Framework Agreement Advertisement for Consultants for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (FWA)

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) seeks to establish framework contracts with experienced consultants or contractors specializing in gender-based violence (GBV). NCA’s GBV programming is built around the integration of prevention, response, and linkages to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). 

The overarching goal of NCA’s GBV programming is to ensure women and girls live free from all forms of GBV. To achieve this, NCA collaborates with partners to implement interventions focused on four core outcome areas:

1. Empowerment of Women and Adolescent Girls
2. Transforming Norms and Preventing Harmful Practices 
3.  GBV Services 
4.  Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Through this framework, consultants will provide technical expertise in one or more of these outcome areas, contributing to the design, implementation, and evaluation of high-impact programming.

Consultants will offer tailored support across several operational needs, including:

•   Development and strengthening of specialized tools for programming. 
• Capacity building through in-country and digital training.
• Technical advisory services on project design, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Proposal development and report writing.

Framework contracts will remain valid for three years, with specific purchase orders issued for defined deliverables. The specific conditions, quantity, date of delivery, etc. of a given purchase shall only be laid down in a purchase order when the services are needed. 

 Contract purpose and expected results:

 Consultants will contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of activities within the following thematic outcome areas:

1. Empowerment of Women and Adolescent Girls 

Empowerment highlights the importance of gaining the ability to make meaningful choices but also includes the processes that lead women and girls to perceive themselves as equally able and entitled to decision-making as men and boys. Our primary goal is to empower women and adolescent girls to take control over their lives, to create networks, and to influence systems that shape their lives. This includes addressing gender discrimination and inequality, thereby improving their social standing.

Knowledge plays a crucial role in empowerment. Therefore, interventions should seek to ensure that women and girls have access to relevant information regarding their rights to a life free from all forms of violence. Moreover, through initiatives like life skills training, advocacy, and support for political participation (among others), NCA places a distinct emphasis on involving the most vulnerable women and adolescent girls in intervention design, amplifying their voices to strengthen their agency. This underscores our commitment to fostering empowerment and dismantling barriers that perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality. 

NCA seeks contractors that can: 

• • • Facilitate training and capacity building on life skills, advocacy, empowerment, networking, and economic justice 
    •  Adapt and deliver REFLECT methodology training
    • Initiate/Facilitate initiatives/activities related to empowerment of women to access (and use) technology and prevention and response to technology-facilitated GBV
    • Provide technical and/or advisory support and advisory towards tools development within the above sectors

 2. Transforming Norms and Preventing Harmful Practices

This outcome contributes to ending all forms of gender-based violence by addressing harmful norms. This requires confronting unequal power relations, harmful masculinities, legal, social, moral, and religious norms, with a particular focus on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM). While norm change programming is a long-term process mainly focused on development initiatives, NCA recognizes the urgency of addressing harmful norms in humanitarian settings where they can intensify. Our social norms work encompasses multiple intervention approaches following the 3 lines of ‘community conversation and dialogue','media and communication’ and ‘legal change’. NCA advocates for enactment and/or implementation of gender transformative laws and policies, as well as the ratification of international conventions that protect women and girls from all forms of GBV and promote gender equality.

NCA seeks contractors that can: 

• • • Facilitate training and capacity building on social norms theory and change-driven interventions 
    • Enhance connections between social, religious, moral and legal norms 
    • Enhance systematic approaches to norms change
    • Facilitate trainings/capacity building on programmatic tools such as FAME, SASA! together, Communities Care, Community Conversations Methodology, EMAP, ENGAGE!, and FGMC 
    • Provide technical and/or advisory support and advisory towards tools development within the above sectors 

3. GBV Services

NCA seeks to ensure that survivors and women and adolescent girls at risk of violence have access to survivor-centred, quality, lifesaving, specialised GBV services. Our efforts prioritize safety, well-being, and empowerment of survivors and those at risk of GBV through robust case management systems and comprehensive staff training. NCA has integrated therapeutic interventions (ITI) within case management and has an ITI supervision toolkit and staff care and self-care resource, which should be used. All GBV services provided by NCA must adhere to the GBV Guidance. NCA follows a multi-sectoral model for GBV response programming, which calls for holistic, collaborative response and coordination across key sectors, focusing on enhancing access to health care, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), legal assistance and protection/safety, including referrals, advocacy for increased quality services, information-sharing about available services, and establishment of referral pathways and service mappings. These services—usually provided through static and mobile safe spaces for women and girls—ensure a critical space for women and girls to safely access lifesaving services and information, promoting their empowerment, fostering networks, enhancing their integration into community life, and reducing isolation. Survivors are linked to these different sectors through case management services, facilitated by localised Standard Operating Procedures and referral pathways. Additionally, NCA utilizes the GBV Information Management System (GBVIMS) for incident recording and data sharing. 

