General Background
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) and its partners—Save the Children, Action Socio-sanitaire Organisation Secours (ASOS), Haona Soa, and Scientific Animations without Borders (SAWBO)—launched the USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Vikina Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) on October 1, 2024. Through a well-sequenced, layered, and integrated graduation approach, the five-year program aims to improve the food security and resilience of 34,000 households in Farafangana and Vangaindrano Districts of Madagascar, while protecting gains even through cyclones and other shocks. The program will be rolled out in a sequential manner and will target three different cohorts of participants in total, a new cohort of participants every 18 months in three different geographic locations.
During its first six months, the RFSA will conduct a series of assessments, mapping exercises, and consultations to further contextualize key design elements, such as the targeting approach and graduation criteria, and inform important technical strategies. During this contextualization period, Vikina will conduct an intersectional Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) Analysis, using Save the Children’s Gender and Power Analysis Guidance, which examines overlapping gender and social inequalities in the target areas as well as issues pertaining to youth engagement. This process will include a thorough literature review that will cover all the RFSA’s implementation areas and primary data collection that will be rolled out in two phases, starting with a first phase focused on the cohort 1 geographic areas in the district of Farafangana. The research questions for data collection are designed to fill key information gaps and the findings and recommendations of the GYSI Analysis will inform the development of a gender and youth engagement action plan and strategy and the refinement of the theory of change (TOC) and other program documents. It is envisioned that a second phase of data collection will be rolled out in Vangaindrano in preparation for the start of implementation in cohort 3 areas.
Save the Children is seeking a qualified international consultant and local consultant to conduct this GYSI Analysis and work with the Vikina team to write a gender and youth action plan and strategy focused on cohort 1 geographic areas in a first phase, and to conduct additional data collection and analysis to validate and update the gender and youth action plan and strategy in a second phase, prior to implementing in cohort 3 in early 2027.
This SOW is pending approval from USAID/BHA and any changes will be shared with the consultants prior to contracts being finalized.
Problem Statement
In Madagascar, gender and social norms influence women and young women and young men’s access to and control over productive resources and services (health, literacy, financial, etc.), and their ability to participate in decision making within their households and in community platforms.
Atsimo Atsinanana—population 1.03 million—is among the poorest, most isolated regions in Madagascar, with a young (60.1% under 25), rural (7.1% urban) population with low literacy rates (48.5% age 11 and older can read and write Malagasy). In Atsimo Atsinanana, less than half of women (46%) are literate and more than 80% of women are not exposed to any media, which restricts their access to valuable information. Gender and disability also intersect, with women aged 18–49 twice as likely as men to manifest at least one functional limitation in basic activities (Madagascar DHS 2021).
Most households (94.4%) in Atsimo Atsinanana work in agriculture. Of those, 92.6% produce crops, 80.3% rear livestock, and 17.7% work in fishing. Both women and men grow food crops primarily for consumption. Men are generally responsible for cash crops, while women perform some auxiliary tasks, including transport, storage, or sale of products. Only 1.5% of women aged 15-49 in Atsimo Atsinanana have access to a land title. Gendered perceptions of strength penalize women, and they perform important, but unpaid, work that limits their time for agricultural or non-agricultural economic opportunities and their ability to participate in decision making at all levels. Women heads of household engage the most in non-production activities, often because they have no other option. These are frequently landless women (Évaluation de la Relation entre l’Insécurité Alimentaire et le Foncier dans la Région Atsimo Atsinanana Madagascar, TANY, 2023, p. 20.).
Youth employment is generally informal, low paid, and irregular. Over 73% of young women and young men in Madagascar work in the agriculture sector, 16.5% work in the informal sector, and 10% work in industry. Embedded in these broad categories, the craft sector also represents 43% of small and medium enterprises and are mainly owned by women and young women and young men (Enquête sur la Transition des jeunes vers la Vie Active (ETVA) – Etude Nationale – 2016 – International Labor Organisation). Youth interviewed for USAID’s 2022 Cross-sectoral Youth Assessment noted that current vocational skill-building or training models did not meet their needs or were significantly cumbersome or expensive, making it difficult to secure any sort of certification.
