Deadline: 16-Mar-23

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is looking for consultants to support the programmes teams in mapping and partnering different entities within the movement including: individuals; non-formal/emergent non-traditional actors & collectives; CBOs & NGOs; and national/regional partners & networks working at scale.

AWDF believes that for the African feminist movement to thrive and endure, and be impactful, different types of organising are key.  To help us to better serve these movements, they want to deepen their understanding of their key issues, trends, priorities and aspirations and how they can best be responsive to them.

If you are committed to feminist principles, have a good knowledge of the different entities in the African feminist movement and understand the ecosystem in which these entities work, they ’d love to hear from you.

AWDF believes that for the African feminist movement to thrive and endure, and be impactful, different types of organising are key. They recognise movements come in all shapes, sizes and colours and are not homogenous; and that entities have different roles in contributing to gender justice and social transformation. Their strategy aims to ensure they partner meaningfully with these diverse constituents. To help us to better serve these movements, they want to deepen their understanding of their key issues, trends, priorities and aspirations and how they can best be responsive to them.

• AWDF has a new strategic framework (2023-2033)
• At the centre of the new strategic framework is a commitment and desire to be more movement-centred
• To be able to do this, the team wants to deepen connection to and understanding of different entities (individual activists, non-traditional actors and collectives, CBOs and NGOs, and “at scale” NGOs)
• This assignment will build on and expand thinking the team has already done as part of a collaborative cross Programmes team initiative
• This work will feed particularly into the Resourcing and Agency and Resilience strategies, and also into the strategies for Solidarity and Care, Knowledge and Voice, and Impact and Learning

Aim of the Consultancy

• The aim of the consultancy is to help the resourcing team, the agency and resilience team, and other programmes teams understand and develop appropriate strategies for partnering and accompanying different entities within the movement including: individuals; non-formal/emergent non-traditional actors & collectives; CBOs & NGOs; and national/regional partners & networks working at scale. Note classification is fluid vs rigid and entities may move between these and learn from each other
• Over the next 10 years they want to be able to say AWDF’s support of these entities has resulted in changes that have enabled them and the movement as a whole to thrive and endure, and be impactful.
• They want to be open, curious, nuanced and flexible in both how they think and do.

Management of the Work – Timelines, Budget

• Cross Programmes working group
• Oversight & management
• Timeline – to start asap (March 2023) to May 2023
• Budget approx. US$20,000
• Expected number of days: 40 days in total (approximately 10 days per type of entity.

Approach

• The first three points are what you/the consultant are exploring and providing input and insight on based on your experience. Bullets 4-7 are the questions they would like explored with entities. They want an approach which gives a clear understanding of individual entities and what the sum of the parts looks like.
• The approach will be co-developed with the chosen consultants but is likely to include:
  • A framing conversation at the outset
  • Some desk-based research into how funds/others are approaching work with different entities
  • talking to selected “movement” actors/entities (mainly those not already connected to AWDF)
  • Participatory session(s) with entities with a cohort of different entities minus AWDF
  • Participatory session(s) with the programmes team to hear back what’s come from consultation & connecting the team to some entities for Q & A/conversation
  • Input of the consultant(s) into the Resourcing, and Agency and Resilience strategies to ensure they reflect what has come from the process and are fit for purpose

Key skills/Competencies

• AWDF is looking to understand the entities individually and collectively. They welcome applications for work on one, two, three or all four of the entity groups. Their ultimate decision will be based on what will best enhance their understanding of each entity group.
• As such, their ideal “consultant/s” are an individual or a team that:
  • Have a commitment to the AWDF’s values of feminist leadership, accountability, diversity, respect and solidarity.
  • Are embedded in and have a good knowledge of the different entities in the African feminist movement and understand the ecosystem these entities work in
  • Bring a participatory approach to working with the team
  • Have excellent interpersonal skills and a flexible approach
  • Can demonstrate skills in project management, execution and delivery
  • Have a proven ability to work under tight deadlines
  • Are fluent in French (desirable)
  • Have experience in strategy development (desirable).

For more information, visit Feminist Entities Mapping.