Recruitment of a national consultant or a national consultancy firm to conduct: “A Rapid Gender Analysis” At International Medical Corps

1. Context and rationale

Women and youth constitute a substantial proportion of the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo and therefore constitute a major force for development initiatives in the DRC. However, the DRC is ranked among the bottom 10 countries in the world with the lowest human development index. [1] which compares disparities between women and men in three fundamental dimensions of human development – ​​health, knowledge and standard of living. Regarding the gender inequality index, the DRC was ranked 151st out of 179 in the 2021 Gender Inequality Index (GII), a composite measure of gender inequality using reproductive health , empowerment and the labor market as the main dimensions, with only 14.3% of women occupying parliamentary seats. One in two women say they have suffered physical or sexual violence at least once in their life (EDS 2014), while 3 in 4 women and almost 3 in 5 men believe that beating their wife is justified for at least one specific reason. . Even more worrying, the acceptability of intimate partner violence (IPV) is more prevalent in younger age groups, both among men and women. As in many provinces of the DRC, gender inequalities and discrimination based on sex, age and ethnicity in the provinces of South Kivu and Tanganyika are among the factors contributing to poverty, malnutrition and poor access to basic services As in many provinces of the DRC, gender inequality and discrimination based on sex, age and ethnic origin in the provinces of South Kivu and of Tanganyika are among the factors that contribute to poverty, malnutrition and poor access to basic services.

Current social norms result in a situation where women, adolescent girls, boys and ethnic minority groups do not benefit fully from opportunities and resources, and are not always able to contribute meaningfully to their homes and communities. their community. The potential of young people, girls and women is often underutilized because dominant cultural norms prevent them from enjoying their rights. Adult women and adolescents, girls and boys in the DRC often lack access to key means of production, including access to land, financial services, market information and technology. For women and girls, this translates into a lack of decision-making power and a lack of access to resources such as education/information, social and political networks, economic/financial opportunities and services. health, including those related to reproductive health.

Aware that its interventions and programmatic responses to the needs of beneficiaries are implemented in a context of disparity between women and men as well as between girls and boys, International Medical Corps (IMC) must therefore adopt a gender-sensitive approach in the implementation of projects and is therefore committed to using a gender equity approach in all its interventions. Indeed, IMC recognizes that gender inequality is one of the main factors contributing to low access to services as well as poverty and socio-economic underdevelopment in the DRC, but also recognizes that even if the indices development are low for everyone in the DRC, they are even lower for women and girls. IMC therefore recognizes that gender inequality is a form of power inequality and that gender-responsive programming as well as gender mainstreaming at all stages of project implementation are essential to ensure that organization also complies with its duty to “do no harm”.

International Medical Corps is therefore seeking the services of a consultant to conduct a rapid gender analysis whose results will be useful to inform gender-sensitive programs and gender mainstreaming, and provide recommendations to ensure equal access to interventions and services for all groups of people in supported communities, including vulnerable people like women and girls

2. International Medical Corps and its interventions in the DRC:

International Medical Corps is a global, non-profit, humanitarian and non-governmental organization dedicated to saving lives and alleviating suffering through the provision of emergency and development services with the support of beneficiary communities and structures. Currently active in 30 countries around the world, IMC implements cost-effective, high-quality programs that focus on providing comprehensive health services as well as those that integrate other services such as situation preparedness and response emergency, nutrition, protection, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and livelihood support to ensure optimal and lasting results.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, IMC has been providing support for two decades, providing access to integrated services, particularly in primary health care and secondary health care, maternal and child health, adolescent health and reproductive health, response and prevention of GBV, child protection, WASH, nutrition, MHPSS and food security for vulnerable people, including displaced people. IMC receives funding from institutional and private donors including USAID/BHA, ECHO, the World Bank, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Gates Foundation, among others. IMC coordinates regularly with government ministries and other stakeholders to ensure that program interventions are aligned with specific national and sector strategic plans, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), community needs and responses provided by d other actors in order to avoid overlapping services. IMC staff work with beneficiary facility staff and other community stakeholders, including health facilities, community health workers and community-based organizations (CBOs), to increase access to services and acceptance. and community ownership. Over the past 3 years, IMC has implemented interventions in the provinces of North Kivu, Ituri, South Kivu, Tanganyika, Haut Katanga, Equateur, Kinshasa and Center du Kongo and was able to respond quickly to population displacements and outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola, measles and COVID. -19, and natural disasters. Between 2018 and 2022, IMC implemented multi-sector interventions to respond to the last four Ebola outbreaks in the DRC, as well as a response to help the government mitigate the global COVID-19 pandemic. IMC has its main office in Goma with other offices in South Kivu (Uvira, Fizi), Tanganyika (Kalemie and Kongolo) and Kinshasa.

For nearly a decade and with funding from various donors, including USAID, IMC has supported internally displaced persons (IDPs), families in host communities, and other vulnerable people affected by the complex and multidimensional conflict which continues in eastern DRC. For this phase of its response to this crisis, implemented primarily through the “Afya Bora” program funded by USAID, IMC will provide from July 2022 to June 2024, multi-sectoral responses that seek to contribute to saving lives and to alleviate the suffering of displaced people, returnees and host countries. Communities through the provision of health care services, malnutrition prevention and treatment services, as well as protection services, including those related to GBV and child protection. Focused on the provinces of South Kivu and Tanganyika, the overall objective of the “Afya Bora” program is to prevent and reduce excessive mortality and morbidity among vulnerable displaced persons and host communities through the provision of integrated interventions in health, nutrition and protection in the provinces of South Kivu and Tanganyika.

