CARE RWANDA

Terms of Reference for conducting Comprehensive Gender Analysis 

Supporting and Enhancing Resilient and Viable Employment Opportunities (SERVE) Project

May 2024 

I. Background

CARE is a leading humanitarian and development organization fighting global poverty. CARE seeks a world of hope, tolerance, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. We work around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice.

Supporting and Enhancing Resilient and Viable Employment Opportunities (SERVE) is a program under the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works strategy which aims to build a resilient, sustainable, gender equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial environment that increases dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young people in agricultural value chains across Rwanda. SERVE is implemented through a consortium of partners led by CARE Rwanda, and which is composed of Duharanire Amajyambere Y’Icyaro (DUHAMIC-ADRI), ProFemme Twese Hamwe (PFTH), Association of Micro-Finance Institutions Rwanda (AMIR), and Urwego Finance.

The project will focus on two main key areas of change; firstly, inclusive sustainable growth for youth-led agricultural Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) which will be attained through strengthening the growth levers of productivity, access to finance, entrepreneurship and market linkages in the green beans, chili peppers, tomatoes, and poultry value chains. Secondly, an enhanced policy and social norms environment will encourage and enable key stakeholders to deliver a more equitable, inclusive, and responsive agricultural sector, thus reducing key policy and social barriers to entry for youth, especially female youth, enabling their participation and valuing their contributions as economic and agricultural actors.

Beyond the consortium partners, various types of strategic alliances will be harnessed in the project to achieve targeted results. Key partnerships to highlight include national government ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM), and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN). Key civil society partners include the Chamber of Youth, plus Youth forums and associations. Each partner will have a specific role in the project and will bring value-addition with their unique experience and expertise.

Along the implementation of the project, strong collaboration with the private sector is a central aspect of SERVE. Financial service providers (FSPs), including microfinance institutions, banks, and insurance providers, will work in close collaboration with CARE to develop tailormade formal financial products/services for participants. More focus will also be centered on the development of digital solutions in order to accelerate reach and systematically address the gendered digital divide which blocks female, especially rural, youth from accessing formal financial services. Additionally, CARE will collaborate with the private sector for the entrepreneurship components, including linking female youth with mentors, potential buyers, and regulators. 

II. Justification/Rationale

SERVE targets 100,000 predominantly female youth (PFY) (at least 70% female) engaged in or with the potential to engage in agricultural businesses and smallholder farming known as MSEs who are aged 18 to 35. However, there are still gender, cultural, and social norms that often prevent youth from having the confidence, support, and resources to enter and succeed in the agriculture sector. Traditionally, women and girls in most African countries are still being associated with reproduction and unpaid care work. Rwanda is no exception to this. Even though the Rwandan legal framework has provided women and girls with same rights (to inheritance, land ownership etc.) as it has for men and boys, the application of the legal provisions remains a challenge. Youth, especially young women, lack the agency at household level to make decisions that affect their lives, including on the use of household income and assets, and on the use of their own earned income. This extends particularly to agricultural income, which is seen as the whole family income. 

The project has carried out a gendered value chain analysis to respond to some of the constraints, challenges, and opportunities these women and girls face across the prioritized value chains. However, this has not provided the project with more detailed information regarding women’s time use, effects of double burden on women’s engagement in enterprises, gender, power dynamics and social norms that limit women’s participation across value chains.

It is against this background that the project looks forward to a consultant (Individual or firm/company) to conduct a comprehensive gender analysis to dive deep in all aspects of gender equality and social inclusion that might hinder project target group predominantly female youth, People with disabilities and Refugees to fully maximize their potential and exploit the opportunities across the prioritized value chains. 

III. Scope of the Analysis 

The analysis is expected to exhaustively conduct a comprehensive gender analysis of the project. The study should be undertaken according to CARE’s Good Practice Framework—Gender Analysis and should follow the structure of CARE’s Gender Analysis Pyramid Tool. This should include a thorough examination of the project’s broader context related to the SERVE Project outcomes. Using the Good Practice Framework as a guide, the consultant should pay particular focus to the application of framework to the project outcomes:

IV. Tasks

• Thorough review of the secondary data including project documents (in particular gendered value chain analysis, baseline survey, financial needs assessment and farmer entitlements) existing policies, legal frameworks, institutional arrangements and other similar assessments, to provide a comprehensive gender analysis report.
• Thorough examination of the eight core areas of gender analysis inquiry; sexual/gendered division of labor, household decision making, control over productive assets, access to public spaces and services claiming rights & meaningful participation in decision making, control over ones’ body, violence & restorative justice, and aspirations for oneself and clearly explain how they manifest in the Rwandan context.
• Identify strategic issues and practical needs of the project target population) considering how intersecting identities (age, sex, gender identity, disability, refugee status etc) shape their differing experiences, concerns, needs, capabilities and how these may impact their participation. The analysis should take a ‘do no harm’ approach and consider the impact (intended and unintended) that the project could have on the target group.
• Building on the gendered value chain analysis, established an improved understanding of women’s agency in relation to the project. Specifically, the aspirations, knowledge and skills of women and female youth and how those align with the goals and ambitions of the project and any potential barriers to realizing those aspirations.
• Identify opportunities and barriers to transform relations and structures in pursuit of more inclusive and equitable outcomes, in particular gender equality. Identify possible barriers and risks associated with such transformations.
• Building on the value chain analysis, measure the extent of gender, cultural and social norms, and their influence by identifying relevant gender cultural, and social norms, associated reference groups (people whose opinion matters), the relative influence of reference groups, potential sanctions for breaking norms and exceptions for norms.
• Identify the GBV risks that may arise during or because of the project (risks, potential for backlash), and collect and present information on GBV drivers in the project context, policies, trends, services, barriers to access, and community needs. Local actors available to support referral services should also be identified and clear guidance on how to ensure participants access information and services on GBV.
• The analysis should disaggregate all data by sex, age, disability, and refugee status.

