Terms of Reference (ToR): UKRAINE RESPONSE – GENDER AND CONFLICT SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

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Save the Children

(DATE OF SUBMISSON, 2022)

Project title

Response to Ukraine Crisis 2022 [conflict – cash and voucher assistance, non-food item, child protection, mental health and psychosocial support]

Countries of implementation

Ukraine, Romania

Sectors of intervention

Child Protection, MHPSS, SGBV

Official project start date

April 1st, 2022

Official project closure date

March 31st, 2023

Planned period for the study

From August 22 to October 5 2022 (45 business days)[1]

BACKGROUND:

In February 2022 Russian Federation forces launched major cross-border attacks against Ukraine. In addition to the immediate physical and psychological impacts of ongoing attacks, this carries significant humanitarian implications for a country already experiencing an economic and humanitarian crisis linked to protracted conflict over the past 8 years. The situation has already had a devastating impact on girls, boys and their communities. The rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine has triggered massive displacement as the civilian population from areas affected by the 8-year conflict (in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts), as well as from newly affected areas (throughout the country), moves westward through the country and outwards to neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and into the Russian Federation itself, with approximately 5,6 million refugees as of July 6th.[1]

As fighting continues populations are being cut off from essential services. Life-saving emergency needs include food, hygiene items (dignity and hygiene kits), water, and cash to purchase goods upon arrival at new locations where markets are functioning. Other important needs include: (1) child protection and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) activities to support unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and SGBV survivors; and (2) mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for people facing acute distress, grief, loss, physical harm, trauma, and uncertainty and threats to survival due to risk of violence and SGBV.

According to a recent joint rapid gender analysis by CARE and UNFPA (May 2022), the conflict is disproportionately impacting marginalized groups including female-headed households, IDPs, Roma people, LGBTQIQ+ and persons with disabilities., The analysis further finds that most of the people fleeing Ukraine (90%) are women, girls and boys, with many men aged 18-60 years are required to stay behind under martial law[2]. The UN Flash Appeal estimates that 18 million people in Ukraine will be affected by the crisis, including 7.5 million children. This will include 12 million people who will be in need of humanitarian assistance and an expected 6.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Refugee Situation in Romania:

According to UNHCR, over 1.2 million conflict-affected people have arrived in Romania since the beginning of the crisis with around 85,000 currently residing in Romania[3]. However, it is anticipated that significantly more vulnerable children and families have not yet crossed into Romania and may be enabled to do so by the creation of humanitarian corridors in different parts of Ukraine, or as a result of further escalation in southwestern Ukraine, near the Black Sea coast, or pressures such as deterioriating economic situation and winter weather. This influx includes an influx of refugees finding onward passage into Romania from Moldova which couldoverwhelm services in Romania, while others are in transit to other destinations within Europe. In Romania, services are already stretched, which may lead to a shift in community attitudes towards crisis-affected groups. If such shifts in attitudes take place, there will be a need to focus on strengthening social cohesion moving forward, in order to avoid conflictual situations between refugees and host communities.

Gender equality implications:

Even before the conflict, pervasive discriminatory gender norms and unequal power relationships in Ukrainian society have historically contributed to structural barriers faced by women, girls and boys. Socio-cultural gender structures and systems are predominantly shaped by male dominance and privileges in the country. These gender stereotypes are reflected in the unequal redistribution of care work, with women assuming most of the unpaid labor (twice as much time than men) and in the gap in women’s participation in labour market which has been, in average, lower than men’s (43.8% w. vs. 57.2% m., 2021).[4] This puts additional pressures on women to be the primary caregivers in a household and be responsible in the efforts to survive and protect their children and other family dependents from the effects of the war, leading to increasing risks of marginalization and poverty. Recent analysis has also found that women are playing a key role in the humanitarian response but are not fully involved in decision-making, and that the crisis is largely exacerbating pre-existing gender and intersectional inequalities and discrimination.[5]

In Ukraine, prior to the conflict, there was an already high prevalence of SGBV with 75% of women reporting experience some form of violence since age 15, with 1 in 3 reporting physical or sexual violence.[6] Women and girls are at higher risk of SGBV due to the current conflict as a result of the forced displacement, division of families, temporary or shared shelters as well as the increase of military and armed personnel and establishment of checkpoints. SGBV actors and media have both received reports of sexual harassment, sexual violence and the increase of cases of trafficking.[7] Women and girls are also extremely vulnerable to SEA as basic goods and services become harder to access, compounded with a lack of access to safe shelters. This new crisis is hitting IDP and refugee women and girls the hardest as they are experiencing various negative health effects, psychological stress and trauma as well as increasing SRH and maternal health needs.

