Time Commitment: The Consultant(s) must commence the Services no later than 1 September 2023 and complete the Services by 30th November 2023
Budget: Up to AUD40,000 (includes any potential travel)
Location: Home-based, with travel to Solomon Islands
WHO ARE WE?
IWDA is an Australian-based organisation, resourcing diverse women’s rights organisations primarily in Asia and the Pacific, and contributing to global feminist movements to advance our vision of gender equality for all.
VISION Gender equality for all
PURPOSE To defend and advance the rights of diverse women and girls
VALUES Feminist, Accountable, Collaborative, Transformative
INTRODUCTION
Women’s Rights Action Movement (WRAM)
WRAM is a non-government organisation founded in 2011 by motivated women and men who believe in the cause of gender equality. The founders saw a need to effectively and consistently engage with Government on gender equality, focusing on the need to reform laws and policies. WRAM’s vision is that all women and girls in Solomon Islands have equal access and enjoy their human rights: to participate in leadership, be free from gender-based violence and benefit equally from development and economic advancement. WRAM’s mission is to support government to promote, protect and fulfil the rights of women and men equally, to take affirmative action to address inequalities faced by women, and to work with nongovernment organisations to promote good governance in Solomon Islands.
One of WRAM’s focus areas includes Temporary Special Measures at the Provincial Government Assembly (PGA) level to increase the number of women in political positions, such as instituting reserved seat systems or candidate quotas. WRAM has successfully lobbied eight out of nine PGAs to include TSM in their women’s policies and are currently supporting PGAs to petition the National Parliament to reform the Provincial Government Act to include TSMs. This reform will pave the way for PGAs to implement TSMs and ultimately give precedent for TSMs at national parliamentary level. WRAM works closely with the Women’s Development Division (WDD) in the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) and the Solomon Islands National Council for Women on this advocacy.
WRAM also helped establish Solomon Islands first National Women’s Forum (SINWF): This national convening space is co-convened with five key women’s and girls’ rights and development agencies with the first forum held in 2017. In 2022 the conveners hosted a national young women’s dialogue, provincial dialogue and national women’s dialogue as part of the ongoing work to strengthen the women’s rights movement in the Solomon Islands.
IWDA has partnered with WRAM for 10 years, focusing on women’s leadership and supporting movement building in the Solomon Islands. IWDA is an Australia-based organisation, resourcing diverse women’s rights and feminist organisations primarily in Asia and the Pacific, and contributing to global feminist movements to advance our vision of gender equality for all. WRAM and IWDA’s work on the WISER program has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). IWDA manages the program grant and will manage the contract for this consultancy.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Women Ignite Stability and Economic Recovery (WISER) is a DFAT funded program contracted through IWDA and implemented in partnership with WRAM from June 2021 to Dec 2022 with an extension until Dec 2023. This program supports WRAM’s work on young women’s leadership, TSMs, movement strengthening and organisational strengthening. This is building on work from the Women’s Action for Voice and Empowerment (WAVE) program, funded by the Netherlands Government 2016-2020.
WISER has four end of program outcomes:
Increasing the knowledge, skills and confidence of young women enables them to contribute to and lead gender equality in Solomon Islands
WRAM is a leading advocate for government and duty bearers to respond and be made accountable to the rights of women and gender equality
WRAM is a dynamic leader in the women’s rights space that works collaboratively with national partners in the women’s movement to transform the lives of women and girls.
WRAM strengthens its reputation and influence to leverage transformational change
During the first phase of the WISER program, WRAM worked with the Ministry for Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs- Women’s Development Division (MWYCFA-WDD) on advocacy to Provincial Governments to endorse Temporary Special Measures. Through this advocacy eight out of nine provincial assemblies endorsed TSMs to support women’s political leadership. WRAM are now working on developing an advocacy strategy for the national government to change the Provincial Government Act to include TSMs. WRAM have also worked closely with Honiara City Council to advocate for TSMs at a local level.
The WISER program also saw WRAM strengthen their disability inclusion work through developing a strong partnership with People with a Disability Solomon Islands (PWDSI) and receiving training on disability inclusive development. Their partnership included supporting PWDSI on drafting the National Disability Policy and together advocating for the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) that has now been put forward for ratification.
Through WISER the conveners of the Solomon Island Women’s Rights Movement came together for a partnership brokering workshop to strengthen relationships and ways of working. As a result of this the conveners worked together to host three dialogues with women and young women across the Solomon Islands. These dialogues resulted in an outcome statement of recommendations to guide the women’s rights movement priorities based on the issues and needs raised in these dialogues.
