Liberia Women Empowerment Project: Mapping of Gender-Based Service Providers

NOTICE AT-A-GLANCE

Project ID: P173677

Project Title: Liberia Women Empowerment Project

Country: Liberia

Notice No: OP00316481

Notice Type: Request for Expression of Interest

Notice Status: Published

Borrower Bid Reference: LR-MOGCSP-454712-CS-CQS

Procurement Method: Consultant Qualification Selection

Language of Notice: English

Submission Deadline Date/Time: Nov 15, 2024 17:00

Published Date: 17-Oct-2024

Description: Mapping of Gender-Based Service Providers

Details:

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – NGO SELECTION)

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP)

Loan No./Credit No./ Grant No.: P173677

Assignment Title: Mapping of Gender-Based Violence Service Providers

Reference No: LR-MOGCSP-454712-CS-CQS

1. The Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) has received a grant of 44.6 million dollars from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank to implement the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP). The GoL intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The LWEP is structured around five key components for which details are available here[1] and Component Four details are available here.

Liberia has high incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV), including Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) which occurs in all sectors of the Liberian society. Incidents of GBV in the private and public sectors are quite pronounced, but also not adequately reported and documented. According to a2019-2020 survey (DHS, 2020), 60% of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) have experienced physical violence and 9% have been subject to Sexual violence. Despite the high prevalence, only 42% of women seek help, reflecting social norms that stigmatize survivors and treat GBV as a private matter.

Out of 162 countries Liberia ranked 156th on the 2019 Gender Inequality Index (GII) scoring 0.651 with thesituation worsening in 2021 when GII score of 0.648 placed thecountry at 164th place out of 170 counties Although the overall GII value slightly improved from 0.651 to 0.648, the relative ranking fell, indicating that the other countries, such as Burundi, Rwanda and Namibia, have made faster progress in reducing gender inequality in this period. Liberian women and girls are disadvantaged in all spheres of society, and inequality is a barrier to advancement from an early age to education, health, and political participation causing lower human development outcomes for women in comparison to men

As part of the Government of Liberia's (GoL) commitment to reducing gender inequality and GBV in its Vision 2030, The GoL has set as one of its core aspirations “a society of gender equity, empowerment and opportunities for all”. In 2024, Liberia ranked 42nd out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) with a score of 0.754. This indicates that Liberia has closed about 75.4% of its gender gap in the areas of economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment (World Economic Forum, 2024).

It is against this background that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with support from the Work Bank, is seeking experienced non-governmental organization (NGO) to undertake the task of Mapping GBV service providers in the prevention and fight against GBV in nine (9) Counties: Maryland, Grand Kru, Sinoe, Rivergee, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Nimba, Bong, and Lofa.

Findings from the Mapping of the GBV Service providers in the nine counties will enable the GoL through the MGCSP to identify and understand the needs of survivors as well as what services and initiatives, if any, are currently available to respond to violence against women and to ensure that these service providers are primary candidates for inclusion in the coordinated response.

The mapping exercise will identify the main user of these services and authenticate whether there are groups that are not being reached and why. It will also ascertain forms of violence against women, the services covered, whether they are geographically concentrated in specific areas, and if the referral pathway is broken or different in different counties and why.

The service providers may include criminal justice and security agencies, health services, counseling services, NGOs working specifically on theelimination of violence against women or girls (EVAWG), vulnerable and marginalized, persons living with disabilities, gender equality issues, men’s groups, and other specialist community-based and grassroots organizations and development programs services.

This information will also assist the GoL in setting priorities that will be pursued through a coordinated response and enable providers to deliver quality survivor-centered services, including case management, andsurvivor’s advocacy, and provide recommendations for linkages with other services that are not provided by the government.

