Call for Consultants

The Last Mile Grants - Children of Structurally Silenced Women initiative by the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) aims to gather evidence regarding the obstacles faced by women living with HIV and women from key populations in accessing reliable information and services for preventing vertical transmission. The evidence will be based on the experiences of such women in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa. Key informant interviews with global and regional stakeholders will further inform the development of a Global Report, highlighting the barriers to vertical transmission prevention.

MENA Rosa will implement the data collection in two MENA countries: Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria, Minya) and Morocco (Agadir, Casablanca, Marrakesh and Tangiers).

The overall project will be initiated by a qualitative study in Egypt addressing women's diversity in reproductive age. Data collection will be initiated through different methodologies:

1. Desk review.

2. Focus Group Discussion: FGDs will be implemented during the second quadrant of 2024. The FGD will be an opportunity to provide a short informative session on HIV (transmission, prevention) and treatment literacy.  In Egypt, MENA Rosa will conduct:

• Two FGDs with 15 WLHIV each (among nationals and refugees displaced by conflict) in Cairo and Alexandria.
• Two FGDs with 15 Sex Workers each in Minya.
• One FGD with 15 women who use drugs in Cairo.

Some of the covered topics are HIV testing of pregnant women, delivery of WLHIV, formula milk to children born to a positive woman, pediatric ART, and stigma and discrimination.

3. Key Informant Interviews: The assigned consultant will conduct interviews with national CSOs, local authorities and community advocators.

After collecting data, a national report will be created to highlight the challenges that women at risk and women living with HIV face in accessing services to prevent vertical transmission of HIV. The report will be shared with community leaders and national stakeholders during a roundtable discussion in Cairo. The assigned consultant will use the report to cross-reference the collected data.

This activity will be implemented in close collaboration with the National AIDS Program in Egypt and the UNAIDS country office. Focus group discussions will be held in Cairo, Alexandria, and Minya in partnership with Freedom Association, Caritas, and Friends Association, respectively.

Furthermore, MENA Rosa and the assigned consultant will have regular coordination meetings with the global research consultant of the Last Mile Grant in the five countries mentioned above. The global consultant will assist in developing the data collection tools and gathering data from each country into a global report.

Main responsabilities:

• Develop a research plan and an inception report.
• Coordinate with MENA Rosa Secretariat and Focal Points, local authorities (NAP, UNAIDS) and partner NGOs.
• Conduct regular meetings with the GNP+ team and their global research consultant as needed.
• Develop necessary data collection tools.
• Coordinate with MENA Rosa to develop selection criteria for the participants.
• Draft a detailed agenda of the Focus Group Discussions and the roundtable discussion.
• Develop the interview guide and questionnaire for key informant interviews.
• Conduct the Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews and roundtable discussion.
• Draft a national report based on the collected data.

Deliverables:

• Research plan with a detailed timeline.
• One national report and highlight the experiences and barriers women living with HIV and women from key populations encounter when trying to access reliable information and services to prevent HIV vertical transmission.
• All deliverables are to be submitted in English.

Profile and Qualifications:

• Very knowledgeable in the HIV field.
• Experienced in working with Key Populations, in particular with women living with HIV, sex workers and women who use drugs.
• Well-informed of the national context with previous experiences working in Egypt.
• Excellent written communication skills in English and Arabic.
• Excellent spoken communication skills in Arabic.

Timeline:

According to the timeline, the contract agreement has been scheduled to be signed in May 2024. Following this, the Focus Group Discussions, which will provide a forum for in-depth discussions centered around specific topics, will be implemented between June and July. The aim is to gather valuable insights and opinions from various stakeholders to aid in the successful execution of the project.  The national report, which will include an analysis of the data collected from the Focus Group Discussions, will be finalized in September 2024. This report will provide valuable insights that will guide the project moving forward.