Research and Manual Development Consultant

About FEMALE

FEMALE is a grassroot civil feminist collective working with women and girls in Lebanon and the SWANA region to eliminate injustice through building a stronger young feminist movement, empowering agents of change and campaigning together against discriminatory norms and policies. FEMALE’s programmes, projects and interventions focus primarily on the needs of women and girls, and other members of the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon including migrant and refugee communities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. With its reach expanding across the SWANA Region, FEMALE seeks to work with women and girls in order to build a strong and more resilient feminist movement, advocate for social, legal and political change as well as reclaim physical and virtual spaces.  FEMALE uses different approaches to reach its objectives including: community mobilization, networking, feminist knowledge production and dissemination, awareness raising, capacities and skills sharing and development, establishing safe spaces and advocacy and campaigning.

Project Background

FEMALE is collaborating on a project with UNICEF, on the establishment of Girls’ networks, implementing initiatives for gender equality in their communities promoting girls’ voice, power, and agency. Girls prior to be engaged in networks will attend tailored life skills package; this comprehensive package will cover topics such as decision making, expressing and dealing with emotions, self-confidence, resolving disagreements, body changes and family planning, safety and responding to violence, online safety, financial education, saving budgeting and spending, collective girl power and strength, embracing diversity and building and leading girl’s networks. A third of 800 girls who attended a tailored life skills package will be supported to establish girls’ networks. The girls’ networks will lead gender equality initiatives in their communities. In addition to girls becoming agents of change in their communities, they will engage harder to reach other adolescent girls to expand their activism and address communities’ perceptions on gender equality, role of girls and women in society and harmful norms and attitudes.  The project aims to have a total of 12 gender equality initiatives in four Makani centers, partners of UNICEF. Girls in networks are part of girls’ scouts, girl CBOs, and girl cooperatives in their respective regions. Therefore, each girl is expected to engage with around 20 girls, increasing the scale of girls reached with knowledge, skills and participation in gender equality initiatives in their region. 

The girls will choose initiatives affecting their lives which links to the situation of girls in Lebanon today. Moreover, the project tackles the community’s gendered norms and attitudes that are the basis of gender inequality globally and in Lebanon.

Within this project, FEMALE is looking for a qualified consultant to develop a guidance manual including practical tips and tools on building and working with girls networks.

Deliverables

1. Inception phase report to include:
   1. desk/literature review and its biography
   2. an outline of interview questions, developed based on the desk/literature review
   3. a list of relevant interviewees and their profiles, developed based on the desk/literature review, including the qualitative interviews (KIIs, FGDs)
   4. timeline for the consultancy.
2. An in-depth research of best practices and strategies of establishing girl-led initiatives and networks (through desk/review and qualitative research): We are seeking expertise in conducting a comprehensive mapping exercise of existing resources and strategies for building networks for girls in Lebanon, including initiatives by UNICEF and FEMALE. The selected consultant will be expected to provide insights into the current landscape, identify gaps, and propose innovative approaches to strengthen existing networks.
3. Develop guidance manual on the establishment and management of adolescent girls’ networks including successful strategies and tactics. The goal is to inform and enhance UNICEF, their partners and humanitarian actors in Lebanon, efforts in supporting girls' networks in Lebanon.
4. Tools for training relevant actors on the implementation of the manual.
5. The resulting manual shouldn’t exceed 15 pages.  The suggested outline (to be confirmed at the start of the consultancy based on consultations with different stakeholders) can be found below:
   1. 1. Executive summary
      2. Introduction/Background to the research
      3. Desk review
      4. Data analysis & conclusions
      5. Overview of best practices, gaps, and innovative approaches and tools to strengthen girls networks
      6. Capacity requirements for the implementation of the manual (background, previous experience, profile)
      7. Actionable steps (before/during/after) on how to build girls’ networks
      8. Additional tips (if any)

The consultancy shall be completed by November 8th, 2024.

Key Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in youth or feminist activism or communication or programs management;
• Experience in community organizing, working with girl-led initiatives and familiar with networks of girl-led initiatives;
• Knowledge of gender and familiarity with the human rights and feminist work approaches, as well as movement building;
• Experience in conducting research, conducting interviews, data analysis and skilled writer;
• Excellent knowledge of Arabic and English is mandatory;
• Excellent ability to write reports, briefing papers and research in English;
• Excellent training skills, tools along with training experience;
• Excellent skills in time management and problem-solving.

*ONLY WOMEN CANDIDATES ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY