Consultancy to Undertake Feminist Movement in Timor-Leste

To be completed by mid of July 2024

14 Days, spread over two months

1. Background and Context

Feminist movements have played a pivotal role in advancing the rights of women and other marginalized groups. The actions include laws addressing gender-based discrimination in areas such as employment, education, and healthcare, as well as policies aimed at combating violence against women and promoting gender equality in various spheres of life, empowering women to assert their rights, claim their agency, and pursue their aspirations in the economy, social and political lives and improving access to public services.

However, many feminist organizations and initiatives struggle with limited funding and resources, which can impede their ability to carry out their work effectively. This includes challenges in sustaining grassroots organizing efforts, providing support services for survivors of gender-based violence, and conducting research and advocacy. Despite these challenges, the feminist movement continues to be resilient and adaptive, with activists around the world working tirelessly to advance gender equality and create a more just and inclusive society.

Oxfam in Timor-Leste (OiTL) has a long and widely acknowledged track record in humanitarian response and development in Timor-Leste since 1999. Over the past 20 years, OiTL has partnered with over 70 different organisations and today OiTL works with and funds 19 national and local NGOs and networks. OiTL's country strategy (2021-25) focuses on three pillars: Gender Justice, Economic Justice, and Climate Justice. OiTL takes an influencing approach to all of its programming across these pillars, including a combination of social norm change work, promoting inclusion of diverse voices, including women and people with disabilities, and increasing government and public understanding of relevant evidence and how to use it.

Feminist in Action (FiA) aims to fund and strengthen CSOs, specifically women’s rights organizations (WROs) and feminist organizations, from the Global South (31 countries from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean). There are 4 priority themes: sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), the fight against gender-based violence, women’s economic empowerment, and access to rights. The fund aims to:

• Create a meaningful partnership that fosters WRO agency and sustainability.
• Strengthen WROs organization/institutional capacities.
• Adapt our ways of working with WRO needs, with flexible funds and support.
• Support WRO advocacy efforts
• Support the building of social movements and networks.

1. Purpose and Scope of Work

The consultant will carry out the analysis with the feminist organizations, women’s rights, and women-led organizations in Dili and Cova-Lima. The objectives of the assessment are: 

• To conduct research exploring the ideas of feminism in Timor-Leste, specifically relating to grassroots local women and feminist organizations.
• Research enablers and blockers that local women rights activists and feminists face in Timor Leste in achieving human rights and creating social movement/ networks
• Coordinate with Oxfam’s Asia Regional Platform to include lessons learned from the ASEAN regional feminist network
• Based on research findings, provide recommendations and a roadmap for strengthening local women's rights organization’s institutional and movement-building capacities.

1. Required Competencies

It is expected that the Consultant will have expertise and skills in the following areas:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in research related to gender and intersectionality, and (ideally) on feminist movement.
• Strong knowledge of research methods – the ability to gather data and assess its quality, and an

understanding of when and how to do interviews.

• Familiarity with the feminist movement and women’s rights organizations in Timor-Leste.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and work with culturally diverse participants.
• Reading, writing, and speaking proficiency in English and Tetun.

1. Deliverables

Key deliverables in English or Tetun to be developed in consultation with Oxfam include:

• Development of a work plan and methodology
• Conduct interviews and focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders.
• Submit a report containing methodology, list of people interviewed, focus group participants, and recommendations.
• Final report containing recommendations and roadmap for strengthening local women rights organization’s institutional and movement-building capacities
• PowerPoint Presentation of Key findings accompanied by relevant infographics

1. Available resources

This consultancy must begin in June 2024 and be completed by mid-July 2024. The overall number of days to carry out the planning, data collection, and consequent report is estimated to be 14 days.

See below for an approximate breakdown of days into phases with deliverables.

Phases

No. of Consultant days

Finalize methodology and workplan

1

Interviews and focus group discussions

6

Produce research report and a policy brief in English

6

Respond to comments

1

Oxfam will provide travel, accommodation, and per-diem costs for travel outside of Dili.

1. Management

Oxfam in Timor-Leste’s Gender Justice Senior Program Manager and Strategy and Engagement Lead, with support from Oxfam Australia's Gender Justice Strategic Lead, will manage this consultancy.

1. Contact person

Please send your proposal including details of budget and CV to Benigna Vicente via email at [email protected]. Application due date 13 May 2024.