Terms of Reference for a MEAL Specialist

Published on July 10, 2023, by Atina – Citizens' Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and All Forms of Violence against Women (i.e. NGO Atina)

Project title: Enhancement of Girls and Women’s Power to Resist Gender-Based Violence in Serbia

Introduction

NGO Atina has, since its founding in 2003, been providing a comprehensive support programme for women and girls victims of trafficking and gender-based violence. As of 2011, Atina began to identify gender-based violence and human trafficking victims among the migrant and refugee population and created a support system, which became fully operational in the summer of 2015. Specificity of Atina’s long-term social inclusion programme lies in the effort to provide support in a comprehensive and systematic way, with active involvement of state institutions and full participation of beneficiaries themselves, so that the assistance system becomes a viable solution for full recovery and reintegration. Combining an approach focused exclusively on victims and their needs, and long-term experience and knowledge in the field of human rights protection, Atina, through a tailor-made approach, provides long-term support and remains in contact with the beneficiary group even after exiting the program. In addition, the inclusion of the voices of women with experience of violence represents an innovative method of work and the future of the approach in this area. Knowledge in the social protection system that Atina is nurturing is essential for providing age-appropriate and gender-sensitive assistance using methods such as cultural mediation and case management, and combining it with human rights approach.

Rationale

The position of girls and women in Serbia is complex as they live in circumstances of great uncertainty, above all in economically devastated surroundings. The rights which are in place, although guaranteed by the law, must be conquered again and again, especially women’s social and economic rights. Existing gender stereotypes and discrimination are accelerated with keeping a structural gender gap in economic, political and social areas, while GBV is still a highly concerning issue. Due to gender stereotypes and interrelated gender gaps, women suffer multiple negative socio-economic aftermaths. The Employment Strategy of the Republic of Serbia recognises women as the biggest vulnerable group in the labour market, which is difficult to target with specific employment programmes owing to the group’s heterogeneity. Nevertheless, the Strategy recognises the shortage of adequate employment programmes for women in general, as well as the shortage of programmes designed for women facing multiple discrimination.

The position of refugee and migrant women and girls in Serbia in such circumstances is even more challenging. Migrant women, and particularly those who survived violence and exploitation, experience difficulties in reaching support services, such as safe accommodation, health care, legal assistance, as well as access to justice. Their integration into the local community, their participation in social and political life, and influence on decision-making concerning their position is also uncertain as it is burdened by long-term and systemic challenges. The voices of these women rarely reach decision makers, although it is of great importance that they be heard and enabled to influence decisions that affect their lives and position. Awareness raising, as well as voices of women and girls survivors, are key aspects that help in changing the attitudes and allow greater understanding of the issues they are facing on a daily basis.

This approach would provide a greater visibility of women from disadvantaged groups; it would enable them to receive full support in the recovery process, but it would also help local communities shed light on prejudices and stereotypes, so that they can better address various harmful practices that arise for these women, and make a meaningful impact on their dismissal. In addition, this kind of action would help change behavioural patterns, especially with regard to the existing pressures exerted on the migrant population and the strengthening of anti-migrant sentiment. The project is related to numerous initiatives of civil society, but also of the international community, aiming to break down prejudices, with a special focus on explaining why migration occurs at all, and what is happening to women in the countries of origin, or the reasons that force them into situations of human trafficking.

Scope of work

In order to adequately track the effects of the project results, relevant data for monitoring and evaluation is to be gathered throughout the implementation. A timeframe has been set for each activity, along with the indicators and sources of evidence, and those will serve as bases for the M&E work. MEAL is to be conducted through collecting quantitative data and qualitative analysis of the achievements, with the assessment of short-term and long-term effects of activities.

The MEAL Specialist should monitor all the project components both separately and jointly, evaluate the project results, and assess the project’s contribution to the overall objectives and the relevance of project impact to targeted population in order to provide recommendations on the way forward.

The specific tasks of the process are as follows:

• Create a monitoring and evaluation plan;
• Facilitate data collection and the flow of data;
• Monitor data in coordination with the project team;
• Independently assess results and impact achieved against the objectives and outputs specified in the original project proposal, so that NGO Atina can provide feedback internally as well as externally;
• Highlight any lessons learnt and innovative aspects of the project, and make recommendations as appropriate for project replication and future programming.

BUDGET:

NGO Atina will negotiate a number of days of engagement with the selected trainers on the basis of the financial offer (gross amount) that will classify the following:

*Add columns as needed depending on the number of activities needed to perform the assignment

            Subtotal                                               EUR__________

            Other costs (specify)                           EUR__________

            TOTAL                                                 EUR__________

The total cost should cover all preparatory work regarding the job description, and communication costs between the Project team, consultants and organizations (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail).

BIDDING PROCEDURE

The interested consultants should develop and submit the bidding proposal in the English language to respond to above-mentioned specific tasks no later than July 24, 2023.  The bidding proposal should include:

1. Description and contact details of the expert applying;

2. A detailed Budget Proposal (in the required form);

3. CV of the person involved emphasizing only relevant experience;

4. Past performance in similar areas of work, with reference to previous contracting agencies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The project team will make a decision on the selection of the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, on the following four criteria:

• University degree in the relevant field;
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience;
• Experience of the candidate in performing similar projects or programs;
• An example of previous work as a reference to previous experience is desirable.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BID

All bids need to be submitted no later than July 24, 2023, in electronic version, to the email marija.pantelic@atina.org.rs

A selection will be made no later than July 28, 2023, and the selected consultants will be contracted no later than August 1, 2023. Only the selected candidates will be informed.