Objectives of the Assignment

Transcription

1 Amplify Change: Supporting Women s Rights in Afghanistan Call for Proposal Terms of Reference Mapping of safe spaces and support services in the project target areas Oxfam in Afghanistan is inviting /individual consultant(s)/firm to submit proposal for undertaking a mapping exercise to map support services, including safe spaces, for the Amplify Change: Supporting Women s Rights in Afghanistan (hereafter Amplify Change) project. The consultant appointed shall carry out the work in accordance with the Terms of Reference outlined in this document and shall report their findings to Oxfam in Afghanistan. Background: Amplify Change: Supporting Women s Rights in Afghanistan (AC) is a five-year project ( ) funded by Global Affairs Canada. The overall project framework revolves around two pillars (that mirror the two intermediate outcomes of the project) that work together to contribute to the changes the project seeks to make. i. Pillar One will engage influencers within the project communities to support women s rights to be free of violence, while empowering women and girls to recognize, exercise, and defend those rights. ii. Pillar Two will build the knowledge and capacity of Afghan CSOs and CSO networks to coordinate and promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls. Based on these two pillars, the theory of change holds that changes will occur across multiple levels (individual, community, institutional and societal) and with key stakeholders and their respective organizations these stakeholders will demonstrate new attitudes and practices that shift social acceptance of VAWG, enable those who have experienced violence to access quality services safely, and ensure that VAWG is actively and effectively sanctioned at all levels of accountability. At the same time, women s rights organizations and other CSOs will create networks that are resilient, that include and promote 1

2 diverse perspectives and voices and that, together, hold the government accountable. Alliances among a full range of stakeholders will foster collective power for change. Building on Oxfam s experience of working to shift power relations, the theory of change takes a nonlinear view of change, recognizing that work to increase women s and girls participation is likely to provoke backlash, which will be anticipated and managed by the project. The project builds on the long-standing work of Oxfam and its partners to promote women s rights in Afghanistan. It also includes input from Oxfam s local CSO partners, provincial-level Department of Women s Affairs (DOWA), provincial officials, and leaders (including women and men) from target districts. Amplify Change integrates lessons learned from previous initiatives, including the need to develop holistic approaches to women and girl s empowerment programming that integrate awarenessraising, leadership and modeling behavior particularly among men, boys, religious and political leaders; access to justice, support services and economic opportunity for victims of violence; and increased CSO effectiveness on accountability, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for policy influence. AC aims to support Afghan women and girls to participate more effectively in decision-making about their society by empowering them to access and use their legal rights, and by creating an enabling environment that facilitates their participation. The project will work in 60 communities in Balkh, Nangarhar, and Herat provinces. It will directly benefit 29,694 people, including 56% women and girls (those who have experienced violence), men and boys, religious and political leaders, and CSO network members. Oxfam is implementing the project in partnership with 3 Afghan CSOs the Afghan Civil Society Forum (ACSFo), the Afghan Women s Educational Centre (AWEC), and the Empowerment Centre for Women (ECW). Objectives of the Assignment Safe spaces for women and girls who have experienced violence are the women shelters/homes. These may be those operated by the Government of Afghanistan or operationalized through different WROS, WOs or CSOs or international aid organizations such as UN Women or Relief International. Support services are services provided by public, private or non-governmental organizations that provide legal, protection, health or psycho-social support to women and girls who have experienced violence. These include, but are not limited to, law enforcement agencies, legal aid clinics, health clinics, psychosocial counselling services, women protection centers and Shuras/Community Development Councils (CDCs). The objectives of the mapping exercise are as follows: Examine what support services and programs are currently being offered in the target areas (collecting information to share publicly; see Annex A for minimum data to collect) Identify any linkages between these service providers as applicable Assess what type of services women and girls use, need or want Identify any service gaps that may exist in the community Provide recommendations on how to improve access to services targeted towards various stakeholders 2

3 Expected Deliverables: Based on the objectives of the mapping exercise, the following results are expected: 1) Develop a database of all relevant safe spaces and support service providers in their target areas 2) Mapping report identifying the gaps in availability and accessibility of required support services and resources and recommendations on how to improve these gaps 3) Assessment of what types of support services are needed from the perspective of the project partners and beneficiaries. 4) To create a directory of available services for beneficiaries 5) during the operation, the report should also indicate the availability and accessibly of these centers. 6) Provide clear and strong recommendations according to findings of assessment. 7) Presenting report to AC project stakeholders, particularly to Oxfam and AC project partners. Once the mapping is completed, it will be shared with Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA) who may also share it with other agencies. Amplify Change partners will use the directory of safe spaces and support services providers to raise awareness of women and girls in target areas and equip them with the information so that they are aware about what options are available in their community. This may be done during workshops, through the district level consultation centers that may be set up, by printing and distributing pamphlets, or even through SMS (text messaging). The gap analysis on service provision will also be communicated with MoWA who may then share it with other audiences. The Amplify Change project partners may also use this information for their advocacy/lobby work with the Government of Afghanistan The project target areas are as follows: 1) Nangarhar province: (Surkhrod, Behsud, and Jalalabad district) 2) Herat Province: (Guzara, Karokh and Enjil districts) 3) Balkh province: (Balkh, Dehdadi and Khulm districts) Please note that the mapping of safe space and support services need to include all the different geographic administrative levels (rural, sub-district, district and provincial) and geographic scope of this consultancy are the project target areas mentioned above. Once a consultant(s)/firm is selected, they will be connected to the three project partners leading the implementation in the three above-mentioned provinces. It is imperative that the consultant(s)/firm selected collaborate and consultant the partners in developing the methodology and conducting the assessment. The assessment is expected to comprise of three core steps: (i) desk review and design; (ii) primary data collection; (iii) validation and reporting. Sources as government records from administrative offices that keep lists of support services in particular areas should be reviewed. During the desk review and design stage, partners should also be consulted so that they can provide their inputs on what is needed. Where possible, the partners should also be involved 3

