Consultant Vacancy (TOR) at UMATI

Consultant Vacancy (TOR) at UMATI

Terms of Reference

Consultancy for Building the Capacity of Youth and Women-led CSOs on interpretation and packaging of evidence into interactive presentations, policy briefs, case studies and learning briefs to be used for advocacy.

Project Name: Strengthening Young People’s Voice for Access to Integrated Comprehensive SRH Services in Morogoro and Iringa Regions, Tanzania1.0 BACKGROUND

CHAMA CHA UZAZI NA MALEZI BORA TANZANIA (UMATI)  

Chama cha Uzazi na Malezi Bora Tanzania (UMATI) is an autonomous, non-political national NGO providing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information, education, and services in Tanzania. It has been in operation since 1959 and became a leading national organization providing quality youth-friendly SRH information and services, particularly to young people and women. In 1965 UMATI became a member association for International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) where technical and core funds support was provided. By being a member of IPPF, UMATI is internationally connected through experience sharing with other IPPF member associations. 

UMATI is envisioning to see a Tanzania where people are free to choose and exercise their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights without discrimination in gender, sex, and age. The visioning process of UMATI highlighted the need to integrate “without discrimination” as a recurring theme as well as an organizational value statement. “Freedom of choice” was agreed as a paramount inclusion at the end that UMATI would love to see by doing its core business. 

UMATI’s Mission Statement is to champion SRHR and provide information and services targeting the young and underserved. In coming up with the Mission Statement, cognizance was put on the strategic position of UMATI as a leading SRHR service provider in Tanzania. This was eventually replaced by “champion” recognizing the need to lead not only by the provision of services but also by enabling other service providers including capacity building to local CSOs partners in the country to champion SRHR through their advocacy initiatives. UMATI strives for structural poverty reduction by improving the health of people in the country regardless of gender and political or religious beliefs, with priorities being given to the poorest communities and hard-to-reach populations.

SAUTI YA VIJANA | STRENGTHENING YOUTH VOICE PROJECT

CHAMA CHA UZAZI NA MALEZI BORA TANZANIA (UMATI), in collaboration with Women Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR Africa), is implementing a two (years) Strengthening Young People’s Voice for Access Integrated Comprehensive SRH services (SYV) Project funded by AmplifyChange, UK. The project is implemented in three districts of Morogoro region (Morogoro MC, Kilosa DC, and Mlimba DC) and two districts of Iringa region (Iringa MC, and Kilolo DC) in collaboration with five (5) youth and women-led civil society organizations (Y&WLCs) from each of the five project operating districts. From Morogoro region, these Y&WLCs are Imara Trust Fund from Kilosa District, Mofu Rothenberg from Mlimba district, and BHASSA Tanzania from Morogoro Municipality. In Iringa region, the project work with Tanzania Youth Uprising from Iringa Municipality and Ilula Orphanage Programme from Kilolo district.

The objective of the project is to increase young people’s ability to collectively advocate for the fulfillment of their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and to live free from discrimination and violence. It intends to amplify the voice of youth-led and women right organizations to effectively advocate, in a coordinated approach, for young people’s access to integrated, quality, youth-friendly SRHR information and services. Specifically, the project will connect young people advocates and health workers to work together using evidence-based approaches to remove social, legal, and institutional barriers to adolescent girls and young women’s access to integrated SRH services and information through joint advocacy campaigning, demand creation, and service delivery; and to create of safe spaces that facilitate mutual learning, sharing and supporting. 

PROJECT GOAL, OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE & INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES 

Project Goal 

To see all youth and women enjoy their bodily autonomy and SRHR with the complete ability to fulfill their full potential free from gender or age-related oppression or violence. 

Project Objective: 

• To build the capacity of youth-led civil society organizations to generate knowledge to influence policies and practice on SRHR.
• To engage youth and women-led civil society organizations and networks at the regional and national level to undertake advocacy and promote effective measures to end gender inequalities and improve access to SRHR. 
• To strengthen local youth and women movements at the regional and national level in shifting social norms and raising community awareness regarding SRHR 
• To expand access to integrated, quality, and right-based SRH services to poor, hard-to-reach, vulnerable/marginalized youth and women of reproductive age using innovative mobile outreach model and demand generation techniques. 
• To build the capacity of government facilities to provide integrated, quality, and right-based SRHR services to poor, hard-to-reach, vulnerable/marginalized youth and women using an innovative cluster model. 

Project Intermediate Outcomes 

• Improve the ability of Y&WLCs and networks to undertake advocacy and promote effective measures to end gender inequalities and improve SRHR services; 
• Increase the capacity of Y&WLCs and networks to generate knowledge and evidence to influence policies and practice on SRHR; 
• Increase knowledge, skills, and attitude of how to provide gender-responsive, youth-friendly comprehensive SRH services among health service providers; 
• Increase the ability of health systems and institutions to provide gender-responsive, youth-friendly comprehensive SRH. 

RATIONALE FOR THE CONSULTANCY

The project has a focus on improving the capacity of youth and women-led civil society organizations to undertake advocacy and promote effective measures to end gender inequalities and improve access to SRHR among adolescents and young people aged 10 – 24 years. In achieving this, the project has aimed to create a stronger movement among youth- and women-led civil society organizations to generate knowledge and collaborations that will influence policies and practices on improving youth SRHR. 

Tanzania, as it is the case with many other African countries, youth access to equitable and youth-friendly SRHR remains a challenge. Despite having a number of initiatives and civil society organizations advocating for equitable access to comprehensive SRH information and services among adolescents and young people, still these initiatives and CSOs work in silo resulting to a luck of stronger advocacy movements on youth SRHR.

