TOR for Developing a Safe Space Facilitation Guideline Book for Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs)

Background

The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) is one of the pioneering national civil society networks in Ethiopia, dedicated to promoting women’s political, economic, social, and legal rights. Currently, NEWA encompasses 50 member associations and organizations operating across the country, all focused on creating an enabling environment for the empowerment of Ethiopian women and girls. These member associations strive to advance women’s rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment.

NEWA has significant experience in leading efforts related to women’s rights in Ethiopia through advocacy, research, capacity building, and monitoring government compliance with gender equality initiatives. As a network organization, NEWA actively advocates for the development and effective implementation of gender-sensitive policies, laws, and programs at both national and regional levels.

NEWA recognizing the critical role that Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) play in advocating for gender equality and supporting survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), NEWA is committed to enhancing their capacity. To do this, it is essential to provide WROs with practical tools that enable them to create and maintain safe spaces for women and marginalized communities.

NEWA, in partnership with Spanish Development Cooperation, is implementing a project titled “Strengthen the Participation and Leadership of Women’s Rights Organizations in Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.” As part of this capacity-building initiative, NEWA aims to establish a Safe Space Facilitation Guideline for Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) operating throughout Ethiopia. This guideline will be translated into local languages to ensure accessibility, enabling WROs to deliver consistent and effective services.

The Safe Space Facilitation Guideline Book will serve as a comprehensive resource, outlining best practices and strategies for facilitating safe spaces. This guide will empower WROs to create inclusive environments where individuals can share experiences, access support, and engage in healing processes. By ensuring that all survivors receive trauma-informed, respectful, and inclusive care, the guideline will address the unique needs of survivors and promote their healing and recovery.

Given that SGBV remains a pervasive issue affecting diverse demographics, a well-structured manual will provide essential guidance on best practices. This will enable service providers to create environments where survivors feel safe, supported, and empowered to seek help.

General Objective

The primary objective of this consultancy is to develop a Safe Space Facilitation Guideline Book that offers clear, actionable guidelines for WROs on how to create and manage safe spaces effectively.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conduct a needs assessment to identify the specific safe space facilitation requirements of WROs operating in Ethiopia.
• Create a detailed and structured outline for the guideline book, incorporating insights from stakeholders and experts in the field.
• Review existing resources and literature on safe spaces and facilitation practices relevant to WROs.
• Produce a comprehensive manual detailing strategies, best practices, and tools for facilitating safe spaces, including, principles of facilitation in safe spaces, techniques for ensuring inclusivity and respect, methods for engaging participants and encouraging open dialogue, crisis management and conflict resolution methods, training recommendations for facilitators.
• Revise and finalize the guideline book based on the feedback received.

Deliverables

The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

• Inception Report: Outlining the methodology and timeline.
• Progress report: produce a progress report per month
• Draft Safe Space Facilitation Guideline Book: A preliminary version for review.
• Final Safe Space Facilitation Guideline Book: A polished version ready for distribution.

Duration

• The consultancy is expected to take 2 and half months

Qualifications

Educational Background

• Minimum of Master’s degree in social work, sociology, gender studies, public health, or a related field.

Work experience

• Experience in developing facilitation guidelines or training materials for WROs.
• Strong understanding of safe space principles and facilitation techniques.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.