Terms of Reference - Researcher 

Program: Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion and reconciliation through Societal Trauma Healing

Title: Investigating the Nexus between Genocide and other historical Legacies and Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancies in Post-Genocide Rwanda.

Reports To: Gender Inclusion Advisor

Duty Station: Kigali, Rwanda 

About Interpeace

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.  It established its national office in Rwanda in 2020, although it has been supporting programmes in societal healing and participat0ry governance through local institutions for more than twenty years. Interpeace’s mandate is to strengthen the capacities of societies to manage conflict in non-violent, non-coercive ways by assisting national actors in their efforts to develop social and political cohesion. Interpeace also strives to assist the international community (and in particular the UN) to play a more effective role in supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world through better understanding and response to the challenges of creating local capacities that enhance social and political cohesion. For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org 

The background and context

Interpeace, in consortium with Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR), Haguruka, Dignity in Detention (DIDE) and in partnership with the Government of Rwanda through Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), has been implementing a programme entitled "Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion and reconciliation through Societal Healing" in five Districts, namely: Nyagatare, Ngoma, Musanze, Nyabihu and Nyamagabe. The four years programme funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), uses a holistic and innovative approach aimed at simultaneously providing mental health services, advancing social cohesion, and promoting sustainable livelihoods among the targeted beneficiaries. These include genocide survivors, genocide penetrators (current and former/ released prisoners) and their families, youth, and local, grass root leaders. Other target participants include community-based organizations and actors (including formal mental health structures) intervening in mental health, social cohesion, and collaborative livelihood initiatives at the community level.

The programme’s overall Goal is to reinforce social cohesion and sustainable peace through scaling up community-based healing initiatives This goal is operationalized through four specific objectives:

• Community-based methods for addressing past wounds and promoting social cohesion are integrated into mental health and prisoner reintegration protocols and piloted in 15 sectors of Bugesera district.
• Collective healing and socio-economic development activities increase social cohesion in target communities. 
• Youth have the skills and spaces to manage past trauma and develop a shared understanding for building a peaceful an inclusive future, including through joint income-generating initiatives.
• National policies and programmes on mental health and social cohesion are informed by lessons learnt from the monitoring and evaluation of this pilot programme. 

In post-genocide Rwanda, there are direct and indirect pathways for the intergenerational transmission of the legacies of the genocide within families. The direct pathways concern parents’ experiences with the genocide (i.e., the acts of violence) and its aftermath, which are reflected upon, reconstructed, and explicitly communicated, or not, to the second generation, while the indirect pathways are the ways in which the genocide and related events affect the second generation's socio-ecological environment, and through that, the child (Berckmoes et al., 2017, pp.16-28).  For example, parents may be open to disclosing some of their experiences to the children but keep silent on others; and children may fear to ask because they are unsure of how it can affect their relationship with parents (Ingabire et. al,2022). Our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie intergenerational transmission of experiences of mass violence and responses to it is limited, and there is a need to have robust policies or methods for addressing this phenomenon.

A baseline survey conducted by Interpeace and its partners (2021) in the districts of Musanze, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, Ngoma and Nyamagabe identified two major challenges for young people. The first is the challenge of growing up in a family in which the parents have major mental health challenges due to their traumatic experiences, to an extent that undermines their parenting capacites. The second one is the difficulty for parents to discuss events and experiences that often cause their children to feel confused, angry, or insecure. Youth from specific social groups face their own unique challenges. Children of survivors are at greater risk of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, often compounded due to the stories about the genocide they hear from their traumatized parents (Buckley-Zistel, 2006, pp.22-34).

