings will be disseminated to various stakeholders at different level.
2.3    Key Study Questions
The gender analysis will utilize the  Gender and Power Framework, Child-centred Approach and Intersectional Approach. to collect, identify, examine and analyse information on  conditions in which power can be equitably shared, engaging all children, regardless of their identity, social characteristics, backgrounds, with age-appropriate and inclusive. Interpreting children’s thoughts, opinions, and experiences and identify systems of oppression that can overlap and lead to unique experiences of discrimination and subjugation This primarily seeks to understand these key questions:
•    What types of inequality and discrimination can implicit or explicit experienced in all aspects of life by women, girls, men, boys, CwD/Persons with disabilities – in economic, political, legal and cultural sphere
•    To what extent do laws, policies, regulations and institutional proactices promote gender equality and equal protection? •
•    What norms, beliefs, and practices are widely accepted or shunned in this setting? Are they related to intersecting power differentials like gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity?
•    What gender and social inequalities do common norms, beliefs, and practices uphold? How do they shape who has power or privilege?
•    What roles and responsibilities do different groups have at home, work, in the community, and within institutions? Do these roles vary based on people’s gender, socio-economic status, nationality, or other power differentials?
•    What barriers prevent or drivers help people make decisions about their own body, health (including sexual and reproductive health), and activities (e.g., education, political participation, etc.)?
•    How are resources distributed within the family, community, and/or society?
3.    STUDY METHODOLOGY
3.1    Study Design
The consultant is expected to define the detailed methodology for the assessment, The methodology should cover the research design preferably a mixed method approach, along with the study sampling strategy, and data collection methods.  It should also incorporate a well-defined data tool that is gender transformative and inclusive of persons with disabilities. The methodology will be presented as part of the inception report as outlined in the deliverables below and included in the final report.

3.2    Sampling 
The sampling method to be used for the assessment will be proposed by the selected consultant that is best suited to address the assessment objectives. 
3.3    Data Sources and Data Collection Methods / Tools
All primary data collected during the study must facilitate disaggregation by gender, age, disability status, location and residency status. Save the Children will provide guidance on tools and classification schemes for this minimum dataset. 
Save the Children will provide enumerators to assist with primary data collection. It will be a requirement of the consultant to source additional external data sources to add value to the study, such as government administrative data. The consultant should also indicate how data triangulation will be realised. 
A range of project documentation will be made available to the consultant that provides information about the design, implementation and operation of the Program. Documents include project proposal, assessment reports, quarterly reports.
The consultant is required to adhere to the Save the Children Child Safeguarding; Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; Anti-Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying; and Data Protection and Privacy policies throughout all project activities.
3.4    Ethical Considerations
It is expected that this assessment ethical considerations will be a joint responsibility between the consultant and technical leadership from SCI:
•    Risk Assessment: SCI MEAL will conduct a thorough risk assessment highlighting mitigation plans to address any risk related to the participation of children, adolescents, and adults especially for children with disabilities in the Analysis. The risk assessment will be approved by the Safeguarding team.
•    Ethical Approval: SCI will provide leadership and support with submission of the assessment protocols and tools to cause, and ensure ethical approval is secured. 
•    Informed Consent: the assessment team is expected to  obtain informed consent from all respondents participating in the study.
•    Confidentiality and Data Protection: Ensure adherence to all SCI data protection policies by ensuring the protection of data during all stages—collection, storage, transfer, analysis, and reporting. Consultant, should ensure measures are put in place to protect the identity of all participants and any other information that may put them or others at risk
•    Child Safeguarding and Protection: through SCI technical lead, establish a referral mechanism to handle any child safeguarding or protection issues that may arise during the study. The Consultant will be taken through the SCI Safeguarding policy.
•    Inclusive. Ensure that children from different ethnic, social and religious backgrounds have the chance to participate, as well as children with disabilities and children who may be excluded or discriminated against in their community.
4.    CONSULTANT SELECTION CRITERIA
Interested consultants will be required to submit an updated CV and a Cover Letter, which should demonstrate adherence to the following requirements.
Understanding of Requirements and Experience.

