International Consultancy: CSE/SRHR Rapid Assessment

Hiring Office:

Youth Unit

Purpose of consultancy:

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is defined by the United Nations as ‘a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality’. CSE equips children and young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to realize their health, well-being and dignity. 

The name of CSE varies by country, e.g. relationship education, sexuality education, sexual health education, family life education, life skills education, HIV education, sexual and reproductive health education and personal development. 

Comprehensive sexuality education enables young people to protect and advocate for their health, well-being and dignity. It is a precondition for exercising full bodily autonomy, which requires not only the right to make choices about one’s body but also the information and agency to make these choices in a meaningful way. CSE is based on human rights principles and promotes gender transformation and equality while empowering young people. 

Additionally, CSE can create a demand for SRHR services so it becomes vital to link CSE to SRHR and GBV information and services in order to ensure leaving no one behind. We seek to strengthen sexuality education in and out of school and its links with youth-friendly health services with the scope to strengthen the referral mechanisms within the context of universal health coverage and self-care initiatives.

UNFPA works with governments to implement comprehensive sexuality education both in schools and outside of schools by promoting policies for, investment in, and capacity development countries to provide age-appropriate sexuality education programmes that meet internationally agreed-upon standards.

Rationale

UNFPA as a long-standing technical and thought leader in CSE both in and out of schools, in collaboration with its partners and stakeholders, seeks to assess the current state of linkages between in and out-of-school CSE information and SRHR services in the East and Southern Africa Region. This assessment will help consolidate the level of engagement of UNFPA Country Offices at national level in improving the quality of CSE delivery and its linkages to SRHR and GBV information and services. 

Strengthening linkages between CSE and services will, in turn, improve the sexual and reproductive health and well-being of adolescents and young people. It will also provide recommendations around the roadmap/technical assistance needs for improving linkages between CSE and services at a minimum by focusing on the education, youth development and health sectors and ensuring no young person is left behind.

These findings will also be utilized for advocacy and to scale up proven approaches to strengthen linkages between CSE and youth-transformative SRHR and GBV services.

Scope of work:

The consultant is expected to:

• Review the secondary sources of data and evidence on CSE and the linkages between CSE and services in the ESA region.
• Refine the draft online tool for quantitative and qualitative data collection[1] 
• Work with UNFPA Country Offices to collect input around in and out-of-school CSE initiatives and their linkages with sexual and reproductive health and rights services, including GBV services.
• Conduct key informant interviews in the region  
• Analyse/triangulate secondary evidence and evidence from the collected data by using the online tool and the interviews 
• Prepare an evidence-based report with key findings to strengthen linkages between CSE and services. The report and the presentation will also highlight good and promising practices/approaches and identify tailored technical assistance needs and opportunities for south-to-south collaboration.

A mixed methodology will be used that includes:

Secondary review/existing literature and reports

Refine the online tool for collection and send it out to countries then analyse the information collected

Key informant interviews 

UNFPA CO experts and ESARO advisers will serve as a technical quality assurance team and will assist with some of the compilation of documents and introductions to key informants to be interviewed, including young people.

Deliverables

• Inception meeting and report
• Draft report and PowerPoint presentation
• Final report and PowerPoint presentation
• Abstract and first draft journal article

Duration and working schedule:

The assignment will be 40 days in total between 12 February – 30 April 2024. The following time frame is applied in calculating the total days. 

• Inception meeting - 1 day
• Inception report and online tool - 5 days
• Discussion with the quality assurance team and finalization of the inception report - 1 day
• Review of the literature - 8 days
• Follow-up with countries - 2 days
• Data analysis – 8 days
• First draft report and PowerPoint presentation - 10 days
• Final report and presentation - 3 days
• Abstract and first draft journal article- 2 days

Place where services are to be delivered:

The concluded work is to be submitted electronically to the ESARO office through the Regional CSE Specialist and Disability Focal Point.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The final deliverables need to be delivered by 6 May 2024 in electronic copy.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

The selected consultant will be required to provide regular updates via email and online meetings to monitor adherence to tight production schedules.

Supervisory arrangements: 

The selected consultant will work under the supervision of the Regional CSE Specialist and Disability Focal Point and Coordinator of the Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health Team & Regional Health Systems Advisor.

Expected travel:

The consultant will not be expected to travel.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

• Master’s degree in the field of public health, sexual health or other relevant fields.
• Experience and previous work experience in CSE and SRHR studies preferable in the region and ability to develop technical reports on CSE and adolescent SRHR
• Specific experience in collecting and analyzing CSE-related data is an added advantage
• Experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis and developing relevant infographs
• Experience in working within health and education systems of East and Southern Africa an advantage
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in relevant areas
• Excellent analytical and writing skills

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

UNFPA will provide relevant background documents and assist with the identification and introductions of key informants.

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:

Payment schedule

• 20% upon submission of the inception report with the online tool
• 50% upon submission of draft report
• 30% upon submission of the final report, PowerPoint presentation, and draft abstract and journal article