April 2022 – CIRDDOC

CIRDDOC IS RECRUITING: A CONSULTANT FOR A STUDY ON IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN

A CONSULTANT FOR A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN

The Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) Nigeria is an independent, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation established in 1996 for the protection and promotion of human rights and women’s human rights and the strengthening of civil society. CIRDDOC is also committed to the institutionalization of good governance, gender equality and the rule of law.

CIRDDOC with support from AmplifyChange is working with partner organisation (CENGOS) and relevant stakeholders to end Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Increase Young People’s Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services in 9 states – Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers.

Humanitarian crises and health emergencies affect men and women differently. As COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, there are concerns over its impact on women and girls, with vulnerabilities feared to worsen as the pandemic overwhelms health systems. Women and girls and those living with disabilities may be particularly affected by the impacts of COVID-19 outbreak.

Under the project, CIRDDOC is searching for a seasoned Research Consultant who will work independently, with minimal supervision and assistance to conduct a study on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women and develop a policy brief with gender-sensitive approach to the pandemic.

Objectives of the study includes:

To generate the health, social and economic evidences of the impact of COVID-19 on women
To examine the effects of the COVID-19 containment policies and protocols on the vulnerable populations especially as it concerns SRHR and GBV
To develop rapid gender analysis response and key advocacy points
To produce an advocacy tool (policy brief) for a gender-sensitive approach to the pandemic
To make recommendations from the findings for sustainable programming on addressing SGBV during and after COVID-19 as well as in similar emergencies.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant for the study will work directly with the project manager to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
1) Serve as the researcher for the study on the Impact of COVID-19 on Women
2) Develop comprehensive research tools that seeks to generate data/information to the realization of the study objectives
3) Oversee and facilitate data collection/evidence gathering using the research tools
4) Review research tools and undertake data collection, collation as well as data analysis and report writing
5) Produce comprehensive research report that provides information on key drivers and determinants of SGBV during the COVID-19 pandemic
6) Recommend from the findings sustainable programmes and practical steps that can be adopted in addressing SGBV during and after COVID-19 pandemic and in similar national and global emergencies
7) Develop for publication a Policy Brief/Analysis – an Advocacy Tool of engagement from the report

Scope and Methodology
This requires a research using questionnaires, FGDs and interviews to gather data for the purpose of realizing the research objectives.
The scope of the research will cover Nigeria using the nine states of the project implementation as sample population.
Deliverables

A guideline and work plan for the implementation of the consultancy
Research and data gathering tools in hard and soft copies
First draft research report including key findings, challenges, lessons learned, recommendations and conclusion
A final analytical and comprehensive research report (in hard and soft copies), presenting findings, lessons learned, and recommendations on way forward
A two-page summary of the reports with key research findings, lessons learned, and recommendations and conclusion
Policy Brief from the research report

Timeframe
The consultancy will run for 3 months, from 26th October 2020 – 25th January 2021
Qualification
– Professional background in social sciences, public policy or administration.
– 7 to 10 years of progressive professional experience in gender analysis and development
– Experience in working with government and civil society organizations in Nigeria
– Experience in proposal writing, proposal management, and report writing
– Experience in monitoring and evaluation
– Ability to undertake travels remotely

Application Method
Please send the following documents as a single file to panozie@cirddoc.org
i. Resume/Curriculum Vitae
ii. Cover letter detailing your experience addressing the key responsibilities & personal requirements

Note
i. Application sent after the deadline will not be accepted
ii. Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates would be contacted
iii. Deadline for submission of application is Friday, 9th October 2020

Building Bridges to End GBV & Increase Young People’s Access to SRH Information and Services

An AmplifyChange Supported Project of CIRDDOC in collaboration with CENGOS

LESSONS LEARNED

The following key lessons have emerged from this project:

Research on SRHR

Researchers need to be bold, composed, respectful and sensitive to the environment as well as the person when approaching prospective respondents on issues of SRHR because the issue is shrouded in silence and shame. The Researcher must therefore never be judgmental but rather empathetic in a manner that is not insulting to the respondent.
FGDs proved to be a better strategy for extracting information on sensitive issues like SRH as participants are more relaxed and open to discussion, especially when the questions are not personalised. Discussing such issues in the third person thus provide a safe space for people to speak about their own experiences and such discussions could lead to people speaking about themselves openly once they feel comfortable with the situation.
Researchers on SRHR should always have information about referral services where they can refer people who need such services during field work
To gain access to and cooperation of government institutions and their officials, the researcher must respect the chain of authority. For instance, in working with the Police, the right place to start engaging at state level is with the State commissioner of Police and at the Federal level with the Inspector Gender of Police. Always seek clearance from the highest ranking official in any institution.
Use of community mobilisers (familiar faces) to mobilizing respondents or participants is very effective as respondents feel more relaxed and comfortable working with them. However, care must be taken to ask such community mobilizers to leave the conversion when issues become too sensitive to protect respondents.

