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

1. Who is the Danish Refugee Council?

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.

2. 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 participation
•  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.

3. 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.

4. Objective of the Consultancy

Purpose Design, pilot, and hand over a practical, gender‑transformative community dialogue package that strengthens women’s leadership in VSLAs, reduces harmful gender norms, and integrates GBV and protection risk mitigation into VSLA programming. The package must be ready for immediate use by DRC staff and partners.

Expected Results

1. Context inputs summary — A concise consultative summary identifying the top 5 restrictive gender norms and key GBV/protection risks in the targeted woredas.
2. Curriculum and toolkit — A complete facilitator guide, 8–12 session plans, participant handouts, job aids, and simple monitoring tools delivered in editable and PDF formats.
3. Behavior change tools — Reflection cards, household discussion prompts, and a community norm tracking sheet for routine VSLA use.
4. ToT delivered — One 4–5 day Training of Trainers for up to 30 participants with pre/post assessments showing at least 70% of participants meet the agreed facilitation competency threshold.
5. Final handover package and report — Finalized materials incorporating ToT feedback, a 2–3 page implementation guidance note, and a final report with recommendations and an implementation roadmap.

Consultant Responsibilities

• Submit an inception report and workplan within 3 working days of contract start.
• Conduct document review and targeted consultations with DRC staff, partners, and community representatives.
• Draft and submit curriculum, toolkit, and behavior change tools for DRC review; incorporate feedback and deliver final versions.
• Design and deliver the ToT, including pre/post participant assessments and session observation notes.
• Provide all training materials and job aids in editable formats and PDFs.
• Submit the final report, handover package, and implementation of roadmap within the agreed timeline.
• Provide up to 5 days remote follow-up support after handover.

DRC Responsibilities

• Provide relevant project documents, existing GESI/GBV materials, and stakeholder contacts within 2 working days of contract start.
• Facilitate logistics for consultations and ToT (venue, participant selection, local travel support where required).
• Provide consolidated written feedback on draft deliverables within 5 working days of submission.
• Approve final deliverables and sign the Completion Certificate to trigger final payment once acceptance criteria are met.

5. Scope of Work and Methodology

The consultancy will design, pilot, and hand over a gender‑transformative community dialogue package for VSLAs, including curriculum, facilitation tools, behavior change instruments, and a Training of Trainers. The work is organized in four phases with clear tasks and concrete outputs.

Phase 1 Consultative Contextualization and Document Review — 3–5 days Tasks

• Review ER‑CAP and DRC project documents, VSLA guidelines, and existing GESI/GBV materials.
• Hold targeted consultations with DRC project team, ER‑CAP partners, and selected community representatives.
• Map stakeholders, target woredas, and priority VSLA groups. Outputs
• Inception report and workplan (editable and PDF).
• Context inputs summary (max 6 pages) listing top 5 restrictive norms, GBV/protection risks, stakeholder map, and recommended consultation methods.

Phase 2 Curriculum and Toolkit Development — 7–10 days Tasks

• Draft a gender transformative curriculum with session objectives and learning outcomes.
• Produce facilitator guide, structured session plans, participant handouts, job aids, and simple monitoring instruments.
• Design behavior changes tools for reflection and tracking at household and VSLA levels. Outputs
• Draft curriculum and toolkit (editable and PDF) including 8–12 session plans, facilitator guide, participant materials, and monitoring templates.

Phase 3 ToT Preparation and Delivery — 5–6 days Tasks

• Finalize training materials and delivery plans.
• Deliver a 4–5-day ToT for up to 30 participants.
• Conduct pre/post assessments and practical facilitation observations. Outputs
• ToT delivery with participant packs, slide decks, assessment results, and observation notes.
• ToT validation summary including participant competency scores and feedback.

Phase 4 Finalization and Handover 2–4 days Tasks

• Revise materials based on ToT feedback.
• Prepare the handover package and concise the final report. Outputs
• Final handover package (editable and PDF) and final report (max 30 pages) with methodology, tools, recommendations, and an implementation roadmap.

Detailed Methodology and Approach

Principles

• Participatory: engage staff, partners, and community representatives in design and validation.
• Gender‑transformative: move beyond awareness to challenge power relations and promote positive masculinity.
• Do no harm: integrate GBV risk mitigation and safeguarding in all activities.
• Adult learning: use experiential methods, role plays, and practice facilitation.
• Iterative design: refine tools during ToT using participant feedback.

Methods and Tools

• Document review: rapid synthesis of existing materials to avoid duplication.
• Key informant interviews: semi‑structured interviews with project staff and partners.
• Focused group consultations: short, targeted sessions with VSLA members and community leaders.
• Practical piloting: use micro‑sessions during ToT to test facilitation guides.
• Pre/post assessments: short competency and usability questionnaires for ToT participants.
• Simple monitoring instruments: household reflection cards, community norm tracking sheet, and a short indicator checklist.

              Data Use and Confidentiality

• Use anonymized notes for sensitive topics.
• Follow DRC safeguarding and data protection requirements.

For More Information Please Refer This Link: ->> Terms of Reference for GESI consultancy – Final Sep 2026

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.