The Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) is a national Kenyan not-for-profit women’s rights organization. We are committed to advancing women’s rights; and work towards achieving a society free from all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). COVAW was founded in 1995 as a response to the silence of the Kenyan society to address VAWG. COVAW implements projects under five (5) strategic focus areas including: Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Services; Women’s Economic Empowerment; Women’s Leadership Development; Access to Justice; and Institutional Development.

COVAW Strategic Plan for 2018 – 2023, outlines our ambitions, interventions and approach towards achieving our vision of a society where women and girls enjoy equal rights and freedoms and thrive in safe spaces. In developing this strategy, deliberate attempts have been made to ensure we contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 and that our work is aligned to national gender priorities and relevant international and regional instruments on women’s rights.

COVAW is looking for a national consultant, who will closely work with the Board of Directors, the COVAW Senior Management Team and Staff to lead the process of a mid-term review for the organisational strategic plan for the period of 2018-2023.

COVAW’s Strategic Plan is anchored on five key pillars/strategic focus areas:

1. 
   

   Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Services

   
   


2. 
   

   Women’s Economic Empowerment

   
   


3. 
   

   Women’s Leadership Development

   
   


4. 
   

   Access to Justice

   
   


5. 
   

   Institutional Development

   
   

Through these pillars, COVAW contributes to empowering women and girls to address discrimination and VAWG including advocating for a progressive policy environment, addressing any attempts to reverse hard- won gains on gender equality and support capacity development of relevant actors.

Implementation of the various component activities of the COVAW 2018-2023 Strategic Plan has been ongoing since June 2018 and has adhered to COVAW’s established processes with regard to management, programmatic implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Implementation has also been geared towards meeting the Organisation’s Mission, Vision and Goals as well as the developmental objectives. As part of monitoring procedures, the COVAW 2018-2023 Strategic Plan requires that a mid-term review of the strategy be undertaken half-way into its implementation period of five years. It is against this background that the current call is being made.

1. Importance of the Strategic Plan to COVAW

The strategic plan is an important document for the organisation as it:

·Gives direction to the organization

·Enhances governance and leadership

·Creates a vision that unifies the programs and fosters cohesion

·Improves organizational effectiveness and promotes greater accountability for results

·Assists in mobilizing resources and resource based planning

·Legitimizes engagement with community based, national, regional and international partners

·Factors in sustainability at all levels, among beneficiaries and within the organisation

3. Purpose of the Review

The Mid-Term Review will assess the progress of COVAW Strategic plan for the period June 2018 to June 2021. It will also highlight issues and challenges affecting effective and efficient implementation of the Strategic Plan and recommend changes where necessary aimed at enhancing the delivery of the final phase of the strategic plan (2021-2023).

Specific Objectives:

1.Review and analyse COVAW’s existing strategic plan for 2018-2023 and related key organizational documents and policies, against the intended outcomes outlined in the Strategic Plan logical framework, informed by a detailed review of the internal and external operating environment for COVAW.

2.Analyse areas for improved programme planning, especially with respect to setting targets, relevance and capacity of COVAW for decision making, advocacy, delivery and programming against the theory of change and strategic direction.

3.Identify significant lessons or conclusions which can be drawn from the implementation of the Strategic Plan in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and networking.

4. Proposed Methodology

The consultant is at liberty to propose methodology that would adequately result in the expected deliverables outlined in this TOR. A participatory approach together with critical reflection by Board, leadership, staff and key stakeholders will make the process meaningful. The following steps are highly recommended for the process.

I. Inception meeting with COVAW leadership to review the guidelines, following which the consultant will prepare an inception report outlining the key steps, specific deliverables and timelines agreed upon for the COVAW 2018-2023 Strategic Plan midterm review process.

II. Review and analysis of existing documents, including but not limited to COVAW’s current strategic plan (2018-2023) and key project documents, policies, relevant sector/partner/donor reports, critical research on VAWG carried out by COVAW among other relevant documentation.

III. Conduct consultations/FGDS and Key Informant Interviews(KIIs) with the Board of Directors, staff and key stakeholders to identify key strategic areas, critical issues, opportunities and gaps to be addressed in the Strategic plan midterm review.

IV. Facilitate workshop with key stakeholders (organizing workshop activities, developing questions, mapping findings and discussions), as required

V. Produce, review and finalize a Mid-term Review Report with key findings and recommendations.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

COVAW

I. The Board of Directors understands and supports the benefits of conducting a midterm review of the Strategic plan and will provide guidance to the Executive Director. The Board will also participate in the consultations, review and analysis sessions.

II. COVAW staff understand the benefits of conducting a midterm review of the Strategic plan and will actively participate in the process. They will share the relevant program documents and participate in related activities as agreed upon.

III. The COVAW Board, Senior Management Team and staff will receive and review the draft report of the review process in a session with the consultant. The consultant will modify the draft based on feedback and share the second draft.

IV. The COVAW Board of Directors will formally approve the final document once satisfied and adopt it in a Board meeting.

The Consultant

I. The Consultant (s) will be responsible for preparation of an inception report and a work plan with clear timelines, undertaking consultations with COVAW Board, leadership, staff and stakeholders.

II. They will assess and analyse data to identify gaps and critical issues, actively engaging with staff, Board members and other stakeholders through the use of participatory processes, providing regular progress reports to the Executive Director.

III. The Consultant (s) will prepare a milestone report on what has been implemented, that should also highlight strategic plan deliveries for the year 2021-2023

IV. Preparing a first draft of the Strategic plan mid-term review and presenting it for review to COVAW Board and staff, modifying the draft based on feedback received,

V. Preparing the final strategic plan document.

VI. Review and validation of the midterm review document together with COVAW Staff

7.The Strategic plan review document should include;

· A review of all aspects in the current Strategic plan (Internal and external analysis, strategic priorities, metrics to assess progress in the attainment of these strategic priorities, and Operational plan

· A stakeholder analysis of participation, interest, and influence by stakeholders to the Strategic plan and its implementation.

· A risk matrix that incorporates a SWOT analysis that indicates the and defines the levels of risks, increase visibility of risks and assist management decision making. This should be carried out hand in hand with the operational context, strategic directions and interventions.

· An analysis of achievements, strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the mid-term performance of the COVAW 2018-2023 Strategic Plan.

· Recommendations on how COVAW will build on its strengths and achievements to overcome its weaknesses and challenges.

· Analysis of the performance of the Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism of the organisation and the use of various M&E tools.

· Assess the qualitative and quantitative achievements of objectives, strategies, activities, targets, indicators, and partners as defined in the COVAW Strategic plan, interventions and implementation strategies (5 focus areas), as well as other documents and work-plans.

· Assess the contribution of the Strategic Plan towards the achievement of organizational mandates.

· Analyse whether the Strategic Plan’s implementation strategies address the needs and demands of organisational target group.

8.Key deliverables:

I. Inception report that includes methodology and work-plan

II. A Midterm review report of the Strategic Plan for the period 2018-2021 supported by:

· Risk Matrix (SWOT analysis)

· Stakeholder analysis

· Validation Workshop **

Note: All documentation and tools and raw data will be surrendered to COVAW at the end of the process.

9. Duration of Assignment and Key Deliverables

The duration of the assignment is Thirty (30) working days

10. Relevant Qualifications and Experience

· University degree (PhD or Masters) in organizational development, social sciences, business management, strategic planning, or other related fields

· At least 10 years of relevant experience in the NGO sector (strategic plan development and organizational development).

· Experience in working with women’s rights and human rights and feminist organizations

· Current knowledge of the women’s rights movement and the violence against women and girls (VAWG)

· Experience with participatory approaches in conducting assessments and facilitating strategic planning processes

· Proven experience in monitoring and evaluation of strategic plans especially in the civil society’s strategic plans

· Experience in conducting high-quality virtual sessions