Teenage pregnancy rates in Rwanda rose from 6.1% in 2010 to 7.3% in 2015. Official statistics report that 17,849 underage girls became pregnant in 2016, with a slight decrease to 17,337 in 2017, followed by a jump to 19,832 in 2018 and an estimated 23,544 children were born to teenage mothers in 2019(DHS, 2015, pp. 42-68). While there is a plenty of studies on underlying factors of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in Rwanda, to the best of our knowledge, not much was done to establish the connections between genocide legacies and this very issue which adversely affect the lives of adolescent girls and female youth as well as the society at large.  Given Rwanda's history of the genocide and its legacy, there is therefore a critical need to examine whether contemporary post-genocide challenges, such as mental health issues, intra-family conflicts and socio-economic vulnerabilities influence sexual reproductive decisions among young girls. This study aims to better uncover factors driving early and unplanned pregnancies among teenagers and female youth with a particular emphasis on the potential connections with mental health, family dynamics, and socio-economic conditions as legacies of the genocide. 

It's against that background that Interpeace will be conducting a study that aims to establish specifically if there is a link between genocide Legacies and other historical Legacies of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in Post-Genocide Rwanda through an additional funding of the French Embassy.

Assignment Description and Expected Deliverables 

Interpeace is seeking to secure the services of an expert researcher to facilitate the implementation process of this study. The researcher must be well versed in data collection, analysis, and report writing, and with proven expertise in gender related studies in post-genocide Rwandan context. The research coordinator will work closely with the Gender Inclusion Advisor, as well as other managers and staff from Interpeace Rwanda Programme and DMEL teams.

The anticipated start date is 2^nd January 2024 until 31^st July 2024. The end date may be extended up to a maximum of 3 months depending on research need by the indicated deadline.  In any case, the consultant’s level of effort per month is not expected to exceed 15 days. Within these seven months, the researcher has the following responsibilities: 

• Develop the inception report (design research methodology and research tools.
• Develop the detailed study timeline from the inception to the validation of findings.
• Train data collectors (enumerators) to understand research tools and effectively undertake data collection processes.
• Ensure that relevant data has been collected in all selected sectors across selected districts by 31^st March 2024.
• Take part in feedback meetings involving all stakeholders to discuss the data collected.
• Traveling with some of the data collectors in the districts to ensure quality assurance in data collection.
• Ensure accurate reporting contextual analysis made through writing, visualizing, and interpretating the data.
• Take lead on the report writing of the study and submit several drafts to Interpeace staff and partners for feedback.
• Collaborate with Interpeace staff to coordinate feedback meetings for all stakeholders involved to discuss the process of the study.
• Submit the first draft report by the end of April 2024.
• Submit the second draft report by the end of May 2024.
• Submit the final report for validation by 15^th June 2024.
• Assist in the planning of the Validation workshop at the end of June 2024.  

Qualifications 

Interpeace is looking for a researcher with experience in conducting research in societal healing, mental health, social cohesion governance with a specialization in gender related and other related subjects. They must demonstrate a strong knowledge of the Rwanda context and history, and how the past affects the Rwandan society today.

The researcher’s profile:

1. A master’s degree or PhD with research concentration in social sciences, Gender, anthropology, psychology, or related fields.
2. Proven experience in coordinating research on a macro level, specifically in the fields of psychology, Gender, societal healing, mental health, social cohesion, and other relevant fields in Rwanda.
3. Ability to lead research teams, with the goal of working collaboratively to conduct research, analyze data, and write relevant reports.
4. Ability to deliver assignments within indicated deadlines, including incorporating peer review feedback from Interpeace and its partners.
5. Strong analytical skills, proficiency in statistical analysis software is a plus.
6. Ability to contextualize gendered perspectives to data analysis.
7. Strong knowledge in research and research processes with at least 5 - 8 years of experience
8. Ability to work independently and within a team.
9. Ability to work within tight deadlines and adapting to feedback.
10. Excellent communication, writing, and organizational skills
11. Excellent reporting skills
12. Up to 3 references required. 

How to Apply 

Please submit your CV, and letter expressing your interest and remuneration requirements,  a writing sample in English language, as well as references by 15^th December 2023 via email to: recruitment@interpeace.org with cc to mbanda@interpeace.org.

Given the urgency to commence this study, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is identified. So interested candidates are encouraged to make their submissions as soon as possible.