4 in the defining the methodology, data collection tools, and the primary data collection itself. Prior to finalization of database and assessment report, a validation process must be carried out with Oxfam in Afghanistan and the Amplify Change partners as well as other relevant key stakeholders. For the actual mapping/primary data collection, it is mandatory that the location of a support services is physically verified. Consultant(s)/Firm is encouraged to use mobile-based, GPS enabled data collection tools such as ODK or other similar platforms for their data collection to ensure the data collected can be easily transferrable and synthesized for various purposes and stakeholders. Consultants are also requested to review the baseline study for Amplify Change in preparation for the second part of the assessment. Here too, it is expected that the selected consultant(s)/firm will consultant the partners both in design as well as primary data source. For any primary data collection with the women and girls at the target community (preferably through FGD or KII and after the mapping is completed), it must be arranged by the partners. Period of Assignment: The duration for delivery of the services is 20 Sept- 10 Nov Qualification and Requirement: - The consultant must be registered within Afghanistan as a legal entity holding a legal registration certificate and have relevant experience in legal consulting, research or surveys - The consultant must be registered with Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA) - The consultant agency must have a valid bank account in country - The consultant is required to propose a technical team with strong professional knowledge and working experience to carry out the assignment - The consultant must have previous experience in conducting research related to mapping and gap analysis - Ability to work with mobile-based data collection technology is considered an asset - The consultant is requested to submit a cost proposal including cost breakdown sheet and a narrative description of the proposed costs - A demonstrated understanding of violence against women and girls and other key women s rights issues in Afghanistan - A clear understanding of how support services targeted for women and girls who have experienced violence function in Afghanistan Evaluation Criteria: The applications will be reviewed base on the document (Call for Proposals) issued by OiA. Though applicants are highly encouraged to meet the minimum requirements mentioned in call for proposal, but the award will be to the applicant that received highest score in terms of meeting the requirements and provision of the technical inputs required by the project owner. Technical Requirements Score 4

5 Proposed Approach 40 Relevant Experience 20 Proposed Key Personnel 20 Factor of Confidence 10 Cost Effectiveness 10 Description of the Technical Elements/Requirements: - Proposed Approach: Is the one proposed by applicant for effective accomplishment of the assignment. - Proposed outline for the report - Relevant Experience: All applicants are required to show evidence base relevant experience both scope and complexity. - Proposed Key Personnel: All the proposed personnel need to have at least five years of similar experience. - Factor of Confidence: Applicants needs to show proof of the similar assignments they have carried out it could be Experience Letter, Copy of Contracts or Appreciation Certificates issues by the project owners for the implementer partner organization in relevant to the experiences proposed in proposal. - Cost Effectiveness: Refers to the realistic cost estimation considering the proposed approach, duration of the assignment as well as the allocation of the resources. Submission guidance for proposal: - All proposals must be written in English - The proposal must be submitted in two volumes technical proposal and financial proposal - The technical proposal must include, relevant experience (at least 3 similar projects must be submitted under this section with similar complexity and scope), a narrative approach and plan for accomplishing the assignment, supporting documents for relevant experience including certification letters and recommendations. Deadline for Submission of the proposal: 16 Sept 2018 at 3:00 PM Kabul time. The proposal submission later than due date and time will not be considered for further evaluation. The shortlisted candidate will be called for an interview. Though the lowest price and technical acceptable principle is applicable but proposals with best value factor will be preferred. Please submit hard copy of your proposal to: Add: House #3, street #5, In front of Shamasi Plaza, Kolola Pushta Main road, District 4, Kabul, Afghanistan Phone #: +93(0)

6 Annex A: Oxfam in Afghanistan would like to request that selected consultant(s)/firm use the following questions at a minimum, when collecting information on existing social services: 1. Name of Organization 2. Province 3. District/sub-district 4. Village 5. Address 6. Phone number 7. Contact info (if not address or phone number - could be SMS, website ) 8. Hours of operation 9. Number of staff (disaggregated by sex and profession) 10. Type(s) of service provided 11. Language(s) and or Dialect(s) spoken 12. Is this facility public or private or NGO? 13. Category of service (Legal, Health, Shelter, etc.) 14. Who can access that service (women only, men and women, youth, disabled, LGBTQ) 15. Does this facility have residential services 16. Does this facility charge anything for services 17. Average cost of service 18. Does this facility refer to other services (if yes, which ones) 19. Other info 6