Experience and skill set required
Individual consultants who respond to the tender must meet the following criteriaTo be considered, the study team members/Consultant together must have demonstrated skills, expertise and experience in:
Essential Criteria  
Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a relevant area, such as social sciences, development studies, or in specific technical areas such as education, public health, nutrition, food security, etc.    
Provides a CV and cover letter, explaining relevant experience and relevant reports of previous work    
Provides brief description and evidence (attached copies) of up to 4 relevant services provided to other actors (either INGOs, International Organisations or donors), including the year of service and an official email address to contact as a reference    
Capability Criteria (technical)   
Evidence of minimum of three years’ experience designing and carrying out high-quality assessments, baseline, mid-terms and endline studies, and mid-term and final evaluations, for one or more of the following thematic areas:
•    Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
•    Child protection, 
•    Education, 
•    Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH),
•    Health and Nutrition, 
•    Food Security and Livelihoods, 
•    Child Rights Governance.    
Evidence of experience working in development and/or humanitarian settings     
Evidence shows strong training and experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis    
Evidence of knowledge and experience with a range of statistical and qualitative data managing software and approaches (such as SPSS, EPI Info, Stata, NVivo, Atlasti, KOBO Toolbox, ONA, CommCare, REDCap, ODK or other similar software)   
Evidence proves strong command of the English language, both written and verbal with strong report writing and documentation skills    
Evidence of working experience in Nigeria or similar contexts    
Evidence of specific expertise in one of the following (depending on the pieces for which has been applied for): 
•    Baselines, mid-lines and endline surveys
•    Mid-term and final evaluations
•    Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices surveys
•    Anthropometric (SMART) surveys 
•    (Multi-Sectoral) Needs Assessments
•    Labor market assessments
•    Gender assessments
•    Child participatory assessments or research
•    Social norms exploration 
•    Conflict sensitivity assessments
•    Political economy analysis
•    Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of Access and Coverage (SQUEAC)/Simplified Lot Quality Assurance Sampling .

Essential Criteria    Yes/No
Agrees to comply with Save the Children standard policies and procedures as stated in the RFQ or Invitation to Tender (ITT) document    A 'no' in either of these boxes will result in immediate disqualification.
Evidence the company is legally registered with the relevant government authorities. For firms registered in Nigeria, this evidence should include a certified true copy of the following documents.
•    CAC Certificate
•C02 – If applicable
•C07 – If applicable    
Evidence of Statutory Records (Attach photocopy)

Up to date Tax Record 
VAT Registration Certificate
Audited Account Statement     
Brief description with evidence (attached copies) of up to four (4) relevant services provided to other actors (either INGOs, International Organisations or donors), including the year of service and an official email address to contact as a reference    
Capability Criteria    
Evidence of firm/ consultants’ (as per CVs submitted) minimum of three years’ experience designing and carrying out high-quality assessments, baseline, mid-terms and endline studies, and mid-term and final evaluations, for one or more of the following thematic areas:
•    Child protection, 
•    Education, 
•    Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH),
•    Health and Nutrition, 
•    Food Security and Livelihoods, 
•    Child Rights Governance.  
Evidence of experience working in development and/or humanitarian settings    
Evidence of strong training and experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis    
Evidence of knowledge and experience with a range of statistical and qualitative data managing software and approaches (such as SPSS, EPI Info, Stata, NVivo, Atlasti, KOBO Toolbox, ONA, CommCare, REDCap, ODK or other similar software)  
Evidence proves strong command of the English language, both written and verbal with strong report writing and documentation skills    
Evidence of working experience in Nigeria or similar contexts    
Evidence of specific expertise in one of the following (depending on the pieces for which has been applied for): 
•    Baselines, mid-lines and endline surveys
•    Mid-term and final evaluations
•    Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices surveys
•    Anthropometric (SMART) surveys 
•    (Multi-Sectoral) Needs Assessments
•    Labor market assessments
•    Gender assessments
•    Child participatory assessments or research
•    Social norms exploration 
•    Conflict sensitivity assessments
•    Political economy analysis
•    Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of Access and Coverage (SQUEAC)/Simplified Lot Quality Assurance Sampling 

Note: The duration of consultancy shall be for a maximum of 30 days.