3. Objective of the consultancy

The aim of this mission is to conduct a rapid gender analysis to understand to what extent the AFYA BORA project will have taken into account gender integration in the intervention area (Uvira, Fizi, Kimbilulenge of South Kivu and Kalemie, Mbulula and Kongolo of Tanganyika province). The results of this gender analysis will allow IMC to understand and refine the programming of future interventions in the provinces of intervention. In addition to the results of the rapid gender analysis, the consultant will also provide recommendations for gender-sensitive programming and for integrating gender into the project.

4. Evaluation Questions

The main evaluation questions will be structured around an analytical framework which brings together six categories of information to be explored, namely:

1. Gender roles and responsibilities: How are the roles and responsibilities of women, men, boys, girls and often marginalized or disadvantaged groups distributed in communities? What are the roles and responsibilities of men, boys, of girls and women with regard to aspects of life in communities, including production, reproduction, decision-making, leadership and access to basic services such as health, WASH, nutrition and protection?). How is the work distributed? And what is the impact of this distribution on the access, control and use of services of the above mentioned groups of the targeted communities with regard to health, nutrition, MHPSS, protection, WASH, legal and other basic services? What are the main opportunities in the service areas mentioned above for women, girls, children and other vulnerable groups in particular?
2. Access and control of resources and services : Who has access to resources and productive assets such as inputs, processing equipment, capital, credit, new technologies, training and information? Who controls these resources and how are they used? Do women and men as well as boys and girls have the same access and control over the assets mentioned above? What specific barriers limit access to the assets mentioned above for the specific groups mentioned above? What are the possibilities ?
3. Participation, voice and decision-making : What is the level of participation of women, men, boys and girls in household decision-making, particularly regarding (a) consumption and expenditure, ( b) MHPSS, WASH, nutrition and health services (medical care, immunization, child health services, family planning, non-communicable diseases, geriatric services and others)? Do women, girls, boys and men participate equally in decision-making processes (politics, economy and society, community development and management)? What are the obstacles? What are the possibilities?
4. Sociocultural aspects : what are the formal and informal norms that limit the participation of women, girls and boys in governance structures and access to health, MHPSS, nutrition, WASH, legal and protection services?
5. Needs and interests of women, girls, boys and men : What are the specific needs and interests of each gender as well as specific groups of people (women, girls, boys and men)? What are the practical needs? strategies?
6. Commonalities and differences regarding the status of internally displaced persons or not, differences and commonalities between provinces or health zones: How being an internally displaced person (IDP) or a returnee positively influences or negatively the answers to each of the questions mentioned above. What common points and differences could exist between the provinces targeted by the “Afya Bora” program in general, and the targeted health zones in particular.

   5. Tasks of the consultant/consultancy firm

Under the general supervision of the Program Director and the technical supervision of the MEAL Coordinator and the Protection Coordinator, the consultant will produce a report on the results of the rapid gender analysis with clear recommendations to guide gender-responsive programming and integration of gender into IMC’s operations, activities and responses in the DRC.

More specifically, the consultant will carry out the following activities:

1. Conduct a rapid gender analysis in communities and supported structures (health facilities, nutritional treatment centers, safe spaces for women and girls, child-friendly spaces) that provides answers to key questions highlighted in the questions evaluation above.
2. Consult/involve community leaders, people who influence social norms in communities and key informants from structures designated to support gender issues (at provincial, territorial and zonal levels), as well as the national women’s council, and ministries and structures that provide basic social services within communities).
3. Suggest changes in future program design necessary to ensure “do no harm” to women, girls and other vulnerable groups, as well as to promote equal participation of women versus men, youth versus adults and girls compared to boys.

6. Deliverables and timetable Main deliverables (in English):

View PDF file

7. Place of work and travel arrangements:

The consultant and his team of investigators will have to go to the sampled sites (will appear in the inception report) of project intervention with their own means (clarified in his financial offer). IMC reserves the right to supervise field work. Note that IMC does not give advances to consultants to cover costs

8. Qualifications and experience of the consultant/consultancy firm

• Advanced university degree (at least a master’s degree or equivalent) in a field relevant to the mission, for example in gender studies, social sciences or another relevant field.
• At least 5 years of proven ability and strong experience in the substantive area, including at the international level.
• Proven in-depth experience in conducting a rapid gender analysis and developing a gender mainstreaming strategy and gender action plan
• Verifiable publications authored or co-authored in the area of ​​gender issues
• Proven experience supporting gender integration in humanitarian or development programs
• Proof of having carried out a similar mission for other INGOs and in a humanitarian context
• Proven experience in conducting gender assessments and supporting gender assessment in humanitarian contexts, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa; Individuals with experience in this field in the DRC or Great Lakes countries are preferred.
• Previous experience in the DRC would be an asset.
• General knowledge of gender transformative project design with substantial experience in gender project design, monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience using computers and office software
• Fluency in English and French is required
• Understanding of national languages ​​of the DRC such as Swahili is an advantage

[1] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/hdi-by-country