Overview
Background:
Promoting gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) is vital to achieving sustainable development objectives, including universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). As noted in the U.S. Global Water Strategy 2022-2027, achieving universal access to WASH means leaving no one behind and focusing on the needs of marginalized and underserved people, including women and girls, people with disabilities (PWD), youth and older persons. Simultaneously, effective access to WASH is critical to advancing gender equality and minimizing the risks of gender-based violence (GBV).
Under the Enhancing Water Sanitation and Hygiene (EN-WASH) project, Global Communities and partners are committed to advancing GESI both as a human right and a means to ensuring that all community members we serve can safely and equitably participate in and benefit from our programs. While working to improve women, youth, and marginalized groups’ access to adequate and affordable WASH services and commodities, we will engage them as decision-makers, professionals, and agents of change in the WASH sector, capitalizing on their unique insights, skills, and abilities.
The EN-WASH Project
EN-WASH is a five-year USAID-funded program implemented by Global Communities and its partners in Northern Ghana. EN-WASH aims to increase the use of sustainable, equitable, quality, WASH services in communities and health care facilities (HCF) and adoption of sustainable district-wide WASH practices in households, communities, and HCF.
EN-WASH is grounded in behavior-led approach and anchored in four results:
- Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) and Metropolitan, Municipals and District Assemblies (MMDAs) efficiently and effectively plan, budget, implement, and monitor water and sanitation services
- Government of Ghana (GoG) and other actors improve the enabling environment for private sector participation in the WASH sector.
- Citizens and institutions adopt and sustain improved WASH practices; and
- WASH service providers adopt improved management, operational, and finance models.
Global Communities anticipates that because of EN-WASH, 300,000 people will gain access to basic sanitation service and 250,000 people will gain access to basic drinking water services. In addition, EN-WASH will support the GoG to enable 70% of target communities to be certified as open defecation free (ODF) and 60% of households to adopt and sustain improved WASH practices.
Location of Work
Remote. One trip to ghana required.
Responsibilities
About the Consultancy
Global Communities through the EN-WASH project is seeking the expertise of a consultant to support a GESI analysis that has already started (data already collected and being analyzed). Primarily, the consultant will write a comprehensive report that summarizes the key findings from the analysis addressing the six (6) gender analysis domains identified above. The main objectives of the report are to highlight gender disparities/ inequalities in WASH; the different roles and responsibilities of women, men, youth and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at different levels; their respective access to and control over assets and resources; participation in decision making; and their gender-specific needs, interests and priorities in the project’s ZOI. This will include describing the current contextual situation by gender and inclusiveness and building an understanding of different patterns of participation, involvement, behaviors and activities that women, men, youth, PWDs partake in (economically, socio-culturally, institutionally) and the implications of these differences as they relate to WASH.
The report will also make use of analyzed data from three (3) levels: community, district and national and the intersections and disparities therein. Ultimately, the consultant will generate recommendations (justified in the data) for promoting GESI within the parameters of the program through gender-responsive, gender-focused, and inclusive interventions.
Following the completion of the report, the consultant will co-facilitate a dissemination and validation workshop to present findings of the GESI analysis to Global Communities and project partners.
Scope of Work
In summary, the main deliverables and services to be provided by the consultant are as follows:
1. Writing of GESI report
The consultant will prepare a draft report of the GESI analysis based on analyzed data and desk review of relevant literature (as described above) and structured according to the sections listed above. After an internal review of the draft report by Global Communities and project partners, the consultant will be expected to prepare and submit a final report to Global Communities.
2. Dissemination of GESI findings
The consultant (together with the Ghana-based EN-WASH Gender and Youth Specialist) will be expected to prepare and present the findings of the Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis to Global Communities and project partners at an in-country 2-day dissemination and validation workshop. During this time, project teams will feedback on the results and relevance to and implications for project strategies and activities.
3. Development of gender action plan
Immediately following the dissemination/validation workshop, the consultant will be expected to provide in-country support to the Gender and Youth Specialist of Global Communities, along with other team members, to develop a gender action plan/strategy based on the findings and recommendations from the Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis and feedback during the validation workshop. The in-country support includes having a writing session to develop a gender action plan for the project.
4. Contract start-date and duration.
The anticipated duration of the contract is 6 weeks (early April through mid-May 2023) with an estimated LOE of approximately 21 days. During this period the consultant is expected to deliver on the outputs detailed above.
Deliverables
The deliverable schedule for services to be provided under the engagement is as follows:
- Draft Report – Estimated LOE 10 days
- Final Report – Estimated LOE 4 days
- PowerPoint on key findings for presentation; revised PowerPoint baed on feedback from team leads – Estimated LOE 4 days (2-day workshop, 1 day prep, 1 day travel to Ghana
- Gender Action Plan (word document plus PowerPoint – 3 days (2 days action plan development, 1 day retrun travel)
Qualifications
- Experience in international development, specifically in gender integration and preferably also the WASH sector
- Professional experience in gender analyses and gender-focused and/or gender-transformative programming
- Deep knowledge of global best practices on gender integration
- Demonstrated ability to provide GESI technical assistance to multi-year WASH projects
- Experience working with large international donors
- Familiarity with GESI policies and requirements of USAID a very strong asset
- Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills; experience in participatory facilitation methods a plus
- Fluency in verbal and written English required
- Prior work in Ghana a plus
- Ability to travel to Ghana for approximately 1-2 weeks
Interested candidates should submit their CV, cover letter, and cost proposal in one document (.pdf) through the online application portal.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Global Communities holds strict safeguarding principles and has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. In the process of recruitment, selection, and appointment, Global Communities will conduct robust reference and background screening checks, including international vetting as a signature of the Global Misconduct Disclosure Scheme to ensure children and vulnerable adults are safeguarded, and abuse is prevented. The incumbent is required to carry out their duties in accordance with Global Communities Safeguarding policy and the Standards of Conduct.
