Terms of Reference: Communication Consultant – STARS-4 Project

Position Title:Communication Consultant
Duty Station:Monrovia, Montserrado County, Liberia
Position Status/Duration:Short-term Consultancy
Reports to:Project Manager, medica Liberia

Project Background

medica Liberia (mL) formerly medica mondiale Liberia is a non-governmental women’s rights organization working in Liberia since 2006. Our organization offers support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through legal, psychosocial, and sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) services. With a feminist, trauma-sensitive approach, we provide direct support, advocacy, and community engagement to advance women’s rights.

With funding from Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland Liberia, mL is implementing the Strengthening Action, Response, and Services for SGBV (STARS 4 SGBV) project in Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties. This three-year initiative focuses on increasing access to SGBV/SRHR services, improving community engagement, and enhancing institutional responses to violence against women and marginalized groups.

Objective of the Consultancy

The consultant will develop a practical and action-oriented communication plan for 2025, aligned with medica Liberia’s Branding and Marking Plan, to enhance visibility, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy under the STARS-4 SGBV project. The plan should:

• Align with mL’s existing communication framework while tailoring messaging and outreach strategies for STARS-4 SGBV.
• Provide clear, actionable steps for project communications, including key messages, target audiences, and dissemination strategies.
• Enhance visibility and awareness of SGBV/SRHR services and advocacy initiatives.
• Build the capacity of mL staff through practical mentorship in communication planning and implementation.
• Establish an M&E framework to measure the effectiveness of project communications.

Key Deliverables

• Practical Communication Plan for STARS-4 SGBV and similar project in operations at medica Liberia

• A written, actionable communication plan that aligns with the Branding and Marking Plan and Irish Aid priorities.
• Defined key messages, communication objectives, target audiences, and dissemination strategies.
• A clear activity calendar with timelines for implementation.
• Cost-effective, high-impact strategies for reaching rural communities.

• Content and Outreach Strategy

• Templates for communication materials, including press releases, social media posts, community engagement messages, briefs for advocacy and donor reporting
• Recommendations for media engagement to amplify project visibility
• A social media and digital engagement plan tailored to the project.

• Staff Mentorship and Capacity Building

• One-on-one coaching for medica Liberia staff on communication planning and content development.
• A structured training session on implementing the new communication plan, covering
• A simple toolkit for staff on communication best practices.

• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Framework

• Development of a communications M&E framework, including Key performance indicators (KPIs) to track communication effectiveness; Methods for collecting and analysing communication impact data and Feedback loops for adjusting communication approaches.

Approach and Methodology

Desk Review: Analyse the Branding and Marking Plan, past project communication materials, and Irish Aid requirements.

Stakeholder Consultations: Engage key project staff and partners to ensure the communication plan is practical and relevant.

Iterative Development: Develop the plan in collaboration with mL staff, incorporating feedback.

Training and Mentorship: Conduct hands-on sessions to ensure sustainability of communication efforts.

Pilot Testing: Implement aspects of the plan on a small scale, assess effectiveness, and refine before full rollout.

Expertise and Experience:

The suitable consultant/team should have:

• • A bachelor’s degree in mass communications, social sciences, development studies, or related fields.
  • Demonstrated success in developing and implementing communication strategies for organizations, consortiums, or projects across different sectors.
  • Proven experience working with women-led advocacy-focused organizations or in campaigns that drive social impact, policy change, or organizational growth
  • Experience working on communication strategies related to gender equality, social justice, human rights, and other advocacy-related themes is valuable

• Being a feminist and/or Women’s rights advocate is an added advantage

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit their applications (CV, cover letter, references, remuneration expectations, and writing samples or previous work) to recruit@medicaliberia.org / copying mbalu.jusu@medicaliberia.organd theresa.martin@medicaliberia.orgUse the reference “Communication Consultant” in the subject line. The deadline for application is March 7, 2025.

Note: Female applicants are encouraged to apply.

