Gender Consultant for CARE Timor

TERMS OF REFERENCE: Gender Consultant
CARE International in Timor-Leste
Location of assignment: Dili, Timor-Leste (with field travel)
Duration of assignment: 15 days. From approximately 11 -28 January (excluding travel time)
Responsible to: Country Director

Main counterpart: Agricultural Program Manager

Introduction
CARE International in Timor-Leste(CITL) as a member of CARE Australia, shares the vision that:

CARE Australia will be a recognised leader in achieving significant, positive and sustainable impact on poverty and social injustice through the empowerment of women and their communities.
More specifically, as per CARE’s Strategy 2015:

CARE Australia and its Country Offices are widely recognised for their emphasis on women’s empowerment in programming, operations and advocacy.
PURPOSE
CARE International in Timor Leste’s (CITL) Hadia Agrikultura no Nutrisaun (HAN) project is half way through its four year implementation. It is funded by the EU, and builds on the successes of the previous Local Initiatives for Food Security Transformation (LIFT) project (2007-2010).
A Mid Term Review (MTR) is planned for mid January 2012. This MTR will be followed by a one week all-staff planning workshop to reflect on the lessons of the MTR, and develop an annual workplan and costed work plan.
The gender consultant will participate as a member of the MTR and provide analysis of the HAN activities in terms of gender transformation and women’s empowerment. The consultant will report to the MTR on their findings and make recommendations on how gender can be better incorporated into the project. The consultant will also develop a draft concept for Rural Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment, which builds on HAN activities, for submission to a potential donor.
BRIEF BACKGROUND on the HAN pROJECT
The overall development objective of HAN is to improve food security and strengthen the resilience of farming households in two western districts of Timor-Leste, thereby contributing to the government’s food security policy.
HAN works with 3,000 vulnerable households in target communities, and mobilise communities’ self-help capacity, in Liquica and Bobonaro Districts to ensure they have an adequate quantity and of diversity of food. Target households are reached through 200 farmer groups. Of the total members of these groups, approximately 60% are women. The major activities supported by HAN for farmer groups are: agriculture production, income generation, seed production and storage techniques, kitchen gardens, community multipurpose nurseries, Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT), water ponds, composting, and strengthening linkages of farmer groups with government agriculture extension workers. It also supports the capacity building of the local partner NGO.
The HAN project has a gender strategy that recognises the gendered division of labour in rural communities and the implication this has on women’s and men’s engagement in the project activities.
DELIVERABLES
The consultant will conduct an analysis of the gender dynamics of the agricultural sector in Timor Leste, with particular reference to the objectives and activities of the HAN project. The analysis should assess the practical and strategic gender needs of rural women; the contribution CARE activities are making or could make to enhancing gender equality to women’s empowerment.
This analysis will have a dual purpose of a) informing the HAN MTR so as to improve the integration of gender into the project activities in the remaining two years; and b) developing a complementary concept for a specific women’s empowerment project.
Therefore deliverables for this consultancy are:
A. HAN MTR
1. A presentation of the findings and recommendations at the MTR workshop (23 January)
2. Contribution to the MTR report including the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment to the MTR findings and recommendations. This should also include a detailed section on gender dimensions in the agricultural sector in Timor.

B. Project Concept

3. A Design Concept for a Rural Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment project, no longer than 12 pages plus annexes for submission to a potential donor. The Concept should build on an existing draft concept (refer Annex A) but needs to be strengthened and designed around CARE’s Women’s Empowerment Framework (with a focus on agenda, structure and relational levels).
The concept should include:
Background
Analysis of gender issues in Timor-Leste
Capacity of CARE International in Timor-Leste
Program Strategies e.g. approaches to partnership
Impact Goal, End of Project Outcomes, Medium and Short Term Outcomes and Indicative Activities
Indicative Budget
This concept should be for one project of approximately AUD300,000 per annum for three years. It should build on the experience of LIFT and HAN and provide complementary activities that reinforce gender equality outcomes of HAN. Consideration should also be given to how substantial aspects of the proposal can contribute to a financial match for the HAN project.

MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
The consultant will report to the CITL Country Director and the Agricultural Program Manager. S/he will also liaise with CITL Gender and Protection Focal Point. CARE Australia will provide guidance on the CARE Strategy 2015, the Program Approach, Program Standards, the Unifying Framework, Women’s Empowerment Framework, CARE’s Strategic Impact Inquiry and other program quality tools.

CARE Timor-Lestewill assist with necessary logistical support in-country such as accommodation arrangements, local transport, and interpreter/s.
METHODOLOGY
· Phone briefing with the CARE Australia Gender Advisor and Senior Program Officer in Canberra; and the Assistant Country Director – Program and Agricultural Program Manager in Timor Leste.