Young People

There is a high percentage of young people who are very enlightened on SRHR. Some of whom are open to candid discussions on sexuality issues and engage with a high level of maturity. Researchers and advocates therefore should engage with young people with a willingness to learn and share knowledge with them on SRHR in a manner that corrects wrong conceptions/opinions by young people

Navigating faith and religious terrains

Empowering the traditional leaders and community groups on why they should be involved in the issues of SRHR clearly pointing out its negative impact on their communities is a key entry point. This serves to clear the limiting perceptions on issues of SRHR as well as break the silence around the issues and thus enable this constituency to be involved in the demand for policy change or legal reform from an informed position
Inhibitions arising from cultural norms on discussions on SRHR should be carefully handled and explained to rural communities as this will first break the ice, paving way for advocates to further educate them on the negative impact of the silence around SRHR as well as practices in the community and how a change of norms would be beneficiary to the community. Building new social norms in a community on SRHR therefore is a gradual drawn out process that must be underpinned by a clear understanding and acceptance of the destructive nature of current practices. The advocate must find new wholesome and healthy practices or ceremonies to replace old negative ones in the quest to create new norms
Improving the economic status of rural people will improve their access to health services and information and perhaps go a long way to enabling them to create new norms around SRHR issues.

Gender and SRHR

Men are more inclined to discussing SRH issues with fellow men. Men felt embarrassed being interviewed by women on sex related issues. Women also felt safer discussing these issues with women. Care therefore needs to be taken in assigning researchers in SRHR to ensure that interviewers themselves are part of the safe space for such discussions. Women interview women, men interview men. Furthermore, this arrangement makes it easier for survivors of violence to share their experiences once confidence is established
There remains a strong and veiled resistance to gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment by the society which clearly manifest when there is advocacy seeking structural and legal environments that will enable the institutionalization of gender equality. The concept of “Equality” for both men and women has been revealed to be a quietly acknowledged threat to patriarchy

Navigating the policy making terrain

Politicizing policy change/legal reform process in the direction of the ruling political party, which usually has the majority representation in the legislative is a proven strategy that gets large support for a cause
Engaging in legislative advocacy during election period can be futile but it can also be used to advantage by using the demand as a bargaining chip for election or re-election of the serving legislators
The internal dynamics within the legislative chambers are critical to the survival or otherwise of policy change or legal reform. It is important to study and understand the political climate before asking a legislature to sponsor your bill or policy initiate. The support for you proposed policy or law by any legislator who is labelled ‘enemy’ or ‘hated’ is a sure guarantee that the opposition groups in the legislature will kill the idea.
Policy change and legislative advocacy is a dynamic process with the variables impacting it continually changing. The advocate must therefore understand the internal dynamics of the legislature and be committed to staying the course patiently no matter the number of setbacks. Legislative advocacy is a slow process but eventual pays off;

Engaging with a broad base of stakeholders

Networking and partnering with relevant organisations and institutions like the traditional rulers, the media, and legislative staff creates a multi-stakeholder platform for advocacy thus leading to greater participation and synergy. Whoever coordinates such networks must endeavour to maintain relationships with stakeholders through constant information sharing, which enables sustained interest and support for an agenda and in turn creates further openings and opportunities for more future engagements
Partnering with the legislative staff is essential for understanding the workings of the legislature and the mindset of the legislators thus enabling the advocates to adopt practicable strategies for engagement
Key to facilitating change is the ability to keep the issue on public discourse, providing current information on people’s lived experiences of GBV and SRHR such that public discussion on an issue is informed in a positive manner and not riddled with misinformation.
Empowering influential stakeholders and community gatekeepers to champion the advocacy initiative is a panacea to gender-based violence (GBV).
Ignorance is the underlying factor that perpetuates violation, abuse and denial of rights; information and awareness are essential to the realisation of a near violence free society
Membership organisations should not totally rely on its members (who have their respective individual organisations to manage) for effective operation of the coalition, there is great need to hire personnel charged with specific responsibilities
Regular project implementation review ensures focus and keeps the delivery team on track
Incentivized competition encourages participation and stimulates learning
Experience sharing and networking offer new perspectives and ideas to navigating challenges and achieving results
Improving the capacity of project delivery team in turn improves output and facilitates the achievement of project outcome/goal
Enhanced knowledge and information dispel myths, attract support and inspire action
Partnership brews stronger force for increased service delivery and access to services.
Creating space and opportunity for the application of knowledge and learning leads to innovation – creating real life situations with acquired knowledge and applying same to immediate environment

Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Accelerating Change

CIRDDOC as an Implementing Partner to UNFPA is funded under the UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Donor Program on the Abandonment of FGM. The project is aimed at achieving the abandonment of FGM in Nigeria especially in the focal states including Ebonyi and Imo. CIRDDOC working with its downstream partners (Community and Youth Development Initiatives (CYDI), Community Women and Society Initiative (CWSI) and Development Dynamics otherwise known as Sub-IPs under the project has trained law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to enhance understanding, implementation and enforcement of FGM legislations in their states. The trained law enforcement agencies and the judiciary are linked with the Community Based Surveillance Committee. The Committee is charged with the responsibility of monitoring, documenting and reporting cases of FGM to the appropriate authorities for necessary action. CIRDDOC also trained Champions to End FGM whose responsibility is to conduct door to door household discussions and to facilitate discussions with community groups for the abandonment of FGM especially in the hinterlands.

The project sensitises the traditional leaders as well as engages the religious bodies and organisations to lead the anti-FGM crusade at different levels.

Other activities in the project include life skills-based education for in and out of school girls under the age of 18 with a focus on empowering them to resist and denounce FGM; establish a male coalition advocating for the elimination of FGM at LGA level; and consensus building and public declarations of FGM abandonment.

Project Achievements/Results:

Four communities in Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi state publicly declared

abandonment of FGM.

Established a male coalition in two LGAs to advocate and lend strong voice

against FGM.

Established community-based surveillance in three communities.
Ninety-five percent of the trained girls in Ebonyi state were not cut and they

pledged to resist FGM.

Girls trained on FGM serving as peer educators.
Twenty-one communities reached with information on the harmful effects of FGM.
Developed and published Ebonyi state Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on FGM.
Establishment and enforcement of bi-laws on FGM by communities.

Challenges:

Stubborn mindset of people about customs and tradition including FGM

Lessons Learned:

Support from opinion leaders is paramount in the elimination of agelong harmful practices including FGM.
Mobilizing and empowering existing community groups (e.g. age grades, women groups, church groups, youth groups, kindred meetings, etc) helps in wider information dissemination

Picture showing the public declaration event on FGM abandonment at Ebonyi State

Picture showing the Male coalition groups on FGM abandonment at Ikwo Ebonyi state

Picture showing trained girls on how to resist FGM/C at Ikwo Ebonyi state

Picture showing established community-based surveillance groups in Ebonyi state.

2018/2019 SUB-NATIONAL BUDGET TRANSPARENCY SURVEY (SNBTS)

The 2018/2019 SNBTS will provide the states another opportunity and incentive to improve on their budgeting conduct – those that scored some points and are making efforts will showcase the improvement made since the last survey while at the same time, it will enable CIRDDOC and partners to find out if progress has been made on the 2011 and 2015 scores. The findings from the previous survey constitute a baseline against which future changes in political will and systems for transparency and participation at State level can be measured. This project will provide a basis for further comparisons of performance.

Nigeria has signed unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. Subnational (State) governments are also signing on. Over the next five years, OGP has the ambition to become a positive global movement for openness and deeper democracy, and as a countervailing force against the rise of closed government, at both the national and subnational level. This will require national and subnational governments participating in OGP to have a strong focus on implementing their Action Plans and sharing knowledge across different countries and types of government, so that OGP can be a home of innovation, learning, and collaboration for more open governments around the world. In Nigeria the subnational budget transparency index will serve as baseline for the Subnational OGP Fiscal Transparency thematic area of the Action Plans.

Information leads to change – The State’s Budget Transparency Survey results serves members of the public, legislators and civil society advocates, journalists, researchers, academicians, policy makers, economists, development specialists, and others interested in the use of government resources. It is intended to provide an in-depth set of measures that government officials might adopt to improve their budget performance. Evidence shows that when citizens have access to information and opportunities to participate in the budget process they are able to improve the decisions made about what to spend public money on and the quality of how the money is actually spent. That means that the allocation of scarce public resources can be potentially more equitable and effective.

