Consultancy - Gender analysis in Afar region - Ethiopia

Introduction:

Ayuda en Acción is a secular, non-partisan, non-governmental organisation established in 1981 with a global commitment to fight against poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Its headquarter is in Madrid, Spain. The organisation operates in 18 countries within Africa, South and Central America and Europe (Spain, Portugal). In Ethiopia, Ayuda en Acción supported a range of humanitarian and development interventions through local partners between 2002 and 2017; an independent country programme was established in 2018. Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia aspires to tackle poverty, inequalities and exclusion that perpetuate poverty. The organisation perceives women, men, girls and boys as the centre of its efforts in the country, giving it an impetus to strengthen people’s and institutions’ capacities to meaningfully contribute to development and dignified life of all in Ethiopia. To achieve its mission, Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia has worked in three regions of Ethiopia, namely Afar, Oromia and SNNPR in close cooperates with local partners, international research institutes, public agencies, and private sector actors.

Project description:

Funded by the European Union under grant EuropeAid/179149/DD/ACT/ET-1, the three-year The Empowering Futures for Youth and Women beyond Agriculture (EMPOWER) project aims to enhance livelihood security for vulnerable women and youth in Ethiopia by strengthening access to inclusive and green job opportunities. Implemented by a consortium led by People in Need (PIN), with co-applicants Ayuda en Acción (AeA) and Development Expertise Center (DEC), the project targets individuals transitioning out of agricultural and agro-pastoral livelihoods, as well as those remaining in the sector. Operating across multiple regions, PIN leads implementation in Oromia, DEC in Tigray, and AeA in conflict- and climate-affected areas of Afar National Regional State.

In Afar, Ayuda en Acción manages the project in Chifra (Zone 1), Ewa, Gulina (Zone 4) including Keluwan Roble Gabata TVET College, Abala (Zone 2) including Asale TVET College, and Asayita Polytechnic College. These areas face severe challenges from recurrent droughts, conflict, harmful traditional practices and socio-economic instability, which have disrupted traditional livelihoods and exacerbated gender inequalities. Women face systemic exclusion from decision-making, early marriage (average age 16.5), female genital mutilation (affecting over 90%), and barriers to education, training, and market participation. Women are also excluded from high-value chains such as honey, while their roles in dairy remain undervalued. Female-headed households, IDPs, returnees, GBV survivors, and women with disabilities experience intersectional vulnerabilities. In response to these challenges, the EMPOWER project aims to create sustainable, inclusive, and green job opportunities by strengthening local capacity in key agricultural and pastoralist value chains and improving access to technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Despite ongoing interventions, women and youth in Afar face persistent barriers—limited technical skills, financial services, and employment opportunities—that restrict access to markets, decent jobs, and quality education. To address this, Ayuda en Acción seeks a consultancy firm to conduct a gender analysis identifying structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers and recommending actionable solutions for women’s economic empowerment aligned with Ethiopia’s National Policy on Women and Afar Regional Gender Action Plans and regional priorities, EU Gender Action Plan III (2021–2025), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5, SDG 8, and SDG 16 and the AU Agenda 2063 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women  (CEDAW) commitments.

Objectives of the study:

To conduct a comprehensive gender analysis in Afar and focusing project target woredas to identify structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers to women’s economic empowerment in education, employment, and market access and to provide actionable recommendations for gender-responsive interventions within the EMPOWER project. The findings will guide gender-responsive interventions within the project, ensuring alignment with local contexts, market demands, and inclusive green job creation.

Specific Objectives:

 1: Identify and analyse gender-specific barriers—including discriminatory norms, cultural practices, institutional constraints, and conflict dynamics—that limit women’s access to TVET, productive resources, markets, and decent employment opportunities.

2: Assess the gender-responsiveness of TVET systems and training delivery, with emphasis on priority value chains (honey, poultry, dairy, soybeans, livestock fattening, solar energy, and fodder), and propose reforms to improve inclusivity and equity.

