REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REoI) - Qualitative Diagnostic of Rural Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment in Afghanistan

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

Procurement Directorate

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REoI)

(CONSULTING SERVICES)

Country: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Name of Project: Women Economic Empowerment Rural Development Program (WEE-RDP)

Grant No.: IDA-DE840

Assignment Title: Qualitative Diagnostic of Rural Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment in Afghanistan

Duration of Assignment: 3 Months

Implementing Agency: Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD)

Province: Nangarhar and Balkh

Reference No: 22/WB/28/NCB/BLH, NGR/98

Issue date: May 27, 2020

1. Background:

Recognizing the imperative for investing in women’s economic empowerment (WEE), the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) launched the Women’s Economic Empowerment National Priority Program (WEE-NPP) in March 2017.The WEE-NPP forms the third pillar of the GoIRA’s Gender Strategy which is encompassed in the broader Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF), the Afghanistan government development plan for 2017-2021. The WEE-NPP aims to build poor women’s capacity to strengthen the economy of their households, communities, and the entire nation. It is structured as an umbrella program that operates through more than a dozen line ministries (via ongoing or pipeline projects) and is coordinated by a Program Coordination Office (PCO) based in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA).

The cornerstone project under the WEE-NPP is the Women's Economic Empowerment Rural Development Project (WEE-RDP), which is currently being rolled out in76 districts of 34 provinces of selected communities. The WEE-RDP is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and is supported by a $100 million grant administered by the World Bank that was approved in September 2018. The project will work to increase poor and ultra-poor women’s participation in community-level institutions,and these institutionswill be provided with seed capital, technical assistance, and linked to formal financial institutions and markets. The implicit ‘theory of change’ of WEE-RDP, is that though participation in these institutions, women will accrue social capital that they can leverageto access financial, political (rights, access to justice), and economic capital, thus increasing their social and economic empowerment.

The WEE-RDP builds on the predecessor project; the Afghanistan Rural Economic Development Project (AREDP) has been implemented in 5 provinces. The AREDP achieved a lot of good on the ground and female participation (over 60 percent) was one of its key strengths. An assessment of the AREDP was conducted in late 2018[1], and a separate study of AREDP’s impact on rural women was previously conducted in 2015.[2]To build upon this existing evidence-base, additional research is needed to help test and refine the project’s theory of change and outcome indicators. Further research can also improve our understanding of the social impacts and the potential unintended consequences of WEE..

2. Key Objectives of the assignment

Objective 1 – Testing Pathways to Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment under WEE-RDP

1. What traits do men and women associate with empowered women in their communities?
2. Did participants report feeling more empower after their participation in AREDP? Why or why not?
3. What other benefits did women and men experience as a result of women’s participation in AREDP?
4. How do these local assessments (under a. b. and c.) converge or diverge with the theory of change, and outcome indicators set under WEE-RDP?
5. To what extent and how was interaction with other women in the program, viewed as beneficial by participants?^[3]
6. What other actors in the community (local authorities, community and religious leaders, professional bodies, NGOs etc), do women perceive as assisting or hindering their empowerment, whether in terms of their participation in AERDP/WEE-RDP programs or otherwise?
7. Have impacts been sustained after project participation ended?

Objective 2 – Understanding the Social Impacts of Participation on Women

1. Do men and women report positive or negative changes in household dynamics, as a result of WEE?
2. Do women report any increased risks of violence towards them within the household, as a result of their participation in AREDP?[4]
3. Do women report any increased risks of violence outside of their homes, as a result of their participation in AREDP?[5]
4. In such cases, how do women cope and respond?
5. What are the enabling and inhibiting factors for women to access support services?

3. The short listing criteria:

1. The firm should be registered legal entity and the firm should have at least 3 years of experience conducting qualitative research on social issues including gender, poverty, inequality, or social inclusion and qualitative research on Gender Based Violence preferably in Afghanistan or other south Asian countries.  
2. The consultant shall demonstrate having sound financial situation by submitting audited financial reports or any other credible financial documents in which the consultant annual turnover for one of the last three years (2016, 2017and 2018) shall be USA 45,000 (Frothy-five thousand USD.
3.  Evidence of past similar experience at least one contract with a minimum of USD 20,000 (Twenty thousand USD) in one of the last five years.
4. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications. If consultants intend to associate with other firms, they are advised to clearly identify the lead partner and state the composition and nature of the association (JV/ sub-consultant) in their EOI.
5. In case the EOI is submitted in the form of a joint venture (JV), the lead partner should meet 60% of criterion for each (b) and (c) and the JV partner should meet 40% of each (b) and (c) shortlisting criteria. In the event that such an EOI is shortlisted for the Request-for-Proposal stage, no changes can be made in the JV composition of partners.
6. In case the EOI is submitted in the form of a sub-consultancy (SC), the overall merits will be considered for such partnership, but the actual short listing criteria will apply only to the primary and not the sub-consultants.

