USAID Growth through Nutrition
Terms of Reference for Developing Synthesis of Gender Analysis, Gender Strategy and Mainstreaming Guideline
Background of Growth through Nutrition Project
Growth through Nutrition is USAID’s flagship 5-year, multi-sectoral nutrition and WASH project led by Save the Children International, which aims to improve the nutritional status of women and young children in four regions (Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray) Ethiopia.
The project focuses on the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday, known as the critical period for a child’s growth and development. The objective of the project is working across all government and society levels to address nutritional problems through delivering nutrition sensitive livelihoods and agriculture activities; social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and agriculture-related behaviors; utilization of quality nutrition services; utilization of WASH products and services; and, multi-sector coordination and capacity to implement the National Nutrition Program (NNP) and One WASH National Program (OWNP). In addition, the project implements cross-cutting activities including gender equality and women’s empowerment, rigorous learning, convergence and overlay of multi-sector activities, and crisis modifier to respond to unforeseen threats to development goals of the project.
Thus, the project has five intermediate result areas. These are: -
IR1: Increased Access to Diverse, Safe, and Quality Foods
IR2: Optimal Nutrition, WASH, and Agriculture Behavior Adopted
IR3: Improved delivery of quality nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women and Children
IR4: Improved Access to WASH Products and Services
IR5: Strengthened Multi-Sector Coordination and Capacity to Implement Effective Nutrition and WASH Programs
Purpose of the Assignment
In Ethiopia, children and women are the most vulnerable to malnutrition. According to Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), women in the reproductive age group and children are the most vulnerable to malnutrition due to low dietary intakes, inequitable distribution of food within the household, improper food storage and preparation, infectious diseases and lack of proper care. Particularly for women, the high nutritional costs of pregnancy and lactation also contribute significantly to their poor health outcomes[1].
To bring long lasting impact on the nutritional status of women and children, program interventions must facilitate changes in the power women and girls have to exercise over their own lives by addressing the underlying structural causes of gender inequalities. Sustainable change requires deploying a gender equality approach that builds the agency of women and girls, changing the power relations between women and men, and transforming formal and informal structures so that women and girls realize their full potential in their public and private lives at individual, household, community and societal level, and be able to equally contribute to and benefit from social, political and economic development.
The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a gender analysis for Growth through Nutrition project that highlights the different roles of women and men, boys and girls, the unequal power relationships between them, as well as the consequences of these inequalities on the nutritional status of women and children by using existing secondary sources on gender and nutrition. The synthesis will analyze how gender inequalities are manifested in agriculture, livelihoods, health and WASH sectors, and how this affects nutritional status of individuals, households and communities. The assignment includes developing a gender strategy that informs the project on the principles, approaches and tools to deploy to bring meaningful change on the nutritional status of women and children. Another purpose of this assignment is to produce a gender mainstreaming guideline that guides project teams on how to practically integrate and implement gender sensitive and specific activities throughout the project implementation phases.
Working Modality
The consultant will report to GtN gender specialist and the DCoP of the GtN project at Save the Children International Ethiopia. In addition, the work of the consultant will be reviewed by GtN project staffs and by gender specialists across Save the Children’s projects to improve the quality of the deliverables.
Key Deliverables
The key deliverable of the consultancy is:
A synthesis of existing gender analyses and related documents which pertain to the project and its goal of improving nutrition of women and children,
A Growth through Nutrition project gender strategy and
A Growth through Nutrition project gender mainstreaming guideline.
The content and structure as well as the volume of each document shall be decided in consultation with the gender specialist and the DCoP. The artistic design of the document is outside the scope of this consultancy.
Methodology of delivering the assignment
The proposed methodology for the development of the gender analysis synthesis is:
1. Desk review of existing resources (gender analysis reports done by Save the Children and other organizations, learning briefs and formative researches done on multi-sectoral nutrition issues, etc.).
2. Produce an outline of the content of the synthesis
3. Produce a draft of the gender analysis synthesis for Growth through Nutrition project with recommendations and indication of what is missing from the synthesis that needs to be further explored
4. Finalize the synthesis after receiving feedback from the project team.
The proposed methodology for the development of the gender strategy is:
1. Review strategic documents produced by ENGINE and other projects in Save the Children and other organizations on gender and nutrition
2. Review relevant strategic documents developed on gender by different Ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Health, etc
3. Review the gender analysis synthesis to identify the issues that needs to be incorporated in the strategy
4. Produce a draft gender strategy document for Growth through Nutrition project.
5. Finalize the strategy after receiving feedback from the project team.
The proposed methodology for the development of the gender mainstreaming guideline is:
1. Review the project work plan and relevant mainstreaming guidelines on nutrition, WASH, agriculture, livelihoods and health sectors developed by Save the Children, other organizations and government sector offices
2. Produce a draft of the gender mainstreaming guideline for Growth through Nutrition project
3. Finalize the guideline after receiving feedback from the project team.
Key Activities
Item | Description |
1. | Briefing and planning with gender specialist and DCoP |
2. | Collection of relevant data and documents |
3. | Desk review of existing resources on gender analysis reports |
4. | Produce a draft of the gender analysis synthesis for Growth through Nutrition project |
5. | Receive feedback from Growth through Nutrition project team |
6. | Revise the synthesis based on feedback from the team |
7. | Review strategic documents produced by ENGINE and other projects in Save the Children and other organizations and different Ministries on gender and nutrition |
8. | Produce a draft gender strategy document for Growth through Nutrition project. |
9. | Receive feedback from Growth through Nutrition project team |
10. | Revise the strategy based on feedback from the team |
11. | Review relevant mainstreaming guidelines on nutrition, WASH, agriculture, livelihoods and health sectors developed by Save the Children, other organizations and government sector offices |
12. | Produce a draft of the gender mainstreaming guideline for Growth through Nutrition project |
13. | Receive feedback from Growth through Nutrition project team |
14. | Revise the guideline based on feedback from the team |
15. | Presentation on the three documents for Growth through Nutrition staffs |
16. | Finalize the three documents |
Note: - The candidate should propose the duration of the assignment, which will be one of the criteria of selection.
Working Conditions & Duration
The consultancy will primarily be home-based with the potential to visit the project team at Save the Children, partner organizations and government offices on need basis.
Role and responsibility of Save the children
Provide relevant and key documents to the consultant;
Monitor the progress of the consultant’s work in terms of quality and timing;
Gather feedback from project team on draft documents and communicate it with the consultant;
Facilitate a meeting with the project team for the consultant to present the documents;
Facilitate the payment for the consultant.
Role and responsibility of the consultant
Gather additional key documents from other organizations and government offices;
Produce the deliverables on time with the expected quality;
Adhere to the agreed upon processes and deliverables;
Follow Save the Children’s procedures and policies;
Payment Modality
The payment for this assignment is applicable only for the deliverables stated above. Administrative costs will be taken care of by the consultant. The Payment will be effective in one installment after the submission of the deliverables with acceptable quality and agreed upon timeline.