National Consultant

Overview

Sonke Gender Justice, Activate Change Drivers! And ActionAid SA, are looking for a consultant for the purpose of conducting an end-term evaluation of Generation G South Africa according to the terms of reference set out herein. 

Key details

Programme Locations: South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape)
Application Deadline: 30 September 2024
Timeline Contract: 1 October 2024 – 31 December 2025 
Consultancy Budget: R160 000
Reporting to: Global end-term evaluation consultant

The Generation G partnership strives towards the creation of gender-just and violence-free societies with and for young people in their full diversity. The partnership raises public support, advocates for improved policies and laws, and strengthens civil society to contribute to achieving gender justice. It thrives on the diversity, strength and collaboration of experts, evidence-based and evaluated approaches, cross-country learning, and global advocacy. Programme activities are running in seven countries in the Global South: Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda, and will conclude at the end of calendar year 2025. As the end-term date of the programme approaches, the organisations and institutions involved in the programme are eager to investigate the results of their work, and document lessons about the successes and challenges of the programme to inform our future programming and the lobby and advocacy field as a whole. 

Programme Background 

The Generation G partnership raises public support, advocates for improved policies and laws, and strengthens civil society as a means to contribute to gender justice. More specifically, this partnership engages an innovative gender-transformative strategy that equips youth leaders and civil society organisations to address the root causes of gender inequality and power imbalances. Engaging (young) men in promoting gender justice is a key component of this strategy. 

The key approach of the programme is a gender-transformative approach. A gender-transformative approach focuses on the following elements: a) investing in amplifying young feminist voices; b) strengthening the role of young men as allies in gender equality; c) promoting human rights and youth agency; d) analysing and addressing harmful norms and unequal power relations; e) embracing sexual and gender diversity.

Next to a gender-transformative approach, this partnership has fully embraced the principles of inclusiveness, meaningful and inclusive youth participation, do no harm and accountability. As young people are our key actors and key impact group, they are actively included in decision-making processes, as well as the design and implementation of key strategies. The diversity in these principles refer to the fact that, although the partnership recognises the need to amplify voices of women and the need to actively engage men, we live in a world where youth have intersecting identities that influence their position in society and access to rights and power. As such, an intersectional feminist approach to gender justice is strongly embedded in the Generation G programme.

Gender-transformative lobbying and advocacy happens at the individual, community, institutional and policy levels. The different levels of gender-transformative lobbying and advocacy are embedded in three mutually reinforcing long-term outcomes (LTOs), described below: 

• LTO 1 aims at increasing and mobilising public support for gender justice and rejecting gender-based violence. This LTO also feeds into the other two LTOs as mobilised individuals can become part of organised civil society or might use their voice or voting power to pressure decision makers towards more gender-transformative policies and legislation.
• LTO 2 focuses on strengthening gender-transformative and youth-inclusive policymaking and legislation. This LTO feeds into the other two LTOs as decision makers directly influence the availability of civic space and have a strong influence on the general public through discourse, legislation and policies.
• LTO3 envisions a strong, inclusive and resilient civil society that is able to fight for gender justice. This LTO also feeds into the other two LTOs as a strong civil society is able to advocate for gender-transformative laws and policies and is able to foster and stimulate public support.

Our strategic objective is to create societies that are gender just and violence free, with and for young people in their full diversity. By saying gender just, we imply systemic change at the level of root causes of discrimination, sexism and harmful norms that impede full access to rights for young people on the mere basis of their gender. By violence free, we imply our ambition to actively contribute to a decrease in gender-based violence in the countries where this programme is active.

Objectives

The end-term evaluation of the Generation G programme has two-fold objectives: programmatic focused and collaboration focused. Detailed objectives are:

1. Evaluating the effectiveness of the programme: evaluate the results (including unexpected or unintended results) of the programme, which changes occurred, how changes happened and the contribution of the programme to these changes:
   • To assess and validate the country programme progress towards the achievement of the 5-year targets at output and outcome level;
   • To assess the country programme strategies regarding:
     • sustainability (what is the likelihood that the programme results will be sustainable, in terms of systems, institutions, policies, financing) and institutionalisation (e.g. on GTA and MIYP);
     • operationalisation of programme principles (do we live up to our own principles?);
     • capacity strengthening (Is the programme sufficiently sensitive and responsive to capacity strengthening needs? Is the country’s capacity strengthening plan effective and likely to lead to sustained capacity improvements in the long-term?)
   • A mapping of funding in relation to budgets vs. expenditures at activity, thematic and geographical level, as well as an evaluation of financial resource management (e.g. appropriateness of budget planning, whether grant allocation has been appropriate, whether there were any bottlenecks in the system of financial disbursement between consortium, national lead partner and coalition partners;
   • Additional country specific evaluation and/or learning objectives. 
2. Evaluating the partnership collaboration focusing on: coherence, localisation/leading from the South, partnership with the Ministry and the Embassies, lessons learned and good practices.
3. Evaluating the relevance and validity of the theory of change: evaluate the programmes’ theory of change including assessing the validity of the assumptions underlying the TOC in the different country contexts by providing evidence of which mechanisms of change worked, which did not, and why. 