Save the Children’s response

SC is uniquely placed to respond to these growing humanitarian needs in Ukraine and Romania, due to its existing operational platform, including existing Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programming within Ukraine, as well as its well-established relationships with affected communities and national authorities. This project responds to the needs highlighted in SC’s Strategic Statement on the Regional Refugee Response 2022 which is aligned with the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The project is mainly funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) for a total budget of $5,075,000 CAD. The project started on April 1st, 2022 and will be implementing during 12 months in Ukraine and Romania. In Ukraine, Save the Children is working to establish partnerships with local organizations for the implementation of diverse projects. Currently the potential partners for this project are: STAN, URCS, Vostok SOS, Smile UA, Slavic Heart. In Romania, the project will be directly implemented by Save the Children Romania which is a member organisation and has a long standing domestic programming in Romania.

The ultimate outcome of the project is: “reduced suffering, increased and maintained human dignity, and lives saved among crisis-affected girls, boys, women and men in Romania and Ukraine”. Intermediate outcomes include, in Ukraine: “enhanced ability of crisis-affected displaced people, including girls and boys, women and men in Ukraine to meet their own immediate, life-saving and protection needs” and in Romania: “enhanced ability of crisis-affected refugees, including girls and boys, women and men in Romania to meet their own immediate, life-saving and protection needs”. The proposed activities align with Save the Children’s overall geo-flex humanitarian response strategy in Ukraine and Romania, which will prioritize the most immediate needs of girls, boys and families affected by the conflict in the sectors of child protection, MHPSS and CVA. Gender equality and SGBV considerations will be mainstreamed throughout the intervention to make sure the response meets the unique and specific needs of girls and women, both pre-existing and emerging.

Save the Children conducted a study in 2020[1] to understand the impacts of the conflict on girls and boys (3-17 years) and their specific gendered experiences in the protracted conflict (as of 2014) in eastern Ukraine. The report identified that these gender norms and inequalities exacerbate different risks for girls and boys in conflict. Boys were at greater risk of injury from explosive remnants of war (ERW), whereas girls were at greater risk of some forms of SGBV (specifically sexual harassment, assault, exploitation). In addition, LGBTIQ+ population are deeply impacted due to their intersectionality in this crisis. Although, LGBTIQ+ have faced the same challenges in the crisis as the rest of the country’s population, they have confronted unique risks due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. Transgender women are forbidden to leave the country if their documents identify them as men because of the ban for men (18-60 years) to leave the country to conscript to the military service.[2] Media articles[3] also report that LGBTIQ+ fleeing Ukraine face risks of being discriminated by border guards, particularly in countries where LGBTIQ+’s rights have been limited (e.g. Poland, Hungary), or of being denied in accessing shelters, basic services and tailored information to meet their needs.

OBJECTIVES, SCOPE AND USERS OF THE STUDY:

Objectives

SC plans to directly and indirectly reach the host communities, IDP’s and refugees in Ukraine and Romania through an integrated approach of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and protection, including Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services. This project will build on the experience that SC has in the region and on lessons learned in the implementation of projects since its establishment in the region until today.

Despite several organisations specific gender analysis, there are still many knowledge gaps in the response locations in Ukraine and Romania regarding conflict dimensions, gender roles, power dynamics and barriers. The complexity of the context and problems requires a comprehensive and intersectional approach that spans different levels of the socio-ecological model, namely individuals (girls and boys), families, communities and the broader institutional approach. It is within this framework that SC plans to carry out a Gender and Conflict Sensitivity Analysis (GECSA) in Chernivtsi, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine and Kharkiv oblast in Easten Ukraine. Suceava and Lasi In Romania, with implications to be drawn for programming more widely across response sites.

