TERMS OF REFERENCE for Three  consultants for three countries (Kosovo, Montenegro and Slovenia), Movement-Led Approach, Gender Justice CURE Foundation

Prolongation of the deadline for submission of applications FOR SLOVENIA, KOSOVO and MONTENEGRO: July 24, 2022

About CURE Foundation:

CURE Foundation is a feminist-activist organization that promotes gender and sex equality and works for positive social changes through educational, cultural, and research programs. By organizing affirmative action, CURE celebrates the strength and power of women, and helps empower individuals so that they can become initiators of social changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the world. CURE is an organization of professionals and volunteers who go out on the streets as a sign of protest against violence, discrimination, violation of laws, and basic human rights.

About Global Fund for Women

Global Fund for Women envisions a world where movements for gender justice have transformed power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all.

Summary

CURE Foundation carrying out the Movement-Led Approach (MLA) launched by Global Fund for Women in the Western Balkans region[1] to support the Gender Justice Movement in responding to the rise of the anti-gender movement in the region.

CURE Foundation for Global Fund for Women is seeking to recruit eight (8) consultants – research organization or independent researcher/team to conduct a comprehensive landscape analysis of the current state of feminist movements mobilizing against sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and anti-gender justice movements in the eight (8) countries: Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), Croatia and Slovenia.

The extension of this call applies only to Kosovo, Montenegro and Slovenia.

This analysis and information will be used to establish an intersectional, intergenerational, feminist collective that is constituted by representatives of the WBR [2] feminist collective efforts and movements organizing against anti-gender movements in the WBR. This collective will develop a three-year strategy for the feminist movement to counter the crisis of rising anti-gender movements and SGBV[3] in the WBR along with an approach for a participatory grantmaking process grounded in the needs of movement actors. We envision the landscape analysis as a comprehensive resource that will map out key actors, priorities, needs, opportunities, and challenges for the movement.

Note: Each of the eight countries in the WBR will have its own research organization or independent researcher/team. 

Movement-Led Approach

Over the course of 30+ years, Global Fund for Women has supported the fight for gender justice around the globe. GFW[4] began its work providing critical funding to grassroots women-led and girl-centered organizations, over time developing a thematic approach focused on groups whose issue areas aligned with GFW organizational priorities and values. Today, building the power of local collective organizing to address the systemic shifts needed to advance gender justice, GFW are shifting to an approach that supports gender justice movements to make decisions about what resources they need to be strong, connected, and impactful.

Over the past 50 years, women’s movements have led to more egalitarian workplace regulations, more equitable land rights, better access to financial institutions, expanded legal protections for domestic workers, and protection from sexual harassment. Additionally, GFW recognizes that girls and young women are organizing in innovative and creative ways thereby strengthening feminist movements globally. Yet movements are consistently under-resourced, and funders have struggled to effectively meet their needs.

By shifting towards a movement-led approach, Global Fund for Women will fuel rising people power globally to increase their impact and accelerate change. This shift is significant and cannot happen overnight. As we move towards a movement-led approach, we will undergo a period of transition where we embrace a learning mindset and remain open to feedback and information to help strengthen our strategies.

The landscape analysis commissioned through this consultancy will play a major role in learning about the current state of organizing for Balkans feminist collective actions and movements countering anti-gender movements and gender-based violence in the Western Balkans region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia), Croatia and Slovenia. The goal is to understand how the feminist movement in the eight countries works collectively, to map key actors and the way they work together, as well as the resources available for these collective actions in order to inform a three-year collective strategy to strengthen the impact of feminist mobilizations against anti-gender movements in the WBR.

Selection criteria

All consultants should meet the following criteria:

  • Holding a University degree;
  • Having excellent knowledge of the position of women's human rights in the countries they are applying for including the knowledge of a deep feminist analysis based on anti-oppression, anti-war, anti-white supremacy, etc.
  • Having knowledge of feminist movements mobilizing against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and anti-gender justice movements in the countries they are applying for.
  • Having knowledge/experience and good relations with groups/organizations/networks that work on the rights of women, girls, and trans people and whose focus is on women's rights and SGBV prevention in the countries they are applying for.
  • Understanding the context of the state from the perspective of achieving gender equality in the countries they are applying for.
  • Having minimum 3 years of research experience and experience in collecting primary data and fieldwork (experience in qualitative research in analysing documents, and conducting interviews).
  • Having 3 years of experience from previous involvement as a consultant for women's rights and gender justice in the countries they are applying for.
  • Having knowledge of market research techniques and tools and demonstrated ability to write high-quality, methodologically sound papers in English.
  • Having exceptional time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
  • Having solid communication skills and sensitivity to the target group.
  • Having a working level of English.

