Consultancy: Time and Labor-Saving Care Infrastructure Assessment

CONSULTANCY TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNDERTAKE AN ASSESSMENT WITHIN TARGETED REGIONS TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT TIME AND LABOUR-SAVING CARE INFRASTRUCTURE

Organizational Background

Youth Alive! Kenya (herein referred to as Y.A.K.) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that advocates for and supports youth participation in development processes. Y.A.K. envisions “A society where young people are empowered to realize their full potential”. The organization currently works with over eighty-four (84) youth organizations in twelve (12) Counties in Kenya. 

We also seek to strengthen youth participation in the development agenda in line to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets at the county, national, regional and global levels. Y.A.K. seeks to break the self-perpetuating cycle of exclusion of young people so that they may actively chart and address issues affecting their well-being and development. Y.A.K.’s projects are based on three thematic pillars i.e. Good governance; Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods; and Social wellbeing and Equity.

Background to the assignment. 

In partnership with Oxfam in Kenya, and Kenya Union of Domestic Hotel, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), Youth Alive! Kenya has received a grant to implement the ‘Time to Care Kenya’ (TTC) project; a gender transformative initiative that aims at improving gender equality and care infrastructure for women and girls. TTC aims at addressing inequalities in paid and unpaid care work with interventions that aim at recognizing, redistributing, and reducing unpaid care, rewarding paid care workers, particularly domestic workers, with more decent work and wages, and in promoting representation, social dialogue, and collective organizing and bargaining for paid care workers. 

The project aims to transform the unequal power relations and systems of operations that perpetuate inequalities, especially patriarchal social norms, while putting women’s rights actors and organizations at the center of this work. It will contribute to the increased agency, decision making and leadership of women and girls as well as support individual across, organizations and networks to bring changes in unequal power structures, contributing to gender equality outcomes that are context-specific and sustainable. 

To this end, Y.A.K seeks the services of consultant/group of consultants with appropriate knowledge, skills, experience, and competency to undertake a desktop assessment within targeted regions of Kiambu, Mombasa and Nairobi to identify relevant time and labor-saving care infrastructure that will contribute to the reduction and/or redistribution of care work. We ultimately aim to mobilize care workers and private sector actors to work on time and labor-saving infrastructure. This will help facilitate linkages between the private sector actors and care worker’ groups to ease access to time and labor-saving care infrastructure. 

The objective of this consultancy.

The purpose of this review is to assess and identify relevant time and labor-saving care infrastructure that will contribute to the reduction and/or redistribution of care work. 

Specific Objectives

The main objectives of the assessment are as follows:

• Identify existing care infrastructure in the country with a specific focus for the targeted regions of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kiambu counties
• Map out private sector companies that produce the identified time and labour-saving care infrastructure
• Assess the efficiency of current infrastructure in reducing or redistributing care work.
• Recommend strategies for the improvement of care infrastructure based on results of the assessment

Scope of Work

The assessment should cover the following areas:

1. Review existing literature on care infrastructure and related technologies and identifying best practices and challenges in similar contexts.
2. Design tools /methodologies to conduct the assessment 
3. Complete the mapping targeting identified key stakeholders, including local communities, healthcare providers, NGOs, and government agencies.
4. Develop a detailed report meeting the objectives above.     

Expected outputs 

 The consultant will produce the following: 

1. An inception report that clearly outlines the methodology to be used, tools and work-plan.
2. Draft report for review and feedback.
3. Final comprehensive assessment report outlining recommendations and actionable insights.

Timeline:

The assignment is expected to be completed within 30 days from the commencement date. The timeline will be agreed upon before the initiation of the review.

Profile of consultant(s)

1. Education qualification: A minimum of Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Project Management, Community Development, Public Policy, Law and/or other related postgraduate degrees or commensurate experience in lieu of an advanced degree. 
2. Professional experience in organizational, project or any other management role requiring strategy formulation, implementation and achievement in both private and public sectors.
3. Minimum 5 years of progressive experience at the national or international level on Gender Equality, women’s empowerment and human rights with a strong background on strategic management and coordinating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
4. Proven experience working with regional civil society organizations (CSOs).
5. Confident professional with the ability to engage and work effectively with diverse range of stakeholders.
6. Excellent written English and writing experience.

Management of the consultancy

The contracting and management of this consultancy will be under Youth Alive! Kenya.  

Application process

Interested and qualified individuals should submit to hr@youthalivekenya.org the following:

1. Concept note outlining understanding of the task, methodology, work plan/timelines. 
2. Financial proposal in Ksh.
3. Proof and confirmation of availability during the consultancy period. 
4. Current CV demonstrating experience in similar tasks
5. Proof of having done a similar assignment (attach reports).
6. List of at least 3 referees with contacts.

Indicating the position of the application on the subject line of the application email, applications should reach Y.A.K on or before 6th December 2023 by CoB.  

N/B

The Budget for this engagement is capped at Kes. 100,000. 

Download the TOR here.