1. NGOs submitting Expression of Interest must fulfill the following requirements, which will be used as shortlisting criteria:

• At least 10 years of experience working in the area of gender and GBV programming;
• At least 5 years of field experience working directly with local stakeholders and communities on GBV awareness, prevention, or response activities in Liberia.
• Evidence of experience in assessing GBV risks in projects, or assignments of a similar nature related to GBV.
• In-depth understanding of GBV issues, legal framework/s, policies, and standards related to GBV, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and Sexual Harassment in Liberia
• Evidence of experience in gender-based participatory methodologies, gender analysis, and survivor-centered approaches.
• Demonstrated experience in gender-based qualitative data collection and analysis with direct experience in collecting and analyzing data related to GBV considered a plus.

1. The interested consultants (NGO) are requested to provide detailed relevant information against the shortlisting criteria outlined above to best support their case, including projects completed together with timelines and descriptions, names of clients served, and professional references from previous assignments.

1. The attention of interested Consultants (NGO) is drawn to paragraphs 3.14 to 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing, for Procurement of Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services, July 1, 2016, November 2020, revised in September 2023 setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

1. Consultants (NGOs) may associate with other NGOs to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

1. A Consultant (NGO) will be selected by the Consultants Qualification Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

1. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 0900 to 1700 hours.

1. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, by mail, by fax, or by e-mail) by 17:00 GMT on or before November 15, 2024. Envelopes or subject of emails must be marked “Ref: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE MAPPING OF GBV SERVICE PROVIDERS UNDER THE LIBERIA WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROJECT”.

Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection

EJS Ministerial Complex

Congo Town, Montserrado County

Monrovia, Liberia

Attention: Human Resources Department

Tel: +231(0)770-115-545

Email: hr@mogcsp.gov.lr cc: nigbamargaret8@gmail.com teah.reaves@yhoo.com

Terms of Reference (TOR)

to

Conduct Mapping of GBV Service Providers in nine (9) Counties: Maryland, Grand Kru, Sinoe, Rivergee, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Nimba, Bong, and Lofa

1. Background and Justification:

Liberia has high incidences of Gender Based Violence (GBV), including Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) which occurs in all sectors of the Liberian society. Incidents of GBV in the private and public sectors are quite pronounced, but also not adequately reported and documented. According to a2019-2020 survey (DHS, 2020), 60% of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) have experienced physical violence and 9% have been subject to Sexual violence. Despite the high prevalence, only 42% of women seek help, reflecting social norms that stigmatize survivors and treat GBV as a private matter.

Out of 162 countries Liberia ranked 156th on the 2019 Gender Inequality Index (GII) scoring 0.651 with thesituation worsening in 2021 when aGII score of 0.648 placed thecountry at 164th place out of 170 counties Although the overall GII value slightly improved from 0.651 to 0.648, the relative ranking fell, indicating that the other countries, such as Burundi, Rwanda and Namibia, have made faster progress in reducing gender inequality in this period. Liberian women and girls are disadvantaged in all spheres of society, and inequality is a barrier to advancement from an early age to education, health, and political participation causing lower human development outcomes for women in comparison to men

As part of the Government of Liberia's (GoL) commitment to reducing gender inequality and GBV in its Vision 2030, The GoL has set as one of its core aspirations “a society of gender equity, empowerment and opportunities for all”. In 2024, Liberia ranked 42nd out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) with a score of 0.754. This indicates that Liberia has closed about 75.4% of its gender gap in the areas of economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment (World Economic Forum, 2024).

It is against this background that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), with support from the Work Bank Group, is seeking anexperienced non-governmental organization (NGO) to undertake the task of Mapping GBV service providers in the prevention and fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in the nine (9) Counties of project coverage mentioned above.

Findings from the Mapping of the GBV Service providers in the nine counties will enable the GoL through the MOGCSP to identify and understand the needs of survivors as well as what services and initiatives, if any, are currently available to respond to violence against women and to ensure that these service providers are primary candidates for inclusion in the coordinated response. The mapping will support MOGCSP in the implementation of its GBV national call center (Helpline) services.

The mapping exercise will identify the main users of these services and authenticate whether there are groups that are not being reached and why. It will also ascertain forms of violence against women, the services covered, whether they are geographically concentrated in specific areas, and if the referral pathway is broken or different in different counties and why.

