Review and Development of the We-care Training Manual At Oxfam

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  1. About WE-Care

The Women’s Economic Empowerment and Care (WE-Care) programme is Oxfam’s flagship initiative to increase women’s and girls’ time and choice to participate in social, economic, and political life by transforming how unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) is valued, eased, shared, voiced, and invested in. The programme is grounded in feminist, rights-based and systems-transformative approaches that position care as a public good and a central pillar of social and economic justice. Delivered through a partner led model, the programme works with local organisations that have varying levels of expertise across policies, systems, expertise, and operations.

Over the years, WE Care has increased the recognition of unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) in public policy; reduced the burden of time intensive UCDW through investments in essential public services and infrastructure; promoted a more equitable sharing of care responsibilities between men and women, as well as between households and the state; and ensured that women with caregiving responsibilities are meaningfully represented in the planning and implementation of budgets and policies that affect their lives. Launched in 2013, the programme has evolved through multiple phases and funding cycles, expanding its impact across the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.

Now in its fifth phase, officially launched in September 2023, the programme is currently being implemented in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya with strong linkages to Africa region and Global spaces. This phase places strong emphasis on supporting policy engagement through having dialogues with governments and public institutions, building care champions, and linking national advocacy efforts to regional and global platforms. The programme further seeks to shift social norms, influence economic empowerment and social policy agendas, and strengthen feminist movements advocating for equitable care systems. It also promotes public investment in care infrastructure, including gender-responsive budgeting, while strengthening long-term sustainability by enhancing WE-Care partners’ institutional and programmatic capacities. To learn more about WE-Care, please click here: WE-Care – Make Care Count.

  1. Evolution of Care

Historically, Care was largely framed as providing services to the sick, older people, children, and disabled people, as well as an act of kindness. This responsibility was typically carried out within households and was largely performed by women and girls as part of their family responsibilities. Feminist scholars and activists challenged the framing of care as a private household matter, they challenged that many social, economic and political systems do not recognize care as real work despite its essential contribution to sustaining households, supporting the workforce, and maintaining society.

Development agencies began reframing unpaid care as economically essential, a contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a structural constraint on women’s time and opportunities. Time-use surveys became central tools for revealing the scale of unpaid care and domestic work across countries and through the Beijing Platform (1995) a major policy milestone was marked calling on governments and international institutions to recognize unpaid care work, assess its value, and integrate it into national economic policies.

Through research and policy development, unpaid care was increasingly framed as a driver of gender inequality and in response, the 3Rs framework was introduced to Recognise unpaid care work as work; Reduce its drudgery through infrastructure and services; and Redistribute responsibility more equitably between men, women, and the state. The 3R framework has since evolved to align with care economy thinking, and has now been expanded into the 5R framework, which adds Reward (ensuring fair compensation and economic value for care work) and Represent (strengthening the voice, agency, and participation of caregivers in decision-making processes).

  1. Current Gap

The WE-Care programme has had Care Training Manuals, some created over a decade ago. However, from the evolution of care outlined, there is a need for a revised and strengthened training manual that goes beyond updating existing content to incorporate advancements in the care sector and reflect current programming realities including developmental intersectionality’s such as climate, just transitions, market system development and economic justice(including; tax justice), nutrition sensitive structure, gender responsive universal social protection and human right to care.

The WE-Care programme seeks a more integrated and adaptable training resource that extends beyond the WE-Care programme, one that acknowledges the growing recognition of care in the humanitarian-development nexus, and the intersection of unpaid care and domestic work with development sectors such as water and sanitation, education, climate justice, and food security.

  1. ⁠Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultancy seeks to develop a practical, feminist and adaptable Care Training Manual and facilitation resource that strengthens the understanding and application of the 5R framework across policy, programming, movement building and community engagement contexts. The assignment will also include review of existing care training manuals previously developed by WE-Care team.

Below are the specific objectives of the consultancy:

  • To develop a clear and practical articulation of the 5R framework for decent care work.
  • Produce participatory content that supports transformation of harmful gender norms and narratives related to care.
  • Document practical approaches for engaging key actors (policy makers, government, CSOs, private sector, communities, women, youth, men and care champions in) advancing care agendas.
  • Demonstrate the intersections between care work and key development and humanitarian sectors, including but not limited to climate justice, WASH, livelihoods and economic justice, fiscal justice, humanitarian response and gender-transformative programming.
  • Integrate feminist and transformative leadership approaches that support collective action and systems change around care.
  • Develop a high quality, visually engaging and adaptable learning resource suitable for both print and digital use.
  1. Target Audiences

The manual is expected to serve multiple audiences, including:

  • WE-Care country teams and partners
  • Care champions and community facilitators
  • Women Rights Organizations Youth-led organizations, and feminist movements
  • Practitioners working in gender justice, livelihoods, humanitarian response, climate justice, social protection programming etc
  • Trainers and facilitators supporting community engagement and policy dialogue processes

The consultant should propose appropriate approaches for ensuring accessibility and usability across diverse audiences and contexts.