4. Method of Selection and submission deadline for EoI:

The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant Qualification Based Selection (CQS) method set out in the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Procurement in investment Projects Financing, Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services July 2016, revised November 2017.
Rules of Procedure is available at this site www.worldbank.org/.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by e-mail) by 07 June 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Kabul Local Time. (Kabul Local Time).

Further information in respect to this REOI and TOR can be obtained at the address below by email or in person during office hours 08:00-04:00 Hours.

Address of Focal Persons for Enquires and Submission of EoIs:

Attn: Ali Mohammad Joyan, Head of Consultancy Unit, Procurement Directorate, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), AfghanistanTashkilat Street, Darul Aman Road, Kabul, Afghanistan

E-mail to: Ali.joyan@mrrd.gov.af copied to Fahim.ahmadi@mrrd.gov.af; abdul.moeen@mrrd.gov.af ; ehsan.nabil@mrrd.gov.af

Annexure 1: Format for Expression of Interest

The expression of interest must be submitted as per the following format:

{Note: In case documents submitted are in any language other than English, the consultant should submit a self-certified copy of the translated document in English (along with originals).}

SECTION 1: Organization Details (In case the EoI is being submitted as a Joint Venture, the information has to be submitted for the Lead Partner as well as other members of the Joint Venture separately.

SECTION 2: Documents to be submitted

SECTION 3: Format for furnishing details of Credentials / Past Experiences for projects in undertaking related or similar assignment as at Sl. No. 3 of Section 2. The information need to be furnished as per the Format below for each credential.

The project citation should be a maximum of 2 pages per credential/project along with documents as mentioned under Sl. No. 3 of Section 2 (above). The citation need to be furnished for each credential.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DATE: MAY 02, 2020

_____________________________________________________________________________________

QUALITATIVE DIAGNOSTIC OF RURAL WOMEN’S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN AFGHANISTAN

BACKGROUND

Recognizing the imperative for investing in women’s economic empowerment (WEE), the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) launched the Women’s Economic Empowerment National Priority Program (WEE-NPP) in March 2017. The WEE-NPP forms the third pillar of the GoIRA’s Gender Strategy which is encompassed in the broader Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF), the Afghanistan government development plan for 2017-2021. The WEE-NPP aims to build poor women’s capacity to strengthen the economy of their households, communities, and the entire nation. It is structured as an umbrella program that operates through more than a dozen line ministries (via ongoing or pipeline projects) and is coordinated by a Program Coordination Office (PCO) based in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA).

The cornerstone project under the WEE-NPP is the Women's Economic Empowerment Rural Development Project (WEE-RDP), which is currently being rolled out in 76 districts of 34 provinces of selected communities. The WEE-RDP is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and is supported by a $100 million grant administered by the World Bank that was approved in September 2018. The project will work to increase poor and ultra-poor women’s participation in community-level institutions, and these institutions will be provided with seed capital, technical assistance, and linked to formal financial institutions and markets. The implicit ‘theory of change’ of WEE-RDP, is that though participation in these institutions, women will accrue social capital that they can leverage to access financial, political (rights, access to justice), and economic capital, thus increasing their social and economic empowerment.

The WEE-RDP builds on the predecessor project, the Afghanistan Rural Economic Development Project (AREDP) has been implemented in 5 provinces. The AREDP achieved a lot of good on the ground and female participation (over 60 percent) was one of its key strengths. An assessment of the AREDP was conducted in late 2018[6], and a separate study of AREDP’s impact on rural women was previously conducted in 2015.[7] To build upon this existing evidence-base, additional research is needed to help test and refine the project’s theory of change and outcome indicators. Further research can also improve our understanding of the social impacts and the potential unintended consequences of WEE. 

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Objective 1 – Testing Pathways to Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment under WEE-RDP

8. What traits do men and women associate with empowered women in their communities?
1. Did participants report feeling more empowered after their participation in AREDP/WEE-RDP? Why or why not?
10. What other benefits did women and men experience as a result of women’s participation in AREDP/WEE-RDP?
11. How do these local assessments (under a. b. and c.) converge or diverge with the theory of change, and outcome indicators set under WEE-RDP?
50. To what extent and how was interaction with other women in the program, viewed as beneficial by participants?^[8]
1000. What other actors in the community (local authorities, community and religious leaders, professional bodies, NGOs etc), do women perceive as assisting or hindering their empowerment, whether in terms of their participation in AERDP/WEE-RDP programs or otherwise?
14. Have impacts been sustained after project participation ended?

Objective 2 – Understanding the Social Impacts of Participation on Women

6. Do men and women report positive or negative changes in household dynamics, as a result of WEE?
7. Do women report any increased risks of violence towards them within the household, as a result of their participation in AREDP/WEE-RDP?[9]
8. Do women report any increased risks of violence outside of their homes, as a result of their participation in AREDP/WEE-RDP?[10]
1. In such cases, how do women cope and respond?
10. What are the enabling and inhibiting factors for women to access support services?

