Advertising for Consultancy Services - SOAWR

Advertising for Consultancy Services:

Advocating for the Implementation of Critical Policy Instruments for African Women: The SOAWR Approach

Terms of Reference for the Consultant

1. Background

The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) is a continental coalition made up of 29 Civil Society Organisations and Development partners working towards the promotion and protection of Women’s Human Rights in Africa. Since its inauguration in 2004 SOAWR’s main area of focus has been to get those countries that have not yet ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (herein after referred to as the African women rights Protocol) to do so with a sense of urgency; while at the same time encouraging states that have ratified to domesticate and implement it in their respective countries.

As SOAWR continues to promote the progress of work around the ratification and domestication of the African women rights Protocol, it feels that the time has come to document in the form of a booklet the approaches it has used over the years so as to energise, inspire and encourage other advocates in the course of delivering their mandates. Hence the booklet will demonstrate and document the work of the coalition in selected countries and the regional approaches engaged to successfully ensure the entry into of the African women rights Protocol at the short time in the history of the African Union.

This project will be coordinated by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) under its advocacy programme on behalf of SOAWR. Established in 1988, FEMNET aims to share information, experiences, ideas and strategies among African women’s non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through advocacy, training, communications so as to advance African women’s development, equality and other human rights in Africa. It is pan African membership-based organisation with its office in Nairobi, Kenya and sits on the steering committee of SOAWR.

FEMNET is therefore looking for a consultant to design and write a booklet on advocacy approaches and experiences that SOAWR has used over the past years to campaign for the ratification, popularisation and implementation of the protocol.

The consultant will be contracted for 45 days to carry out this duty and will report regularly to FEMNET’s advocacy officer

2. Objectives

The booklet will:

·Give a brief historical background of the campaign;
·Outline and narrate national and continental-level strategies used for the first and second phases of the campaign for the ratification and domestication of the African women rights Protocol;
·Reflect on and analyse the national and continental campaigning experiences to date thereby serving as a resource guide for advocates;
·Provide sufficient information and analysis to interest advocates to pursue the strategies documented (highlighted) in the booklet in carrying out their advocacy or trigger creative ideas for advocacy
·To identify favourable factors or lack of for the outcome of the campaign analyse the achievements, the constraints and lessons learned to track what worked and what didn’t and the reasons for it;
·Assess the impact of the SOAWR campaign on public policy and constituency-building;

3. Methodology

In order to meet these objectives, the consultant will, as a preliminary step, prepare a work plan for the production of the SOAWR Advocacy Booklet indicating the methodology and developing an activity schedule with clear time frames; and will submit it in 2 days’ time.

After s/he is contracted for the project, the consultant will prepare a work program and an outline for the booklet which will guide the form and shape it will take. This should also be completed in two days. FEMNET, and SOAWR steering committee through FEMNET, will provide the consultant feedback on the two documents.

4. Qualification and Selection Criteria

The consultants will have post-graduate qualifications in gender, policy analysis, law, or other social sciences with experience of working in the field of gender and shall be assessed against the following criteria:
·Demonstration of understanding of the issues and task requested to achieve the objectives above;
·Experience in advocacy in areas relevant to women’s rights
·Knowledge of the AU processes and its commitments to Gender Equality particularly developments in ratification of the African women rights Protocol;
·S/he should have a passion for defending women’s human rights and possess strong organisational and communication skills.
·Excellent communication and writing skills, and sound computer literacy.
·Capability to deliver within required deadlines.

5. Terms and Conditions

·Duration: The duration of the consultancy is six weeks and the Consultant will be expected work independently and to submit a work plan covering this period.
·Fee: The consultants will be paid a lump sum salary of USD 5,000 (five thousand United Sates Dollars) inclusive of all related allowances. The amount shall be subjected to a withholding tax as per the requirements of the Kenya Revenue Authority.
·Reporting: The consultant will be responsible to FEMNET’s Advocacy officer to produce the outputs of this consultancy and should be ready to start work on April 15, 2008.

The Consultant will be expected to submit a draft booklet and after approval, a final document at the end of 2 weeks after the work deadline. The booklet should be clearly written and should contain an executive summary; a main section that will include methodology, findings on strategies and experiences used by SOAWR as defined in the object’s booklet. The Consultant should submit the final booklet in English in both hard copy and electronic format.

6. Deliverables and Expected Output

·A comprehensive, concise and user friendly booklet on approaches and experiences that SOAWR has used over the past years to campaign for the ratification, popularisation and implementation of the African women rights Protocol.

7. How to apply

Applications for this consultancy, including a cover letter, a detailed Curriculum Vitae including summaries of recent consultancy contracts, copies of certificates, a brief (no longer than 2 pages) statement of interest indicating how the consultant proposes conducting the research/ documentation and other supporting documents must be received no later than March 30, 2008, and should be addressed to:
The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
KUSCCO Centre, Kilimanjaro Road,
off Mara Road in Upper Hill
Email: [email][email protected]