Consultancy team - Research workshop convenor and rapporteur: African Action Group to End Child Marriage

Background

Girls Not Brides is the only organisation uniquely focused on creating and sustaining a worldwide movement to end child marriage and ensuring that this movement leads to tangible change for the girls at risk or affected by the practice. We are a network of over 1,600 civil society organisations in over 100 countries working in partnership to end child marriage.

Our vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.

Over the last decade, despite intensified global research efforts to inform strategies to address child marriage, there has been little synergy between evidence generation and the implementation of programmes and policy designed to end the practice. The disconnect between research and programming is reflected in the limited uptake of evidence-based child marriage findings to inform policy and programmes and to support mobilisation of resources to end the practice.

In 2021, Girls Not Brides convened a virtual Africa Action Group convening with the objective of reviewing the state of the existing evidence base and identify the biggest knowledge gaps and priority areas for future research and investment. One of the key take-aways from this convening was the need to strengthen linkages between research and practitioners through providing support for practitioners to translate evidence into practice is needed.

About the consultancy

Girls Not Brides is working on an exciting opportunity to convene researchers and practitioners for a three-day in-person workshop on 2-4 July 2023 under the auspices of a platform called the Africa Action Group to End Child Marriage.

We are seeking a team of consultants to facilitate this workshop, including pre-workshop research, workshop facilitation and report writing (rapporteur). The ideal consultancy team comprises of a researcher/facilitator and a workshop rapporteur.

The main objective of the research workshop is to provide a platform for stakeholders to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices to promote evidence-based programming for addressing child marriage in Africa. The workshop will serve as a forum for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to engage in discussions, share research findings, and identify strategies for effectively integrating evidence into programming efforts. All proceedings and discussions at the workshop will be conducted in English.

Scope of work

The consultants will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Conducting a comprehensive review of existing literature and evidence on child marriage in Africa, including relevant research studies, reports, and best practices and synthesising key findings and messages.
2. Designing and facilitating a 3-day research workshop, including developing the agenda, selecting appropriate methodologies, and facilitating group discussions and activities.
3. Engaging with stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and representatives from civil society organizations, to promote meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas and strengthen coordination at a regional and global level.
4. Identifying key challenges and opportunities for evidence-based programming for child marriage in Africa and developing actionable recommendations for improving programming efforts.
5. Capturing workshop proceedings (rapporteur) and preparing a comprehensive report summarising the workshop proceedings, including key findings, recommendations, and next steps for promoting evidence-based programming for child marriage in Africa.

Required experience, qualifications and expertise

The consultants should possess the following qualifications:

1. Strong expertise in child marriage research and programming, with a proven track record of conducting research and facilitating workshops on related topics. Please provide evidence/records/reference.
2. In-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural, economic, and political context of child marriage in Africa, including an understanding of the challenges and opportunities for addressing this issue.
3. Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society organisations, in the field of child marriage or related areas.
4. Excellent facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to engage participants from different backgrounds and promote meaningful discussions.
5. Strong analytical and report writing skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and present it in a clear and concise manner. Please provide evidence/records/reference.

Deliverables

1. A comprehensive review of existing literature and evidence on child marriage in Africa, including a written report, an executive summary and a PowerPoint presentation synthesising key findings, messages and recommendations.
2. A well-designed and facilitated three-day research workshop, including an agenda, group discussions, and activities.
3. A comprehensive report summarising the workshop proceedings, including key findings, recommendations, and next steps for promoting evidence-based programming for child marriage in Africa.

Timelines

The consultancy team is expected to complete the research workshop within a period of 20 days including the review of literature, synthesis of key findings workshop design and facilitation, and post workshop report writing. The anticipated start date for this consultancy is 1st June 2023.

Fees

Please include a detailed financial proposal as part of the application.

Girls Not Brides shall cover the consultants’ travel and accommodation expenses and any other reasonable and relevant expenses as agreed upon in writing.

How to apply

We invite interested teams of consultants to submit the following application documents via the job page by 12 May 2023 at 23:59 EAT:

• A technical proposal with a brief description of all team members and a detailed, explicit methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and a workplan with timelines;
• The technical proposal should also contain CVs, indicating the education background/ professional qualifications, experience, as well as the contact details (email and telephone) of all team members;
• A detailed financial proposal.

In case there are issues uploading multiple documents, please combine all the application documents (as listed above) into one document to upload. This will ensure that all the necessary documents are submitted for the application process.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.