NCA seeks contractors that can

• • • Facilitate training/capacity building on Psychological First Aid using the IFRC manual, Caring for (Child) Survivors, Integrating Therapeutic Interventions in GBV Case Management, GBV Case Management, Cash in GBV Case Management, Clinical Care, GBVIMS, Staff Care, and Self-care
    • Offer expertise in MHPSS integrated programming, including GBV, conflict-related sexual violence, and peacebuilding.
    • Provide technical and/or advisory support and advisory towards tools development within the above sectors

 4. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Through an integrated approach within the GBV program, SRHR programming includes comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), life skills sessions for adolescents on SRH, parenting sessions on SRH, family planning, safe motherhood, and support to access to SRH services, with a particular focus on adolescents. These interventions aim to enhance the access of adolescent girls, women, and other marginalized groups to rights-based and gender-sensitive SRHR information and services promoting informed decision-making regarding their reproductive health. In humanitarian settings, NCA focuses on increasing knowledge regarding SRHR and supporting access to lifesaving SRH interventions, including but not limited to family planning services, safe motherhood, and clinical care for GBV survivors through SRH service mapping and referrals, integration of cash and voucher assistance (CVA), distribution of kits, including birth kits, and family planning counselling and SRHR outreach sessions within WGSS and other areas of GBV prevention and response programming. In long-term development programs, NCA focuses on promoting and implementing CSE, knowledge increase, and behavioural change regarding SRHR, strengthening capacities of health care providers working within the GBV program on family planning, safe motherhood interventions, and advocacy to advance the SRHR agenda.

NCA seeks contractors that can: 

• • • Provide technical and guidance towards SRHR tool development. 
    • Conduct facility assessments and make recommendations to improve A/SRH service quality.
    • Provide technical support and guidance on CVA in A/SRHR programs. 
    • Provide technical support and guidance on establishing community A/SRHR and strengthening referral mechanisms.
    • Facilitate trainings related to community dialogues on maternal health, antenatal care, safe births, and postnatal care (safe births).
    • Facilitate trainings on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).
    • Facilitate trainings on modern family planning for health workers and social workers that are age- and sex-appropriate

Qualifications for key experts 

GBViE Contractors:

• Required: MA (or equivalent) in social sciences, gender, development, and/or other relevant field.
• Essential: 3 years of professional experience in managing and setting up GBViE programs, facilitating training on GBViE, GBV case management, GBVIMS, and referral pathways. 
• Desired: 3 years of professional experience in implementing GBV programs in emergency contexts. 

MHPSS Contractors: 

• Required: A mental health professional with a minimum MA (or equivalent) in psychology or social work. Qualifications in therapeutic interventions (e.g., CBT) are desirable. 
• Essential: 3 years of clinical experience providing direct therapeutic support in hospital and/or community-based settings. Experience in supervising and facilitating training of mental health professionals and non-clinical staff.
• Desired: 3 years of professional experience in implementing MHPSS activities in emergency contexts. 

SRHR contractors:

• Required: formal education within midwifery, nursing, or gynaecology.
• Essential: 3-5 years’ experience working as a midwife, nurse, doctor, or gynaecologist, and experience in facilitating training on delivery of babies, antenatal care, family planning, clinical management of rape, and emotional support.
• Desired: 3 years of professional experience in implementing SRHR activities in emergency contexts. 

ALL:

• Knowledge of protection, human rights, public health, and/or other relevant fields
• Relevant experience managing people, projects, and/or partners.
• Experience working with multicultural and multinational teams.
• Experience working with different donors as well as partners.
• Proficiency in English, written and oral is a requirement. Other languages such as French, Spanish and Arabic are advantages.
• Experience from working in challenging environments. 

Personal qualities:

• Ability to quickly build rapport as well as motivate both individuals and groups
• Systematic, structured and accurate
• Patient and culturally sensitive
• Excellent communication and writing skills 

Reporting

Consultants will report to the designated NCA staff as outlined in specific purchase orders. 

Application Process 

Applicants should specify the thematic outcome area(s) of expertise in their bids:

1. Empowerment of Women and Adolescent Girls
2. Transforming Norms and Preventing Harmful Practices
3. GBV Services
4. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) 

Required Documents:

• CV and portfolio of relevant work, particularly development of training materials, program manuals, evaluations, and/or research strategies.
• Technical and financial proposals, including availability and rates.