The Generation G country coalition of South Africa calls for an external, independent consultant to address these objectives clearly and comprehensively. The National consultant will work in collaboration with the global consultant and youth researcher. We require that the consultant engage closely with programme staff due to their knowledge of the context. Further details are presented below. 

Methods and approach

For the Generation G end-term evaluation the realist evaluation approach will be used. See for example: https://www.intrac.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Realist-evaluation.pdf. The realist evaluation focuses on understanding what works, for whom and under what circumstances, and will be informed by the programme’s theory of change and context at country and global levels. It is particularly useful for understanding complex interventions and how context influences programmes. A realist evaluation works by going back to the theory of change, mapping how we assume the programme works (i.e. who is doing what and what outcomes do we assume these interventions have), then gathering data to understand if these assumptions are in fact true, and how context has an influence. Data will be collected around these assumptions. A range of data collection methods can be included in a realist evaluation. For this end-term evaluation interviews, focus group discussions, outcome harvesting, and observations will be used, with scope for further methods to be included as needed. 

Scope of Work 

Main tasks

• Attend an orientation meeting with global consultants and the Generation-G team; 
• Attend an end-term evaluation planning meeting in Rabat Morocco, which will be held from 2 – 6 December 2024. Participation is mandatory, you must be available for this week, and eligible to fly to Morocco. All costs such as flight and hotel will be reimbursed by the lead agent Rutgers. Per diems and visa costs will be paid by the global consultant;
• Attend training on a) the Realist Evaluation approach (most likely this will integrated into the planning meeting week in Morocco), and b) data collection, including pre-testing the tools; 
• Translate and contextualise the tools; 
• Lead on all logistical planning and arrangements of the data collection activities; 
• Facilitate focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and conduct observations at country level; 
• Review country project reports and validate progress against indicators targets and key learning identified at country level; 
• Support data analysis lead by the global consultant; 
• Develop a field work report, including country specific recommendations; 
• Provide input for the preliminary findings; 
• Provide input for the final report. 

Expected Deliverables

• Recording of each interview and FGD session conducted;
• Summarised transcripts of interviews and FGD sessions in English;
• Field notes of how the field work was implemented (including supporting and hindering factors during the field work, observation notes);
• Part of the draft report related to the assigned work – will be discussed further during the data collection;
• Other deliverables that are needed by the global consultants – will be discussed further during the online training.

Duration

Approximately 30 days (spread between September 2024 – September 2025). 

Travel

The consultant will work in their home country, with travel to the sites. The global consultant will cover the travel expenses, including accommodation and per diem. Attendance at the end-term evaluation planning meeting in Rabat Morocco, 2 – 6 December 2024 is mandatory. All costs for this meeting such as flight and hotel will be reimbursed by the lead agent Rutgers. Per diems for this meeting will be paid by the global consultant.

Qualifications and specialised knowledge, experience and skills required

• Master degree in a relevant subject e.g. development studies, social studies, public health; 
• Proven track record in the evaluation of complex programs, with specific attention to gender equality and gender justice especially in the area of SGBV, advocacy, campaign, and civil society strengthening; 
• A solid understanding of the social, political, and cultural context in South Africa ; 
• At least 10 years of relevant working experience with civil society organisation or research institute, and experience working with vulnerable communities, including youth, women and girls; 
• Proven track record in facilitating participatory evaluation workshop and qualitative data collection; 
• Preferable experienced in the Realist Evaluation Approach;
• Understanding Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) and Meaningful and Inclusive Youth Participation (MIYP); 
• Knowledge of human rights, gender justice, gender transformative lobbying and advocacy, intersectionality, youth agency, youth inclusive policy making and legislation and collaborative programming, including approaches to engage men and boys; 
• Written and spoken fluency in English and Xhosa and Zulu. Understanding and can communicate with local language used in Xhosa and Zulu, Sotho is an advantage;
• Familiarity with the Most Significant Change (MSC) and Outcome Harvesting is an advantage; 
• Ability to travel in-country. 

Conflict of Interest (CoI)

National consultants should not have COI nor have been involved in the Generation G programme nor have been working/worked with one of organisations implementing the Generation G programme. 

How to Apply

Applications for this role are open until 30 September 2024. Please send your application through to hiring@genderjustice.org.za

Please limit the proposal text to no more than 10 pages. The proposal text should be a narrative demonstrating the following: 

• Your skills and background which make you suitable for this assignment; 
• Your track record on the evaluation of advocacy programmes, gender justice, meaningful and inclusive youth participation, gender-transformative lobbying and advocacy, youth-inclusive policy making and legislation; send two examples of recent evaluations with your application;
• Your proficiency with realist evaluation approaches
• Highlight experience pertaining collaboration and feedback in projects for multiple partners

In addition to the proposal text, please submit supplementary materials including the following: 

• CVs, highlighting relevant experience and personal profile.
• At least one, preferably two recent studies/writing examples on similar themes with significant/primary writing by the lead researcher. 
• 2 references

For inquiries please contact  hiring@genderjustice.org.za