Goal: The goal of the proposed project is to build on the successes recorded in the just concluded project in raising awareness and consciousness of states on transparency and participation of the budget process and instilling a spirit of ‘competitiveness’ among states towards the promotion of increased public access to government budget information.

The research process:

CIRDDOC will work with civil society partners in the targeted states to use the Sub National Budget Questionnaire to collect the data for the Survey. All the states of the Federation will be involved in the proposed study. The survey instrument will be implemented in a round of research of two years’ duration. CIRDDOC and its partner organisations with funding support of DFID, and technical support from International Budget Partnership (IBP) will compile, and analyze the data to produce the second published version of the Sub-national Budget Transparency Survey for the Federation. We suggest that at least four rounds of research should be undertaken, with published results to allow for comparisons of performance over time with the development of clear trends and their analysis.

The 36 states of the Nigerian Federation where the project will be implemented are Kano, Jigawa, Enugu, Lagos, Ekiti, Kwara, Kaduna, Yobe, Zamfara, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Nassarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Benue states.

All of the researchers who would be responsible for completing the Sub-national Budget Transparency Survey Questionnaire will be sourced from academic institutions or civil society organisations, preferably from the State where the work is to be undertaken. The mandates and areas of interest of the research groups will vary widely, but all will have a common interest in promoting access to information during each of the four phases of the budget process, in strengthening the role and powers of the legislature, and in the performance of the supreme audit institution. Most will be groups with a significant focus on budget issues; others will be researchers who are experts involved in budget matters on a daily basis. One researcher or group of researchers within an organization from each of the targeted states will be responsible for submitting one completed questionnaire for that state. Thus, the results presented for each state will be based on a single completed questionnaire.

In a round of research, the researchers will be expected to collect data and complete the questionnaire in 4 – 5 months. No events or developments that occurred after September are taken into account in completing the questionnaires. Researchers will be asked to provide evidence for their responses, such as citations from budget documents; the country’s laws, or interviews with government officials, legislators, or other expert on the budget process.

Once the questionnaires are completed, CIRDDOC and IBP staff will undertake an analysis of each questionnaire and in most cases will spend three to six months in discussions with researchers to review the questionnaires. This staff analysis will focus on ensuring that the questions were answered in a manner that was internally consistent, as well as consistent across states. The answers will also be cross-checked against publicly available information. This will include those budget documents that states made available on the Internet; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs), covering fiscal transparency; IMF Article IV reports; World Bank documents and publications, including Public Expenditure Reviews; and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development-World Bank budgeting practices database.

CIRDDOC will provide researchers with a Guide to the Sub-national Budget Transparency Survey Questionnaire (based on the results and lessons learnt from the 2011 and 2015 surveys), made available on the CIRDDOC website. The guide will outline the research method to be used in completing the questionnaire and introduce researchers to internationally recognized good practices and concepts related to budget transparency and public expenditure management. The guide will also provide detailed explanations on how to choose between possible responses and the assumptions to use in answering each question.

After the CIRDDOC /IBP staff review of the draft questionnaires, they will be submitted to two peer reviewers, whose identities will not be revealed to the researchers. The peer reviewers will be required to be independent of both the government and the research organization of the researcher. The peer reviewers will all be individuals with substantial working knowledge of the state being reviewed and its budget system. They will be identified by searching bibliographies, professional contacts, the Internet, and past CIRDDOC conference records. Peer reviewer comments can be !9 seen in their entirety in the published version of the questionnaires, to be made available at www.cirddoc.org. Governments of the states surveyed will be invited to provide their comments in the published version of the questionnaire.

The decision to invite a government to participate is made at the request of the research organization responsible for completing the questionnaire. CIRDDOC and IBP staff will review peer reviewer comments to ensure that the comments are consistent with the study’s methodology as outlined in the Guide to the Sub-national Budget Survey. Transparency Survey Questionnaire: Any peer reviewer comments that are inconsistent with the guide will be removed, and the remaining comments will then be shared with researchers. Researchers will respond to comments from peer reviewers and the government, if applicable and CIRDDOC/IBP editors will referee any conflicting answers to ensure the consistency of assumptions across states in selecting answers.

After analysing all data contained in the questionnaire, CIRDDOC and the chief consultant will afterwards write a draft report where all states will be ranked based on their performances. The draft report will be accordingly discussed with the funding partner – if given approval, CIRDDOC will go ahead and print the report. In the end the SNBTS report will be launched at the national level – advocacy follows.