The service providers may include criminal justice and security agencies, health services, counseling services, NGOs working specifically on theelimination of violence against women or girls (EVAWG), vulnerable and marginalized, persons living with disabilities, gender equality issues, men’s groups, and other specialists’ community-based and grassroots organizations and development programs services.

This information will also assist the GoL in setting priorities that will be pursued through a coordinated response and enable providers to deliver quality survivor-centered services, including case management, andsurvivor’s advocacy, and provide recommendations for linkages with other services that are not provided by the government.

1. AIM/OBJECTIVE:

The mapping exercise aims to collect extensive information on existing services and mechanisms for direct assistance to and protection of survivors of GBV, assess the main gaps and the need for capacity-building and knowledge-sharing on GBV, and identify promising approaches and good practices that will be replicated across the nine (9) Counties of coverage.

1. Scope of work, Activities and Deliverables:

3.1 Scope of work:

The NGO engaged for the GBV Mapping services is expected to undertake the following tasks in coordination with MOGCSP and WB technical team:

• Carry out a desk review of Project related documentation to obtain an understanding of the nature of the Project and its potential GBV risk factors. The desk review includes Project documents, Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP) action plan on the prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (LWEP-SEA /SH), Guidelines for Environmental and Social Standards for Communication ESSC and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) guidelines and the Environment and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) as well as other relevant materials.Conduct desk review of existing mapping reports of GBV service providers developed by other development partners.
• Develop stakeholders’ matrix from whom the information will be gathered: including healthcare workers, CSOs, social workers, legal professionals, and law enforcement personnel
• Conduct anonline search for GBV response services, if applicable.
• Ensure geo-mapping and geotagging data for GBV service providers are collected and presented after participating in the training as delivered by the WB technical team.
• Develop tools to collect data via surveys, Focus Group Discussions, Key informant interviews, or similar methods appropriate for GBV research and women’s empowerment principles.
• Develop tools to collect data and conduct in-depth interviews with stakeholders in nine counties of coverage to include Project staff, Grievance Redress mechanism operators, Project supervisors and Contractors, Community-based and Non-Governmental Organizations, women groups, women rights and women grassroots organizations and networks, Youth Leaders, Health Facilities, Liberia National Police particularly Women and Children Protection Services, WACPS, Traditional and Community Leaders among other relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct a series of age, vulnerability, and disability-appropriate and community-level consultations with women, men, boys, and girls as well as potential beneficiaries of GBV services to understand key barriers in accessing services (including community perceptions of and attitudes towards GBV).
• Develop a detailed questionnaire, in coordination with MOGCSP and WB technical team, to identify existing service providers and assess the quality of services and capacity of GBV service providers from both public and private sector service providers including CSOs, NGOs, etc. The mapping exercise should provide information about the quality of existing services
• Develop a Directory of GBV Response and prevention services and service providers per county.
• Assess the availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of GBV prevention and response services in line with the minimum package of services articulated in the Liberian policy instruments on GBV and standard operating procedures (where available), additionally the NGO should assess how well disability is mainstreamed in services; UN Essential Services Package for women and girls subject to violence 2020, UN Women, UNICEF GBV Assessment Methodology, 2020. The services to be mapped and assessed include survivor-centered healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, safety and security, justice, policing, legal aid, social services, socio-economic empowerment, safe house and shelter, and effective referral networks and actors among other applicable services, including clarifying interface between GBV support services (health and justice, and social/ mental health support services for survivors) and barriers that survivors face in accessing services
• Provide a geotagged map/infographics of the public services while not breaking theconfidentiality of safe homes and shelters
• Develop infographics on the referral pathway and other relevant infographics to present data to decision-makers, as appropriate.
• Identify aminimum oftwo best practices on GBV prevention and referral pathways that could be replicated/implemented in other parts of the Country and identify the most appropriate ways and recommendations on how to strengthen referral pathway
• Identify differences in the Referral Pathway and explain why they exist and the causes and community/ environmental specifics.
• Prepare a preliminary report to be presented to the MOGCSP and the project management unit (PMU) of LWEP
• Organize and participate in validation Meetings, respond to and take note of inputs and comments on the report from stakeholders
• Synthesize findings and prepare a draft Report on Mapping of GBV Service Providers
• Present draft Report on Mapping of GBV Service Providers and submit to the MOGCSP and LWEP PMU
• Prepare theFinal version of the Report on Mapping of GBV Service Providers from feedback received on the draft report.

