The Position:

Rwanda has made considerable advances and achievements in gender equality, fight against gender-based violence and in women and girls’ empowerment, as reflected in the enactment of numerous progressive laws, transformative policies and programmes. However, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains a prevalent threat and continues to undermine the safety, dignity, and rights of individuals in Rwanda, affecting both victims and communities at large. According to the latest Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (2019/2020), the percentage of women who reportedly have experienced physical violence since age 15 increased from 35% in 2014 to 37% in 2019, while for men, the percentage decreased from 39% to 30%. Further, 5% of adolescent women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing, 4% have given birth, and 1% are pregnant with their first child. Moreover, health facility data show a rise in GBV cases from 33,637 reported cases in 2020/21 to 38,066 cases in 2021/22, with women making up the majority of victims (89%). Of these cases, 51% involved sexual violence, and nearly half of victims were children under 18 (MoH, Health sector annual performance report, 2021/2022).

Rwanda has a total of 48 Isange One Stop Centres operating in district hospitals nationwide and providing free of charge multi-disciplinary services, ranging from medical, legal, psycho-social and temporary shelter, including social reintegration of victims back to their communities. However, fear of stigma, geographical distance and negative social norms are critical barriers preventing GBV victims from reporting GBV incidents.   As a result, victims choose to confide in friends or seek help from neighbors rather than going to IOSCs (RDHS 2019/2020). Adolescent mothers or those who are expecting face considerable challenges: these include among others, family rejection, dropping out of school and stigmatization. Children born of adolescent mothers equally face multiple discrimination and lack of legal identity. 

To address the above issues, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), in collaboration with partners, has been implementing GBV Clinics at district level, to bring integrated services closer to beneficiaries, with a special focus on pregnant and adolescent mothers. GBV Clinics offer holistic services such as medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and initiation of socio-economic reintegration. Through interactive dialogues with pregnant and adolescent mothers and their families, issues are openly discussed and solutions articulated for implementation, resulting in family reunification and social reintegration. At the same time, the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO) has introduced Gender Accountability Dialogues (GAD) at provincial level to enhance community-driven accountability, strengthen local leadership responsiveness, and promote inclusive action towards promoting gender and address GBV. In the past two years alone, GBV Clinics were conducted in a total of 11 districts, while 4 provinces benefited from GAD. Although these initiatives have demonstrated increased community awareness and engagement with potential tangible impact, they remained undocumented in a consolidated manner, limiting opportunities for replication and scale-up, institutional learning, and policy advocacy.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The purpose of this consultancy is, therefore, to document the GBV Clinic and GAD models, capturing their structures, implementation processes, challenges, innovations, testimonies/human interest stories, lessons learned, and outcomes. The consultant will produce comprehensive knowledge products that include templates, tools, roadmaps, and best practices to support replication and scale-up by districts, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders. 

This will involve a combination of desk reviews, interviews with beneficiaries, key informant interviews, observations during the implementation of GBV Clinics and GAD, scheduled in November 2025 and participatory consultations with local leaders, service providers including partner organizations and community members, culminating in the production of user-friendly knowledge products validated and finalized for dissemination.

You would be responsible for:

• Reviewing existing intervention documents, reports, M&E data, and concept notes related to GBV Clinics and GAD (source: MIGEPROF and GMO).
  
   
• Mapping out the structures, services, target groups, methodologies, and processes involved, including case management, referral pathways, and coordination mechanisms.
  
   
• Identifying innovations, challenges, and lessons learned from implementation.
  
   
• Drafting comprehensive model documents/manual, including templates, tools, flow charts, checklists, service roadmaps, and best practices.
  
   
• Facilitating consultations through interviews and FGDs with beneficiaries, key stakeholders, local leaders, service providers, and beneficiaries.
  
   
• Presenting drafts for validation and incorporate feedback.
  
   
• Finalizing the Manuals/Guides on GBV Clinic and GAD Models for dissemination.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

Masters degree in Gender, social sciences, social development or public health.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Proven experience of 5 years minimum in developing program documentation, manuals or operational models.
• Demonstrated background in the field of GBV, Gender, medical or public health related interventions
• Conversant with the Gender mainstreaming, Gender transformative approaches and GBV case management
• Strong communication, facilitation and participatory research skills
• Knowledge of local context. 

Languages: 

• Fluency in English and in local language (Kinyarwanda)

Required Competencies: 

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity, 
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
• Embracing cultural diversity, 
• Embracing change

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

Compensation and Benefits:

 This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net honorariums.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.