Objective: Baseline Study
Assignment locations: Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Kenya – Country Specific
Timeframe: 2 months

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 assignment will include the preparation of consolidated information for the project/targets at
ultimate, intermediate, immediate and if possible, at output levels.

The Organization

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 co-operative 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.

The Project

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 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:

1. Increased engagement of Canadians in International development to support the
   implementation of FIAP1
   (Intermediate Outcome 1100).
2. 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

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 economic well-being of project beneficiaries2 (Targeted
  communities) through a mixed methodology approach (Indicator 1000.1).
• To determine the current level of women acceptance in leadership roles by target communities3
  (Indicator 1210.2).
• To determine the current level of participation of marginalized and vulnerable4 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.

Volunteers will work closely with implementing partners to integrate context specific gender components of the
FIAP which are aligned with their mandate.

All data collected and analyzed will be segregated based on gender, age, vulnerability status etc.

This includes disaggregated groups such as country partner, institutions supporting coop, coop members,
community leaders and direct beneficiaries (men, women).

Vulnerable populations in this context include groups of persons whose range of options is severely limited
because of the barriers they experience to social, economic, political, and environmental resources, as well as
limitations due to illness or disability.

Duties and Responsibilities of Research Assistant:

• Coordinate with the LC on data collection methodologies, implement data tools as designed by
  the LC in the selected target areas.
• Be responsible for translating data collection tools into local language.
• Be responsible for primary data collection.
• Work with local volunteer 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.

1. Quantitative data collection: 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 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 project team prior
   to data collection.
2. 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 conduct 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 data collection.
3. Document review: The Research Assistant will use all project documents and other available
   resources for desk research. Following the signing of contract, the project team will provide the
   project documents. Other reliable secondary data sources are strongly encouraged to be used
   for further situation analysis.
4. 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 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.

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.

Deadline and Submissions

Please submit the following documents to rnyambi@cdfcanada.coop no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021, including the position title (“Baseline Study”) in the subject line.

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. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.