Gender, Ethnic Minority and Poverty research Specialist

Terms of Reference for a Community, Socio-Culture and Gender Assessment (Study 3)

Position Title: Gender, Ethnic Minority and Poverty research Specialist
Location: Hanoi, Lao Cai, and Son La
Period: 16 January 2018 to 15 June 2018
Inputs: Approximately 25 days for 01 national consultant (with additional 18 days for 02 research assistants to assist the fieldwork)
Reporting To: Team Leader with coordination to Technical Panel Coordinator

Background: CowaterSogema is recruiting a Gender, Ethnic Minority and Poverty research specialist to assist the Aus4Equality (GREAT) project team in conducting a background study on community, socio-culture, and gender assessment. This GREAT project is a socio-economic development initiative working in Son La and Lao Cai provinces and funded through the Australian Aid Program in Vietnam. The Program aims to increase women’s economic participation and decision-making through improved access to markets and more effective engagement in the agriculture and tourism value chains in ethnic minority regions of North-West Vietnam.

The overall aim of this micro-level study is to provide the GREAT project and its partners with a thorough understanding of the community contexts in which the project will take place, with a particular focus on creating a profile and assessment of the situation for poor andethnic minority women. The study will identify 4 potential communes in each province that the project is going to target and will undertake in-depth assessments of these. A key objective of the study will be to perform a gender and power analysis at household, community, and sector levels in order to shed light on women’s agency and power in decision making processes, particularly in terms of managing household and production/income related finances and expenditures, production and marketing related decisions, access to livelihood opportunities and resources, and levels of mobility, etc. This gender and power analysis will be crucial for the GREAT project to shape its GESI plan, the theory of change, engagement strategy, innovation plan etc.

This study will use the Markets for the Poor (M4P) and women’s empowerment approaches (such as WEAMS, WEAI, GALS etc.) as the main analytical frameworks. Indicative study questions are below:

• Who are the actors that influence gender and power relations within households, livelihood activities and workplaces, and communities in the project target areas? What are the roles of different actors in these gender and power relations?
• How do different factors such as norms, customary laws, practices, divisions of labour, misperceptions and stereotypes, attitudes, beliefs, legislation etc. affect the position of EM women and influence gender and power relations, within the household and in other spheres such as the market, workplace and community?
• Taking an actor-orientated ethnographic approach, what are the drivers of change in terms of gender relations and equality, what are women’s motivations, aspirations, priorities, concerns, etc.?
• What are the market institutions that may work towards improving the position of women in terms of gender equality and power dynamics?
• What are the existing policies related to gender and power relations? What are the implementation challenges and policy gaps?
• What are the lessons learned, both successes and failures, from the past and current engagement of development partners, NGOs, and the private sector in gender equality and women’s empowerment among EM communities in Son La and Lao Cai?

The study will consist of two elements. The first element is to provide an assessment of the communities that the Project is going to target and a profile of the poor and ethnic minority women in these pilot communities. It is important to note that the target areas and beneficiaries of the project have not been identified yet by the project design. Therefore, this element of the study will provide suggestions on how the target areas should be identified and within the target areas, who should be the primary and secondary target beneficiaries. Based on these suggested target areas and beneficiaries, the study will describe the basic characteristics of the target communities as well as profiles of poor and ethnic minority women in the selected communities. In this community assessment, it is important to make sure that adequate attention will also be paid on interconnected social, economic and environmental systems surrounding the communities, especially the market systems which regulate job and income generation possibilities for the poor and for women.

The second element of this study is to perform a gender and power analysis of the target communities. One pillar of the project’s theory of change is to provide support to enhance women’s skills and access toopportunities, assuming that these improvements would then translate into enhancements of women’s power in decision making processes. While improvements in skills and access are possible within the project’s resources, whether and how these improvements will be translated into increasing women’s power in decision making processes within their households, communitesor workplaces are less obvious. These transformations will depend on various factors, including situation and dynamics of gender power. This element of the study is expected to provide insights on (unequal) gender and power relations and dynamics in the project target areasand hence to provide recommendations on how the project could address barriers (norms, customary laws, practices, divisions of labour, misperceptions and stereotypes, attitudes, beliefs, legislation etc.) to change.

The study will led by the GREAT team (mainly the Team Leader, Advisor with inputs from other senior management and the project’s Technical Panel). A Gender, Ethnic Minority and Poverty Research Specialist will be recruited to collaborate with the GREAT team in some parts of this study. Two research assistants will also be mobilized to support the fieldwork.

Specific duties of the gender specialist

The GREAT team will lead the study. The gender, ethnic minority and poverty specialist is expected to perform the following duties as needed and agreed with the GREAT team, depending on timing of recruitment:

TASK 1: Getting on board

• The GREAT team will organize an orientation week between 15-19 Jan to discuss among the team and a technical panel of experts about the background studies (including this study) and other strategic inputs for the Inception Phase of the project. In particular, the team will discuss the existing evidence on the study questions, the gaps for next steps, as well as design of the tools for data collection. The outlines of the deliverables (e.g. Aide Memoire, Final Report, Policy Brief etc.) will also be discussed.If possible, the consultant will participate in the orientation sessions on Wednesday January 17 and Thursday January 18 (am). Otherwise the consultant will be briefed by GREAT team on the study’s methodology, data collection and analysis tools, fieldwork plan etc. The consultant should contribute his/her expertise to finalise the data collection tools;
• To get on board fully, the consultant will also spare some work days to review the key documents and findings from GREAT desk review. existing literature etc. This is to ensure that the consultant and the GREAT team will be on the same ‘footing’ before conducting the fieldwork (below).
• Given the understanding of the study design and the requirement for the fieldwork, the consultant will propose candidates for 02 research assistants to assist the fieldwork. The GREAT team will approve these 02 research assistants.
• The consultant will liaise and coordinate closely with the other 2 research teams (market systems, policy and institutional assessment) in order to ensure consistency and alignment in methodology and approach.