Despite official commitments to the protection of women and girls’ rights, gender and social inequality significantly impact women and girls across all domains, particularly in Atsimo Atsinanana. The majority (60%) of women marry before age 18 and 47% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 have already started their reproductive life. Women and girls also suffer high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), with 23% of women and girls aged 15–49 reporting that they have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence by a partner (Madagascar DHS 2021).
Key Objectives for the GYSI Analysis
The GYSI Analysis will examine how gender intersects with other socially significant factors, such as age, ethnicity, origin, clan/sub-clan, religion, socio-economic status, health and disability status, household headship, marital status, sexual orientation, family structure, geographic location (inland/coastal), migratory status, and power dynamics to create multilayered risks and discrimination for disadvantaged households and groups.
Specific objectives of the analysis include:
- Understanding the primary social and gender-related norms, barriers, and opportunities for women, men, girls, and boys related to the graduation approach and the domains of analysis.
- Law, policies, regulations, and institutional practices
- Social norms, beliefs, and practices
- Roles, responsibilities, and time use
- Patterns of power and decision-making
- Access to and control over resources
- Safety, dignity, and well-being (including GBV)
- Assessing in what ways intersecting GYSI gaps and risks could hinder graduation outcomes.
- Identifying strategies and approaches that have been successful in promoting gender equality, women’s and youth’s empowerment, and the inclusion of marginalized groups[PJ2] in the areas of nutrition, food security, livelihoods and resilience, disaster risk management, and water, sanitation, and hygiene in Farafangana and Vangaindrano Districts and those that could be incorporated into Vikina’s graduation model.
The consultants will be expected to conduct a thorough desk review of relevant and current (published within the past five years) secondary information to inform the GYSI Analysis, and work with the Vikina RFSA team to validate and further refine illustrative research questions, data collection methods, and the sampling included in this scope of work. The GYSI Analysis should also incorporate findings and information gathered or collected from other studies, mapping exercises, and consultations conducted during the contextualization period. This includes a thorough mapping of services (nutrition, WASH, financial services, GBV, etc.) exploring presence, functionality and access.
The second phase of data collection to be completed prior to cohort 3, should take into account learnings and new information gaps from implementation in cohort 1 and 2, and explore the possibility of engaging women, young women and men into the design and roll out of the research.
The illustrative research questions selected for primary data collection are presented in the section below.
Research Questions for Primary Data Collection
Primary data collection will be targeted to fill gaps in information that will inform the refinement of the RFSA’s TOC and the contextualization of key approaches and activities, as well as operational processes such as cash and asset transfers and participant selection. The research questions below are illustrative and will be refined and validated by the consultants and the Vikina RFSA team after the literature review is completed, in preparation for the first phase of data collection, and will be refined/adapted as needed for subsequent research phases.
Social Norms, Beliefs and Practices
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what income generating activities seem appropriate for them and offer the greatest likelihood for control or shared decision-making over outputs and income generated?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what barriers and opportunities exist to participating in group income generating activities or micro enterprises?
Roles, Responsibilities and Time Use
- What would be a suitable frequency and time of the day throughout the year (depending on the seasonal calendar) for women, young women, young men, women heads of households, and first-time parents to participate in training and coaching sessions, and how might this differ based on sex and age?
- What would be helpful to ensure women’s, first time parents’, and women heads of household’s participation?
- Who within the household is considered as an enabler and barrier for women and young men and women to participate in program activities?
Patterns of Decision Making
- What strategies do households use when faced with shocks (including during the minor and major lean season)?
- Who participates in decision-making around the preparation for (timing and types of strategies) and adaptations to recover from shocks?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what are opportunities for them to participate in decision-making related to the shock planning and recovery phases?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what strategies can be leveraged for them to increase their decision-making power regarding the choice of livelihoods and investments in productive assets and to participate fully in the family business training?
- What existing skills do women, young women, and young men see as wanting to leverage and reinforce to improve their economic activities and security?