3: Examine private and public sector policies, institutional frameworks, and workplace practices influencing women’s recruitment, retention, career advancement, and participation in education, training, and the labour market, Integrating Conflict Sensitivity by mapping local conflict management and peacebuilding mechanisms

 4: Document successful practices and generate actionable recommendations to strengthen gender-responsive policies, advocacy efforts, conflict-sensitive programming, and multi-stakeholder coordination platforms that promote women’s economic empowerment in Afar and beyond.

Methodology:

The consultancy is expected to adopt a mixed-method and participatory approach to ensure the analysis is comprehensive, inclusive (including disability), conflict sensitive and context-specific. The consultant is expected to come up with comprehensive analytical framework. The following approaches are suggested:

1. Desk Review
   • Review project documents, gender assessments, and relevant policies (national, regional, EU Gender Action Plan).
   • Analyse existing reports on women’s economic empowerment, TVET systems, labour markets, and private sector practices.
2. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs)
   • Engage with TVET administrators, government officials, private sector leaders, women entrepreneurs, BoWSA and their woreda offices, Bureau of Labor and Skills and their woreda offices, NGO, Justice/protection actors: police, prosecutors, courts, Microfinance, Awash Bank, Cooperative bureau, Agriculture bureau and traditional conflict resolution actors (Clan/religious leaders).
   • Include perspectives from women, men, and community leaders to capture diverse viewpoints.
3. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
   • Conduct FGDs disaggregated by gender and age with unemployed youth, TVET students, BoLS, women entrepreneurs, and female project beneficiaries.
   • Explore lived experiences, barriers, and opportunities related to education, skills training, and employment.
4. Case Studies of Lived Experiences
   • Conduct one to one discussion with women, girls and religious/traditional leader and develop case study/story to substantiate the findings.
5. Participatory Mapping Workshops
   • Facilitate workshops with SMEs, cooperatives (e.g., SACCOs), market actors and employment facilitation actors.
   • Map barriers, opportunities, and pathways for women’s access to markets and decent jobs.
6. Institutional Assessments
   • Assess the gender-responsiveness and inclusiveness of TVET institutions (curricula, teaching practices, enrolment, retention), types of class, teaching materials, infrastructures and types of toilets
   • Review HR policies, workplace practices, and organizational cultures of private sector actors.
   • Assess the gender-responsiveness and inclusiveness of BoLS institutions (Policies and Guidelines (Enrolment, Code of Conduct, etc.) types of rooms, capacity building materials, infrastructures and types of toilets
   • Examine coordination and support mechanisms within government institutions (e.g., Bureau of Women and Children Affairs, Bureau of Labor and Skills).
7. Analytical Frameworks
   • Apply established gender analysis frameworks to systematically examine roles, relations, access to resources, inclusiveness and decision-making dynamics.
8. Validation Workshop
   • Present preliminary findings and recommendations to key stakeholders, including TVETs, government actors, private sector representatives, and NGOs.
   • Facilitate joint reflection to refine and validate the recommendations.

Scope and deliverables

Scope of Work:

The consultancy firm will conduct a comprehensive gender analysis to inform policy, advocacy, and programming under the EMPOWER project. The analysis will generate evidence on structural, institutional, conflict related and socio-cultural barriers limiting women’s participation in education, employment, and markets, and propose gender-responsive solutions to strengthen women’s economic empowerment.

The key tasks include:

1. Gender-Responsive Advocacy Analysis
   • Examine discriminatory cultural and social norms that restrict women’s economic participation.
   • Propose effective advocacy strategies for engaging public and private actors to address these barriers.
2. Private Sector Engagement
   • Assess policies, HR systems, and workplace practices of available private sector actors.
   • Identify gaps in gender responsiveness and propose inclusive workplace measures.
   • Conduct follow-up visits to monitor adoption and implementation of recommendations.
3. Institutional Review
   • Assess the Bureau of Women and Children Affairs, Bureau of Labor and Skills, one-stop centres, traditional Justice, Afar microfinance, Awash Bank and job creation councils.
   • Examine their alignment with national and regional gender priorities.
   • Recommend ways to strengthen institutional capacity for advancing women’s economic empowerment.
4. Education & TVET Analysis
   • Work with three TVET colleges (Adadale, Asa’le, and Keluwan) to assess curricula, trainers’ skills, teaching materials, and cooperative training.
   • Identify gaps in gender responsiveness and inclusivity within TVET systems.
   • Recommend improvements to ensure TVETs contribute to women’s equitable participation in priority value chains (honey, poultry, dairy, soybeans, livestock fattening, solar energy, and fodder).
5. Multi-Stakeholder Coordination
   • Review and strengthen job creation coordination platforms at regional level.
   • Facilitate the integration of inclusive employment strategies into their processes.
6. Integration with Existing Assessments
   • Build on AeA’s TVET Capacity and Market System Development (MSD) Gap Assessment by integrating gender considerations into curriculum redesign, market alignment, and training delivery.
   • Ensuring gender perspectives are embedded in skills development, career pathways, and job creation initiatives.

