Background

According to Goal 5 of SDG: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. 

There has been progress over the last decades: More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality. 

Despite these gains, many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights.  The coronavirus outbreak exacerbates existing inequalities for women and girls across every sphere – from health and the economy to security and social protection. 

Women play a disproportionate role in responding to the virus, including as frontline healthcare workers and carers at home. Women’s unpaid care work has increased significantly as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people. Women are also harder hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19, as they disproportionately work in insecure labor markets. Nearly 60 percent of women work in the informal economy, which puts them at greater risk of falling into poverty. 

The pandemic has also led to a steep increase in violence against women and girls. With lockdown measures in place, many women are trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions. Emerging data shows that, since the outbreak of the pandemic, violence against women and girls – and particularly domestic violence – has intensified.

Development Objective

The project development objective is to increase gender equality and equity across all SRHR interventions by the ministry of health

There are multiple ways in which MoH can play a strategic role towards gender equality:

• It can contribute to GoE’s national targets of achieving gender equity across all sectors of the economy and society, given that it is tasked with targeting society’s most vulnerable and marginalized groups, of which women constitute a significant portion.

• A large body of evidence documents the central role SRHR sector plays in empowering girls and women by promoting economic opportunities as well as increasing the demand for social services more broadly.

• SRHR programs are increasingly integrating gender considerations to move beyond targeting women as beneficiaries and tackle underlying gender inequality.

• SRHR interventions have also been found to help mitigate the risk of gender-based violence for beneficiaries by reducing poverty-induced household stress and improving women’s agency and economic freedom.

• Address Urban Poverty: It is a well-known fact that poverty has a female face, and urban poverty has distinct gendered dimensions, lying at the intersection of many contributing factors.

• The SRHR Program is taking a gender-sensitive approach in different ways by targeting women beneficiaries, providing childcare grants, and putting in place GBV requirements

Country Context

According to the 2017 Voluntary National Reviews on SDGs of Ethiopia Government Commitments, National Ownership and Performance Trends conducted the national plan policy which evaluated and reported that the implementation of MDGs, six of the eight MDG goals were successfully achieved. In Ethiopia, the achievements of the remaining two MDGs were also impressive. The two goals not achieved were 1) gender equality and empowerment and 2) improving maternal health. Baseline data on the indicators of these two goals showed very low progress.

Baseline data on the indicators of these two goals showed very low progress. The government made concerted efforts in cooperation and coordination with other stakeholders to achieve the goals. However, some unhealthy traditional practices and misperceptions along with paucity of some critical infrastructure remained Challenges accounting for the failure to achieve these goals 100 percent. On account of its appreciable performances in the MDGs, Ethiopia was selected by the UN as one of the 50 countries tasked with providing data for the preparation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In response, Ethiopia managed to provide the required data having had several review workshops at the federal and regional levels on the performance evaluation of the MDGs in Ethiopia. Sample surveys/census data obtained from the CSA and documents bearing administrative data obtained from sectors’ executive organs were used to compile to a good standard national review report on the performances of the MDGs in Ethiopia which was submitted to the UN. (1)

Policy structure. There is recognition of the importance of gender equality in GoE’s policies and strategic plans but challenges to effective implementation remain: Gender Equality is reflected in the priorities set forth in the National Gender Policy of 1993 and the Constitution of 1995 as well as in the signing of international and regional treaties[1]. The Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) also shows GoE’s commitment to gender equality. While enhanced budget allocations to gender equality measures demonstrate GoE’s commitment, the institutional mechanisms for implementation and oversight remain weak.

Purpose of the Assignment

As part of MSIE’s advocacy for gender sensitive SRH, the main purpose of this collaboration is to support the implementation of the National Health Sector Gender Action Plan drown from the findings of the National Health Sector Gender Audit conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health. Hence, MSIE will support the empowerment of women in identified health sector initiatives and reactivation of the multi-sectoral coordination for gender initiative at national and regional levels with the ministry of health.

Scope of work

The scope of work will focus on the following tasks:  

• Technically assist the MoH YWCA Directorate to implement the National Health Sector Gender Action Plan and ensure involvement and empowerment of women in SRHR interventions

• Coordinate Women in Leadership (WIL) training for 50 women staffs from MoH, and government hospitals

• Technically support and strengthen gender forums at different levels of the MoH

• Coordinate the reactivation of the multi-sectoral coordination for SRH gender initiative at national and regional levels with the ministry of health  

• Organize and lead a national-level discussion on SDG 5 gender in the context of SRH Discussion  

All relevant, project-related documents and information will be provided by the MOH YWCA Directorate and MCH directorate to the consultant for the purposes of this assignment.

 Deliverables:

• Report on implementation of prioritized National Health Sector Gender Action Plan

• Guidance Note and recommendation for further implementation of the National Gender Action Plan

• WIL Training

• Supported and strengthened gender forums

• Stakeholder workshop

• Multi-sectoral coordination

Job Requirements

Consultant Qualifications: The consultant is required to have a Masters degree in the areas of health and gender; a minimum of 10 years of experience focusing on gender, as well as experience working on gender reviews, analysis, and formulation of gender strategies.  International experience working on gender issues globally will be important.  

Technical Skills

•  Understanding of gender policies of the government of Ethiopia.

• Good understanding of the country’s gender context.

•  Experience in designing and implementing gender analyses and gender assessments (including collecting and analyzing data).

• Experience in designing and facilitating different types of meetings and workshops using a variety of participatory, adult-learning methodologies and approaches.

• Excellent interpersonal communications and coordination skills, and proven ability to work constructively with a variety of stakeholders to achieve common goals

• Sound organizational skills and ability to prioritize and deliver assignments in a timely manner often under severe time pressures.

•  Experience in community-based development projects preferably in the SRHR context

Duration: The scope of work is expected to be 45 days from October-December 10, 2022 placed in the MoH. Initially, the assignment will be undertaken as a desk-based review, and the consultant will take on a country visit for in-person meetings with stakeholders and participate in a workshop to present the review findings.   

Reporting: The consultant will report to YWCA Directorate of MoH

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants should mail only their motivation letter and C.V, within ten (10) days from the date of this announcement to:

 Talent Acquisition and Development Department, MSI Ethiopia Reproductive Choices through the following e-mail address: HumanResource@mariestopes.org.et

 Due to the volume of applications, we will only contact shortlisted candidates, and we are unable to provide any feedback on unsuccessful applications.

N.B Please mention the title of the position and workplace you applied for on the subject line of your email.