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November 4th, 2021 at 07:31 am
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada) is seeking qualified local consultants (one consultant per country) to conduct a baseline study for the ‘VOICE for women and girls’ project.
The Research Assistant assignment will include the preparation of consolidated information for the project/targets at ultimate, intermediate, immediate and if possible, at output levels.
Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada)
CDF Canada is registered as a charity in accordance with the laws of Canada. The organization was established in 1947 and is headquartered in Ottawa. In 2017, CDF Canada amalgamated with the Canadian Co-operative Association.
CDF Canada is governed by an independent Board of Directors made up of 11 individuals with strong links to Canada’s cooperative business and international development sectors.
CDF Canada’s mission is to establish and grow co-ops internationally that build a better world, where individuals and communities thrive economically, socially, and culturally. Climate resilience and gender are key cross-cutting priorities in all of CDF Canada’s programs.
What is the VOICE for Women and Girls’ Project all About?
VOICE for women and girls is a seven-year project (2020-2027), implemented in five African countries; Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Kenya.
Funded by the Canadian government through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the project aims at strengthening the performance of developing country partner organizations to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of 50,000 women and men from marginalized communities.
The Ultimate Outcome of the project is to improve the economic well-being of the poorest, most marginalized, and vulnerable people particularly women and girls in project countries, to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This multi-country project will target 30,000 vulnerable women and 20,000 men.
This will be achieved through the following Intermediate Outcomes.
- Increased engagement of Canadians in international development to support the implementation of FIAP (Intermediate Outcome 1100).
- Increased performance of country partners to deliver more inclusive, innovative, and environmentally sustainable development initiatives that advance gender equality, in support of the action areas of Canada’s FIAP (intermediate Outcome 1200).
The Mandate of the Research Assistant
The baseline study should measure the current state of selected indicators in targeted communities to understand the starting point of key elements of the work against which later progress will be measured.
The baseline study should be meaningful, relevant, cost-effective, and practically implementable.
The study should be closely linked with the critical aspects of the activity monitoring plan. In so doing, the baseline should complement the timelines and targets set in the Performance Management Framework (PMF) of the VOICE project.
The objective of the Assignment
- To determine the baseline of the status of the economic well-being of project beneficiaries (Targeted communities) through a mixed methodology approach (Indicator 1000.1).
- To determine the current level of women’s acceptance in leadership roles by target communities (Indicator 1210.2).
- To determine the current level of participation of marginalized and vulnerable people (including women) in co-op activities (Indicator 1230.1).
- To determine the current level of satisfaction of co-operative members with the services provided by their co-operatives (Indicator 1220.1).
Methodology
CDF Canada will recruit a lead consultant who will be based in Canada. The data to be gathered will be outlined by a Lead Consultant who will co-ordinate the baseline study remotely, from Canada.
The Research Assistant will work in close collaboration and report directly to the Lead Consultant. The Lead Consultant will be available by correspondence but will not have the ability to support the data collection process in person.
The study is expected to employ a variety of data collection and analysis techniques for both quantitative and qualitative data to meet the evaluation objectives.
This includes but is not limited to surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.
The Research Assistant will:
- Coordinate with the LC on data collection methodologies, implement data tools as designed by the LC in the selected target areas.
- The Research Assistant will be responsible for translating data collection tools into the local language.
- The Research Assistant will be responsible for primary data collection.
- Work with local volunteers for data analysis under the supervision of the Lead consultant with support where needed from the Country Program Officer (CPO)
- Work in liaison with Country Program Officer and the Developing Country Partner (DCP) to arrange meetings and travel to location for data collection.
- Be responsible for following the standard, country-specific, COVID restrictions and will take precautionary measures to ensure that all safety protocols are being maintained while in the field
The baseline study will incorporate a mixed-method approach and is expected to collect quantitative and qualitative data.
- Quantitative data collection:
The reference source of this survey is the project Logic Model and the Performance Management Framework (PMF) Possible key respondents or data sources are initially determined by the project team and DCPs; however, the detailed data source and methods, sampling, and full questionnaires will be defined in consultation with the lead consultant.
Project targeted families/households including vulnerable women will be selected by the project team prior to data collection.
- Qualitative data collection:
Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KII) with partners and stakeholders are to be considered.
The Research Assistant in collaboration with the Lead consultant will present their approach to conducting FGDs and KII and will identify the number of sessions/interviews and stakeholders to be interviewed based on information needs. All suggested tools will be discussed with CDF Canada for approval prior to data collection.
- Document review:
The Research Assistant will use all project documents and other available resources for desk research. Following the signing of the contract, the project team will provide the project documents. Other reliable secondary data sources are strongly encouraged to be used for further situation analysis.
- Data analysis and interpretation:
Primary data and data analysis processes will be disaggregated by gender age group and vulnerable groups such as – people living with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+. Draft findings will be presented to the project team for validation as per the pre-approved workplan.
Research Assistant Expertise and Qualifications
The Research Assistant should have the following expertise and qualifications
- Proven professional experience (3-year minimum) conducting baseline studies, evaluation of international development projects, with experience using a variety of participatory research methodologies (mixed-method approach) in the field.
- Demonstrated experience in managing country-level assessments and preparing consolidated reports.
- Demonstrated experience of working with a lead consultant/ contractor.
- Expert knowledge of the international approaches and tools to baseline assessments.
- Demonstrated experience applying a gender-sensitive approach to research is an asset.
- Understanding of GAC Feminist International Assistance Policy is an asset.
- Educational background in social sciences, international development, market-based approaches, gender, and development, or a related field is an asset.
- Demonstrated cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
- Excellent analytical skills.
Research Assistant Deliverable
The Research Assistant is expected to submit a country-specific baseline study to the Lead Consultant for consolidation of the Voice Program report.
The Lead Consultant will be responsible for the quality of the report and its submission to CDF.
HOW TO APPLY
The following needs to be submitted with the application:
1. Current resumé
2. A cover letter
CDF Canada thanks all applicants for their interest. Please note that due to time constraints, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Deadline and Submissions
Please submit the following documents to rnyambi@cdfcanada.coop no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 5th, 2021, including the position title (“Baseline Study”) in the subject line.