Ending Child Marriage Costing Framework Research Consultant

Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence and human rights violation that robs girls of their potential. On top of the 12 million girls who are married each year, an additional 10 million girls are expected to marry by 2030 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, most in the next few years.

Sub-Saharan Africa will soon be home to 1-in-3 of all child brides worldwide. Despite political will to mobilize on the issue of child marriage in the region, National Action Plans to end the practice are frequently under-resourced, resulting in stalled progress.

Save the Children advocates for governments and international actors to prioritise and better understand the underinvestment in gender-based violence prevention, mitigation, and response, including child marriage. Save the Children’s African Union (AU) Office has led the development of an accountability mechanism to monitor progress toward implementing the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa. In November 2021, Save the Children presented budget analysis and called for commitment to develop a costing framework for National Action Plans to End Child Marriage at the AU’s third Girls’ Summit. AU Member States agreed in the outcomes document (Niamey Call to Action) to work together with civil society and communities to develop the costing framework.

The Ending Child Marriage Costing Framework Research Consultant will be responsible for developing a costing framework in collaboration with interested AU Member States and relevant technical staff, Save the Children, allied NGOs, and partner governments around the world. Following the development of the costing framework, it will be piloted in key AU States, and ultimately shared for endorsement by governments and other stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of formal adoption by the AU. The costing framework should include practical and actionable guidance and templates that allow stakeholders to implement best practices in national budgeting for ending child marriage (similar for example to this costing framework, developed for nutrition).

The Consultant will work directly with Save the Children US’s (SCUS) gender policy and advocacy team, Save the Children’s West and Central Africa Office, East and Southern Africa Office, and African Union Office, Save the Children UK’s research and data team, additional members of Save the Children’s Girls Advocacy Working Group, and other key stakeholders across Save the Children’s Global Movement to ensure the products are reflective of and build on Save the Children’s policy and advocacy priorities.

Individuals or small teams may apply. Applications from private sector entities as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts are also welcome.

Consultant Deliverables

I) Project scoping document including timeline.

Informed by research objectives and policy priorities identified by Save the Children, the Consultant will deliver a project scoping document, setting out how the consultant plans to develop the draft costing framework, including a timeline highlighting the following components:

• Detailed methodology to develop costing framework;
• Desk research (deliverable 2);
• Primary data collection as needed through key informant interviews (KIIs), questionnaires, budget analysis, or other methods (deliverable 2);
• Draft costing framework (deliverable 2);
• Validation through workshops with relevant stakeholders (deliverable 3);
• Delivery of costing framework for piloting (deliverable 4).

II) Draft framework

The key deliverable for this project will be a draft costing framework to enable robust implementation of National Action Plans to End Child Marriage. This framework should:

Be based on desk research. The Consultant will conduct desk-based research on national and subnational budget data, budget analysis and reporting, implementation of national action plans to end child marriage, and other relevant topics, including review of like-costing frameworks requiring multisectoral analysis (e.g. nutrition and Ethiopia’s National Costed Roadmap to End Child Marriage and FGM/C).

Build on initial primary data collection and analysis to build stakeholder buy-in. The Consultant will collect primary data to inform the development of the draft costing framework, including but not limited to key informant interviews (KIIS) or questionnaires soliciting feedback from advocates and experts on budgeting processes, government representatives, key AU officials (e.g. office of the special rapporteur on child marriage) and others. This initial primary data collection should inform adaptation of existing models. The consultant will work in tandem with Save the Children staff to mobilize buy-in from key decision-making stakeholders and other parties during this phase.

Be presented in a clear document (20-40 pages) including guidance and templates, ready for presentation to national governments, African Union officials, and key international donors, including through validation workshops (see Deliverable III) to enable discussion of suitability for their contexts and input to the final costing framework for pilot (deliverable IV).

III) Validation workshops.

The Consultant will participate virtually in 2-4 validation workshops and/or events with key stakeholders, including representatives from the African Union, partner governments, and civil society. The consultant would be expected to present the draft costing framework and gather feedback to incorporate in the next phase of the project. The deliverable for this phase of the project will be a summary of feedback from the relevant stakeholders in the validation workshops (3-6 pages with annexes as needed).

IV) Costing framework, ready for pilot and handover note.

The Consultant will incorporate feedback from validation workshops into a final draft of the costing framework guidance and templates, which will resemble an updated/adapted version of the initial draft. Consultant will deliver a handover note with an organized file of all deliverables, including methodological notes, library of data sources, and transcripts/notes of interviews, to Save the Children upon the completion of the project.

Illustrative Timeline

The consultancy is expected to begin in June or July 2022, consisting of no more than 400 working hours over approximately 6 months. A final timeline will be determined at the outset of the project.

Qualifications

Required:

• Advanced degree in economics or like discipline
• A minimum of four years of experience in research, budget, and policy analysis, ideally with large NGOs, national government officials, or a regional body like the African Union
• Practical and theoretical understanding of budget and policy processes in AU Member States
• Strong experience developing tools for and completing budget analysis, and experience in analysing quantitative data
• Demonstrated analytical skills and advanced skills for communicating policy in clear, precise, and nontechnical writing
• Excellent research planning and organizational skills and track record of producing comparable publications on deadline
• Fluency in English

The following qualifications would be an asset:

• Specific research experience related to costing and budget policy analysis, especially in West Africa
• Familiarity with AU processes and mechanisms
• Familiarity with current trends in global gender policymaking, including global and national level laws and policies on GBV including child marriage