GBV Baseline Consultant (HIAS Guyana)

POSITION SUMMARY:

HIAS Guyana, a humanitarian NGO, seeks a baseline consultant to assess the status of coordinated actions between different stakeholders in the prevention or mitigation of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Guyana with focus on migrants and refugees. The project, funded by the European Commission (DEVCO), is currently underway from March 2024 to February 2026.

The assessment aims to establish a baseline (quantitatively and qualitatively) for existing collaborations among women’s rights organizations, autonomous social movements, and relevant civil society groups working collectively to combat violence against women and girls. These findings will serve as a benchmark to assess ongoing interventions throughout the project duration.

HIAS, a global Jewish organization, envisions a world where displaced individuals achieve their full potential and contribute to society through legal, social, and systemic changes. Since 2020, HIAS has been active in Guyana, focusing on programs to enhance protection strategies for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants (VRAM), address GBV, and promote economic inclusion.

CONTEXT AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The European Commission project (DEVCO) in Guyana contributes to support actions that strengthens Gender Equality & Sustainable Empowerment and Socio- economic advancement of Women and Girls, as well as children rights. Also, this project aims to create an enabling environment for the protection of human rights, and to strengthen the capacity and engagement of CSOs in their advocacy and raising public awareness of their human rights and how to seek redress for rights violation.

HIAS’s program targets the most vulnerable Venezuelan refugees and migrants and focuses on HIAS’s three signature approaches: Protection, GBV, Economic Inclusion. The specific objectives of reducing women and girls’ risk of exposure to GBV, provide access to quality GBV response, improve mental health and wellbeing and support economic integration and durable solutions.

Activities to meet these objectives include information sharing on the different sectors, advice and specialized support for access to rights and legal status, safe spaces for women, girls and boys, skill training and entrepreneurship school, training of community leaders and training to government officials.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE WORK:

The assessment of the Number of coordinated actions by women’s rights organizations, autonomous social movements and relevant civil society organizations in Guyana to advocate jointly on ending violence against women and girls seeks to stablish a baseline for these coordination actions in Guyana and determine the actual status of such activities within different stakeholders to assess the status of organization and meta-organization efforts to prevent or mitigate gender based violence in the country, with focus on migrants and refugees.

The establishment of this baseline involves a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected through primary and secondary sources. These primary sources include field visits, key informant interviews, and focused group discussions with various organizations in Guyana. Additionally, secondary sources must be consulted, such as scholarly articles, reviews, investigations, books, or any other type of documentary material related to the coordinated actions between the different entities in the country.

The scope of this baseline will focus specifically on the coordinated actions taken by these entities. The consultant will examine their interactions with different institutions and their relationships with NGOs, women’s rights organizations, and other stakeholders involved in preventing or mitigating gender-based violence efforts. This will be specific for any type of gender-based violence, but a focus on migrants and refugees must be included as the different treatment that the host-community and migrants could receive responding or mitigating this type of violence is extremely important for this assessment.

The key purposes of the baseline are as detailed below:

1. Map the organizations that exist in Guyana (of different kinds) that provides responses or mitigation of gender-based violence to host-community individuals and migrants.
2. Quantify the number (if any) of coordinated actions between different stakeholders in Guyana regarding violence against women and girls.
3. Document the type, quality, and frequency of these relationships so a comprehensive conclusion can be drawn of the current status of these interactions.
4. Assess and identify critical internal and external factors that have contributed to, affected, or impeded these relationships and suggestions about how this could be addressed.
5. Identify and articulate lessons learned, good practices, and concrete recommendations to inform the program design to create, increase or enhance the relationships between the organizations using secondary sources or experiences drawn from other countries/territories, as it is expected for HIAS to increase the number of these coordinated actions as part of the global objective of the ongoing project.

The evaluation will take place in various regions across Guyana, conducted in person. Particular attention will be given to areas where the project is actively being implemented, including Regions 03, 04, and 07.

METHODOLOGY:

The selected consultant will spend 8 working days in Guyana conducting fieldwork across key locations in Region 03, Region 04 and Region 07. The consultant will be based at the HIAS main office in Georgetown (Region 04) but will travel to the mentioned regions to conduct in-person consultations with stakeholders. This fieldwork will be closely coordinated and facilitated by the HIAS Guyana team, specifically the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) coordination.