  1. ⁠Scope of Work

The consultant(s) will undertake the following tasks:

  1. Inception and Planning
  • Hold inception meetings with the WE-Care team and relevant stakeholders.
  • Refine the scope, methodology workplan and learning approach for the assignment.
  • Develop an outline of the proposed manual and toolkit.
  1. Desk Review and Content Development
  • Conduct a comprehensive review of the existing Care manuals, programme resources, learning documents and related care frameworks.
  • Review relevant global, regional and national literature on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW), the care economy, feminist leadership and the 5R framework.
  • Identify and synthesize key programme learning, case studies, practical examples and best practices from WE-Care countries that can be referenced in the manual.
  1. Stakeholder Engagement and Validation
  • Engage relevant country teams, Oxfam affiliates and selected stakeholders to clarify gaps and validate content where necessary.
  • Incorporate feedback through an iterative review process.
  1. Manual Development

The consultant(s) should develop a professionally formatted care training manual that is

  1. Print-ready and suitable for training and facilitation purposes.
  2. Interactive and accessible to be uploaded on Oxfam repositories and the WE-Care website.
  3. Methodology

The assignment will adopt a participatory and evidence-informed approach grounded in feminist and adult-learning principles. The methodology should include but isn’t limited to:

  • A comprehensive desk review and knowledge synthesis of existing literature.
  • Participatory consultative processes.
  • Feminist facilitation methodologies.
  • End-user centred instructional design.
  • Incorporation of validation and feedback.

The consultant(s) are encouraged to apply creative and engaging learning approaches such as: Infographics and visual summaries, case studies and real-world scenarios, reflection exercises, scenario-based simulations, participatory activities and discussion prompts, edutainment and storytelling approaches where appropriate.

We welcome proposed additional methodologies that the consultant(s) may consider relevant to achieving the objectives of the assignment.

  1. Deliverables

The consultant(s) will be expected to submit the following:

  1. Inception Report demonstrating:
    • Understanding of the assignment and objectives.
    • Proposed methodology and workplan.
    • Stakeholder engagement approach.
    • Outline of the Care Training Manual.
    • Proposed design and formatting approach.
  2. A complete first draft of the manual that:
    • Clearly articulates the 5R framework and its application.
    • Addresses social norms.
    • Indicates engagement strategies for different actors.
    • Articulates intersections with key thematic areas.
    • Integrate feminist and transformative leadership approaches in Care Work.
    • Is written in clear, accessible and non-technical language suitable for diverse audiences.
    • Includes practical examples, case studies, visuals, and learning activities.
  3. Final revised manual that has incorporated feedback from validation sessions, is professionally designed, print-ready and is compliant with WE-Care branding guidelines.
  4. Timeline

The consultancy is expected to run between July and October 2026 with the schedule outlined as follows:

  • Onboarding and Inception – 1 week
  • Desk review – 3 weeks
  • Manual Drafting and Design – 3 weeks
  • Validation and Revision of the Manual – 2 weeks
  • Finalization of the Care Manual – 2 weeks

Estimated Start Date: 20th July 2026

Estimated End Date: 5th October 2026

Estimated Level of Effort: 45 working days

  1. ⁠Desired Profile of Consultant(s)
  • The consultant or consultancy team should demonstrate proven experience in curriculum development, instructional design, adult learning or training manual development.
  • Strong understanding of feminist approaches, gender justice and UCDW.
  • Excellent writing and editorial and knowledge synthesis skills with the ability to present complex information clearly.
  • Experience developing participatory and accessible learning resources.
  • Graphic design and/or digital learning capabilities (or ability to collaborate with designers and creatives) (note: WE-Care has a set of branding guidelines and materials that will be shared to the successful candidate(s).
  • Familiarity with international development, particularly in adult education, gender, livelihoods, or related sectors.
  • Experience working on multi-country programmes or in multi-cultural contexts.
  • Familiarity with African feminist and decolonial approaches is highly desirable.
  1. Application Process

Applicants based in Africa are strongly encouraged to apply and will be prioritized.

Interested consultants or teams should submit:

  • A brief technical proposal (not exceeding 10 pages) outlining their understanding of the assignment, methodology and approach
  • Two samples of similar assignments or learning products
  • Team composition and roles (where applicable)
  • Financial proposal with a detailed budget
  • Proposed timeline

Creative applications that demonstrate a strong understanding of care, feminist learning and participatory communication approached are welcomed and encouraged.

  1. Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed based on the following:

Criteria

Score

  1. Technical understanding and methodology

12

  1. Relevant experience and expertise

5

  1. Quality of previous work samples

5

  1. Creativity, feminist and participatory learning approaches

5

  1. Budget and value for money

3

Total

30

  1. Data Ownership and Use

All materials, data and outputs developed under this consultancy will remain property of Oxfam. Consultants will be required to adhere to confidentiality and data protection requirements throughout the assignment. Any use of programme materials, stories, photographs or quotations must comply with ethical and safeguarding standards, including informed consent and appropriate representation principles.

Please submit your application by 15th June 2026 to [Insert Email Address] with the subject line: Review and Development of the WE-Care Training and Facilitation Manual – [Your Name or Company Name].

How to apply

lease submit your application by 15th June 2026 to SSC.Consultancy@oxfam.org with the subject line: Review and Development of the WE-Care Training and Facilitation Manual