Expected Deliverables

The consultancy firm is expected to deliver the following outputs:

1. Inception Phase

• Inception Report: Detailing methodology, data collection tools, sampling, work plan, and timeline. This report will guide the fieldwork and must be reviewed and approved by AeA before field implementation.

2. Draft Analysis Phase

• Draft Gender Analysis Report: Highlighting systemic and institutional barriers, discriminatory norms, gender roles, GBV and capacity gaps among stakeholders in education, employment, and market systems.
• Private Sector Policy Guidance Notes: creation of technical guidelines on the development of gender-sensitive policies, conducive and decent work conditions for women and promotion of equal wages and their implementation within target businesses
• Advocacy Strategy: Outlining approaches to address discriminatory social and cultural norms limiting women’s participation.
• Gender-Responsive TVET Recommendations: Targeting curricula, cooperative training, career services, code of conducts, reporting mechanisms, safe physical environment to prevent sexual harassment and capacity-building interventions.
• Stakeholder Coordination Framework: Proposals for strengthening inclusive job creation platforms.
• Validation Workshop: Presentation of draft findings to AeA, government bodies, private sector actors, and other stakeholders for feedback and validation.

3. Final Phase

• Final Gender Analysis Report: Consolidated document including:
  • Analysis of gender norms and division of labour in education and employment.
  • Identification of barriers to women’s access to decent jobs, markets, and resources.
  • Assessment of TVET institutions and private sector gender responsiveness.
  • Case studies highlighting successful gender-responsive initiatives.
  • Practical, actionable recommendations for interventions to strengthen women’s economic empowerment in education, employment, and market systems.
• Final Consolidated Report: Integrating all findings, recommendations, and a roadmap for scaling gender-responsive interventions within the EMPOWER project.

Responsibility of Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia:

1. Ayuda en Acción will provide details about the EMPOWER project, "Empowering Futures for Youth and Women Beyond Agriculture," in the Afar region of Ethiopia
2. Ayuda en Acción country office team will provide clarification and all the necessary and available information project implementation areas.
3. Ayuda en Acción will jointly develop necessary tools in collaboration with consultant firm
4. Ayuda en Acción team will participate in the data collection, in addition to reviewing the report, providing feedback and final validation of the study.
5. Avails staff for field travel and joint data collection and access to information of various kinds in methods like group discussions or individual interviews with the consultant and other engagements.
6. Ayuda en Acción will arranging transport or cover all transportation cost for the consultancy team to and from the field office for data collection, including all travel required during the field mission and assessment period and validation workshop.
7. Provide security related information and security clearance.
8. Ayuda en Acción will facilitate venue and cover all costs related to workshop and training.
9. Facilitate stakeholder participation throughout the assessment and curriculum development process.
10. Assigns a contact person(s) for the consultants responsible to facilitate communication and the undertaking of activities that work towards the effective and efficient outcome.
11. Provides prompt feedback on inquiries, reports, and other deliverables.

Guiding principle:

The Consultancy firm should adhere to the following underlying principles in addition to the approaches required for assessment and curriculum development.

• Safeguarding and protection policies which will be signed by the selected consultancy firm.
• Conflict sensitivity and do not harm principles
• Gender transformative and inclusive approaches
• Intersectionality: address vulnerabilities of women with disabilities, IDPs, returnees and GBV survivors.

Schedule

The study is expected to be completed within 40 calendar days.  The preliminary calendar to develop the gender-inclusive market system assessment upon agreement, is outlined in the table below: