Consultant for MFP Tool Adaptation at TearFund

Job Description

• Tearfund is an international NGO working across 40 countries globally. Tearfund UK has a long term commitment to working with Churches globally with a vision to empower and enable them to address issues to poverty and justice. Since 2010, Tearfund UK has been involved in building national and global movements of faith that have a vision to end sexual violence. In partnership with the Anglican Communion and UNAIDS
• Tearfund and their partners in Nigeria, Faith Alive Foundation (FAF) and The ECWA Aids Ministry (TEAM), in collaboration with the Institute of Reproductive Health (US), were awarded the Masculinities, Faith and Peace (MFP) project funded by the John Templeton Foundation. This is a research project to assess the impact and effectiveness of Tearfund’s Transforming Masculinities intervention adapted to include outcomes on increasing heatlhy timing and spacing of pregnancies (HTSP) or child-spacing and promoting social cohesion along with its standard focus on reducing gender-based violence. This project is for 3 years, and the first 2 years will focus on the implementation of these activities in 10 Mosques and 10 Churches in Plateau State. This research is a randomized control trial, which means during phase 1 only 5 of the Mosques and 5 of the Churches will have the intervention components implemented in their sites, whereas the other 5 churches and 5 mosques will be control sites for comparison at the end of project research/or endline, before phase 2 implementation begins in these control sites.

The Purpose and Scope of Work

• Given the above context, the purpose of this consultancy is to adapt the Transforming Masculinities intervention model, curriculum and process to an Islamic context that is meaningful to the Muslims in Plateau state of Nigeria. This adaptation must be modelled on the same structure, values and principles as currently in the toolkit to ensure uniformity, which will also help in the discussion on social cohesion when Christian and Muslim groups meet for shared dialogue.
• The following key components of the process and tools needs to be adapted in consultation with key stakeholders including Imams from the Mosques we are partnering with, their local congregations, their Christian counterparts, Islamic scholars and key Muslim networks. Terminology needs to be adapted to be meaningful in communicating the values, principles and the emotions of the sessions and process within a Muslim faith framework.
• The adaptation must also ensure integration of the key focus areas of GBV, child-spacing and social cohesion into the various. The Christian and Muslim versions of these tools will be made available in Hausa and English, so it’s important to reflect that through the adaptation process.

First Phase (Maximum 15 consultancy days):

• Review of existing materials and process
• Draft an intervention outline for adaptation
• Make suggestions for Qur’anic references for the respective sessions from the tools
• Propose changes for terminology/concept adaptations
• Propose changes for stronger linkages within the existing toolkits to ensure that all 3 key themes are emphasized

Second Phase (Maximum 5 Consultancy days):

• Adaptation workshop with key stakeholders especially on the religious texts adaptation and process (Imams, men and women from the experimental sites, TF partners (FAF and TEAM), Tearfund project team)
• Revisions based on feedback from the workshops, followed up with specific engagement with key stakeholders, including members of the technical advisory group.
• Sharing the adaptation process/content etc. with MFP advisory group
• Final Phase (Maximum 5 Consultancy days):
• Final revisions to the toolkits and process
• Integration of the key themes into the existing toolkits
• Finalising changes
• Final feedback session with key stakeholders
• And submission of final draft work to the MFP team in MS word format document
• Revision by MFP Technical Team/with comments, and final round of reviews

Qualification and Experience/Skills Required

• Educational background (Theological training/Religious education) specific to the Islamic religion.
• More than 5 years of experience working with Islamic religious leaders and on Islamic teachings.
• Familiarity/exposure to work on GBV, Family Planning and Social Cohesion from a development/public health perspective within a religious setting.
• Conceptual understanding of GBV, Family Planning and Social Cohesion.
• Contextual understanding of the Plateau State, and the religious context
• Is engaged and familiar with key networks in Nigeria, especially on Social Cohesion, preferable also on Family Planning and GBV.
• ICT skills (like MS Word, MS Excel, Skype, Email, Using shared calendar).