Term of Reference (TOR) Training of Trainers (ToT) on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW)

Background

The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) is non-partisan and non-governmental network established in 2003 by 13 local associations and organizations seeking to create a stronger advocacy voice for women’s rights and advancement. NEWA has a twofold goal: synchronizing the individual endeavors of women associations into an integrated collective effort and create synergy to realize their common aspirations for gender equality; women and girls’ empowerment and ending GBV/VAW/G and launching a vigorous public campaign of promotion, advocacy, and lobbying for women’s rights. Currently, NEWA has 50 member associations and organizations, as its constituency operating all over Ethiopia.

In collaboration with Oxfam GB Ethiopia, NEWA with its partners are implementing a project entitled “WE- CARE Phase V”. This project (WE-CARE Phase V) aims to increase the recognition of UCDW in public policy; reduce heavy and time-consuming UCDW through investments in essential public services and infrastructure; redistribute the responsibility for UCDW more equally between men and women and between households and the state; and ensure that women with care responsibilities are represented in the planning and implementation of budgets and policies that affect their lives. By making women’s voices more recognized and valued as a public good, NEWA aims to help shift how the policy frameworks and economies are structured and how existing legal frameworks, public policies, and public services are designed and delivered to transform the lives of women. In addition to that, it also aims to strengthen gender responsive systems in formal, informal institutions and ensure an enabling environment for Equal participation.

Evidences show that women spend most of their time on domestic care work than what men spend. This condition has not only made women to stay away from playing productive roles but also caused them to face a double burden as many of them are parallelly doing paid works too. This unequal distribution of caring work is attributed to the discriminatory social institutions and stereo types on the one hand and the neglecting policy measures that failed to incorporate the issue of unpaid care work into the development agenda.

Women’s unpaid domestic care work burden is a serious challenge that undermined the achievement of women’s empowerment and gender equality. Like many parts of the world, in Ethiopia, caring work is considered to be the role and responsibility of women. Due to this discriminatory social norm which considers women as the only responsible for domestic care work women are forced to spend considerable proportion of their time on domestic care and reproductive roles. In addition, the issue is still far from the concern of development policies and programs of the major development actors such as the government, CSOs, and the private sector. Above all, there are no enough support mechanisms and initiatives by women right organizations that can help the unpaid care burdened women to save their time and energy and hence to be able to engage on productive activities.

Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) remain largely unrecognized, undervalued, and

disproportionately carried out by women and girls in Ethiopia. To effectively advocate for the

redistribution, recognition, and reduction of care work, Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs)

and their leaders require enhanced knowledge, skills, and leadership capacity. In response,

NEWA is organizing a five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) to build the technical capacity of

Executive Directors and program staff from member organizations to become care advocates and trainers within their communities and institutions.

Purpose of the TOT

• To strengthen the capacity of Executive Directors and senior program staff of WROs to understand, advocate for, and provide training on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work using the 5Rs (Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent, Reward) framework.

GeneralObjectives:

• To empower WROs with the knowledge and facilitation skills needed to deliver UCDW-focused training and integrate care work into their organizational programs and advocacy efforts.

Specific Objective:

• To enhance understanding of UCDW, its causes, impacts, and gendered dimensions.
• To equip participants with in-depth knowledge of the 5Rs framework and national/international care policies.
• To support the WROs to create social movement on UCDW in their locality
• To build facilitation and training skills using participatory and feminist methodologies.
• To support participants in developing organizational action plans to mainstream care work into their programming and advocacy activities.

Training Structure & Methodology

• Participants: Executive Directors and program staff from WROs (NEWA members).
• Duration: 5 consecutive days.
• Format: Training of Trainers (ToT) – interactive, practical, and skills-oriented.
• Case studies & real-life Ethiopian examples of UCDW
• Group work, debates, and problem-solving sessions
• Role-plays, storytelling, and facilitation practice
• Development of organizational action plans
• Reflection and peer feedback

Expected Outputs:

• 30–35 WRO leaders and staff trained as certified UCDW trainers.
• Training materials, agenda, and presentations developed and shared.
• Organizational action plans integrating UCDW advocacy and programming.
• A comprehensive training report including lessons learned, photos, participant list, and evaluation.

Major Deliverables:

• Final TOT training materials with training detail agenda submitted 1 week before the start date.
• Cascading training manual for trainees
• Facilitation of the full 5-day ToT.
• Training report (participant list, key discussions, outcomes, photos, evaluation results).
• Individual/organizational action plans developed by participants/trainees.

Application Requirement

• Technical proposal outlining methodology, session plans, and approach.
• Financial proposal with detailed budget breakdown.
• CVs and references of lead trainers.
• Evidence of similar previous work (reports, links, materials).

Terms of payment and other conditions

• Payment terms and conditions will be outlined in the contract between NEWA and the selected trainer/organization.

Duration and Location of the Assignment

• The training will take place over five consecutive days.
• Location: Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
• Exact dates will be confirmed in consultation with NEWA and the selected facilitator(s) after the contract signing.

Deadline

The deadline for submission of the proposal is 5 p.m. Friday, till December 26, 2025