Tenders are invited for Gender and Cooperativism Expert Consultant Closing Date: 5 Apr 2026 Type: Consultancy TERMS OF REFERENCE Recruitment of a consultant with expertise in gender and cooperativism FASSA Project IDA 013244/06/6 Activity: A1.4 Result 1 Budget lines 1.2.7 Type of contract: Service provision contract Purpose of the contract: Recruitment of a consulting firm/experts in charge of designing and implementing a structured training program on gender and inclusion in the world of agricultural work Place of work: Governorates of Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia Intervention period: April - July 2026 (provisional dates) Estimated duration of the consultation: 90 days, to be defined according to a schedule in coordination with Coopermondo and the FASSA project team Funder: Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) 1. Context of the consultation: The FASSA project Agro-sustainable Sectors for Food Security and Sovereignty (AID 013244/06/6), funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented by a consortium composed of COSPE (lead), ATAE, SHANTI, UNFT and COOPERMONDO, in the governorates of Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia aims to strengthen sustainable and resilient agri-food chains, with particular attention to the economic empowerment of women workers in the strategic milk and fodder sectors. 2. General information about the project: This consultation is part of Result 1 of the project and is implemented by COOPERMONDO, in coordination with COSPE and UNFT, which will ensure the methodological coherence of the action and facilitate the mobilization of women already involved in the previous activities of the project. It comes in a context characterized by a significant gap between the effective contribution of women workers to the fodder and dairy sectors and their limited access to productive resources, economic services and governance bodies. The projects needs analysis highlighted persistent barriers, including limited access to credit and financial services, low representation in decision-making bodies in value chain cooperative structures, and limited participation in economic governance spaces. In this context, activity A1.4 aims to design and implement a structured training programme on gender and inclusion in the world of agricultural work, articulating different complementary dimensions. 2.1 Beneficiaries: The action is aimed at a minimum of 45 women agricultural workers active in the milk and fodder sectors in the three governorates where the project operates (Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia). The beneficiaries were identified beforehand according to criteria established by the project, including motivation, availability to engage on an ongoing basis in the proposed pathway as well as leadership potential within their structures (SMSA, GDA or other local organizations) or their communities. Given that they belong to different categories, such as SMSA members, GDAs or self-employed agricultural workers, their levels of knowledge, specific needs and expectations may vary. The course will take this diversity into account in order to adapt the content and support methods to the professional and organisational realities of each person. 3. General objective of the consultation: The objective of the mission is to design and implement an integrated participatory path of analysis, training and support aimed at: Carry out a diagnosis of the situation of women agricultural workers in the dairy and feed sectors, by analysing structural obstacles, power relations and the normative framework governing their economic and social rights (Phase 1); Strengthen, through a training course, the capacities, knowledge and empowerment of women agricultural workers in terms of gender, inclusion and economic and decision-making participation within the cooperative structures of the fodder and dairy sector (SMSA, GDA and other forms of organization) (Phase 2); Co-construct proposals that can be formalized and integrated, if necessary, in the statutes of the cooperative structures concerned by the FASSA project, in order to promote inclusive governance and equitable participation of women (Phase 3). 3.1 The mission will be structured in three complementary and progressive phases: Phase 1 Initial Analysis The first phase will consist of conducting an in-depth analysis of the context of women active in the fodder and dairy sectors within the governorates of intervention of the FASSA project (Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia), based in particular on the available sectoral studies and the results of the focus groups already carried out, in order to identify and deepen the main issues highlighted. This analysis will also focus on the normative framework governing the exercise of their economic and social rights. It will aim to: analyser la situation socio-économique des femmes travailleuses au sein des filières ciblées, en tenant compte de leur rôle productif, reproductif et organisationnel ; identifier les formes de vulnérabilité, les rapports de pouvoir et les obstacles structurels limitant leur participation effective et leur autonomisation économique et décisionnelle ; examiner le cadre réglementaire et institutionnel applicable en matière de droits économiques et sociaux, de coopérativisme et dégalité de genre ; mettre en relation ce cadre normatif avec les réalités territoriales observées afin didentifier les écarts entre normes formelles et pratiques effectives. Phase 2 Mise en uvre du parcours de formation Based on the initial analysis and the points of improvement detected, the consultant will deploy a training program. The course includes intensive sessions (full days dedicated to the fundamental contents) in the three governorates where the project operates. As an indication, the modules will cover: gender, financial participation and inclusion and womens participation in the economy of the fodder and dairy sectors; womens economic and social rights, prevention of discrimination and violence in the workplace and family; leadership, speaking and participation in decision-making bodies; parental responsibilities and work organization. Phase 3 Co-development of internal protocols Based on the initial analysis and the training pathway, participatory work will be carried out in order to formalize concrete proposals aimed at strengthening gender equity. These proposals, referred to as "protocols", will take the form of operational recommendations, internal charters or practical guidelines adapted to the realities of the SMSAs, GDAs. They may relate in particular to: - Inclusive governance and development of internal improvement proposals within the SMSAs, GDAs and cooperative structures; the representation of women in decision-making bodies; the organisation of work and the distribution of responsibilities; the taking into account of maternity-related rights; mechanisms for more equitable participation. They will be presented and discussed during a final territorial seminar in order to promote their ownership by local stakeholders. The days will be structured according to a participatory approach (group work, case studies, role-plays, guided exchanges) and oriented towards the analysis of concrete situations experienced by women as well as the formulation of operational proposals adapted to the context of the structures concerned. 3.2 Proposed organization of intervention days (subject to modification for better adaptation): Phase 1: 24 days dedicated to the initial analysis in the three governorates, including the in-depth analysis of the results of the focus groups already carried out within the framework of the project, the possible conduct of additional sessions if necessary, the structured analysis of the data collected, as well as the linking of the normative framework with the territorial realities, with a view to refining the thematic axes and adapting the training course to the context of the fodder and dairy farm. Phase 2: 18 days of training and facilitation (full-time), i.e. 6 days in each of the governorates of intervention (Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia), structured around the fundamental axes of the course, combining conceptual inputs, collective analysis and in-depth exchanges. Phase 3: 36 half-days organized in the form of interactive in-depth and co-construction sessions, i.e. 12 days in each of the intervention governorates (Jendouba, Kairouan and Mahdia). These sessions will focus on deepening specific themes identified in the first and second phases. 4. Consultation deliverables: A consolidated analysis report on the structural barriers and gaps between the normative framework and actual practices in the milk and feed sectors of the intervention governorates. A structured training programme on gender, inclusion and economic and decision-making participation, adapted to the rural and organisational context of the beneficiaries. A pre/post-operational evaluation tool, to measure the evolution of the knowledge, skills and capacity for action of the participants. A document of operational recommendations aimed at the sustainable strengthening of inclusive governance within the SMSAs, GDAs and other relevant cooperative structures. A set of formalised proposals (internal protocols / practical guidelines) ready to be discussed and potentially integrated into the internal mechanisms of the structures concerned. 5. Profile of experts 5.1. Mandatory requirements Education and Experience 1 Minimum Bac+3 level diploma in social sciences, law, social and solidarity economy, rural development or related field. A minimum of 5 years proven experience in training and supporting women agricultural workers and/or c Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4202127/consultante-experte-en-genre-et-cooperativisme