The overall objective of the GECSA is to identify gender and power dynamics and the different needs, interests, vulnerabilities and capacities of girls, boys, women and men in the framework of conflict dimensions (conflict profile, conflict cause, conflict actors and conflict dynamic) occurring in target areas from a child-centred approach.

The analysis should outline how gender practices, norms and roles can feed into dynamics of conflict and support peace and social cohesion whilst building an understanding of how women and men, girls and boys, and children and adults with non-binary gender identities are affected differently by the conflict.

The specific objectives of the analysis are:

Gender Equality and Power Analysis:

  • In relation to every sector – CVA-MPCA/NFI, Access to and control of Resources, Health (SRH, MHPSS), Protection (GBV)[1] and child protection- identify the specific and gendered needs, risks and interests of girls andboys (with focus on specific needs of adolescents), women and men, taking into account intersecting power differentials in both the research approach and analysis
  • Identify gendered barriers and risks faced by different populations (with specific focus on adolescents) face in accessing, and benefiting from, humanitarian interventions, with particular emphasis to CVA-MPCA/NFI, protection (both preventing and responding to SGBV)[2], SRH ,MHPSS and education services.
  • Identify the specific needs of SGBV survivors (with specific focus on women and adolescent girls) and the extent to which the current SC response is adequately preventing and responding to SGBV (in line with the IASC GBV Guidelines)
  • Provide actionable recommendations to improve SC efforts towards gender-transformative programming which identifies, addresses and positively transforms the root causes of gender inequality

Conflict Sensitivity Analysis:

  • Deliver a child center conflict analysis by looking at four conflict dimensions: Cause, Profile, Actors and Dynamic.
  • Understand what kinds of conflicts/social tensions are happening in the community, in what circumstances (if any) people find it acceptable to use violence (including SGBV), and who is involved in resolving conflicts violently or peacefully.
  • Determine the different impacts of conflict and peace on women, men, girls and boys and the different roles they play in fuelling conflict and building peace
  • Understand how gender and social norms and behaviours, can either drive conflict or contribute to peace.
  • Analyse how different institutions and structures within the society either reinforce or challenge gender norms which drive conflict.
  • Provide actionable recommendations to improve SC efforts to support women, girls, boys and non-binary populations, differentiated per sector (CVA, protection/MHPSS) in promoting peace and social cohesion.
  • Specifically, provide actionable recommendations on how to promote women and girls leadership as well as engaging men and boys in positive masculinity to advance peace and social cohesion.

This study will inform current and future programming of SC response in Ukraine and Romania.

Scope

The GECSA will take place in Ukraine and Romania in SC intervention locations. This analysis starts from the premise that respondents know their context and the necessary solutions. Researchers will therefore act as an earpiece, capturing the perspectives of rights holders and relaying them to duty bearers.

This GECSA will follow SC Child-centred conflict analyses approach. It will focus on the specific ways in which conflict affects children of different profiles and ages, and how they experience it, while unveiling the unique role they play as actors and rights-holders. The child centered approach will consider how a specific project should prevent the exposure of children to harm and work toward contributing to restore or strengthen cohesive and peaceful environments for children, their caretakers and duty-bearers.

Users

Users of the GECSA include Save the Children Ukraine, Romania and Canada, and their implementation partners in Ukraine and Romania ; the project’s donor, Global Affairs Canada ; and targeted populations of the project, including host communities, refugees and IDPs in Ukraine and Romania.

METHODOLOGY:

The GECSA will use predominantly qualitative data collection methods. The GECSA should include, but is not necessarily limited to, the following methods and approaches:

  • Documentation review
  • Enumerators’ training (on data collection tools, ethical considerations, SCI child protection and safeguarding standards, how to address sensitive questions/answers, how to be attuned to participant dynamics, as well as how to treat GBV disclosure, referrals and first psychological aid)
  • Focus Group Discussions: with girls and boys (in age disaggregated groups: 10 -14 and 15-18 years old), and with women and men (19 years and over) ; with both female and male interviewers to interview girls/women and boys/men respectively and inclusion of intersectional approaches as needed
  • Key Informant Interviews (e.g., women’s rights organizations, other INGOs and relevant agencies, civil society organizations, government representatives)
  • Workshop with SCI staff (and were appropriate, partner/s staff) to validate findings and recommendations