V. Methodology

The methodology should be predominantly qualitative and emphasize the use of participatory methods with different stakeholders. The investigators should ensure that they draw from but do not duplicate information collected as part of the gendered value chain analysis and other studies done by the project which requires a deep review completed studies. Reports from the studies will be availed to the consultant.

VI. Deliverables

For the accomplishment of the assignment, the following deliverables will be required.

1. Draft inception report focused on a deeper understanding of the assignment, clear methodology and approach to be deployed, analysis framework/methods, samples, and data collection tools (translated into Kinyarwanda plus the roadmap/timeline and workplan to ensure achieving the expected results within the prearranged timelines.
2. Final inception report which incorporates feedback
3. Consultant and data collectors (research assistants) and supervisor to participate in training including orientation on CARE's safeguarding policy.
4. Submit raw data including audio files of the IDI’s FGD’s and KII’s conducted as well as full transcriptions or high-quality written summaries of IDI’s, KII’s and FGD’s that detail key information in the report.
5. Draft report in the following format:
   • Executive summary
   • Outline of Reports
   • Introduction
   • Background
   • Objectives
   • Methodology
   • Result and discussion
   • Recommendation
   • Conclusion
6. Prepare a summary PowerPoint presentation of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
7. Organize and conduct validation workshops with key stakeholders.
8. Final gender analysis report which addresses reviews and inputs from CARE and the validation workshop.

VII. Supervision

This consultancy will be directly supervised by the Program Quality and Learning Director in close collaboration with the SERVE Project team, especially Youth Gender Equality & Social Inclusion Technical Advisor and project Manager.

VIII. Dura on of the assignment

The consultant should indicate a realistic work plan within which the assignment can be completed, and this remains a subject for discussion. The assignment will take place between June and July 2024 for a period not exceeding 30 days.

IX. Consultant/firm profile

To achieve efficiency and objectivity in this process, CARE Rwanda seeks to engage a consultant/firm with the following skills and experience:

1. Minimum a master’s degree level in gender development studies, international development studies with a strong background in gender and international development or gender and agricultural value chains or gender and market systems.
2. Advanced degree in one of the following areas: gender (strongly preferred), rural development, economics, business management, development studies and social sciences.
3. Minimum 10 years’ experience in designing gender policies and strategies,
4. Strong gender analytical skills with a specific attention on inclusive agriculture value chain approaches
5. Having been prior involved in similar assignments, for instance; analyzing gender and youth mainstreaming strategies and establishing policy actions for poor and marginalized women as productive economic actors in agriculture sector
6. Demonstrate knowledge and experience in assessing and reviewing program strategies/polices.
7. Experience in carrying out intersectional gender analysis, strategies and recommendations.
8. Demonstrate experience in and understanding of women economic development programs including understanding of gender.
9. Knowledge of the Rwandan context of national policies and strategies, local and international NGOs
10. Ability to manage a potentially large-scale and complex review and research process, including remote data collection.
11. Past Experience in collaborating with high-level government stakeholders and/or private sector senior management.
12. Demonstrate experience in conducting evaluation/research and in particular with feminist methodologies.
13. Five years of experience in using research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis including feminist approaches and methodologies
14. Having excellent analytical and writing skills.
15. Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda language is desirable.

X. Contract Terms and Conditions

A standard CARE service agreement format will be used, subject to the supplier’s agreement with the terms and conditions.

XI. Application process 

The application file should contain the following documents:

• A technical proposal, with a clear timeframe and a description of the proposed methodology detailing how the deliverables will be achieved, and the team credentials for similar assignments.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team to carry out the assignment with clear roles and functions.
• A financial offer detailing the various costs associated with the delivery of the above services, in PDF format and must be a separate document from the technical offer.
• Evidence of the consultant’s experience in doing similar assignments: Copies of similar assignments (with evidence for good completion of the previous similar assignments);
• Submit at least 3 references with their contacts and addresses. 
• Bank account information including the scanned copy of blank check or document from the bank confirming bank account information (name, account number, swift code, …)
• Consultant firm profile; VAT registration certificate; RRA tax clearance certificate; RSSB tax clearance certificate (when applicable). For applicants without registration in Rwanda, submit the above requirements from the country of registration as applicable.

Interested consultants or consultancy firms are requested to submit their offers not later than June 10^th,2024 at 5pm local time to the following e-mail address: rwa.procurement@care.org, with mention of “Comprehensive Gender Analysis for SERVE Project” in the subject line 

XII. Proposals scoring criteria.

Procurement Unit