Consultant - Development of Theory of Change at MAL Consultancy

BRIDGING THE GAP: ADVANCING SRHR IN AFRICA THROUGH RESEARCH, ADVOCACY AND LITIGATION    

INTRODUCTION

Our client is a human rights non-governmental organization working to promote and protect health-related human rights in Kenya and seeks to ensure that by 2025, vulnerable and marginalized communities in Kenya will have access to available, accessible, acceptable, and quality health services, their health-related human rights shall be protected and social justice for health is promoted. This result is to be achieved through interventions aimed at promoting and strengthening rights-based, gender-transformative and enabling legal and policy environments; empowering communities and community structures to demand and promote social justice for health and holding the government accountable to deliver on the right to health; as well as generating evidence to inform policies, practices, and programs. 

CONSULTANCY SUMMARY

The Bridging the Gap: Advancing SRHR in Africa through Research, Advocacy and Litigation project aims to build on the past Amplify Change interventions in the last four years by engaging in research, advocacy and litigation to advance SRHR through a stronger and more cohesive Coalition. The project shall use research to create new knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on SRHR and continue to generate knowledge on access to adolescent SRH in the continent.

Secondly, the project shall use the research findings to engage in capacity building activities with communities, focusing on continuing to build the networks of CSOs and CBOs in Kenya to jointly advocate for protective legal frameworks on SRHR and in engaging duty bearers to guarantee regional and national protection of these rights.

Additionally, the project shall use litigation to strengthen legal protections by: building the capacity of litigators, fostering collaborations in litigation, and undertaking litigation around issues we identified and have developed in previous grant cycles.

Finally, the project shall aim to use the Law as a tool to enhance understanding of SRHR as human rights and use legal mechanisms to improve and secure protections and guarantees for the human rights encompassed under SRHR.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Develop a cohesive coalition grounded on a theory of change that is reflective of our shared values and understanding of SRHR as human rights, that is using the law as a tool to work towards the transformation of the experiences of vulnerable communities in an inequitable world
• Generate knowledge around the SRHR of AYP; as well as the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on SRHR
• Facilitate the capacity of the Nakuru County RH CSO Network to effectively advocate for the enactment of a policy framework to guarantee SRHR protections for women and girls
• Develop a knowledgeable and skilled team of movement lawyers and activists engaging in legal mobilization, collaborating and supporting each other as part of an incremental approach to strategic litigation
• Secure commitments for the promotion and protection of SRHR of vulnerable people through engagement with national and regional human rights institutions
• Support litigation towards jurisprudence on States’ obligations to protect and guarantee SRHR.

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS

The project is being implemented by the Coalition for the advancement of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Southern and Eastern Africa (the Coalition) which comprises of the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), KELIN and the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA). 

The Coalition was formed in 2016 and exists to strengthen the legal protection of SRHR in Eastern and Southern Africa through research, advocacy, and strategic litigation. The Coalition members have over the years adopted creative strategies and demonstrated unique competency in the areas of capacity building, policy reform, research and litigation. Each member of the Coalition possesses strengths that are complementary.

CONSULTANCY DELIVERABLES

The overall purpose of the assignment is to support coalition members to develop a Theory of Change(Toc), for the project that is aligned to the Amplify Change Organizational theory of change. Key deliverable for the Consultant of choice will therefore be to;

• Share the methodology, work plan for the assignment as well as an inception report within a week of signing the consultancy Contract for review and approval
• Facilitate the development of the project’s Theory of Change, ToC
• Facilitate the alignment of the project’s Theory of Change to the Donor’s ToC
• Facilitate a Peer review process with coalition members
• Present at summary findings from the literature review and Key Informant Interviews, KII’s
• Prepare an inception report for presentation to Coalition members
• Facilitate a 2-day workshop to support the development of the Theory of Change, ToC
• Share a high overview of the project’s Theory of Change in diagrammatic form with a short accompanying narrative, and a detailed Theory of Change with accompanying narrative level.

DESIRED COMPETENCIES

• A Minimum of 10 years’ experience working in or with non-profits at a senior level
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Humanities, Development Studies, Human Rights, Political Science, Law or any other relevant discipline
• Strong track record in developing organizational and programmatic strategies through a collaborative, consultative and iterative approach.
• Strong and proven Monitoring Evaluation and Learning expertise, including experience developing results framework and log frames for CSOs
• Strong knowledge of what SRHR is -  desirable.
• Proven track record in running similar short-term and intensive projects
• Ability to motivate and enable participation using a coaching approach

• Experience in supervising teams, including remote management of team members in different locations
• Demonstrated success in driving process improvement and effective partnering
• Ability to lead in Research Monitoring Evaluation and Learning discussions
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, trust and dependability with a strong sense of urgency
• Results-oriented, entrepreneurial, self-motivated, self-starter, who is flexible and adaptable to rapid change and has the ability to work in a fast-paced, high demand environment
• Good consultative and influencing skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across all levels
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills with a good focus on organization, and enhanced multitasking abilities
• Ability to present data clearly and in a non-ambiguous manner to all relevant stakeholders
• Willingness and ability to travel outside Kenya.

DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY ASSIGNMENT

The Consultant shall be engaged for a period of 30 consultancy days in accordance with the project work plan.