Consultant On Communication And Leadership Development

Project Title : Women’s Access to Justice in the Middle East and North Africa Region, Phase II Donor:  Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Location: Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, and Lebanon  Duration of project: 1 January 2015 to December 31, 2017 1.BACKGROUND: The Women’s Access to Justice in the MENA region project Phase 2 is a 3 year project being implemented by Justice without Frontiers  in partnership with Oxfam GB and four other NGOs in the MENA region. It is designed to build upon the successes of Phase 1 (April 2011 – March 2014) and Justice without Frontiers’ other legal support and protection work.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been linked to the broader changes in the region that started with the Arab uprisings of 2011. The unstable political environment and unsteady transition however have toned down the optimism among women’s rights advocates. Among many today there is a realization that fostering women’s rights in a region of weak institutions, male-dominated social and cultural sphere m, and limited space for women’s participation, is a long-term process requiring action at multiple levels. The key problem this project is currently addressing is the limited and inequitable access of poor and vulnerable women to justice. The underlying factors are described in more detail below. 1)      Limited capacities of women to claim their rights due to limited ability to make well informed decisions related to one’s rights and limited affordability of legal services and litigation for women. 2)      Women are socially deterred from accessing the judicial system. 3)      Formal and informal justice systems are perceived as gender biased/ discriminating against women. 4)      Limited impact of CSO advocacy on women’s rights and access to justice.   Designed by Justice without Frontiers and partners, this project is working at the personal, community and systemic levels while fostering stakeholders’ engagement and influencing decision makers at all levels. According to the theory of change the Project seeks change at different levels that will cumulatively create an environment in which women are able to claim their rights through the judicial institutions.   On the personal level, the project aims at identifying and exploring potential collaboration with existing women empowerment programmes in turn aiming to empower women in terms of further developing their communication and leadership development skills in addition to increasing their knowledge of their rights.   2.PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY: The consultancy aims at:       Assisting in identification and exploration of potential collaboration with existing women empowerment programmes.       Producing support materials for the empowerment programme including manuals, leaflets, trainings, and so on.       Preparing and implementing a training on leadership, communication and negotiation skills.       Preparing and implementing a training on group facilitation skills.   3. EXPECTED OUTPUTS: Preparation of materials for both trainings; one being on leadership, communication and negotiation skills and one of group facilitation skills. The materials include:                                  - Pre-Post Evaluation Forms including all the main issues that are expected to be acquired throughout the training.                                  - A report in English tackling the following issues: the number of attendees, the number of attendees having attended all sessions, the number of attendees showing active participation, the number of participants having acquired minimum knowledge. Preparation of the supporting materials for the empowerment programme including manuals, leaflets and so on.    4. TIMELINE: Justice without Frontiers is expecting the completion of the consultancy tasks according to the following table: Identified Task Number of Days to Fulfill Task Production of supporting materials 20 consecutive working days Training on leadership, communication and negotiation skills 5 working days (5 sessions, each with 20 different women) Training on group facilitation skills 2 working days (2 sessions, each with 15 different women) The Consultant will directly report to the WAJ team. The Consultant will work closely and in consultation with Justice without Frontiers.   5. BUDGET: The budget for this task is of maximum 5,600 USD including all type of expenses Payment will be done in two instalments: 25% upon contract signature and 75% upon approval of the final report by Justice without Frontiers. 6. CONSULTANT PROFILE The ideal consultant will have at least 5-7 years of relevant experience. The consultant should have the following skills and competencies: Experience in development projects Proven record in the development and implementation of women empowerment programmes. Good understanding of gender justice work and familiarity with the reality of women in Lebanon. Experience in preparation and implementation of trainings on leadership, communication and negotiation skills as well as training on group facilitation skills. Ability to communicate fluently in English and Arabic (preferably) and write reports in English. S/he is expected to propose efficient and effective team composition taking into consideration the social, cultural, environmental and political/security issues. Good understanding of gender sensitivities and questions that might arise in such trainings.