Outcome (OC) & Outputs (OP) of the HEAL Project

OC 1: Vulnerable girls, boys, women, and men, PWD and elderly from IDP, returnee, host and refugee communities have their immediate health needs met and increased resilience towards health risks through the provision of inclusive and equitable, lifesaving, gender-sensitive health care services (SDG 2, 3, 5; EU GAP III 2, 3)

OP 1.1: Vulnerable girls, boys, women and men of IDPs, returnees, refugees and host community have access to lifesaving equitable primary and secondary health care services (SDG 3.3, 3.4; GAP III 2.2)

OP 1.2: Most vulnerable pregnant and lactating women and girls of IDPs, returnees, refugees and host community have access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare assistance, including antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) services to the most vulnerable women (SDG 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.7, 5.6; GAP III 2.2, 3.10)

OP 1.3: Vulnerable PWD (women, men, girls, boys) of IDPs, returnees, refugees and host community have inclusive access to assistive devices and products (SDG 3.8; GAP III 3.10)

OC 2: Vulnerable girls, boys, women and men, PWD and elderly in all their diversity from IDP, returnee, host and refugee communities show increased resilience by having their immediate threats reduced and community engagement is fostered in order to enhance ability to cope with future crises (SDG 1, 3, 5; GAP III 1)

OP 2.1: Vulnerable girls, boys, women, men, PWD and elderly of IDPs, returnees, refugees and host community have safe access to equitable, gender-sensitive protection services through general case management services including referrals, cash for protection, and in-kind assistance (SDG 1.5, 3.4, 5.2, 5.3; GAP III 1.1, 1.3, 1.6)

OP 2.2: Vulnerable girls, boys, women, men, PWD and elderly of IDPs, returnees, refugees and host community improved their resilience to cope with stressors and increased awareness on protection topics through the provision of unstructured psychosocial support (PSS) and the initiation of Community Based Initiatives (CBI). (SDG 1.5, 3.4, 5.1, 5.5, 5.6; GAP III 1.1, 1.2, 1.6)

OC 3: Vulnerable women, man, PWD from IDPs, returnees, and host communities show enhanced economic empowerment and increased self-reliance (SDGs 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10; GAP III 3, 4).

OP 3.1: Vulnerable women, men, PWD from IDPs, returnees, and host community engage in market-oriented self-employed income generation activities through business support (vocational training, tool kits, business grants), promoting women's economic empowerment (SDG 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.a, 2.1, 4.3, 5.1, 5.4, 5.5, 8.1, 8.3, 8.5, 8.6, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3; GAP III 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 & 4.1)

Gender equality remains a critical component for achieving sustainable development and fostering resilience within conflict-affected communities. In Syria, the prolonged conflict has significantly affected the social, economic, and political landscape, with women and girls bearing a disproportionate share of the consequences. Gender disparities in access to resources, decision-making power, and economic opportunities continue to hinder women's full participation in the country's recovery efforts. Recognizing these challenges, Caritas Austria (CAUT) and GOPA DERD are committed to promoting gender equality within the framework of its HEAL project.

The purpose of these Terms of Reference (ToR) is to commission a consultant with creating a gender analysis to guide the HEAL project team in better understanding the gendered dimensions of the sectors of concern (health, protection, livelihoods), with a specific focus on the governorates Homs, Hama, and Tartous. The consultant should help identifying and analyzing gender gaps, protection risks, inequalities, and barriers to services while highlighting the factors that perpetuate these disparities by provideing evidence-based recommendations for strengthening gender equity and protection in project implementation. Further, capacities of implementing partner in gender-sensitive and safe programming shall be reviewed and a capacity development plan shall be developed accordingly. By examining social, cultural, political, and economic determinants, the consultant will provide actionable recommendations as part of a report to enhance the project's gender responsiveness, ensuring more equitable access to resources, opportunities and decision-making power for all community members.

The gender analysis should provide insights that will strengthen strategies for engaging the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and female-headed households. It should also contribute to the design of interventions that challenge harmful gender norms, promote women's empowerment and safeguard the well-being of all beneficiaries. Through this analysis, GOPA-DERD aims to foster more inclusive, equitable, and resilient communities in its areas of intervention.

B. OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the consultancy is to produce a comprehensive Gender Analysis Report (Work Package 1) and a corresponding and practical Gender Action Plan (Work Package 2), complemented by a tailored training for the HEAL project team (Work Package 3) based on the findings of the report. The work packages shall cover the following.

• Identify gender gaps, inequalities and protection risks. Provide an evidence-based overview of gender-specific needs, roles, constraints, and opportunities for women and men in Syria, with particular focus on access (including the most vulnerable female headed households) to and benefit from project interventions.
• Analyze root causes of inequality and GBV. Unpack the underlying social, cultural, political, and economic drivers that perpetuate gender-based inequalities, and assess how these influence the participation and outcomes of different groups within the HEAL project.
• Assess gender impact on project outcomes. Contextualize how gender dynamics shape the effectiveness and reach of the HEAL programme, and identify risks or unintended consequences stemming from gender-blind approaches.
• Develop practical, context-specific recommendations. Formulate clear, actionable recommendations aligned with the project outputs to ensure gender-responsive design, implementation, and monitoring.
• Enhance project impact, efficiency and effectiveness from a gender perspective,
• Define more gender responsive strategies to reach out to the most vulnerable, particularly women and female headed households,
• idIdentify solutions to overcome and address gender related barriers that influence the ability of women to access and control resources and decision making,
• Understand gender power dynamics and their impact on relations between and among women and men, including safety and protection issues,
• Define opportunities for challenging gender inequalities, stereotypes while ensuring safety and protection of all,
• Defining mitigation strategies to avoid potential negative impact from project implementation and strategies and ensure the alignment with the project’s ‘no harm policy’.
• Strengthen gender awareness and capacity. Deliver a participatory training for the HEAL team to increase understanding of gender issues, foster inclusive programming, and support the application of the gender analysis findings into daily project practice.

C. SCOPE AND FOCUS OF WORK

The consultant should provide qualitative information, sex-age and disability disaggregated data and analysis on the gendered living conditions of women, girls, men and boys, including PWD in Syria. The gender analysis should focus on different levels: a overview of the gender related situation on the local level (project target locations in Tartous, Homs and Hama), taking into account gender equality in the field of health, business development and protection concerns (e.g. SGBV) across all levels (individual, community, policy etc.).

Gender Analysis (Work Package 1)

At minimum the gender analysis should include the following aspects:

1. An overview of the gender equality situation in the field of health, protection, and business development in Tartous, Homs and Hama. This would include:
   • Presenting key recent statistics on the situation of women and girls, men and boys, PWD in Syria with emphasis on gender gaps,
   • Mapping of knowledge / information gaps (e.g. sex-age, PWD disaggregated statistical information) with respect to business and economic activities,
   • Analyzing legislative environment from a gender perspective to define constraints, discriminatory articles (e.g. inheritance law) and or opportunities, and
   • Outlining social norms, gender power dynamics that impede/ facilitate realization of gender equality.
   • An updated mapping of relevant key actors with mandate and capacity to act for gender equality (NGOs, donors, International Organizations, line ministries, etc.), e.g.:

• Overview of project activities to address gender inequalities,
• Potential areas for collaboration and
• Lessons learned in addressing gender gaps and challenges.

1. Define intersectional variables that impact women and men interaction, power relations, roles and abilities to access resources, services, and information at community, and household level and outline differences:

• Roles, responsibilities and division of labor:Who (women, men, girls and boys) does what (productive or reproductive activities, paid or unpaid)? Collecting data on the participation of men and women in different areas of health, business activities, including employment, training, and leadership roles. This data should be used to track progress toward gender equality and identify areas for improvement. Identify differences between men, boys, girls, women in generating income and/or accessing economic activities? Type of economic activities and scope and size of businesses? How do caregiving responsibilities limit economic opportunities for women? How do gender dynamics influence care-seeking behavior, especially for sexual and reproductive health?

• Ability to access and control resources and decision making processes: Who uses/owns/controls these resources? Who is excluded from use/ownership/control? Who benefits from resources accessed and or attained and who uses them? Are services and opportunities reaching women with disabilities, elderly women, or widowed female heads of households? Are health services equally accessible to men, women, boys, and girls? What limits access (e.g., cost, distance, stigma)? If not, what are the main barriers? Are there cultural or social norms that prevent any group from seeking health services (e.g. reproductive health, mental health)? Are there gender-based differences in knowledge about available health services? Are health services perceived as safe and confidential by all genders? Who typically makes decisions in the household about seeking healthcare? Which barriers exist for women and girls, man and boys to access information on sexual and reproductive health and rights? What are the unmet health needs of women and girls (e.g. antenatal care, family planning, menstrual hygiene)?

• Enjoyment of rights and protection: What are the differences between women and girls, men and boys’ ability to exercise their rights? What rights are undermined for either women, girls, men and/or boys? How are the most vulnerable protected? What measures are made at legal, social and economic levels to protect victims from gender based violence? Has and if yes how has the recent regime change in Syria impacted the enjoyment of rights and protection of women, girls, men and boys?

• Ability to participate in decision making processes and voice their needs and interests: Who is represented in decision making processes? How are women voices accounted for in decision taking? Who takes what decision at household/business levels? How are women engaged in business negotiations?

  Who controls income and what decision-making power do women have over their income or family resources?

1. Describe social, cultural, political and economic factors that influence gender power relations, division of labor, ability to access resources and control them, level of realization of rights within businesses, e.g. related to:

• Assessing of vulnerability to protection concerns of women participating in business development and health activities, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and defining barriers and constraints that women face in conducting income generating activities and/or businesses,
• Identifying the different capacities that women and men may need to better engage in business activities, for example: enhancing women’s negotiation skills, self – confidence – financial literacy etc.,
• Outlining the particular opportunities and advantages and catalyzing effects that women can bring to entrepreneurial development, and
• Characterizing attitudes and perceptions, including stereotypes of gender roles and aspirations, that impede men and women participation in business development activities.

Gender Action Plan (Work Package 2)

1. Based on the Gender Analysis clear, actionable recommendations shall be formulated in an Gender Action Plan that alignes with the project outputs to ensure gender-responsive design, implementation and monitoring. Tangible suggestions shall be provided that emerge from the findings to:

• Strengthen the project’s gender responsiveness in the nexus approach to business development.
• Enhance the inclusion, participation and decision-making power of women in the areas of intervention (especially health and business development).
• Overcome key barriers and potential risksthat might hinder the participation of men and women in project activities (including social norms, legislative, institutional capacity, political will etc.)
• Create feedback and complaints mechanisms to allow community members to voice concerns related to gender inequality or discrimination and ensuring that these concerns are addressed promptly.
• Support the achievement of project resultsand optimize, where possible, the realization of gender equality and paves the way towards transformative change.
• The recommendations of the gender analysis should be summarized in an action plan.

Capacity Building and Implementation Follow-Up (Work Package 3)

The consultant should design and deliver capacity-building sessions (3-5 day full-time training session) for the project team on gender mainstreaming and sensitivity, ensuring all staff members have the necessary skills and knowledge to consider gender perspectives when planning, implementing and monitoring project activities. In addition, staff should be aware of unconscious bias and inclusive health and business practices. Part of the capacity building measure will be a practical session based on the gender action plan which should make sure that implementing staff is aware of findings, recommendation, and defined measures to be taken towards a more gender inclusive programme design.

D. GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS

Syria with a focus on project target areas (sub-district level) in Tartous, Homs and Hama Governorates.

E. METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

The research methodology of the gender analysis should include a desk study and field research. The detailed methodology and methods should be outlined in the inception report, and should include as a minimum:

• Desk review of selected and relevant documents available on national and local level. This should also include a compilation of a list of reference documents as extensive and detailed as possible.
• Primary data collection applying mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative), might comprise a survey, KII, FGDs, observation visits etc. and might be based on quota sampling to reflect different groups (gender, PWD, age etc.). Respondents shourl include the private sector, relevant government bodies, agencies and institutions, NGOs, women groups, experts, implementing partner staff and beneficiaries. Staff of the implementing partner organization Caritas Syria will facilitate data collection and access to the target group.
• Mapping of key informants covering a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. government, CSOs, academic institutions, private sector) in capital and/or provinces.

D. DELIVERABLES

Work package 1:

1. Inception report (max. 20 pages): Including a detailed outline of the methodology (main research methods, data collection tools, proposed sources of data, procedures for data collection and analysis) and detailed table of contents. The report should outline how the methodology will protect women and men while ensuring that their voices are reflected in the recommendations and outcomes. The proposed methodology will be discussed and approved by CAUT in a meeting before data collection commences.
2. Draft Report: To be reviewed by CAUT and GOPA-DERD
3. Final Report (max. 50 pages): The final gender analysis report will be an analytical and operative document based on qualitative and disaggregated quantitative data. The report should include a section explaining the methodology. All used instruments, such as interview guide, focus group guide, list of documents and institutions/ persons involved in the analysis, agenda of the meetings (if applicable), and mapping of key actors should be annexed to the report. The final report shall be drafted and finalized in English and then be translated into Arabic.
4. Electronic copy of all data collection tools and raw data set.
5. Workshop for partners on findings.

Work package 2:

1. Gender Action Plan: Propose targeted interventions to promote equal participation, address discriminatory practices and enhance women’s economic empowerment. Establish clear indicators and mechanisms to track progress and measure the impact of implemented actions.

Work package 3:

1. Capacity Building: 3-5 day full-time training session for program staff on gender mainstreaming, findings of the gender analysis and a practical guidance on how to incorporate measures into programme design.

E. DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The duration of the assignment will be from June till September 2025 with an estimated work load of approximately 25 days (to be outlined in the offer).

**Procurement Phase (**July/August)

• Publication of ToR
• Submission of offers by applicants
• Assessment of offers and selection by CAUT
• Contracting

**Preparatory Phase (**August)

• Kick-off meeting
• Desk review of exiting project documents and data

**Inception Phase (**August/September)

• Submission of Inception Report and approval

**Research/Field Phase (**September/October)

• Field Research and data collection

**Report and Gender Action Plan Writing and Feedback Phase (**November/December)

• Preparation and submission of Draft Report
• Feedback by Caritas
• Incorporation of Feedback

**Closing Phase of the assessment (**December)

• Submission of Final Report
• Submission of Action Plan

**Capacity building for GOPA-DERD field team (**November/December)

• Conduct training session on:

  a) findings of gender analysis,

  b) gender mainstreaming,

  c) measures of gender action plan

F. DATA OWNERSHIP AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Ethical standards & quality: All consultants for CAUT should maintain high standards on ethical issues and respect and apply basic human and social rights. CAUT reserves the right to reject quotations provided by applicants not meeting these standards. CAUT shall ensure that the gender analysis is designed and conducted respecting and protecting the rights and welfare of target communities, and ensure that the research and analysis is technically accurate, reliable, legitimate, useful and conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, contributing to organizational learning and accountability.

Confidentiality of information: All documents provided to the consultant(s) and all data collected during field research (e.g. through interviews) must be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose to facilitate analysis. Respondents shall not be identified or quoted in reports without their explicit written permission. Photos, videos and other research data that can be traced back to individual participants shall be anonymized, unless agreed otherwise in writing with the concerned person.

Ownership of data, findings, products: CAUT retains full ownership of all data, findings, and products produced as part of this consultancy. However, CAUT is committed to disseminating findings and contributing to debates on gender related interventions in general, and in Syria in specific, and is principally open to suggestions by the consultant(s) on ways to jointly disseminate findings.

Support by CAUT and partners: CAUT as a national partner, will support consultant(s) in logistics where requested and facilitate field research based upon agreed methodology and approach. Relevant contacts of other stakeholders will be shared upon the consultant(s)’ request. The consultant(s) will manage their own schedule and make appointments for interviews with external stakeholders where necessary, while keeping CAUT in copy.

Access to project data: All relevant documents including narrative proposal, reports, etc. will be provided for the consultant(s).

Safeguarding and protection: Since data collection might involve interactions with project beneficiaries, the evaluator commits to safeguarding and protection policies and procedures as well as complaint handling policies and procedures that are shared and reiterated during the preparatory phase.

Distribution policy: Intended users of deliverables are CAUT, as well as the wider sector. All deliverables generated through this gender analysis will be subject to approval by CAUT before public dissemination. Results will also be shared with the project donor, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).