The underlying assumption of the project is that the Y&WLCs can effectively undertake advocacy work if they have the capacity to advocate for youth equitable access to SRHR services and can work in collaborations. With stronger movements, Y&WLCs brings together diverse voices, experiences, and expertise which are critical to addressing complex and interconnected youth SRHR challenges. Through strategic partnerships and collaborations, Y&WLCs can adequately share resource, including funding, expertise, and networks for long-term and sustainable impact. Of more importance, when Y&WLCs collaborate, their form a formidable “advocacy power”, as their collective efforts can exert greater pressure on policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize youth SRHR. 

It’s under these assumptions, the project aims to hire a consultant that will strengthen the capacity of the selected Y&WLCs in areas as detailed in this consultancy call for a stronger youth SRHR advocacy movement.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

The overall objective of this consultancy is to strengthen the capacity of youth and women-led CSOs to effectively undertake SRHR advocacy and foster stronger youth-SRHR advocacy movement. 

Specifically, the consultancy will achieve the following objectives: –

1. To develop a brief of the Tanzania’s policy and practice context on youth-friendly SRH services. 
2. To facilitate a 4-days workshop to selected 25 Y&WLCs. The training is expected to meet the following objectives
   1. To guide selected Y&WLCs for experience sharing on key youth SRHR advocacy movements’ best practices, challenges, and way-forward on addressing barriers to successful youth SRH advocacy and movement.
   2. To strengthen the capacity of the Y&WLCs to collect youth-SRHR evidence, and interpret the evidence and being able to pack these evidences into interactive presentation, policy briefs, and case studies.
   3. To guide Y&WLCs to develop model interactive presentation, policy briefs, and case studies on the identified policy and practice issues on youth-SRHR in Tanzania.
   4. To guide participating Y&WLCs to develop mechanisms and approaches for a stronger youth SRH advocacy movement in Tanzania.

 

SCOPE OF WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Scope of Work

The consultant will be expected to closely work with the AmplifyChange Project Team (UMATI and WGNRR-Africa) and Youth and Women-led CSOs (Y&WLCs) in the execution of the assignment. This will involve developing a Tanzania’s context-specific situation of the youth-SRHR for informed discussions and capacity building session. 

The entire assignment is expected to take not more than 30 working days from the date the contract has been signed between UMATI and the Consultant to the completion of the assignment. Training dates should be agreed between UMATI and the consultant.

Responsibilities

The Consultant Responsibilities/Key Tasks

The consultant will be responsible for the following;

1. Develop the work plan for the assignment. This should include a detailed breakdown of expenses, including fees and any additional costs related to the assignment.
2. Conceptualize youth SRHR context in Tanzania in a brief policy and practice brief.
3. Facilitate a 3-days training on evidence collection, interpretation, and packaging into interactive presentations, policy briefs, learning briefs, and case studies. The training will also aim at guiding and providing technical support to the Y&WLCs to develop model policy briefs, case studies, and learning briefs on key youth-SRHR advocacy issues identified.

Tentatively, the training dates are expected to be from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th April, 2024 in Dodoma in a venue that will be confirmed. The training is expected to be organized as follows: –

Day 1

Objective

• Delve into deeper discussions on Tanzania’s youth SRHR policy and practice context. Where are we coming from, where are we currently and what the future holds on youth SRHR? What are the existing global, regional, and national opportunities and threats for youth SRHR?
• Each participating Y&WLC to share their youth SRHR advocacy experiences, including key youth SRH advocacy areas, SMART ask submitted, quick advocacy wins, challenges, lessons learnt (what did we get right or wrong), & the next steps for a successful youth-SRH advocacy.

Day 2 & 3

Objective

• Taking participants through the tools for successful advocacy (focus on evidence collection, preparing for presentation of advocacy issues, policy briefs, learning briefs, and case studies among many others.
• The consultant is expected to provide a hands-on support and guidance to build participants’ capacity to develop policy briefs, case studies, and learning briefs for advocacy use.
• Furthermore, participants will discuss on approaches strategies, and mechanisms for a stronger youth-SRH movement among Y&WLCs in Tanzania

 

4. Prepare a final report for the assignment and submit to UMATI not more than 5 working days after the last training date.

 

UMATI Responsibilities

UMATI will be responsible for the following;

1. Cover the costs of consultant associated with the assignment.
2. Cover the cost associated with the training workshop.
3. Convene key people and organize all necessary logistical arrangements for the assignment.
4. Reviewing reports and providing feedback.
5. Organize training for Y&WLCs and agree on logistics with the consultant.
6. Provide any other relevant required data/ information to the consultant etc.

CONSULTANT PROFILE AND REQUIREMENTS

The consultant: – 

• Shall have knowledge, skills, and experience on youth SRHR issues Tanzania’s context. 
• Must possess skills and experience on different advocacy strategies/techniques, methods, and tools, especially on youth SRHR.

• Must possess and exhibit a not less than 5-years proven experience on conducting or leading youth-SRHR advocacy in Tanzania.
• Must possess a degree in social science, public/community health, development, political science or related fields. A Master’s degree in these fields is an added advantage.
• Good communication and facilitation skills.
• Ability to write high-quality, clear, concise reports in English. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants are requested to submit clear and concise Technical and Financial proposal for the assignment. The technical proposal should include relevant experience and proposed work schedule for the assignment. The proposal should also include a Curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience, proposal outlining the approach, methodology, and work plan. 

The proposal should be titled “Consultancy to Strengthen the Capacity of Y&WLCs to Undertake SRHR Advocacy” and sent by or before Tuesday 9th April, 2023 to UMATI Executive Director at procurement@umati.or.tz

Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

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