- How are food allocations decided between household members when food is scarce and what are opportunities to prioritize food allocation for women, adolescent girls, and young children?
- From the perspective of women, young women and young men, and influential members of the community, what opportunities exist to increase their meaningful participation in group activities?
Access to and Control Over Resources
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what opportunities exist for them to safely secure greater access to and control over land and other productive resources?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what opportunities exist to increase their access to extension services for agriculture and livestock production, including services provided by cooperatives and private sector?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what opportunities exist to improve their access to financial services and products, including financial literacy?
- How can Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) be adapted to be more responsive to youth and women, including support for financial literacy and access to information on social services?
- What strategies can be used to make sure participants of VSLAs are able to fully engage and participate in group decision-making? Should participants be grouped by gender and/or life stages?
- From the perspective of women, young women, and young men, what measures can be put in place to make sure the cash distributions and asset transfers do not create intra-household issues and protect the objectives of this assistance?
- How can we mitigate the risk of male capture and intra-household diversion of assistance designed to address basic needs, consumption support, and investment in productive assets?
Safety, Dignity, and Wellbeing
- How can women, young women, and young men safely participate in targeting committees?
- What are the risks linked to sexual exploitation, particularly for single female-headed households, in exchange for inclusion in cash transfers, food commodities, or other activities? What prevention and mitigation measures can be put in place?
- How can approaches to mentoring and coaching be tailored so they are adapted to priority target groups?
- What are safe spaces for women, young women, and young men to gather and learn?
- What characterizes people seen as a safe source of mentorship from the perspective of women, young women, young men, and influential community members?
- Who is seen as safe and influential sources of support in the community for women, young women, and young men for advocacy purposes (participation in group activities, life choices, choices of livelihoods, etc.)?
- What strategies do women, young women, and young men use to protect themselves against GBV? What services exist for survivors and how do they access them safely? Who in the community has influence over norms linked to GBV and who is seen as a trusted source of support for survivors? How can we get support from men and local authorities for GBV prevention?
Research Design and Methods
Data Collection Methods
Save the Children expects to gather nuanced insights on community members’ perceptions and resources through mapping exercises and consultations that will help triangulate the results of qualitative research conducted for the GYSI Analysis. An in-depth literature review of existing studies and reports conducted by USAID/BHA, members of the Vikina consortium and other NGO partners, documentation from the FIOVANA RFSA, and other secondary data will be completed to inform the GYSI Analysis, as well as the refinement of the illustrative questions and sampling included in this scope of work. Key members of the Vikina RFSA team and the consortium’s headquarters teams will work with the consultants through each phase of the GYSI Analysis. RFSA staff will participate in the design and testing of the data collection tools, as well as in data collection itself.
For primary data collection, the study will use qualitative and participatory research methods, including focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). The consultants will be expected to propose participatory methods for data collection that are tailored to research questions and respondents.
Sampling Frame
Many different ethnolinguistic groups and communities are represented in the RFSA’s targeted geographic areas. To ensure the qualitative research provides nuanced information, data will be collected in communes and villages that can be considered representative of the RFSA’s implementation areas.
Save the Children anticipates collecting data in a minimum of six communes, including three communes in the district of Farafangana during the first phase of data collection and three other communes in the district of Vangaindrano in the second phase, after the initial assessment of the randomized control trial is completed. This should include at least one coastal and one inland commune in each district. Within each target commune, the consultants should plan to collect information in at least three villages.
Save the Children anticipates conducting FGDs with five different sub-groups and three to six FGDs per sub-group of interest to ensure rich and nuance information is obtained. These sub-groups will be validated once a thorough desk review is completed in collaboration with the RFSA team. For now, they include the following:
Sub-Groups of Interest and Considerations
- Women heads of households: Included as a sub-group of interest because the RFSA will aim for 25% of the total number of participants to be women heads of household and the importance of collecting disaggregated data for them.
- Young women 15 to 19 years old & Young men 15 to 19 years old: Purposely include participants with and without economic opportunities and first-time parents and use prompting questions to capture their specific perspectives.
