CONSULTANT: To Conduct a Baseline Study on Micro-Entrepreneurs and Co-operatives in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia

Background

UN Women is grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. UN Women work entails the elimination of discrimination against women and girls and promotion of equality between women and men. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the efforts of the United Nations System to ensure that commitments on gender equality translate into action. To accomplish this mandate, UN Women partners with Government, Private Sector and Non-Governmental Organizations to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.  

In pursuit of its mandate, UN Women has partnered with the De Beers PLC in a programme aimed at enhancing the capacity of 1,500 female micro-entrepreneurs and co-operatives in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. A programme of support called Acceleration of Women Micro-Entrepreneurs (AWOME) has been developed for Phase III for duration of 3 years. 

In the first step to implement the AWOME Programme for Phase III UN Women is seeking the services of an international consultant to conduct a baseline study on micro-entrepreneurs and co-operatives in selected areas in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, Okavango Delta in Botswana and Erongo Namibia where AWOME Programme is currently implemented. The selected areas have the highest levels of poverty and women are bearing the greatest brunt of gender inequalities and limited economic opportunities. The Baseline Study is action research that will reveal the nature and capacity needs of micro-entrepreneurs and co-operatives among other critical indicators that will accelerate the successful implementation of the programme. 

The consultant is expected to use a mixed method approach in conducting the baseline. The Baseline data will be used to inform the design of training packages and to determine how the programme can facilitate involvement of other stakeholders to support the district in delivering on their District Development Plans and to advance the livelihoods of women and communities.

Objectives of the assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a Baseline Study that interrogates the circumstances and the capacity of the existing micro-entrepreneurs and the potential for establishing enterprises and co-operatives in selected areas where the programme will be implemented.  The study should also investigate whether there are co-operatives in these areas, the nature and capacity of the co-operatives (if they exist) how best the establishment/growth of co-operatives can be facilitated to enable the women to pool resources for their economic advancement.  The baseline study will entail garnering crucial in-depth information that will provide data on programme baselines, the capacity needs of the entrepreneurs and the emerging opportunities and resources that can be harnessed to empower the micro-entrepreneurs and facilitate the growth/or establishment of co-operatives.

Specifically, the baseline study will aim to;  

1. Scout the existing informal businesses (individual micro-entrepreneurs) that are predominantly women-owned, unpack the capacity needs of the entrepreneurs in those businesses as well as the potential and pathways to growing their businesses. 
2. Establish whether there are co-operatives in the project areas, and if yes, to understand the existing capacity of the co-operatives as well as capacity gaps.  if there are co-operatives, investigate the following parameters; 

• level of active involvement of women in the cooperatives,  
• purpose of the existence of the cooperatives 
• Their present level of socio-economic activities and their capacity needs. 
• The nature and magnitude of the economic activities that the co-operatives are involved in.   
• Number of years the women cooperatives/businesses have been in existence 

 3. Understand entrepreneurs’ perception of their capacity and potential for economic advancement and what limits them from maximizing their  potential for higher socio-economic returns.  

4. In the context of the economic opportunities in the area, review the existing regulatory and support environment to determine how regulations contribute to or hinder the economic advancement of female micro-entrepreneurs. 

5. Shed light on obstacles, besides regulations, that prevent entrepreneurs in the targeted villages/areas from accessing opportunities presented by government.   

6. Establish the social challenges that are predominant in the area such as Gender Based Violence and HIV and AIDS and highlight their main drivers. 

7. Make recommendations on specific interventions that can help women entrepreneurs to grow and make tangible contribution to the economy through job creation and growth of income.  

 8. The research will need to contextualize the macro, meso and microenvironment of the entrepreneurs.    

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Primary data collection through mixed method; survey, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with micro-entrepreneurs.  
2. In-depth interview with select key informants including but not limited to UN Women, the District stakeholders and De Beers Group and NGOs operating in the district.   
3. Reviewing and conducting analysis of relevant secondary documents to extract relevant secondary data. The documents include but are not limited to the Co-operative Societies Act CAP 42:04, National Development Plan, National Policy on Gender and Development, District Development Plans, and Local Economic Development Plans among others.  
4. Data analyzation using mixed method approach.  
5. Develop a report that is short and succinct. Additional information should be provided as attachments/ annexures to the report.  The consultant should provide an annexure on details of businesses and co-operatives that exists responding to questions.
6. Develop infographics on key messages from the Baseline. 
7. Baseline Report to provide quantitative and qualitative profile of the identified communities to support evaluation of the programme against identified KPIs and outcomes.

Work Schedule:

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

  Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: 

Functional Competencies

• Problem-solving and analytical skills;
• Ability to exercise a methodical and logical approach;
• Knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Good knowledge of Geder Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE);
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats;
• Reporting skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences in Development Studies, Gender, Business studies/economics;  
• At least 7 years’ experience in research, report writing and working with low-income population on economic development/livelihood or entrepreneurship.

Experience:

• Strong background in research with a specific focus on the informal sector; 
• Familiarity and good understanding of local development context and challenges in the context of women economic empowerment in general and empowerment of micro-entrepreneurs. Experience working within local government planning and development context is required;
• Experience working on women entrepreneurship/women entrepreneurs and on women livelihood programmes;
• Understanding of gender dynamics and their implications on women economic empowerment in general and entrepreneurship.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.

All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from 

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Notes:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.