TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING AN ACTION RESEARCH ON GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE IN KWALE COUNTY

 Background

About Coalition on Violence Against Women

The Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) is a non-profit women’s rights organization that was established in 1995 to respond to the silence of the Kenyan society in addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG). Currently, COVAW focusses on 5 strategic areas as informed by its strategic plan 2018-2023 namely: Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Services; Women’s Economic Empowerment; Women’s Leadership Development; Access to Justice; and Institutional Development. COVAW strategic plan 2018-2023.https://covaw.or.ke/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/COVAW-Strategic-Plan-2018-2023-Full-Version.pdf

COVAW’s vision is a society where women and girls enjoy equal rights, freedoms and thrive in safe spaces. COVAW’s mission is to champion for the rights of women and girls to be free from all forms of violence. COVAW is guided by its core values of respect, integrity, solidarity and commitment in improving the lives of its primary beneficiaries- women and girls.

About the project

COVAW, in partnership with VOICE is currently implementing a 2-year project entitled TUPO.TUSIKIZWE (We are here. Listen to us) in Kwale County. The project aims at empowering marginalized women and girls, including those with disabilities to participate in the County Budget process in Kwale County by enhancing their voices to demand for the uptake of their priority needs and equitable distribution of resources. The project will address this by enhancing understanding of the normative framework in budgeting at the county level, capacity building of women and girls including those with disabilities to analyse the Kwale County Budget estimates against their needs and recommend actions to enhance responsiveness. This will prompt critical engagement in development processes, enabling citizens to understand the importance of provision of resources that match needs of vulnerable groups and provide a means of holding public officials accountable, when they make development commitments.

The primary beneficiaries will bevulnerable and marginalized women and girls, including youth and persons with disabilities in Matuga, Msambweni and Lunga Lunga sub counties and the secondary beneficiaries will beWomen leaders in the county assembly of Kwale, County government officials, Civil society representatives, Media officials and community members**.**

Summary of the Project’s Theory of Change

If the capacity building sessions on gender responsive budgeting, leadership, lobbying and advocacy for targeted groups; community, CSOs, government line department heads are implemented then community members will be aware of their civic rights and how to identify community projects that should be prioritized in the budget making process. This in turn will indicate an increase in understanding by rightsholder groups on the normative framework on budgeting consequently contributing to the overall impact.

If community awareness creation on the budget making process, media engagements, public participation forums, multi sectoral engagement, review meetings with sub counties gender technical working groups, networking advocacy forums with county PWD network and youth led advocacy summit with female Members of the County Assembly are implemented successfully, then there will be increased citizen engagement in budget making process through public participation forums held at the ward level, increased participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities in the public participation forums at the ward level and allocation of resources towards community needs driven projects to address the needs of women and girls. This will then lead to increased involvement of the public in engaging with the members of county assembly to discuss gender responsive budgeting, increasing understanding on gender responsive budgeting and utilization of gender responsive budgeting principles and gender analysis of Kwale County budget estimates consecutively recommending actions to scale-up responsiveness to GBV and economic empowerment of adolescent girls and young women. These activities, outputs and outcomes contribute to the overall impact.

IMPACT: County development plans and budgets reflect the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups, with proper resourcing done to support the same. Target groups will report a better quality of life in terms of access to basic services. The voices of women and girls in Kwale County will be amplified, as they learn to assume leadership roles in development.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The primary purpose of the consultancy is to conduct action research to collate community and stakeholders’ experiences in implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting as a tool for change at county level and to identify best practices for CSOs, that can influence uptake of Gender Responsive Budgeting.

Objectives of the Research

The consultant is therefore required to:

To collate community and stakeholders’ experiences in implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting as a tool for change at county level. (With a focus on women, girls and PWDs)

To determine how decision makers at the county have applied Gender Responsive Budgeting.

To identify best practices for CSOs, to influence uptake of Gender Responsive Budgeting.

To develop three case studies based on what worked and what did not work well in the lobbying and advocacy for Gender Responsive Budgeting at COVAW level.

Scope of Work

Planning

The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

Develop and refine the research questions

Conduct a comprehensive literature review in line with the above objectives of the action research.

Develop data collection tools both qualitative and quantitative

Action

The consultant is expected to collect qualitative and quantitative data in three sub counties of Msambweni, Lunga Lunga and Matuga. The action research will be conducted in 9 villages sampled from 9 wards in the 3 sub counties as follows:

Bombo villages in Waa-Ngombeni Ward

Lunguma villages in Tsimba-Golini Ward

Kilimangodo villages in Mwereni ward

Mwananyamala village in Dzombo ward

Shimoni village in Pongwe Kikoneni ward

Kiwegu village in Vanga ward

Mivumoni villages in Ramisi ward

Makongeni village in Kinondo ward

Kilolapwa village in Ukunda ward

The identification of the villages was informed by prevailing data on levels of poverty, access to basic amenities and prevalence on Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Data analysis

The consultant will use data analysis tools to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data and share key findings in an easy-to-understand format.

Conclusion

The consultant will draft and share high quality reports as follows:

1st Draft Document

The first draft document will contain information as indicated in the scope above.

Timely feedback on the 1st draft will be provided by the program team.

2nd Draft Documents

The revised documents will synthesize all information, conclusions and recommendations taking into account all comments and additions from COVAW following the submission of the 1st draft document. In case the 2nd draft document is not satisfactory to both parties, communication and the work should continue till an approved 2nd draft.

Validation meeting

COVAW will organize a feedback meeting. The consultant will make a presentation to the program team on the contents of the research. The meeting will be an opportunity to clarify outstanding aspects of the research.

Submission of documents

All documents used in the preparation of this assignment such as, interview guides, progress reports, data collection tools, draft project documents, templates, raw data collected, preliminary and intermediate designs, layouts, specification documents etc. are expected to be submitted to COVAW together with the 2nd draft document.

Management and Timeframe

Duration of the work

The duration of this consultancy is expected to run for 30 days.

Management of the work

The consultant will be supervised and guided directly by COVAW and the consultant will be required to meet the above expected deliverables listed during the period of the consultancy. The consultant will work closely with the COVAW Team and will from time to time submit and share the progress of activities as agreed.

COVAW will be responsible for the following:

COVAW will be responsible for the overall coordination of the research; the consultant will be expected to work closely with the Program Associate (Kwale), Program Officer(Kwale), Programmes Manager and Executive Director who will provide guidance through all stages of the study including the following.

Hold an inception meeting with the consultant to provide project background information and documents, review the research work plan and documentation shared by the consultant.

Reviewing and providing feedback on the data collection tools

Identification and mobilization of the interviewees

Support meeting arrangements with the beneficiaries and stakeholders

Support travel from COVAW office to the field

Reviewing reports shared and providing the consultant with timely feedback

Being the link between the consultant, stakeholders and project implementation sites

Approving the final action research report

Skills and Qualifications of the Consultant

A post-graduate degree in development economics, international development, social sciences, and other related studies.

Minimum of seven years’ experience in conducting action research, participatory monitoring and evaluation of development programmes.

Experience of working with the marginalized communities including youth, women and persons with disabilities

Fluent in English and Kiswahili.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should include the following in the expression of interest:

Cover letter

Technical proposal: The technical proposal should include a) brief explanation about the consultant with particular emphasis on previous experience in this kind of work b) Understanding of TOR and the task to be accomplished c) proposed methodology and d) draft work/implementation plan.

One similar research reports written by the applicant.

Applications should be submitted on or before 7th of September 2022 via email to recruit@covaw.or.ke with the subject: ACTION RESEARCH ON GRB AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE IN KWALE COUNTY.