- Young women 20 to 29 years old & Young men 20 to 29 years old: Purposely include participants who have their own households and have an economic activity. The research team will consider conducting a limited number of KIIs or FGDs with a small number of adult men and women to collect additional insights from adults and based[JR3] . The need for this will be determined based on the information collected during the FGDs for the 20- to 29-year-old cohort and insight from the data collection team.
Key informant interviews will be conducted in three to five villages, or a subset of the nine villages where FGDs will be conducted. Save the Children anticipates that the consultants will work with the Vikina team to refine the type of informants to interview based on the list below and to interview one to two individuals by type of informant in a sufficient number of villages to ensure rich and nuanced information is obtained.
Types of Informants and Considerations
- Traditional/community leaders at the village level.
- Religious leaders at the village level.
- Local authorities (village chief) at the village level.
- Women and youth associations (i.e. Youth committees, mother-to-mother care groups, other community-based associations) at the village level or commune level based on presence of youth and women’s associations.
- Community Health Workers (AC or ACN) at the village level.
- Government officials (gender, youth and health) at the commune or district level.
- FIOVANA Staff (to be determined in collaboration with the FIOVANA RFSA).
Save the Children anticipates several ethnolinguistic groups to be present in a village, so the study team will identify villages that can be considered representative of the cohort areas. Purposive sampling will be used to identify key people to include in FGDs. The research team will also be expected to propose the most appropriate way to gather information and insight from specific marginalized groups, including people with disabilities. This should take into account providing a safe space where they feel comfortable actively participating.
Other operational considerations will include reliable access to roads and distance since the data collection phase will take place during the rainy season.
Save the Children also anticipates mapping out services in a number of FIOVANA villages that overlap with Vikina’s villages of implementation, as opposed to rolling out FGDs in these villages, to ease the burden of data collection on the participants who will participate in FIOVANA’s final evaluation.
The consultants are expected to work with the Vikina team to finalize the sampling plan prior to launching data collection and to adjust it as needed during data collection to ensure the appropriate depth and richness of information is collected.
Data Management, Coding, and Analysis and Storage
Consultants will be expected to provide a proposed plan for data management, coding, analysis, and storage during the inception phase based on key considerations and standards discussed with SC.
Ethical Considerations
The research methods will be qualitative, and the study will not collect sensitive and personal information. We therefore anticipate it will be a low-risk study from an ethical perspective. However, before starting data collection, Vikina will seek appropriate ethics approvals (required by the Malagasy government and internally). No data collection will begin before receiving the approval.
Team Composition and Competencies
Save the Children is seeking an international Gender and Youth Consultant to lead the GYSI Analysis, as well as a local Gender and Youth Consultant based in Madagascar who meet the following qualifications:
International Consultant – Team lead
- Master’s degree in social sciences, gender or youth studies, international development, or relevant field.
- 7-10 years of experience conducting qualitative research on gender and youth in Southern Africa, including in Madagascar.
- Experience in gender programming and developing cross-sectoral gender and youth engagement strategies for USAID-funded programs.
- Familiarity and experience in Madagascar.
- Experience leading research teams and conducting enumerator training for qualitative research.
- Excellent speaking and writing skills in English and French.
- Master’s degree in social sciences, gender or youth studies, rural development, or relevant field.
- 7-10 years of experience conducting qualitative research on gender and youth in Madagascar, including in Farafangana and Vangaindrano Districts.
- Experience in gender and youth programming in Madagascar.
- Experience overseeing data collections and training enumerators in qualitative research methods.
- Excellent speaking and writing skills in French Malagasy, and relevant local languages.
Malagasy Consultant – Local gender and youth expert
- Master’s degree in social sciences, gender or youth studies, rural development, or relevant field.
- 7-10 years of experience conducting qualitative research on gender and youth in Madagascar, including in Farafangana and Vangaindrano Districts.
- Experience in gender and youth programming in Madagascar.
- Experience overseeing data collections and training enumerators in qualitative research methods.
