WROs’ MEAL Capacity Strengthening in WVL project Consultancy

Terms of References

WROs’ Capacity Strengthening in WVL Project

Background

Oxfam, in partnership with 4 Women’s Right Organizations (WROs): SEEDS, Madanyat, ONDES and Female is implementing a Canadian Embassy funded project entitled “Women’s Voice and Leadership-WVL.” The project is implemented between March 2022 and March 2025 in Lebanon. WVL aims towards increasing enjoyment of human rights by women and girls and the advancement of gender equality, through three main working streams: 1) Improved management, programming and sustainability of local WROs particularly those representing vulnerable and marginalized women and girls, 2) enhanced delivery of quality services and advocacy by Women Rights Organisations (WROs) to advance gender equality and 3) Increased effectiveness of women's right platforms, networks and alliances to affect gender-sensitive policy change and policy implementation. Oxfam will achieve these intermediate outcomes through increasing the WROs’ organizational capacities, by putting learned skills and knowledge into practice in order to improve their services and advocacy and to influence policy changes aimed at advancing gender equality. Specifically, Oxfam will work on building the organizational Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) capacities of the 4 WROs, focusing on feminist principles. This will be achieved through ensuring that WROs’ staff are equipped with the MEAL knowledge, tools, practices process that are as gender transformative, feminist, and which enhance their gender-just operations.

Under the WVL project, Oxfam generated a baseline study that reflects the organizational capacities of the four WROs pre-selected by Oxfam to engage with the project. Six capacity assessment domains, including MEAL were measured throughout the study, by allowing the WROs to self-assess their organizational capacities through self-scoring and self-identifying the gaps in their respective capacity areas. The findings of the baseline study suggest further development by WROs in the following capacity areas related to MEAL:

• Collecting, analysing and tracking MEAL data in an effective manner
• Undertaking knowledge and data generation for advocacy and learning
• Evaluating programs in an effective manner in order to capture the change they produce.
• Designing and implementing an effective accountability mechanism to capture feedback from relevant stakeholders and follow-up on taking the necessary actions to resolve them.

Purpose and objectives

Oxfam is hiring a consultant/consultancy firm to provide capacity building to 4 WROs in the aim of helping leverage their existing capacities to improve their overall MEAL capacities. This will include individual and adapted capacity strengthening and coaching. Based on an already completed gap analysis, the capacity building program might include introductory to advanced level capacity topics comprising general MEAL and Feminist MEAL topics. Such capacity strengthening program should improve the WROs’ capacities in the generation of knowledge that is accessible, meaningful and useful to those who rightly own it, by designing gender-responsive data collection, analysis and review methods in order to encourage learning and adaptive management.  

Methodological approach

Overall, the methodological approach used by the consultant/firm should be guided by Oxfam’s feminist MEAL principles included in Annex I. Regarding the training module and approach, the most suited methodological approach will be co-created together with the four WROs targeted as part of the project. The approach may involve joint working groups as well as individual meetings and workshops designed to mentor and coach the partners in their capacities and needs. The methods will have to be participatory and interactive co-created together with partners. The level of capacity to be transmitted is intermediary to advanced.

Key topics to Cover

1. Introduction to program Design, Monitoring, Accountability and Evaluation;
2. Overview of MEAL structure and its components, theory of change and their significance in organizations;
3. Designing MEAL framework, and how to track, collect and analyse data;
4. Designing effective accountability mechanism;
5. Introduction to Feminist MEAL, and its importance in Gender Justice projects;
6. Different feminist terminologies and concepts necessary for MEAL processes;
7. Gender-transformative indicators and analysis into MEAL processes;
8. Quantitative and Qualitative Feminist and Innovative MEAL data collection tools and approaches
9. Stakeholders’ engagement in all processes of MEAL from Planning to Evaluation;
10. Development of Learning plans and measurement of change through knowledge generation in order to inform program and advocacy efforts.

Timeline

The total number of working days allocated for this consultancy is set at 20 days.

Activity

Due Date

Submit a comprehensive Capacity building plan to be reviewed and approved by Oxfam and partners

September 5- September 15, 2023 

Deliver Capacity Building program

September 15-November 25, 2023 

Evaluate the capacity building programme

November 30, 2023

Report on capacity building programme

December 10,2023

Expected Outputs

1. One Comprehensive Capacity building plan co-created together with the four partners, which addresses the identified gaps with a clear outline of training modules and activities involved;
2. Capacity building content, materials, handouts, and resources to be used throughout;
3. Delivery of 1-2 capacity strengthening workshops/working groups and 1-2 coaching sessions per WRO (The final number of sessions will be agreed together with the WROs);
4. An impact analysis report after assessing the change in capacities at the partner's level.

Qualifications of the consultants/consultancy firm

• Demonstrated expertise in MEAL methodologies, particularly in the context of development projects and gender-sensitive programming
• Proven experience in integrating feminist principles into MEAL practices and promoting gender equality and inclusion
• Strong facilitation and training skills, with experience in delivering capacity-strengthening to diverse audiences
• Familiarity with Oxfam’s work or other international NGOs will be an advantage
• Fluent in spoken and written English and Arabic

Management of the assignment

The administration of this assignment will be managed by Oxfam. The tasks and deliverables of the consultant will be coordinated with the MEAL focal points at the partner WROs’ level and reported to Oxfam’s MEAL officer for internal review and quality assurance.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

Interested consultants should submit their:

• CVs of consultants and/or role of each consultant recruited under the scope of this assignment for firms;
• A technical proposal which includes a detailed methodology and a workplan for the assignment;
• A financial proposal detailing all costs associated with the assignment;

• Minimum of three references of similar activities implemented, preferably INGO or local NGO experiences.
• Registration and official government documents, if applicable. Noting that 7.5% will be deducted from the total amount if not registered.

Please submit the full application documents (as mentioned above) to lebanonprocurement@oxfam.org.uk by August 27, 2023 midnight mentioning “WROs’ MEAL Capacity Strengthening in WVL project’’ in the Subject line.

Annex

Annex I-Oxfam’s Feminist MEAL Principles Guidance