• Time Commitment: The Consultant(s) must commence the Services no later than 28th February and complete the Services by 24th May
• Budget: Up to AUD25,000 (includes any potential travel)
• Location: Home-based, with travel to Solomon Islands

WHO ARE WE?

IWDA is an Australia based organisation, resourcing diverse women’s rights organisations, primarily in Asia and the Pacific, and contributing to global feminist movements to advance our vision of gender equality for all.

• VISION Gender equality for all
• PURPOSE To defend and advance the rights of diverse women and girls
• VALUES Feminist, Accountable, Collaborative, Transformative

INTRODUCTION

West AreAre Rokotanikeni Association (WARA)

Established in 1999, West AreAre Rokotanikeni Association (WARA) is a voluntary rural based women’s association, covering the southern part of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. WARA is divided into 13 zones – 12 rural and 1 urban. With 12 rural zones that lie along the coast of West AreAre, WARA operates mostly in an environment that has no access to road infrastructure but uses irregular shipping and motorised canoe as its main mode of transport.

WARA supports the promotion of self-reliance, economic empowerment and leadership for rural women and girls through access to savings and loan schemes, and skills and knowledge development initiatives across a diverse range of subjects pivotal to women’s transformation. Since the establishment of WARA in the West AreAre region, women and girls’ involvement in savings and loan schemes has enabled them to save money, use, and make wise decisions on family funds. The Savings Club established has enabled over one thousand members to save more than two million Solomon Islands Dollars (about AUD 360,788).

WARA also supports gender equality in the communities they work with particularly through using their understanding of the rural context to promote change to discriminatory gender norms. In response to the growing threat of climate change WARA has also recently begun to focus on the impacts of climate change in the communities they work with and supporting women’s wellbeing, resilience and decision making in relation to climate change and natural disasters.

WARA is also a convener in the Solomon Islands National Women’s Dialogue. This national convening space is co-convened with five key women’s and girls’ rights and development agencies to collaborate on advancing gender equality in the Solomon Islands. In 2022 the conveners hosted a national young women’s dialogue, provincial dialogue and national women’s dialogue as part of the ongoing work to strengthen the women’s rights movement in the Solomon Islands.

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA)

IWDA has partnered with WARA for 11 years, focusing on rural women’s leadership and economic empowerment. IWDA is an Australia-based feminist organisation, resourcing diverse women’s rights and feminist organisations primarily in Asia and the Pacific, and contributing to global feminist movements to advance our vision of gender equality for all. WARA and IWDA’s work on the Solomon Islands Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Program has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Australian NGO Corporation Program (ANCP). IWDA manages the program grant and will manage the contract for this consultancy.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Solomon Islands Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Program is a ANCP funded program contracted through IWDA and implemented in partnership with WARA since 2016. This program supports WARA’s work on strengthening rural women’s capacity in decision making and leadership, rural women’s economic empowerment, women’s wellbeing and resilience to climate change and strengthening WARA as an organisation.

Solomon Islands Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Program has four program outcomes:

Outcome 1: Women and young women in Solomon Islands, including women with disability, have increased active participation in leadership and decision-making in all spheres and at all levels, including decision-making on issues affecting livelihoods such as land ownership and environmental issues.

Outcome 2: Women and young women in Solomon Islands, including women with disability, have increased access to and control of money, and strengthened livelihoods.

Outcome 3: Rural communities in Solomon Islands, especially women and girls, have increased resilience to adapt and respond to climate change impacts and disasters.

Outcome 4: WARA is strengthened to serve its membership and provide models and support to benefit other indigenous women’s groups in Solomon Islands.

CONSULTANCY OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this consultancy is to support and enable WARA in its work to increase rural women’s leadership and economic empowerment. To achieve this, the consultant(s) will combine elements of program evaluation and organisational evaluation, to assess:

1. The impact and effectiveness of the program
2. The extent to which the program and IWDA’s support has increased WARA’s organisational capacity

Outputs from the evaluation are expected to support WARA in planning and delivering its program and future focus areas for organisational strengthening.

REQUIREMENTS

The consultant, or team of consultants, should be able to demonstrate the skills and experience listed below:

Essential

• Experience working in the Solomon Islands or one or more countries in the Pacific, preferably engaging with local women’s rights organisations;
• Competence in cross-cultural communication;
• Capabilities in program evaluation, as well as organisational or strategic evaluation;
• Experience in conducting interviews and desk reviews;
• Experience in designing and facilitating participatory workshops; and
• Understanding of feminist and decolonial evaluation principles.

Desirable

• Experience working with rural women & rural women’s organisations
• Experience in gender analysis; and
• Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline, such as social science or international development.

Preference will be given to a consultant, or team of consultants, who have cultural competence in one or more countries in the Pacific and to females consultant/s.

Find the full Terms of Reference here and attached.

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) has an Equal Opportunity exemption (H69/2022) and requests applications from women only (including trans women).

All IWDA consultants are required to

• Act at all times in accordance with IWDA’s Code of Conduct and Policies
• Comply with IWDA’s Occupational, Health, Safety & Wellbeing Policy and practices
• Support a child safe organisation and undertake a police check prior to commencement