TASK 2: Fieldwork

The intensive fieldwork will be organized in both Son La and Lao Cai provinces.

The purpose of the fieldwork will be:

• To collect data for a community assessment of the 8 pilot communities (4 communities per province). This will then serve as baseline for the Project in these pilot communities;
• To collect relevant information on the potential target areas and beneficiaries according to the proposed targeting criteria (to select the target areas and beneficiaries);
• To perform fieldwork for power and gender analysis in the project target areas. This is the most intensive part of the fieldwork.
• Areas of investigation will potentially include: mapping of ethnographic, demographic and poverty data for the 2 provinces; profiles of each socio-cultural group in each commune; a detailed assessment of gender issues, cultural norms and beliefs; the gender roles (differentiated by age) in each group; the current diversity of both formal and informal income streams (including social protection payments); gender roles relate to income generation and family food production; the nature and frequency of disability; access to and use of land and water resources;

Debriefing(s) are organized right after the completion of the fieldwork in each province. This is to allow an opportunity for the GREAT team to present the preliminary findings and observations as well as strategic recommendation with the relevant stakeholders, partners, as inputs to the provincial engagement strategies.

Participating in this task, the consultant will support the team to do data collection. Assignment of work between the GREAT team and the consultant will be discussed and jointly agreed. It is likely that the consultant will focus on conducting qualitative data collection tools for power and gender analysis. In addition, the consultants might also be required to coordinate inputs from the 02 research assistants.

TASK 3: Data analysis and report writing

The consultant will contribute to data analysis and writing up the deliverables. Task assignment between the GREAT team members and the consultant will be discussed and jointly agreed at the orientation sessions. It is likely that the consultant will contribute to the following deliverables:

• Aide Memoire: this is required before submission of the study report for to provide the GREAT team with main findings and recommendations which could then be inputs for the GREAT team to develop a number of deliverables required for the Inception Phase (to be completed before the Mid of April 2018) including provincial engagement strategies, GESI plan, innovation plan, theory of change etc.;
• Final report: after the submission of the Aide Memoire, the final report with more detailed analysis (compared to the Aide Memoire) will be developed;

Workplan and Deliverables

Workplan: the study workplan is outlined below (the consultant is not required to participate in all the stages of this workplan, but will participate if timing permits):

• Jan 15-19, 2018: Orientation, discussion on study methodologies
• Jan 20- Feb 4, 2018: Desk review, methodology and work plan, and report outlines;
• Feb 05, 2018: Finalise data collection instruments with detailed field work plan and report outline
• February 26-Mar 18, 2018: Fieldwork and debriefing
• Mar 31, 2018: Submission of the Aide Memoire with key findings and recommendations;
• April 15 2018: GREAT team utilize the Aide Memoire and other related information generated from this study to revise/enhance the project strategies and plans required for the Inception Phase;
• May 05, 2018: First draft of the report;
• May or June, 2018 (tbc): Presentation at workshop as parts of the project kick-off;
• Jun 15, 2018: Final report and a 2-page Policy Brief.

Deliverables: the consultant will not be required to submit any complete deliverables. Instead, his/her input will be parts of some key deliverables (mainly Aide Memoire, draft and Final Report). Details will be discussed and jointly agreed between the GREAT team and the consultant. It is likely that the consultant will submit:

• All the fieldnotes (in all forms) from the meetings, interviews, or focus group discussions that the consultant and the 02 research assistants are assigned for the fieldwork;
• Parts of Aide Memoire and Final Reports that are assigned to the consultant;
• In addition, some technical inputs from the consultant will also be required such as slides for workshops, inputs for the deliverables of the Inception Phase etc.

Required Qualifications:

For the consultant:

Required Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Postgraduate degree in relevant subjects, such as ethnograhy, gender studies, inclusive development;
• At least 5 years experience with proven track record on conducting similar analysis (gender analysis, power analysis, ethnic minorities), poverty and gender and in undertaking qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory research;
• Clarity of analysis and written expression;
• Ability to work under pressure of strict timeframe and deadlines;
• Fluency in Vietnamese and English;

Desired Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Knowledge and experience in the North-West region, especially in Lao Cai and Son La; understanding the local EM languages and culture are an asset; cultural awareness, sensitivity and a respectful attitude are essential
• Having intension to contribute in the resource network of consultants that will be developed and maintained by the project;
• Female and EM candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

For 02 research assistants:

• University derees in relevant subjects;
• At least 03 years experience in conducting various data collection tools for gender analysis, power analysis;
• Ability to work under pressure of strict timeframe and deadlines;
• Knowledge and experience in the North-West region, especially in Lao Cai and Son La; understanding the local EM languages and culture are an asset; cultural awareness, sensitivity and a respectful attitude are essential
• Female and EM candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

Application

Interested consultants should send their most update CV (with details of at least two referees), max 3-page CVs of the proposed research assistants (if assistants are also included at this stage), a letter of interest, and at least one sample of previous work in English.

The consultant should propose the candidates for 02 research assistants as part of his/her application (another option is to propose the 02 assistants after recruitment). The contract will be awarded to the most qualified consultant, who will also sign the contract on behalf of the 02 research assistants that he/she proposes.

The letter of interest should not be more than 5 pages with the followings:

• Demonstration of in-depth knowledge and experience related to the duties of this study;
• Proposed consultancy rates (other cost such as travel etc. will be covered by the Project).

Interested candidates should submit to [email protected] [1], indicating “Community, gender and power analysis” in the subject, before COB Jan 14, 2018.