To ensure the assessment provides valuable insights for HIAS’ ongoing work in Guyana, the consultant will collaborate closely with the relevant technical team and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) points of contact. All data collection will adhere to HIAS policies and align with national and local directives and guidelines.

The methodology for data collection and analysis framework will be developed by the consultant. The initial deliverable will be a concise 2–3-page document outlining the methodology and data collection or revision methods.

The consultant is expected to adopt a participatory and rights-based approach, considering factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, and contextual nuances. The experiences of individuals within the project’s target population will be central to this assessment.

The assessment design will incorporate a mix of data collection tools, including desk reviews, field visits, interviews (both in person and over the phone), questionnaires and group discussions. Additionally, the consultant will review other relevant documentation, such as program data if needed.

HIAS Guyana will facilitate access to a wide network of contacts across different regions. These contacts include representatives from governmental institutions, NGOs, women’s rights organizations, autonomous societal movements, and other civil society organizations. Furthermore, HIAS Guyana will provide any relevant materials related to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Guyana.

DELIVERABLES:

• Document outlining proposed methodology and approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches (2-3 pages).
• Final baseline report including 1) Executive Summary 2) Key Findings (with quantitative and qualitative data, specifically for the number, type, quality and frequency of the coordinated actions between organizations) and 3) Programmatic recommendations to create, increase or enhance these interactions. The tools, interview lists, and other relevant material should be placed in the annex.
• Presentation of findings and recommendations to evaluation stakeholders and a Q&A session for HIAS Guyana and HQ staff as appropriate.

HIRING PROCESS:

We are committed to a fair and respectful hiring process, and we do our absolute best to respond to every applicant. We prioritize communication and transparency with all candidates, even those who are not moving forward. Here’s a snapshot of our hiring process for consultancies:

Step 1: Submit your application!

Step 2: Video interview with the hiring manager.

Step 3: Offer and background check.

Step 4: Start your professional journey with HIAS!

Note: Some of our hiring processes may vary, and not all candidates will advance to each step.

ABOUT US:

Over one hundred years ago, the Jewish community founded HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, our founders were guided by the traditions, texts and history of the Jewish people—a history of oppression, displacement and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence because of who they were, and HIAS remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, our clients at HIAS come from diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, as do our staff. We bring our experience, history and values to our work across five continents, ensuring that refugees today receive the vital services and opportunities they need to thrive.

HIAS is a learning community, committed to diversity and inclusion. We do our work with integrity, accountability, transparency and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We seek employees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join our teams located in the United States and across the globe. People who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experiences of forced displacement or immigration are all encouraged to apply. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our vision, mission and values.

VISION:

HIAS stands for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety and opportunity.

MISSION:

Drawing on our Jewish values and history, HIAS provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.

VALUES:

Welcome • Acogimiento • Hospitalité • Hachnasat Orchim

We Welcome the Stranger

Justice • Justicia • Justice • Tzedek

We Pursue Justice

Empathy • Empatía • Empathie • Chesed

We Approach our Clients with Empathy

Partnership • Compañerismo • Coopération • Chevruta

We Believe in Changing the World through Partnership

Courage • Coraje • Courage • Ometz

We Act with Courage to Build a Better World

Resilience • Resiliencia • Résilience • Ruach

We Adapt and Thrive, Continuously Demonstrating our Resilience

DIVERSITY:

HIAS is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, citizenship status, religious creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, familial status, pregnancy, childbirth, military status, protected veteran status, political orientation or other legally protected status.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We strongly encourage applicants of diverse identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply even if you do not meet all required qualifications but have other qualifications relevant to the role that would make you a great fit for this role with HIAS!

SAFEGUARDING:

HIAS is committed to the protection of children, vulnerable adults and any other person from any harm caused directly or indirectly due to their coming into contact with HIAS. We will not tolerate sexual exploitation, abuse or any form of child abuse or neglect by our staff or associated personnel. Any candidate offered a job with HIAS will be expected to sign and adhere to HIAS’ Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records. HIAS also participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. Likewise, HIAS will share this information when other organizations inquire about current and former HIAS staff as part of their recruitment process. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.