INTRODUCTION

Advancing Women’s Engagement: Strengthening Opportunities to Mobilise for Equality (AWESOME) – is a 5-year advocacy programme to support women’s movements in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The AWESOME programme is being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda with the following strategic programme objective: Women’s movements in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are strengthened, less fragmented and more representative of diverse groups of women, including women with disabilities, resulting in a stronger collective voice to challenge social norms and influence policies and key decisions affecting them.

AWESOME brings together seven women’s rights organisations sharing the same values and vision for women’s rights, equality and feminist principles yet with diverse approaches and constituencies. The AWESOME Consortium purposefully includes a mainstream women’s rights organisation (WRO) in each country (each with a different area of expertise relating to policy and advocacy and position within the women’s movement covering access to justice, finance and budgeting, and women’s economic rights respectively) combined with a women’s rights organisation working with women with disabilities (DWRO). AWESOME launched in 2021 and is a strategic partnership with the Government of the Netherlands and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The AWESOME Consortium comprises of Ethiopian Women with Disability National Association (EWDNA), Ssiqqee Women’s Development Association (SWDA), WOMEN Challenged to Challenge (WCC) Kenya, Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) and Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA Kenya).

The programme contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and to the following sub-objectives: prevention and elimination of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls and the strengthening of women’s leadership and women’s participation in decision-making.

Following this ecological model, the AWESOME programme works at the levels of self to provide safe spaces for Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs), activists and young women to come together to increase collaboration; society level to ensure greater willingness and support to challenge harmful gender norms and attitudes and at the level of formal institutions to improve the policy and legal framework for the realisation of women’s rights. Advocacy and Lobbying are key foundational approaches within the AWESOME programme.

1. BACKGROUND

A manifesto is a political and advocacy tool that articulates collective priorities and demands. It enables civil society actors to influence decision-makers, mobilize constituencies, and hold governments accountable.

This manifesto will draw from feminist knowledge products (e.g., Why Feminists Should Lead research, policy briefs, and factsheets) and consultations with consortium members and partners. It will present a clear, action-oriented agenda for strengthening women’s participation and leadership in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

The manifesto will serve as:

• A blueprint for advocacy by the AWESOME consortium and partners.

• A mobilization tool for women’s movements and allies.

• A reference point for accountability with governments, regional bodies, and funders/donors.

Around the world, women’s lack of representation in government, especially in high-level executive and legislative bodies, limits their influence over governance and public policies. Arguably, women’s participation in decision making is essential for ensuring their equality and rights. Where women have participated actively in public policy, they have been able to raise the visibility of women’s issues and work toward ending gender discrimination. But women have made slow progress in the political arena, even while making impressive gains in other areas such as education, employment and health.

The low proportion of women in political and decision-making spaces reflects men’s historical advantages in electoral systems and long-standing inequalities between men and women in society. This is reflected in all spheres of a woman’s life including the household, school, workplace – women and girls typically have fewer opportunities than their male counterparts to acquire policy and leadership skills even amidst conducive legal and policy environments. A lack of meaningful implementation of these policy frameworks enforcing the previous status quo. Another prevailing barrier being the unwritten patriarchal rules of the “old boy network/club”.

Notably, democracy in itself does not signify a direct path towards entrenching fair and equitable representation amongst men and women. Looking at old democracies such as the USA and France – there are lower percentages of women in elected positions than would be forecast for such seasoned democracies. Additionally, the corresponding reduction of women in decision making spaces within social and economic institutions also contributes to this phenomenon. As they cannot garner leveraging or bargaining power to ensure their participation in all these spheres. (Economic, Social and Political). Women’s representation in legislative bodies has increased in most parts of the world, but it is still at a low level.