Given that this analysis will cover the full spectrum of the humanitarian response and that it will include research related to GBV, the following will be mandatory:

The consultant will define specifics on sample sizes in coordination with SC during the inception phase. However:

  • The scope of the analysis would require a minimum 2 focus group discussions (IDPs/Refugees/host community) per targeted oblast in Ukraine and districts in Romania in both rural and urban areas (total 14 FGDs). Individual interviews with children (both boys and girls) minimum 4 per location (28 in total) with the specific focus on adolescent girls. Individual interviews with adults minimum 4 per location (total 28) both men and women which might include community leaders, representatives of IDPs/refugees, host community, local service providers etc.
  • The composition of participants of the GECSA should strive to include voices of women and men, girls and boys from vulnerable and discriminated groups, taking into account considerations for safety and anonymity as needed.
  • The analysis should consider an intersectional approach that accounts for various factors to be looked into during the data analysis including but not limited to:
    • Demographics (age, gender, education, family size and composition, ethnicity, etc.)
    • Socio-economic status
    • Gender diversity and sexual orientation
    • Disability

DURATION, TIMEFRAME AND DELIVERABLES

The duration of the engagement shall be for the period from August 22, 2022 to October 5, 2022.[1]

The expected number of days to complete this consultancy is 45 days. The timeframe and level of effort indicated below are subject to change. The study timeline will be discussed and validated at the beginning of the study process with the selected consultant or firm and Save the Children.

Phase

  • Inception Phase including in-depth documentation review, adjustments on SC approved tools, training and orientation of enumerators, field work preparation and logistics

Deliverable

  • Inception Report (draft and final) including a detailed methodology and workplan, final data collection tools and training curricula
  • Training to enumerators

Timeframe

  • Weeks 1-2 (10 days including 2 turnaround days for SC review)

Phase

  • Data collection Phase

Deliverable

  • Raw and cleaned data (sex and age disaggregated), transcripts and final data collection tools in English

Timeframe

  • Weeks 3-4 (10 days)

Phase

  • Analysis and reporting Phase

Deliverable

  • Gender Equality and Conflict Sensitivity Analysis Report (draft and final*) in English.
  • *Final version will include an executive summary and recommendations. Report should be not more than 30 pages, excluding annexes for tables, charts, graphs, etc.
  • Presentation of GECSA key findings and recommendations to SC and key stakeholders
  • ½ page infographic of key findings and recommendations

Timeframe

  • Weeks 5-7 (25 days including 5 turnaround days for SC review)

The Consultant will report directly to SC Canada MEAL Advisor. Other Save the Children focal points will include: SC Ukrainia PDQ Director, SC Romania Child Protection Advisor, SC Canada Humanitarian and Gender Equality Technical Advisors.

PROPRIETY RIGHTS / OWNERSHIP

Save the Children have exclusive ownership of the outputs and may use it with proper acknowledgment of the work of the consultant and those who participated in the process. Save the Children grants Her Majesty and DFATD the right to inter alia use, reproduce, adapt, translate, publish, disseminate and distribute the outputs prepared by the Contractor for non-commercial purposes and free of charge.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING AND PSEA

Save the Children is committed to actively safeguarding children from harm and ensuring children’s rights to safeguarding are fully realized. It takes seriously the commitment to promote child safe practices and protect children from harm, abuse, neglect and any form of exploitation as they come into contact with Save the Children supported interventions. In addition, positive action will be taken to prevent child abusers from becoming involved with the projects in any way and take stringent measures against any staff and/or associate who abuses a child. Decisions and actions in response to child safeguarding concerns will be guided by the principle of ‘the best interests of the child’.

As such, the study must ensure appropriate, safe, gender-responsive (safe spaces, same sex enumerators as participants in all cases), non-discriminatory participation; a process of free and un-coerced consent and withdrawal; confidentiality and anonymity of participants.