NOTES ON SAMPLE

Province Selection

The study should visit two provinces in which AREDP was implemented, and in which WEE-RDP is or will be implemented.[11] The two provinces should be sufficiently different to each other in terms of their social and cultural make up, and gender outcomes, and be approved by MRRD. The two provinces currently proposed for study are Nangarhar and Balkh, to be discussed further with the firm at selection stage.

District Selection

A select number of locations should be visited within each province, allowing for the following basis of comparison:

1. Remoteness
2. Methods of recruitment into WEE-RDP
3. Saturation of female participation in AERDP/WEE-RDP

The districts included should contain a good level of ethnic diversity.[12]

Study Participants

Interviewees should comprise men and women with sufficient diversity along the following lines: participation in AERDP or WEE-RDP, economic background (poor and ultra-poor), age, marital status, literacy and education, ethnicity. Women who were not participants should also be interviewed, as a control group.

The firm should also conduct interviews with persons or representatives who influence the WEE of women in their communities, including but not limited to: local authorities, community and religious leaders, professional bodies etc.

MAIN TASKS

1. Design a qualitative research methodology (including sample size and distribution, research methods and proposed instruments, recruitment strategy for participants, ethical safeguards and codes of conduct for interviewers etc.), to be submitted for approval. 
2. Ensure that the study methodology adheres to the highest ethical standards. Special safeguards should be included for conducting research on Gender Based Violence (GBV). To avoid putting women at risk of further violence, only one person per household will be eligible to participate in the study. Enumerators and interviewers should provide all women, regardless of abuse status, with de-identified contact information for local support services.
3. The consulting firm must develop an informed consent form for participation, which must be completed by each participant prior to the beginning of the work and signed forms must be delivered to MRRD.
4. Draft research instruments for all targeted interviewee groups, and template for transcripts/notes. Templates must include a roster providing relevant demographic information of the interviewee(s), such as gender, age, location, literacy (and other basic information deemed relevant). These instruments must be submitted in the preparation stage and approved by MRRD.
5. Develop guidelines for interviewers and conduct enumerator training.
6. Conduct a research pilot in one community and provide completed transcripts and notes of that pilot for review and feedback. Actual field work will start after incorporating WEE-NPP’s comments and MRRD final approval of a pilot report and revised research instruments.
7. Weekly field notes from all communities and short summaries of those to be provided by the firm.
8. Transcripts/in-depth notes of all field work to be provided in English.
9. A single file of all data coded in Nvivo, Dedoose, or other qualitative data software.
10. A short (20-25 pages, in English) note summarizing the main themes emerging from the research. These
    findings of the study should specify differences by gender, age, family status, area of residence, etc.
11. Participation in a workshop with the WEE-NPP and WEE-RDP teams to discuss the field work and emerging findings in a PowerPoint presentation.
12. Draft report on research findings and study recommendations to be provided for WEE-NPP and MRRD comments, with reasonable rounds of revision.
13. Final report on research findings and study recommendations (50 pages max, in English and Dari).

DELIVERABLES

SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The firm will be paid according to the following schedule:

SELECTION CRITERIA

The firm should have at least 10 years of experience conducting qualitative research on social issues including gender, poverty, inequality, or social inclusion in Afghanistan or in similar country contexts (documented evidence is required, e.g. summary of reports and names of contracting agencies). The firm must have demonstrated experience conducting qualitative research on Gender Based Violence (preferably in the Afghan context).

The team leader should be experienced in qualitative research on social issues, particularly in assignments related to gender and social inclusion. S/he must have experience working in teams, preferably in a leadership position, and have a strong client orientation. S/he must be familiar with donor/contracting requirements and be able to deliver reports on a timely manner. The team leader should have a graduate degree in a related field with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience.

The interviewers should have a background in Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work or a related field. The interviewers should have proven experience in collecting qualitative data in Afghanistan, and a good understanding of in-country communications and cultural awareness, as well as sensitivity to gender issues.  At least half of the interviewers must be female. The full team should be trained in accordance of the WHO ethical guidelines for conducting research on GBV.[13]

Qualified firms should submit a proposal for the assignment that includes a recruitment and eligibility strategy, sample research instruments, as well as a budget and timeline (consider the schedule of deliverables for an orientation). 

GoIRA will retain all rights to all outputs of this consultancy (instruments, data, field notes, interview transcripts and recordings, emerging findings reports, and all other deliverables described in the TOR or otherwise agreed between the GoIRA and the firm etc.). Outputs from this consultancy may not be used or licensed by the firm or other entities without the express written permission of the GoIRA. 

The firm will protect the confidentiality of those participating in the study at all stages. All data are to be treated as confidential. No data or other information from this study will be released to third parties without the written approval of the GoIRA.

STAFFS SPECIFICATIONS: