Consultant - National Social Safety Net Programme: Gender Analysis at Save The Children

Background
The Nigerian government has recently rolled out a comprehensive National Social Safety Net Programme (NASSP) as part of the Social Investment Programmes. The sum of Five Hundred Billion Naira has already been approved in the 2016 Appropriation Act to finance NASSP, with a corresponding amount committed by the World Bank.

The intended outcome of the NASSP is to accelerate growth and development through addressing unemployment and improving the living conditions of vulnerable and extremely poor Nigerians. The NASSP specifically targets caregivers within targeted households - primarily women - with three interventions: cash, capacity building and livelihoods.

Recognizing that the target beneficiaries are caregivers, which is a role primarily filled by women, the focus of the Gender Analysis will be on women. However, it will pay particular attention to the engagement of men as enablers to ensure that in cases where men are caregivers, they have equal access to and benefit from the NASSP. It will also analyse intersectionality of other exclusion factors, recognizing that caregivers’ vulnerabilities will be exacerbated and compounded by different factors including: age, disability and ethnicity.

Rationale

• The research will provide a guide for NASSP to develop valuable linkages with other relevant national programmes, in order that beneficiaries can benefit from integrated interventions which can meet multiple needs and address poverty in a holistic manner.
• The research will enable the federal Government to redesign, implement and monitor the programme in a way that reduces exclusion errors and ensures meaningful inclusion so that vulnerable households have meaningful and equal access to, and benefit from, the programme.
• The research will identify opportunities for empowering female - and other at risk - caregivers to meaningfully benefit from the cash interventions and training opportunities through reduction of risk and increased voice and decision making.
• The research will ensure that discriminatory gender norms are identified and addressed through relevant and context-specific recommendations - including through the possibility of adapting conditionalities to challenge existing norms.
• The research will identify what package of activities is necessary to ensure that cash interventions strengthen women’s voice and decision making.
• The research will enable the federal Government to capture and amplify the voices of vulnerable communities, NASSP and therefore role-model the meaningful engagement of vulnerable communities. This will then translate into strengthened voice of women at all levels, including in the household.
• To identify relevant indicators to track that NASSP is contributing to gender equality.

Purpose

• To generate findings and provide SMART recommendations to ensure vulnerable households have equal and meaningful access to, and benefit from, the National Social Safety Net Programme through the reduction of risk and the empowerment of caregivers.

The Gender Analysis will:

• Identify existing women’s empowerment programmes across the country fostering women’s development.
• Identify existing vulnerabilities (including intersectionality) and develop agreed selection criteria;
• Identify risks, challenges and opportunities for households to access the NASSP;
• Identify the needs and interests of the proposed target group (Households);
• Identify effective approaches for mainstreaming gender in programme design, implementation and monitoring; and
• Ensure that vulnerable individuals have equal opportunities to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the NASSP.

The Gender Analysis will focus on three stages of the Programme Cycle: Design; Implementation and Monitoring. Within these stages, it will assess and analyze the following:

• Design: selection process, eligibility criteria, participation and consultation
• Implementation: distribution mechanism, training sessions (content, facilitation, engaging men), control over resources and access to market
• Monitoring: inclusion of excluded voices, gender-based violence

Approach and Methodology:

• This research will be carried out by consultant(s) or a local research organization.

Proposed Methodology
Desk review:

• Mapping of existing national women’s empowerment programmes (e.g Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund and Nigerian Women’s Empowerment Fund) to enable improved linkages and integration across programmes
• Mapping of national and global gender-sensitive cash transfer programmes to draw lessons learned and best practices
• Existing data on gender equality:

Field research:

• Key Informant Interviews (inc. religious leaders and other opinion-shapers)
• Focus Group Discussions: both those included and excluded from the NASSP
• Direct observational monitoring in Target locations
• Ensure close collaboration and engagement with the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) and National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO)
• The research will capture and represent the diversity in Nigeria by ensuring data is collected in the North/South/East/West, covering all six geo-political zones, humanitarian and development, indigene and non-indigene and rural, semi-urban and urban, and migrant and non-migrant.

Outputs, Deliverables and Reporting
During the consultancy the following is expected:

• Inception report (including timeframe and detailed methodology - all instruments used including a list of documents reviewed and tools etc)
• Initial Briefing with Steering Committee to review approach, interviewees, interview guide, and site visits etc
• Draft report
• Final report that responds to comments or questions from Steering Committee within 5 days
• Presentation

At the end of the consultancy, the following deliverables are expected:

• Final report (maximum 30 pages): Executive Summary, Findings, Conclusion, Recommendations
• PPT presentation

Eligibility

• Applicationa are welcome from international based gender specialists who have access to local based gender specialist and women’s right organizations in Nigeria.
• The selected international gender specialist will be expected to partner with local structures (National gender based specialist or women organization) to carry out the assignment.