- Excellent speaking and writing skills in French Malagasy, and relevant local languages.
Roles and Responsibilities
The international consultant will play the role of Team lead and will be responsible for the following:
- Overall implementation of the study and production of deliverables.
- Developing a timeline of activities and preparing and revising all data collection tools in collaboration with the local gender and youth expert and Vikina RFSA team.
- Ensuring quality standards throughout the study phases as well as adherence to USAID’s requirements and expectations.
- Preparing and rolling out tools and processes that facilitate quality assurance and continuous data analysis to comply with the RFSA’s timeline.
- Ensuring regular coordination with key stakeholders on the Vikina RFSA and Save the Children headquarters.
- Preparing the submission to the local ethics review process.
The local gender and youth expert will take the lead on:
- Preparing the submission to the local ethics review process.
- Leading the training of enumerators and piloting of the data collection tools.
- Overseeing the day-to-day data collection/serve as supervisor.
- Developing a community entry and communications plan for the study.
The consultants will be expected to work hand in hand with the Vikina RFSA through each step of the analysis.
The Vikina team and Save the Children Madagascar Country Office will be responsible for:
- Liaising with government authorities and community leadership for introductions, entry, and permissions to conduct field work on time.
- Facilitating access to all relevant program documentation.
- Supporting the obtention of ethical clearance for the study.
- Availing program staff for fieldwork as available.
- Facilitating coordination and collaboration with other formative study consultants/leads.
- Oversight and feedback to the consultants to ensure quality and timely completion of the work.
- Coordination with USAID/BHA and other stakeholders as relevant for reviews and feedback.
- The consultants will be expected to hire additional enumerators (as needed) and arrange their individual transportation.
Period of Performance
The consultancy is expected to begin in mid-January 2025 and cover approximately five months. Initial milestones include:
- An inception report with the results from a literature review, and research protocol will be due by mid-February.
- Data collection will be launched by late February.
- Preliminary results of data collection should be available by early March
Deliverables
The Consultants will be responsible for the following deliverables and milestones:
- Inception report (including draft survey tools, timeline, sampling frame, desk review, and a plan for data collection monitoring, storage, analysis, and continuous sharing).
- Validation workshop
- Detailed presentation of preliminary findings and recommendations/implications.
- Two drafts of the full GYSI Analysis report following the outline suggested by BHA.
- GYSI action plan accompanied by a 5–10-page strategy.
- The GYSI action plan should be in the form of a matrix presenting key results, recommendations, adjustments to activities and approaches, roles and responsibilities, and any relevant timelines and indicators to measure results.
- The consultants will be expected to work with the RFSA team to address USAID/BHA feedback on the action plan or other deliverables.
How to apply
Consultants/firms interested in applying for this consultancy should send the following by the deadline to the contact information indicated. Please note that only complete applications will be reviewed and considered against criteria noted in this scope of work.
Interested consultants can propose research teams inclusive of a Team Lead, Malagasy expert, and enumerators. International consultants are not required to travel to Madagascar.
Application Package:
- Narrative (5-page maximum) describing the consultant/team’s relevant experience, approach to conducting the consultancy, and proposed timeline.
- A detailed budget showing their daily rate, number of days proposed for each key activity/step, and any other anticipated costs, using the template linked here.
- Confirmation of their availability for the full consultancy and ability to travel to Madagascar in late January – mid-February.
- Detailed CV highlighting relevant experience.
- Two references who can provide feedback on similar consultancies conducted in the past.
Applications submitted by Team Leads should be in English and applications submitted by local gender and youth experts should be in French.
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025
Contact: Bethany Leech, bleech@savechildren.org
Review Criteria for the Applications:
- Applicant’s relevant experience (years of experience, similar studies conducted, experience with USAID/BHA studies and in Madagascar and the specific RFSA districts, etc.) – 40%
- Technical quality of the proposed approach (clear understanding of the scope of work, appropriate methodologies, innovative ideas, etc.). To be scored favorably in this area, applicants must propose participatory methods for data collection which go beyond typical question and answer discussions – 40%
- Cost – 20%