Individual Lead Consultant to Conduct Gender Analysis Across Primary Health Care

Background

As part of its commitment to ensuring universal health coverage, Ethiopia aspires to provide the full spectrum of essential and equitable high-quality health services by strengthening the primary health care system (PHC). This investment, which will be implemented through a partnership between Amref and JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), referred to as Improve Primary Health Care Service Delivery (IPHCSD) from here on, aims to strengthen the functionality of and bidirectional linkage across Ethiopia’s PHC delivery platforms—health post (HP) to the health center (HC) to the primary hospital (PH)—for improved reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health, and nutrition (RMNCAH-N) outcomes. This project will strengthen health system capacity to implement the HEP roadmap, pressure-testing PHC service delivery approaches and modalities, and provide the evidence base to inform improved national PHC policies, leverage larger financing mechanisms, and transform PHC service delivery for improved health outcomes.

As such, this investment, over five years, will focus on approaches that contribute to three objectives at the PHC level: 1) ensure equitable access to and use of essential health services; 2) improve the quality of essential health services, and 3) strengthen technical oversight and accountability. The project will be implemented in eight regions of Ethiopia: Amhara; Oromia; Sidama; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNP); Southwest Ethiopia Peoples; Afar; Somali, and Gambella. These regions were selected to represent agrarian, pastoralist, and agro-pastoral contexts.

This investment will integrate gender into all of the project cycles by conducting gender analysis, developing gender-responsive strategy and building project staff capacity on gender-responsive health programming, implementation, and monitoring. Hence, AMREF and JSI seek to hire an individual or firm consultant who will conduct gender barrier analysis across PHC. The findings of the gender analysis will be used to inform the development of gender-responsive strategy, design gender intentional and transformative interventions, and inform the Ministry to design a gender-responsive PHC system.

Scope of the consultancy work

The gender analysis will be conducted in different contexts (agrarian and pastoralist), in 9 woredas of eight regions (Amhara; Oromia; Sidama; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNP); Southwest Ethiopia Peoples; Afar; Somali, and Gambella), primary health care facilities, and communities.

Objectives:

·       Conduct gender barrier analysis across PHC i.e. from the demand and supply side using human-centered design technique and socio-ecological model for improved access and use of quality RMNCH+N services

·       Identify opportunities for the integration of gender in the PHC system

·       Informed by the gender barrier and opportunity analysis, develop gender responsive and integration strategy for IPHCSD project

Proposed Methodology

The methods used to collect and analyze data should ensure and meet quality standards. The consultant will prepare or adopt appropriate method and tools, which covers the key areas identified in the key tasks of the study.

The tools should be seen and discussed with Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia and JSI project staff before fieldwork starts. Appropriate sample size and sampling techniques which goes with design should be determined for the study during proposal development. Standard tools which are adopted should be used for data collection. Data analysis methods should also be explained in the methods part.

Expected Key Outputs

• Detailed Final proposal: including the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology to be used (for sampling, data collection, and entry, cleaning and data analysis), report structure, deliverables, timelines, budget and CV.

• Final Data Collection Tools.

• First draft of the study report and gender integration strategy.

• Second draft of the study report and gender integration strategy

• Final study report and gender integration strategy and presentations as required.

• Final study report and gender integration strategy: hard copy, complete data set and code book.

Key Deliverables /outcomes

Ø  Desk review report produced

Ø  Qualitative study report produced

Ø  Evidence synthesized and recommendations formulated

Ø  Gender responsive and integration strategy prepared

Required Experience

·       Advanced degree in public health, health science, gender, social science and other related degree with practical gender specific experience

·       Have at least 10 years of experience in the health sector

·       Working experience and have a good understanding of the Ethiopian community health system and primary health care

·       Experience in conducting qualitative study, community dialogue and problem diagnosis

·       Proven experience in conducting gender analysis and developing gender integration strategy/guide

·       Previous experience of applying human-centered design technique to design health interventions is an additional asset

·       Experience of working in the gender space including gender analysis

·       Published work on gender

·       Ability to effectively coordinate with government, NGO, and local stakeholders’ essential, an understanding of sectors coordination mechanisms an asset.

·       Analytical and conceptual ability, demonstrated understanding of qualitative study design and social research methods

·       High quality English report writing and strategy development.