SASA Together! Baseline Survey Consultant

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

• The International Rescue Committee (IRC), in partnership with World Vision (WV), Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU), Humanity & Inclusion (HI), and Open Capital Advisors (OCA), has secured a four-year grant from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) to implement the PROTECT SRHR project whose major goal is to improve Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and the social wellbeing of over one million adolescents, young people, and women of reproductive age in six districts of West Nile, Uganda including
• Koboko, Maracha, Terego, Nebbi, Packwach, and Yumbe. The project aims to achieve 04 long-term and 02 intermediate outcomes: Long-term Outcomes:
• Reduced preventable maternal deathsReduced teenage pregnanciesReduced sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and child marriageReduced new HIV infections among adolescents, especially girls Intermediate Outcomes:

Increased access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and SGBV services by women, adolescents, and young people (10-24), including marginalized groups

• Improved retention and completion rates of girls and boys in primary and secondary schoolBackground to the SASA Together Baseline Assessment.
• The PROTECT SRHR project employs a comprehensive, community-driven approach to overcoming barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a particular emphasis on transforming harmful gender norms and preventing gender-based violence (GBV).To achieve this, the project integrates a variety of complementary methodologies, i.e. SASA! Together for community mobilization against GBV; Girl Shine to empower adolescent girls and their caregivers through life skills and protection-focused mentorship; Engaging Men through Accountable Practices (EMAP) to promote positive masculinities and male allyship in gender equality; and inclusive SRHR programming to ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and marginalized groups.SASA! Together is a transformative community mobilization approach designed to address the power imbalances that drive violence against women and girls. By empowering adolescents, particularly girls, young people, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, SASA! Together strengthens their ability to claim their rights and access essential SRHR and GBV services. The methodology is structured around a phased process—Start, Awareness, Support, and Action—that stimulates critical thinking, fosters community dialogue, and activates local leadership to challenge and change harmful gender norms. Through this process, SASA! Together encourages collective action to promote gender equality, safe relationships, and the sustainable prevention of GBV. By engaging community activists, leaders, service providers, and institutions, it enhances the capacity of entire communities to respond to and prevent GBV, fostering long-lasting social change.To ensure the successful implementation of SASA! Together, a baseline assessment will be conducted across the six project districts—Yumbe, Koboko, Terego, Maracha, Nebbi, and Pakwach. The assessment will explore existing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to power dynamics, gender equality, and GBV within the target communities. The findings will provide critical insights for customizing SASA! Together activities and establishing a baseline for tracking progress throughout the project. Moreover, the results will guide the development of targeted interventions, community engagement strategies, and cross-sectoral coordination to strengthen GBV prevention and response efforts.

• Purpose of the consultancy
• The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a SASA! Together baseline assessment for the
• PROTECT SRHR project, focusing on the six project districts: Yumbe, Koboko, Terego, Maracha, Nebbi, and Pakwach. The consultancy aims to gather critical data on the existing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices surrounding power dynamics, gender equality, and gender- based violence (GBV) within the target communities. This assessment will inform the design and tailoring of the SASA! Together methodology and other complementary strategies, ensuring they are responsive to the specific needs of the communities. The results will provide a
• benchmark for measuring the impact of the project, guide the development of targeted interventions, and support the creation of community engagement and cross-sectoral coordination strategies aimed at preventing and responding to GBV.Specific Objectives.
• Assess the community’s awareness of GBV and evaluate their capacity to recognize, prevent, and respond to gender-based violence (GBV)
• Evaluate the community's prior knowledge of the SASA! Together methodology, its relevance, and the expected outcomes of its implementation in the context of the target communities.
• Map existing service support structures within the communities, assessing their relevance and potential to support the successful implementation of the SASA! Together methodology.Scope of the assessmentGeographical ScopeThe baseline assessment will be conducted in selected communities across the six targeted project districts—Yumbe, Koboko, Terego, Maracha, Nebbi, and Pakwach—where SASA! Together will be implemented. It will ensure representation of diverse population groups, particularly adolescents (especially girls), young people, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable or marginalized populations.Thematic ScopeThe assessment will explore several thematic areas including community knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to gender-based violence (GBV), gender equality, and power dynamics. It will also examine community perceptions and readiness for social norm transformation, levels of awareness and understanding of the SASA! Together methodology, and barriers and enablers to GBV prevention and response at the community level.Stakeholder EngagementStakeholder engagement will be central to the assessment, involving a broad spectrum of actors such as community members, local leaders, community activists, youth and women’s groups, service providers (health, protection, and legal), and representatives of persons with disabilities. Their perspectives will provide critical insights into the contextual factors that may influence the implementation of SASA! Together.Service MappingIn addition, the assessment will include a mapping of existing GBV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) service providers, community support structures, and referral pathways. This will help determine their alignment with the SASA! Together approach and identify opportunities for strengthening coordination and service integration to support sustainable GBV prevention and response.Responsibility of the Consultant
• Develop an inception report in consultation with the PROTECT SRHR project team, clearly outlining the assessment objectives, methodology (including tools and sampling), workplan, and timelines specific to the SASA! Together baseline assessment.Recruit, train, and supervise a competent field assessment team with experience in gender, GBV, SRHR, and disability inclusion.Conduct a desk review of relevant