a.     Mission descriptions

These ‘Terms of Reference’ aim to recruit a consultant specialized in Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment to support the objectives of the Zim-BEE project to promote gender equality and strengthen the participation of women in alternative income-generating activities within beekeeping communities.

b.      Objectives of the assignment

·       Integrate gender equality and WEE principles into the design, implementation, and monitoring of the ZimBEE Project.

·       Identifying gender-specific barriers and opportunities in the honey value chain.

·       Promoting ADR (Access, Distribution, and Redistribution) of resources and opportunities for women.

·       Supporting inclusive beekeeping production, processing, and marketing initiatives.

·       Strengthening women’s agency and leadership in beekeeping groups and cooperatives.

·       Support the development and implementation of gender-responsive strategies and action plans

·       Strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to promote inclusive and equitable participation in the honey value chain.

c.       Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the ZimBEE Project Manager and in coordination with implementing partners, the consultant will:

a.       Conduct a gender and social inclusion assessment of the honey value chain.

b.       Identify barriers to women’s participation and opportunities for empowerment.

c.       Develop a gender mainstreaming plan and integrate gender indicators into the M&E framework.

d.       Support the design of targeted interventions for women-led enterprises and producer groups.

e.       Deliver at least two capacity-building sessions for project staff and partners on gender equality and WEE.

f.        Develop communication and advocacy materials promoting women's success stories in beekeeping.

g.       Provide technical support during the implementation of gender-sensitive activities.

Key Activities

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

a)       Gender Analysis and Community Engagement

·       Conduct a rapid gender assessment in existing and new production areas.

·       Map out women’s roles, challenges, and opportunities in beekeeping communities.

·       Identify existing structures (cooperatives, associations) for women’s engagement.

b)      Design and Facilitate Empowerment Interventions

·       Develop gender-responsive strategies to increase women’s participation in beekeeping and honey value chains.

·       Facilitate training sessions on gender equality, ADR, leadership, and financial literacy for women and mixed groups.

·       Support the development of inclusive income-generating initiatives (e.g. value addition, packaging, cooperative development).

c)       Support Institutional Integration

·       Advise project teams on integrating gender and ADR considerations in planning, delivery, and monitoring.

·       Work with local leaders and institutions to promote supportive norms and policies for women’s economic empowerment.

·       Support women’s access to inputs, land, finance, and market information.

d)      Monitoring, Reporting, and Knowledge Sharing

Develop indicators and tools to track progress on gender and ADR outcomes.

·       Prepare monthly progress briefs and a final assignment report with recommendations.

·       Document success stories, lessons learned, and case studies on women's empowerment in beekeeping.

Deliverables

• Inception report including methodology and timeline
• Gender and social inclusion assessment report
• Gender mainstreaming strategy and action plan
• Capacity-building materials and training reports
• Sucess stories and advocacy content
• Final report summarizing outcomes and recommendations