Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD)

Deadline: 14 February 2021

Introduction

The Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD) is seeking to engage the services of a consultant/s to develop a training manual on The Role of Chapter 12 Institutions in Access to Justice in Zimbabwe. The training is aimed at raising consciousness among marginalised young women on existing constitutional mechanisms and tools to access justice to promote transparent communities and social cohesion.

Who we are

Founded in 2009, the Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD) is a feminist organisation with proven experience in promoting the participation of young women to inform and influence socio-economic and political decision-making processes. The IYWD is committed to mobilising and strengthening the voice and power of young women in marginalized communities to challenge the systems and norms that oppress them. Grounded in young women's realities, we collectively create pathways to imagine a better future and promote and defend the rights and wellbeing of young women. Through community organizing, raising political consciousness, movement-building, documentation and thinking alongside young women we compassionately promote and demand the rights of marginalised and exploited young women.

In an effort to foster pathways for young women to thrive, IYWD is implementing an intervention to Strengthen young women’s agency to seek justice and promote transparent communities and social cohesion. It is from this background that IYWD is seeking the services of a consultant/s to develop a training manual on The Role of Chapter 12 Institutions in Access to Justice in Zimbabwe.

Purpose and coverage

Young women constitute a demographic group that suffers from lack of access to justice and the effects of social disintegration. A study recently conducted by the Institute for Young Women on the gendered effects of conflict on justice and social cohesion revealed that young women have limited access to justice. Due to widely accepted social norms and political polarization conflict often leading to violence is normalised in our society. This affects both women and men but has more effects on women, young women in particular. Conflict exposes young women to intersectional violence including but not limited to sexual exploitation, economic exploitation, the burden of unpaid care work and the scourge of sexually transmitted infections.

IYWD therefore seeks to engage a Consultant/s to develop a Training Manual that will be used to train young women on the constitutional mechanisms that are available to them to access justice for conflicts encountered in the social, economic and political realms of their lives in Zimbabwe. The training manual should focus on the role of Chapter 12 Commissions in particular Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and National Peace and Reconciliation Commission in facilitating access to justice and promoting social cohesion in Zimbabwe as well as tools that citizens can use to engage and hold the institutions accountable. The manual is expected to balance both content and methodological aspects of the training.

Methodology and scope of the work

Acknowledging the current context characterised by COVID-19 and a political crisis in Zimbabwe, IYWD recommends safe approaches to this assignment that do not further expose the consultants and the training participants to the pandemic and security services mandated with enforcing lockdown regulations among others. The organisation also prefers methodologies that are rooted in understanding of gender and gender power dynamics.

Consultant deliverables

The following specific deliverables are expected from the consultant: An Expression of Interest detailing the proposed outline of the methodology to be used to conduct the assignment, timelines and inputs required from IYWD; Inception Meeting and Report; A power point presentation of the summary of the manual; The completed manual.

Consultancy competencies, experience and skill requirements

IYWD is seeking a competent, committed, and skilled consultant/team with the following qualifications: At minimum, a university degree in Strategic Management/ Human Rights /Social Sciences or other relevant field; Extensive experience at least 2 years the field of governance and gender; Extensive experience in working with diverse groups including women, youth and feminist movements; Excellent interpersonal communication skills; Excellent communication and written skills in English language and Zimbabwean local languages; Extensive knowledge of the civil society sector in Zimbabwe; Additional experience in development work in broader democracy, human rights and peace-building sectors in Zimbabwe is an added advantage.

Proposed period

The IYWD anticipates the assignment to be completed by 25 February 2021