Terms of Reference (ToR) Consultancy Assignment: Gender-Transformative VSLA Strengthening, Women’s Leadership Promotion, and Addressing Restrictive Gender Norms

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO with specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in more than 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and displacement-affected communities.

In Ethiopia, DRC works in partnership with local and international actors to strengthen resilience, promote social inclusion, and support economic recovery for vulnerable populations. Through integrated programming, DRC provides humanitarian assistance, supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant, and collaborates with civil society and authorities to promote rights and peaceful coexistence.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a practical, ready-to-use gender-transformative community gender dialogue package that enables DRC and ER-CAP partners to:

• Strengthen women’s leadership, voice, and decision-making within VSLAs and other community platforms
• Address restrictive gender and social norms affecting women’s participat
•  Integrate GBV and protection risk awareness into VSLA programming
•  Equip staff and facilitators with tools for sustained behavior change programming

The consultant will focus on design, curriculum development, and capacity transfer. Implementation will be carried out by DRC and partners.

Background

The Economic Recovery for Conflict‑Affected Populations (ER‑CAP) project, implemented by consortium leader Mercy Corps in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and First Consult, operates in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara to support vulnerable communities through integrated economic recovery, protection, and resilience building interventions.

DRC Ethiopia works directly with local authorities, community groups and implementing partners to strengthen livelihoods, protection services and community‑level financial inclusion, with a particular emphasis on women, youth and households affected by conflict. While VSLAs under ER‑CAP have expanded women’s economic participation, restrictive gender and social norms continue to limit women’s leadership, decision‑making and mobility, and in some contexts increased economic participation has exposed women to heightened risks unable to engage with their full potential with gender restrictive norms, and discrimination.

This consultancy will therefore develop practical, context‑specific tools and a facilitation package to

1.  identify and address the key restrictive norms in the targeted woredas,
   (b) integrate GBV risk mitigation into VSLA programming, and
2.  build the capacity of DRC staff and partners to deliver gender‑transformative community dialogues and ToT sessions that promote equitable gender relations across the project areas.

For More Information Please Refer: ->> Terms of Reference for GESI consultancy to be reviewed

Eligibility, Qualification, and Experience Required

Essential

• Eligibility: Legal authorization to work in Ethiopia.
• Education: Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Development Studies, or a closely related field.
• Experience: Minimum 5 years of proven experience in gender equality and women’s economic empowerment programming, including VSLA integration.
• Technical skills: Demonstrated experience designing gender transformative curricula and facilitation packages; proven track record delivering Training of Trainers (ToT).
• GBV and protection: Strong knowledge and practical experience in GBV risk mitigation and safe facilitation in economic empowerment contexts.
• Context experience: Experience working with NGOs or programs in Ethiopia or similar humanitarian/development settings.
• Language: Fluency in English; Tigrigna, Afaraf and working knowledge of Amharic preferred.
• Safeguarding: Commitment to DRC safeguarding and data protection standards; ability to handle sensitive information and follow referral protocols.

Desirable

• Additional qualifications: Degree or certification in Adult Learning, Curriculum Design, or Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Experience depth: 7+ years in related programming or prior work with VSLAs at community level.
• Local language skills: Fluency in local languages relevant to target areas (e.g., Tigrinya, Afar) an advantage.
• Practical facilitation: Prior experience using participatory, behavior‑change methodologies and tested behavior‑change tools.
• M&E skills: Experience designing simple, practical monitoring tools and pre/post assessment instruments.
• Availability: Ability to travel to field sites and provide up to 5 days remote follow‑up support after handover.