CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Evaluate Gender and Women's Rights programming at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)

Background

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is a regional Foundation that is part of a global network of the Open Society Foundations. Established in 1997, and based in Johannesburg, OSISA's vision is the realization of a vibrant Southern African society in which people, free from material and other deprivation, understand their rights and responsibilities and participate democratically in all spheres of life. In pursuit of this vision, OSISA's mission is to initiate and undertake advocacy work (and support initiatives by others) that seek to establish the ideals of open society in the region.

Scope of consultancy project

OSISA seeks the services of a team of consultants to undertake an evaluation of OSISA's programming in gender and women's rights in Southern Africa, since its establishment. The evaluation is designed to be an important process that should draw lessons that OSISA ought to learn from its experiences in the past decade, as well as highlight opportunities for the Foundation going forward.

The evaluation has two key overarching objectives, namely:
1. Evaluating the Foundation's strategic approach to women's rights advocacy work (including the various models used in the past, the nature of programmes and initiatives undertaken and supported, and the current design, structure and strategies of the gender and women's rights programming across thematic programmes; operational environment and support systems; focusing especially on assessing how these are effective in promoting and protecting women's rights in the region; and

2. Evaluating the Gender and Women's Rights Programme strategies, initiatives and interventions and assess the programme's effectiveness in mainstreaming gender across other programmes and in leading gender and women's rights advocacy work in the region.

Specific task

In order to fully achieve the two overarching objectives highlighted above, the Consultants will review, assess and evaluate the following interlinked aspects:
A. In terms of Overarching Objective 1: Evaluating the Foundation's Strategic Approach:
1. Review the strategic fit and relevancy of gender and women's rights programming in the Foundation:
a. Sampling of women's rights initiatives and projects across programmes and how these fit into the overall vision and mission of the organisation;
b. Relevancy of gender and women's rights programming in the various thematic programmes;
c. Relevancy of gender and women's rights programming given the socio-economic, political and other realities in the region of its operation;
d. Assess the Foundation's niche in gender and women's rights programming in relation to its competitors and partners working towards the same goals and objectives in the region;
2. Review the various models used towards gender and women's rights promotion and protection in the region;
a. Review and assess the various methods and approaches used;
b. Effectiveness of gender mainstreaming models in the various thematic programmes; and
c. Review and assess thematic programme staff's skills and capacity to mainstream and undertake initiatives from a gender and women's rights perspective.
3. Review and assess institutional support and operational systems
a. Review the institutional policy, finance and ICTs support systems and assess their conduciveness to gender and women's rights programming;
b. Review financial and other resources available to thematic programmes to undertake gender and women's rights work;
B. In terms of Overarching Objective 2: Evaluating the Gender and Women's Rights Programme:
1. Review Programme design and assess to what extent this structuring will ensure delivery on the two programme goals and objectives of mainstreaming gender into thematic programmes and leading the Foundations' gender and women's rights advocacy initiatives in the region;
2. Review and assess the gender and women's rights programme's strategic advantage in relation to its partners and competitors in the region of its operation;
3. Review and assess the key programme strategies and approaches;
4. Review the operational environment and systems (i.e. staff capacity, budgetary allocations, opportunities for skills development and other resources;
5. Review the programme's key partnerships (within and outside the OSF network) and assess to what extent these have advanced the programme's goals and objectives.

The evaluation envisages a process of desk review of documents and plans, as well as interviews with OSISA former and current staff, Board members, former and current partners, beneficiaries of OSISA programmes and projects as well as sister Foundations and network programmes within OSF. The Consultants will be expected to design and develop a comprehensive project sample and action plan for consideration by OSISA, once selected.

The Consultants are expected to deliver to OSISA a comprehensive written report which meets the following specifications:

• Reviews and analyses the various aspects as outlined above;
• Highlights gaps, challenges and opportunities for the Programme and Foundation to achieve its overall objectives of promoting gender and women's rights;
• Highlights and clearly indicates lessons that OSISA and the Gender and Women's Rights programme could learn from its experiences in the past 13 years of women's rights programming in the region;
• Clearly indicates specific recommendations (per each of the above key aspects of the two overarching objectives) that the Programme and the Foundation should consider moving forward (especially given key and emerging issues that are – and will – inevitably affect the quality of life of women in the region).
• The project will be undertaken over 40 days, as follows: all interested Consultants are requested to submit a project proposal and comprehensive indicative project budget, as part of their motivation and application for consideration.
  Consultants' specs
• A team of Consultants (not more than 2) with the following skills and competencies are encouraged to express their interest:
• A Post Graduate Degree in a relevant discipline (eg Social Science, Law, Politics, Economics and Human Rights);
• Specialisation and additional training in gender and women's rights;
• Competence in Organisational Development;
• Verifiable experience in gender mainstreaming at organisational, programme and project levels;
• Demonstrable competencies in gender strategy planning and programme design;
  
• Demonstrable experience in evaluating programmes and projects across countries and also those of a regional nature;
• Knowledge of the socio-economic and political dynamics as well as the social justice issues in the SADC region
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the architecture of women's movements in the region.

Application Process

Those interested should submit a brief project proposal (outlining the tools, methods and sampling model to be used), with a comprehensive indicative budget (including consultancy fees, travel and subsistence costs etc), to:
Tsitsi Mukamba
Email: tsitsim@osisa.org
Tel: +27 11 587 5000
Mobile: +27 83 6615600

Deadline

The Deadline for submissions is close of Business on Friday 06 August 2010.

For more information

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