The study team is required to adhere to the Save the Children Child Safeguarding; Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; Anti-Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying; and Data Protection and Privacy policies throughout all project activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered, candidates should demonstrate the following skills and experiences:

  • Demonstrated experience conducting research and analysis within an active conflict, displacement crisis or other humanitarian context.
  • Strong track record of conducting research studies, with a focus on qualitative gender equality, GBV and conflict sensitivity assessments, and gender/GBV and conflict sensitivity action plans, including primary data collection methods and children participation.
  • Expertise in utilizing gender-sensitive, child-friendly and participatory facilitation and data collection methodologies.
  • Theoretical and practical knowledge of conflict sensitivity methodologies and tools, particularly qualitative analysis.
  • Record of excellent writing and communication skills, demonstrating the ability to summarize key information in data-scarce environments and to make complex concepts and findings understandable to a large audience.
  • Ability to mobilize, train, lead and supervise a team of enumerators to deliver the required outputs.
  • Knowledge of gender equality, education, and protection issues.
  • Knowledge of Ukraine and Romania context.
  • Proven ability to produce high quality work while meeting tight deadlines.
  • Diplomatic mind-set, respectful of the diversity of experiences and points of view in intercultural teams, with ability to act with of patience, tact and diplomacy.
  • Demonstrated commitment to Humanitarian Principles and the Principles of Partnership.
  • Ukrainian and English fluency is required, Romanian is recommended.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposal might be submitted by either an independent consultant or a consulting firm. Individuals and teams are accepted.

SC requires one Gender Equality and Conflict Sensitivity Analysis Report by end of this consultancy agreement. It is the responsibility of the consultant/s to contract any other party that would need to complete any work of some pieces of this analysis under their supervision.

Consultant(s) can be based in Ukraine, or Romania or outside both countries but might have a good knowledge of Ukraine’s and Romania’s context, of the language, and should rely on a strong network of enumerators in-country. The team proposed should be gender-balanced.

Application materials should include:

  1. Curricula Vitae (CV) for all members of the team applying for consideration.
  2. Letter of intent that clearly summarizing the team experience as it pertains to this assignment, confirmation of availability in the timeframe indicated, and professional references.
  3. Technical proposal, including an understanding of the TORs and a proposed methodology to conduct this assessment, not exceeding five pages.
  4. Financial proposal*, including the level of efforts of the team for this assessment, a suggested timeline and a budget presenting fees for the consulting team and enumerators, not exceeding three pages.
  5. Sample of analysis reports most similar to that described in this TOR.
  6. Names and contact information of two references who can be contacted regarding relevant experience.
  7. A Consulting Firm profile (if applicable).

* Financial proposals for this assessment should not exceed 35,000 canadian dollars (CAD).

[1] The time frame and level of effort indicated are subject to change. The study timeline and budget will be discussed and validated at the beginning of the study process with the selected consultant or firm and Save the Children.

[1] In relation to risks, access to services, ways to report incidents, identification of safe or unsafe places, measures put in place in their communities to create a safer environment.

[2] Idem

[1] Save the Children, Listen to Us: Girls’ and boys’ gendered experiences of the conflict in eastern Ukraine (2019)

[2] International Crisis Group, Mitigating the Gendered Effects of Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis (16 Mar 2022)

[3] Euronews, Tim Gallagher, ‘They are scared to travel’: the obstacles faced by LGBT+ Ukrainians fleeing war (17 Mar 2022); CBC, Maya Lach-Aidelbaum, LGBTQ refugees fleeing Ukraine draw on European network of allies to find housing, medical care (16 Mar 2022)

[1] UNHCR: Ukraine Refugee Situation – Operational Data Portal, (July 6, 2022)

[2] Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine (4 May 2022)

[3] UNHCR: Ukraine Situation, Regional Refugee Response Plan (26 Mar 2022)

[4] Supporting Inclusive and Gender-Equal Governance in Ukraine: Gender Equality Assessment, Daria Popova, 2021

[5] Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine (4 May 2022)

[6] OSCE-Led Survey on Violence against women, Well-being and safety of women, 2019

[7] Protection Cluster Ukraine, Ukraine Response Protection Snapshot (6-9 Mar 2022)

[1] The time frame and level of effort indicated are subject to change. The study timeline and budget will be discussed and validated at the beginning of the study process with the selected consultant or firm and Save the Children.

How to apply

Interested parties should submit their electronical application materials in English with the subject line of: ‘IHA Ukraine Response – Gender Equality and C

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