Location of Work: Global/remote

Timing: April 2024 – June 2024

Total LOE: 12 days

Application/Proposal Instructions

• Interested consultants must submit their proposals, in electronic format (via email to Hannah Connolly at hconnolly@globalcommunities.org). Proposals must be received no later than March 31, 2024 at 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
• Proposals should include CV(s), sample workplan, technical proposal including methodology and approach (1 to 2 pages) and budget. If you are applying as an individual, please submit your CV. If you are applying as a firm, please submit the CV(s) of key personnel who would work on this project.
• Applicants are advised that this solicitation does not in any way obligate Global Communities to award a contract or compensate responding firms or individuals or compensate or individuals for costs associated with the preparation and submission of their proposals.

Background Information

Global Communities (GC) is seeking an expert consultant to conduct a review of the implementation of community-based savings and lending and women’s empowerment activities in emergency response projects in Guatemala. The consultant will review existing project documents and will conduct interviews with key Global Communities project staff. Review findings will be incorporated in a final product report that will include: projects overviews, differences and similarities in approaches and implementations, lessons learned, best practices and recommendations for the implementation of Women Empowered under emergency programs based upon findings.

Women Empowered (WE) is a GC global initiative dedicated to the social and economic empowerment of women through the formation of self-managed and self-sustaining savings groups. WE groups are formed based upon proven savings group methodologies which bring 15-25 members together to save money, develop financial literacy, make loans to one another, and invest in income-generating activities. Beyond that, WE groups support women’s empowerment by building skills and capacities; providing leadership experience to build self-esteem and self-efficacy; increasing access to information and resources; and promoting collective action and community organizing. WE groups become a platform for members to raise awareness on important topics and act collectively to improve their lives and communities.

The WE Methodology includes a core set of required savings groups modules along with additional components that are included depending upon the goals and timeframe of a given project. Under some emergency programs in Guatemala additional components implemented have included the P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) Life Skills curriculum, as well as training on basic business skills.

The projects included in this review include: Project Cambray (2015, Guatemala City), Project Fuego Response (2018, Escuintla and Alotenango), ACCION II (2017-2018, Huehuetenango), ANIMO (2019-2020, Huehuetenango), SIGAMOS (2020-2021, Huehuetenango), PARADELANTE (2021-2022, Huehuetenango). PODEMOS (2022-2023 Huehuetenango), and PODEMOS MAS (Huehuetenango, 2023-2024).

About the Consultancy

Under the direction of the Global Communities Global Technical Advisor for Women’s Empowerment and Savings groups and the Global Communities MELI Technical Advisor, the consultant will be responsible for conducting a review and analysis of the implementation of the Women Empowered initiative in the emergency response programs from 2015 to 2024 (as mentioned above). The objective of the review and analysis is to document the implementation, evolution, growth, and integration of the WE methodology under the various emergency projects in Guatemala, as well as to identify lessons learned, best practices and recommendations for the implementation of Women Empowered under emergency response projects. The review will be based upon existing project reports (approx. 3 documents per project) and interviews to key Global Communities staff.

Scope of Work

Main activities:

1. Kick off meeting.
2. Review all relevant project documents including: Women Empowered global reference documents, project implementation plans, project evaluation reports, project programmatic reports.
3. Conduct interviews to key Global Communities Guatemala staff (from 7 to 10 people) directly or indirectly involved in the emergency response projects (in Spanish) to further understand the differences and similarities in approaches and implementations, as well as the evolution, growth, and integration of the WE methodology under the various emergency projects and identify lessons learned and best practices.

4. Prepare an outline of the final product report or “case study” (in English) based on Global Communities inputs including projects’ overviews, differences and similarities in approaches and implementations, evolution, growth, and integration of the WE methodology under the various emergency projects, lessons learned and best practices, recommendations, and annexes.

1. Prepare final product report draft or “case study” draft (in English) based on Global Communities inputs including projects’ overviews, differences and similarities in approaches and implementations, evolution, growth, and integration of the WE methodology under the various emergency projects, lessons learned and best practices, recommendations, and annexes.
2. Incorporate feedback from Global Communities into final product report or “case study” and submit final written report (in English).
3. Prepare a case study brief.
4. Incorporate feedback from Global Communities into final case study brief.
5. Facilitate a presentation to Global Communities team with findings and recommendations (in English).

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1: Outline of the final product report draft (in English).
• Deliverable 2: Final product report or “case study” (in English) based on Global Communities inputs including projects’ overviews, differences and similarities in approaches and implementations, evolution, growth, and integration of the WE methodology under the various emergency projects, lessons learned, best practices, recommendations, and annexes (15 to 20 pages long).
• Deliverable 4: Final “case study” brief (2 to 5 pages long)
• Deliverable 5: Presentation of findings (in English) with slide deck (40min presentation with 20 min for Q&A).

Estimated Level of Effort (LOE):

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 10 years of relevant experience in Gender Equality, Monitoring & Evaluation, Knowledge Management, International Development, Social Science, or other related fields.
• Experience developing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), research and documentation, leading analysis, and preparing high quality reports.
• Experience designing and integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment in project monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish and English.
• Experience working in Guatemala or Latin America.