6.Expected Deliverables for the NGO.The NGO will be expected to achieve the following key deliverables:

• An Inception report detailing NGO’s/ CSO’s appreciation of the scope of the assignment, mapping methodology, tools, work plan
• Draft Report on Mapping of GBV Service Providers' reports to the MOGCSP and LWEP PMU containing itemized responses as per tasks described in the Scope of Work
• Draft electronic copy report to MOGCSP and LWEP PMU containing but not limited to the following sections: a) identification of local GBV service providers and nature and quality of GBV services provided b) referral pathways for respective service providers, c) potential barriers to access services d) directory of GBV service providers in the nine (9) counties.
• Capacity building and training of not less than two days to capacitate targeted personnel/Enumerators.
• Prepare thefinal report based on feedback received on the draft report.

7. Required qualifications and experience of NGO:

7.1 Academic/Professional Qualifications:

• Listing of Key Staff, qualifications, and CVs -degree in any of the following: Gender Studies, Development Studies, Community Development, or Social Studies
• Familiarity with World Bank ESF standards applicable to the assignment is an added advantage.
• Membership in a relevant professional body
• Business registration and Tax Clearance
• Personnel with Excellent communication and writing skills

7.2Minimum Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience working in the area of gender and GBV programming;
• At least 5 years of field experience working directly with local stakeholders and communities on GBV awareness, prevention, or response activities in Liberia.
• Evidence of experience in assessing GBV risks in projects, or assignments of a similar nature related to GBV.
• In-depth understanding of GBV issues, legal framework/s, policies, and standards related to GBV, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and Sexual Harassment in Liberia
• Evidence of experience in gender-based participatory methodologies, gender analysis, and survivor-centered approaches.
• Demonstrated experience in gender-based qualitative data collection and analysis with direct experience in collecting and analyzing data related to GBV considered a plus.
• Expertise in community mobilization and development with emphasis on gender and social inclusion of the most vulnerable.
• Excellent presentation and writing skills.
• Good understanding of the legal framework, policies, and standards related to GBV, SEA, and SH in Liberia;
• Knowledge of the local vernacular is an added advantage.

7.3 Key Competences:

• Strategic thinking and analytical skills
• Operational effectiveness
• Community stakeholder engagement and mobilization skills
• Influence and interpersonal effectiveness
• Effective communication
• Report writing skills
• Effective presentation skills

8. Time frame:The assignment is expected to consume sixty (60) working days over

a period of three (3) months.

#	Key Tasks	# days	Location
1	Inception Report with Workplan, Tools, stakeholders list, Training Agenda for Enumerators, and timeline	5-7	Remotely
3	Training of Enumerators	2-3	County of Assign.
4	Mapping of GBV prevention and response services, their quality and accessibility, costs etc. Data collection	30	County of Assig.
5	Data analysis	5
6	Preparation of draft GBV Services Mapping Report	5-7	Remotely
7	Preparation/Facilitation of validation workshop	1	County of Assignment
8	Preparation of final consolidated report	7	Remotely
	Total	60

9. Reporting:

The NGO shall report to the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection through the LWEP Project Management Unit (PMU). All reports shall be subject to the Ministry’s and World Bank's written approval.

[1] See details on the LWEP Project Components 1-5 available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zy7otR9YiLobP83c0q2BnABPCOyyWg_e/view?usp=sharing

CONTACT INFORMATION

Organization/Department: Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection

Name: Margaret M. Nigba

Address: EJS Ministerial Complex Tubman Blvd., Congo Town

City:

Province/State:

Postal Code:

Country: Liberia

Phone: 0770115545

Email: nigbamargaret8@gmail.com

Website: