Terms of Reference (TOR) for Gender Specialist
under
“Spatial Surge Forecasting Using Artificial Intelligence and Community Knowledge for Inclusive and Transformative Early Actions (SURF-IT)”

Background:

Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in saving lives during cyclones through strong early action but has given less emphasis on the protection of productive assets. Along with cyclones, the coastal areas also regularly face tidal surges which are not only associated with cyclones but also happen throughout the year due to spring and ebb tide effects and small depressions. The coastal embankments in many places often fail to protect communities against surges and are either overflown or broken during cyclone surges or even during normal spring/ebb tides. This results in massive damage to rural livelihood and infrastructures, causing massive humanitarian crises where women are the worst sufferers.

Women are the worst sufferers of natural disasters in the southwest due to the lack of awareness, access to early warning systems and control over resources. As males temporarily migrate for work mostly during disaster seasons, women are left behind with few resources to cope with stress. Only 10% of the rural young women have access to the internet and social media and only 24% of poor women in Bangladesh have access to mobile phones which are vital sources of information for early warning. Since they oversee families during disaster season, without early warning it becomes difficult for them to take early action. They struggle between saving family members and household assets, let alone standing crops or other livelihoods. Similarly, Person with Disabilities, youths and other socially excluded groups also face disadvantages in relation to their access to forecast, safety, and security.

The research design includes a Women Centered Early Action Protocol which promotes the role of women in disaster management, and community empowerment and develops their capacity as individuals and groups to take early actions. This is achieved through objective 2 and the associated outcomes and outputs. The project will identify gender-specific problems, to design and implement the early action protocols for transformative changes. Key stakeholders for the project are rural vulnerable women youth, community, humanitarian actors, local and national Government’s relevant line departments, and academics. Community-level stakeholders will be engaged and capacitated to implement gender transformative approaches by using this forecast for better disaster preparedness. The national government and other key stakeholders will be sensitized to create an enabling environment to mainstream gender in all the project activities. The beneficiaries of the project will be women, youth, Dalit and other vulnerable groups.

Objective:

The objective of this assignment is to provide technical expertise on gender and safeguarding to the SURF-IT project. The designated Gender Specialist will be responsible for the development of gender and safeguarding modules and guidelines, as well as the facilitation of training sessions. He will collaborate closely with the project team and meticulously integrate in a manner that is both gender-sensitive and all-encompassing, ensuring that all project undertakings maintain a safe and exploitation-free environment, thus safeguarding against any form of abuse.

Scope of Work:

The Gender Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conduct a gender analysis to understand gender norms and power relations in the area related to climate events.
• Consult with women, PwD, vulnerable communities, LGI&A and humanitarian actors to identify specific challenges and local-level solutions at individual and community levels for DRR, readiness and early actions.
• Develop a comprehensive module and deliver training on gender equality, gender rights, roles and responsibilities for men and young men and community leaders.
• Develop a comprehensive module and arrange gender inclusion and safeguarding training for the entire research team and project staff to ensure that they have a thorough grasp of gender equality and are aware about the safeguarding principles and norms while conducting research activities.
• Develop modules, guidelines and deliver training on Gender Justice and gender transformative and inclusive risk-informed early action protocol for all group members.
• Develop guidelines and deliver gender sensitivity awareness programs targeting men.
• Identify gender challenges to take actions and carry out advocacy/awareness programs with community, local and national governments.
• Engage as a gender and safeguarding focal for the project and he/she will be assisted by Uttaran’s safeguarding officer.

Duration of the Assignment:

The Gender Specialist is expected to work for approximately 80 days (ACF will inform earlier according to needs), starting from  December 2023 and concluding in June 2025.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• The ideal candidate should possess a Master's degree in social sciences or related fields from a recognized university and should have a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in social and gender development, preferably within the context of development projects. Additionally, they should demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of gender and disability policies and strategies in the realm of humanitarian action, as well as expertise in addressing gender-based violence (GBV).
• Excellent presentation skills with written and oral communication are desired.
• Excellent IT/computer skills including MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Institutional Arrangements:
The Consultant will closely collaborate with the Project Management Unit (PMU) within the SURF-IT project. The Gender Specialist will be reported to the SURF-IT Program Manager.

Reporting Requirements:

Monthly Reports: Including progress updates, capacity building and training activities, challenges, and the work plan for the following month.

Completion Report: Submission of a draft Completion Report (DCR) at least 10 days before the assignment's conclusion, incorporating client feedback within a short period.

Submission Instructions:

Interested consultants should submit a brief proposal indicating their interest, experience of relevant work, per day remuneration, including a detailed CV, samples of previous relevant works, and a brief cover letter outlining their qualifications and approach to the project, to logsmgr@bd-actionagainsthunger.org  no later than 20th  December 2023 before 12:00 PM. Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and working with a qualified consultant to disseminate our research findings effectively.

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