From the local to the global level, women’s leadership and political participation remains restrictive, and gains made are persistently under threat of regression with the growing anti-gender rhetoric amongst other systemic barriers rooted in patriarchy. Women are underrepresented as voters, as well as in leading positions, whether in elected office, the civil service, the private sector or academia. This occurs despite their proven abilities as leaders and agents of change, and their right to participate equally in democratic governance. They face several obstacles to participating in political life. Structural barriers through discriminatory laws and institutions still limit women’s options to run for office. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders. The progress achieved over the past decade in the participation of women in politics has been reversed and we are far from accomplishing the goal agreed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in public and private spheres of their lives.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The consultant will lead a participatory process to design and produce a concise, compelling, and actionable advocacy manifesto that:

• Highlights barriers and opportunities for women’s leadership in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

• Presents clear advocacy demands and calls to action.

• Reflects feminist principles, inclusivity, and intersectionality.

1. Can be used effectively by consortium members, women’s movements, and allies in national, regional, and international advocacy spaces.

SCOPE AND FOCUS

The scope of this work will be anchored on the AWESOME Programme - Partners’ work linked to WPL and their geographical location – Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.

The consultant shall be required to:

• Participate in an inception meeting and prepare an inception report detailing the methodology to be employed in undertaking the work
• Finalise a jointly agreed workplan and map out timelines for key tasks and deliverables
• Develop and share a template with a skeletal outline for the advocacy manifesto
• Conduct an in-depth literature review, making an assessment of current knowledge pieces including the WPL Research Report and annexed publications – Why feminists should lead – with a key focus on AWESOME focus countries.
• Conduct a group discussion with AWESOME consortium members and relevant Womankind Worldwide staff to co-design the manifesto
• Analyse and collate findings and information above into the report and leverage on it to develop WPL focused advocacy manifesto
• Submit to Womankind WPL lead the final knowledge products i.e. A WPL focused advocacy manifesto.

KEY DELIVERABLES

The Key deliverables for this consultancy include.

• Inception Report – Featuring a jointly agreed upon workplan, highlighting key approaches, research methods, objectives, assumptions and expected outcomes
• Co-design and co-creation session plan and notes
• WPL focused advocacy manifesto

INTENDED AUDIENCE OF THE MANIFESTO

• The manifesto will target WPL advocacy and influencing with:
• National governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
• Global and Regional bodies (e.g., United Nations Mechanisms and policy spaces (CEDAW, CSW. HRC) African Union, African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, East African Community).
• Civil society actors and women’s movements for movement building and strengthening and advocacy.
• Development partners, donors and funders to influence funding priorities.

TIMELINES AND ROLES

QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge and work on intersectional feminist approaches including movement strengthening at a global and regional level (See: AWESOME and Womankind Focus Countries)
• Demonstrable knowledge on international and regional human rights, legal frameworks with a specific focus on gender and human rights. Specific work in some of the assignment’s focus countries highly desirable
• Knowledge on normative and policy frameworks at international, regional levels with a specific focus on women’s participation and leadership. Specific work in some of the assignment’s focus countries highly desirable
• Experience in conducting research, applying an intersectional feminist lens including interviews with diverse persons including women and girls and people of all genders
• Ability to write and research from an intersectional feminist lense and at a high level
• Demonstrated capacity to facilitate inclusive, participatory consultations anchored on feminist praxis
• Proven ability to manage timelines, deliver high quality outputs and coordination of diverse stakeholders including persons with disability
• Any other relevant experience conducting research and working with feminist movements from the global south will be an added advantage
• Advanced degree in Gender Studies, Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Development Studies, or related field.
• At least 8 years or more of relevant experience in gender equality, governance, and advocacy.
• Experience working with women’s rights organizations, movements, and/or political actors.
• Prior experience developing manifestos, charters, or advocacy position papers is an asset.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English

APPLICATION PROCESS

A cover letter outlining relevant experience and approach.

Curriculum Vitae (CV).

A technical proposal (max 3 pages) with a methodology and timeline.

A financial proposal.

At least 2 samples of similar work (e.g., advocacy documents, manifestos, or reports or policy briefs).

The assignment should be finalised 4 weeks after the signing of the agreement. The Consultant will be engaged for a period of 10-12 working days. The Consultancy fee is set at GBP 400 per day.

Required Competencies

Skills and experience

Interested candidates should submit:

We look forward to receiving your proposal and potentially working with you on this project.