· Review secondary documentation on HAN and CARE’s approaches to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

· Develop methodology for assessing gender within the HAN project, preferably using CARE’s Women’s Empowerment Framework and CARE’s Good Practices Framework on Gender Analysis. Discuss the methodology and field logistics with CARE Timor-Lesteand the other MTR members, to ensure its feasibility.

· Meetings and interviews with key HAN staff

· Participate as a member of the MTR on field visits to HAN project sites and meetings with stakeholders.

· Develop draft report and present at a workshop of key project staff

· Work with the MTR team to draft the final MTR report, incorporating gender equality and women’s empowerment within the reports’ findings and recommendations, and with detailed information on the gender dimensions of agriculture in Timor Leste

· Development of the Project Concept – building on the existing draft gender concept developed by CITL.

· Finalise report and proposal concept

TIMEFRAME

Ideally the MTR will take place from 16-20 January. The consultant would then present findings at a CITL workshop on 23 -24 January.
In home base – briefing with CARE Australia and CARE Timor Leste, initial document review, and draft methodology developed (2-3 days)
In Timor – participation in MTR, field visits, meetings, workshop, and preparation of report (16-24 January)
In home country –finalizing the report and proposal concept (3-4 days)

CONSULTANT SELECTION CRITERIA
· Advanced university degree in a relevant field

· Extensive experience in gender and development, gender analysis and women’s empowerment and agriculture/rural development

· Extensive experience in project design

· Fluency in English

· Previous experience in Timor-Leste

· Fluency in Tetun or Indonesian preferable

Annex A: Draft Rural Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment

as at 1 December 2012

Impact: Rural women’s economic and social status enhanced through better access and control of productive resources

Long-term Outcomes

· Rural women and men in target communities have better access to and control over skills, markets, income, and productive and time saving resources

· Rural women in target communities gain improved self -confidence, mobility in public, decision making influence in the household and community, and be willing and able to take on more leadership roles

· Informal and informal structures at the local level (local government, private sector operators, community and family institutions) demonstrate more gender-inclusive beliefs and practices

· Lessons learnt from CARE’s approaches are shared at national and district level and adapted by other stakeholders

End of Project Outcomes and key activities

Outcome1: To improve women’s access and control of financial resources through the establishment of locally appropriate savings and loans groups

· Savings and Loan groups established through existing Farmers Groups (with minimum 50% women membership)

· Groups assisted to develop own rules for saving and lending members’ money

· Groups provided with basic training in finance management and regular monitoring to assist with capacity development and provide initial guidance

NOTES:
CARE doesn’t provide credit – groups operate purely on own savings
Work with mixed groups so that men and women are both engaged and neither are alienated, however will have rules about min % of women in each group. Engaging men will also help increase their recognition of women as equals within the groups.
Initially pilot the S&L groups within successful Farmers Groups i.e. those from LIFT and HAN that have demonstrated abilities to work cooperatively and to produce results
Savings can be used for both productive and consumption smoothing purposes – recognizing that we work with highly vulnerable people.
Model will be piloted in selected sucos, drawing on lessons from existing models in Timor and used by CARE internationally.
S&L groups are a proven mechanism for also increasing women’s social empowerment (e.g. through leadership skills, networking, mobility and increased self-confidence)
Take account of findings and recommendations from CARE’s Strategic Impact Inquiry (refer to brief “Women’s Empowerment & Village Savings & Loans Associations” https://pqdl.care.org/sii/SIILibrary/SII%20Women%27s%20Empowerment%20and%20VSLA%20Brief%202009.pdf)
Outcome 2: To improve women’s access and control of productive resources including labour saving and appropriate technology

Building on the work of LIFT and HAN the project will pilot and roll out the following technologies targeting women farmers:
Water ponds and water supply systems especially for kitchen gardens and home use
Fuel-efficient stoves, drum ovens, maize grinders, seed storage drums

· Community managed forestry for renewable firewood
Outcome 3: Increased women’s income and access to markets through value-adding to local products

· Development and demonstration of locally appropriate processes for value adding to local produce e.g. banana chips, corn meal products, dosi, tempah, soap?

· Competitions and fairs for promoting new ideas among women and for assessing “local market interest” in products
Outcome 4: Improved understanding of the gender dimensions of rural communities in the 3 districts and improved gender equality and relations within households and communities

· Gender & power analysis conducted at beginning mid-term and end of project; and findings integrated into key activities

· Gender sensitization of CARE staff, government and NGO partners, local leaders, and women and men members of the Farmer’s Groups

· Integrate messages around gender issues such as maternal health, women’s workloads, and gender-based violence into S&L training and activities; also through the Lafaek Community Magazine

· Project findings and lessons learnt disseminated through forums and “good practice” publications.

Thanks and regards,

_________________________________________

Dian W. Saputri | Human Resource Manager | CARE Timor Leste