CONSULTANCY BACKGROUND
The purpose of this consultancy is to support and enable WRAM in its work to promote women’s political participation, movement strengthening and gender equality. To achieve this, the consultant(s) will combine elements of program evaluation and organisational evaluation, to assess:
the effectiveness and impact of the WISER program; and
the relevance and coherence of WRAM’s organisational strategies and movement-strengthening work.
Outputs from the evaluation are expected to support WRAM in planning and delivering its programs, and identifying strategic opportunities to contribute to the vibrant feminist movement in Solomon Islands.
CONSULTANCY OBJECTIVES
The consultant(s) are expected to consistently demonstrate feminist, decolonial ways of working during this consultancy. This includes, but is not limited to:
Inclusive, effective communication, including cross-cultural communication;
Meaningful collaboration with WRAM and IWDA in the analysis and interpretation of evaluation findings; and
Ensuring that the process and outputs of the evaluation are directly and immediately useful to WRAM.
The objectives of the evaluation include:
Has the WISER program effectively delivered against the program theory of change? What difference has this made towards women’s political participation and gender equality?
What lessons have been learned through the WISER program about effective advocacy?
How effective has WRAM been in selecting, planning and delivering its strategies?
What has been WRAM’s contribution to movement-strengthening work, including cross-movement strengthening? Has this been appropriate?
Has the WISER program contributed to WRAM’s effectiveness as an organisation? If so, how?
The consultant(s) are expected to:
Complete a rapid evidence review focused on key elements of the WISER program theory of change (e.g. benefits and risks associated with advocacy for Temporary Special Measures).
Prepare a detailed methodology and submit this for ethics review, either to IWDA’s internal review board or another relevant ethics review board. The methodology should include agreed evaluation questions, an evaluation matrix, list of interviewees, and draft data collection tools.
Complete case studies of WRAM’s work in two provinces where the WISER program was implemented, through:
A desk review of program documents to clarify the scope of the WISER program, key events, and program achievements and challenges;
Interviews with WRAM staff and volunteers, and external stakeholders who can provide insight into the effectiveness and impact of the WISER program.
Conduct additional interviews with WRAM staff and volunteers and external stakeholders, based in provinces and/or Honiara, to explore the relevance and coherence of WRAM’s organisational strategies and movement-strengthening work.
Summarise preliminary findings to be shared with WRAM and IWDA through:
A concise written summary; and
A one-hour oral briefing with WRAM and IWDA staff to discuss findings and key themes.
Plan and facilitate a participatory workshop that engages WRAM and IWDA staff in joint analysis and interpretation of evaluation findings.
Deliver a concise draft report that clearly responds to the evaluation questions in the approved methodology and provides supporting data (e.g. quotes from interviews).
Submit a final report that incorporates feedback from WRAM and IWDA.
We anticipate that interviews will be conducted in person in 2 provinces (to be decided with IWDA and WRAM) and Honiara. The joint analysis and interpretation workshop will also be held in Honiara. Domestic travel will be required for this consultancy, as well as international travel for consultant(s) not based in Solomon Islands. This is part of the overall budget.
REQUIREMENTS
The consultant, or team of consultants, should be able to demonstrate the skills and experience listed below:
Essential
Experience working in one or more countries in the Pacific, preferably engaging with local women’s rights and feminist organisations;
Competence in cross-cultural communication;
Capabilities in program evaluation, as well as organisational or strategic evaluation;
Experience in conducting interviews and desk reviews;
Experience in designing and facilitating participatory workshops; and
Understanding of feminist and decolonial evaluation principles.
Desirable
Understanding of movement-strengthening principles and approaches;
Experience in gender analysis; and
Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline, such as social science or international development.
Preference will be given to a consultant, or team of consultants, who have cultural competence in one or more countries in the Pacific.
HOW TO APPLY
Candidates are invited to submit expressions of interest providing the following:
A cover letter that addresses the criteria as set out in the Requirements above (maximum 1 page);
CV (maximum 2 pages per person);
An outline of the proposed process and timeline to complete all outputs (maximum 1 page), including explanation of how the proposed process aligns with decolonial and feminist principles; and
Daily rate and an outline of anticipated additional costs, to a maximum total of AUD40,000 (including GST for Australia-based consultants).
Expressions of interest that do not cover these requirements will not be considered.
Expressions of interest are required by 11:59pm Wednesday 16th August 2023 and should be sent to Emma Clampett [email protected] with the subject ‘EOI – Strategic evaluation of WRAM’s work to promote women’s political participation and gender equality’.
Here is the link to Terms of Reference
All IWDA consultants are required to
Act at all times in accordance with IWDA’s Code of Conduct and Policies
Comply with IWDA’s Occupational, Health, Safety & Wellbeing Policy and practices
Support a child safe organisation and undertake a police check prior to commencement