There is no standard format for the proposal. The consultant's proposal should consist of the following:

a) Consultant's CV (preferable CV in the EU Format) with detailed information concerning past experience in the field of consultation, particularly dealing with the research in women’s human rights, gender equality and women’s NGO sector, as well as the list of biographical information of the conducted consultations.

b) The narrative proposal should be clear and concise with goals and objectives for the consultation as well as a described working methodology (including a compensation plan for persons interviewed, and additional questions recommended to add in order to achieve the aims of the analysis). Assigning two recommendations and 1-2 examples of similar projects.

c) Evaluation agenda. The detailed schedule with planned hours (e.g. desk review, interviews with relevant stakeholders, etc).

d) Consultant's budget. The budget should include a fee per day for the whole consultation period. Transport, food, and accommodation costs are included in this fee for the work in the countries they are applying for. (except when the CURE Foundation requests attendance at a conference in BiH). The consultant shall suggest a daily fee/rate per day in EUR and the number of days for the assignment.

NOTE: Each consultant or group shall apply to conduct an analysis of a country in which they are active and have the experience required in the Selection criteria section.

Consultant's outputs                                                                                                                        

The eight (8) consultants – research organization or independent researcher/team is expected to produce a written comprehensive landscape analysis of the current state of feminist movements mobilizing against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and anti-gender justice movements in the eight (8) countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia and deliver the final version in English to CURE by December 10, 2022.  

 In order to produce the requested product „Movement-Led Approach, Gender Justice and SGBV“ for the country they are applying for, the consultants will conduct the following:

  1. Design Research Process & Methodologies in consultation with CURE Foundation.
  2. Desk review of the analysis of the existence and number of organizations dealing with the rights of women, girls and trans persons whose focus of activities are women's rights and prevention of SGBV; analysis of the existence and number of networks/formal/informal groups/movements within the country and topics that are the focus of action concerning gender justice and SGBV in the country they are applying for; creating a bibliography with links of documentation regarding women's rights and socio-economical position of women, including existing legal framework; the existence of institutions at the state/entity level and their relevance to the exercise of gender justice and the suppression of SGBV.
  3. Data Collection (surveys, key-informant interviews) – Mapping actors within this movement and conducting interviews, and surveys with representatives of the relevant stakeholders – organizations whose focus is gender justice and SGBV prevention with the aim of getting answers about the movement’s needs in the targeted country.
  4. The second part of the research includes the implementation of focus groups at a conference that CURE Foundation plans to organize (and also will cover the costs of transportation, accommodation and food for participants) – the consultant is expected to identify 5 (five) leaders of the movement in their countries to attend the conference and focus group. The consultant is expected to conduct a focus group and be active in analyzing the shared experiences and conclusions of the conference, which will deal with the identification and explanation of the movements represented in 8 (eight) countries. The goal is to understand how the feminist movement in the eight countries works collectively, to map key actors and how they have worked together, as well as the resources available for these collective actions and what are the needs to strengthen the impact of feminist mobilizations against anti-gender movements in the WBR.
  5. Results of the landscape analysis of the current state of feminist movements mobilizing against SGBV and anti-gender justice movements including a concrete conclusion, summary and recommendations which will be used to create grant making model that serves the needs of the movement and its decision-making process and broader movement community as needed.
  6. Provide final landscape analysis report to CURE Foundation (25 pages, Font: Times New Roman 12 in English); additionally, submit a bibliography with links and data collection.

The consultants will focus on the following aspects:

  • Ecosystem of this movement (including visible and not so visible actors)?
  • How have movement actors worked together?
  • What are the strengths and challenges of the movement to sustain and grow?
  • What types of resources has the movement mobilized (financial and non-financial) and what does the movement need most to move forward?
  • How do we ensure greater diversity of people and opinions in spaces where mobilizations are taking place against gender-based violence?

Schedule

The consultants from Montenegro, Kosovo and Slovenia will be engaged in the period from July 28, 2022 till  December 10, 2022, for a maximum of 30 working days.

The payment for the work will be defined in the contract.

The payment will be made in two installments The first payment of 30% will be paid after signing the contract. The second installment of 70% of the remaining amount will be paid upon completion of the works and delivery of the final product to CURE, with all necessary documentation according to the administrative procedures of CURE.

THE APPLICATION FORM MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH!

NOTE! There is no standard format for the proposal.     

Organizations and freelance consultants wishing to submit proposals should do that by the given deadline. All applications based on the above-mentioned criteria received by the 24th of July 2022 will be considered.

Applications have to be sent to  application@fondacijacure.org, with a note in the application and in the subject of the e-mail for which country the consultant is applying for to do the analysis.

If you require any further information, feel free to contact us.


[1] Western Balkans region includes Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), Croatia and Slovenia

[2] WBR –  abbreviation for Western Balkans region

[3] SGBV – abbreviation for Sexual and Gender-based violence

[4] GFW – abbreviation for Global Fund for Women

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