CONSULTANCY TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING BASELINE SURVEY

Position Title: Baseline Assessment Consultant

Duty Station: Monrovia and travel to Grand Gedeh, River Gee & Sinoe

Position Status/Duration: 8 weeks

Reports to: Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Background

medica Liberia (mL) formerly medica mondiale Liberia is a non-governmental women’s rights organization working in Liberia since 2006. Our organization offers support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through legal, psychosocial, and sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) services. With a feminist, trauma-sensitive approach, we provide direct support, advocacy, and community engagement to advance women’s rights.

Rural regions in Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee Counties face significant challenges related to gender-based violence, limited access to quality services, and weak institutional capacities. The high prevalence of SGBV in these communities underscores the urgent need for effective prevention and response mechanisms. Local Protection Network Groups and women-led Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) play a critical role in addressing these challenges, yet they often lack the necessary data and resources to effectively plan and implement interventions.

To address the issues, face in the Southeast, mL recently received funding from the Irish Embassy to implement a Project titled “Strengthening Action, Response and Services for SGBV in South-eastern Liberia (STARS 4 SGBV),” This project seeks the services of a qualified consultant team to conduct a comprehensive baseline assessment. This project aims to improve the quality and accessibility of services for women and girls affected by SGBV while strengthening local actors’ capacities for sustainable prevention, response, and advocacy.

This consultancy is designed to address these gaps by establishing clear benchmarks through a baseline assessment. The resulting data will enable medica Liberia to tailor its interventions, enhance monitoring and evaluation, and ultimately strengthen the resilience and empowerment of communities across the target regions.

Key Objectives of the Baseline Assessment

The consultant team with support from the Program and M&E staff will lead the baseline assessment process in 20 intervention communities within the counties, Liberia (i.e., River Gee-6; Sinoe-6; and Grand Gedeh-8).

The primary objectives of this consultancy are to:

• Establish Baseline Data: Gather comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data on current SGBV/SRHR conditions, community practices, and service delivery mechanisms.
• Measure Key Indicators: Assess indicators such as the frequency of SGBV/SRHR educational activities, SGBV incidence, community knowledge, and capacity of public service providers.
• Inform Program Design: Update the project tracking sheet, monitoring plan, and baseline targets to guide future interventions and capacity-building efforts.
• Identify Gaps: Provide actionable recommendations based on identified gaps in service provision, community engagement, and stakeholder coordination.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultant team will be required to lead on the following task in consultation with mL’s program and M&E staff:

• Conduct a desk review of key relevant documents and understanding the project design and contextual framework.
• Design tools/questionnaire and methodology to collect both qualitative and quantitative data (Inception report to be handed to mL for inputs before data collection starts);
• Submit draft inception report including suggested detailed methodology and procedure for feedback
• Submit the final revised inception report
• Implement and supervise field data collection and data entry.
• Provide mL with anonymized raw data collected
• Analyze and synthesize data; and prepare report and Program Indicator Tracking.
• Submit draft report including data analysis for feedback.
• Submit a comprehensive baseline assessment report in both electronic versions and signed hard copy including recommendations.
• Produce baseline to be delivered with the final report.
• Present key findings and results during the validation workshop of the baseline assessment.
• The consultants will be expected to incorporate feedback from the validation workshop into the final report before submission.

Approach and Methodology

The consultant team is expected to use a mixed-methods approach that includes:

Desk Review: Analysis of existing project documents, previous assessments, and relevant literature.

Quantitative Surveys: Structured questionnaires to capture baseline indicators on SGBV incidence, SRHR knowledge, and service delivery metrics.

Qualitative Methods: Key informant interviews and focus group discussions to gain deeper insight into community perceptions, challenges, and capacities.

Participatory Validation: A validation workshop to discuss preliminary findings and incorporate feedback.

The approach must be ethically sound and trauma-sensitive, ensuring confidentiality and informed consent throughout the data collection process.

Final approach and methodology will be designed by the consultant and counterchecked by medica Liberia.

Project Communities

The baseline assessment will target key stakeholders and communities within the intervention areas:

• Communities: 20 communities across Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties.
• Participants: Beneficiaries (women, girls, marginalized groups), members of Protection Network Groups, public service providers, and representatives from local government and civil society organizations.

Timeline for Deliverables

The consultant team will present an inception report one week after the start of the assignment, and before the collection of data starts. The baseline assessment is expected to be completed within 8 weeks.

Expertise and Experience

• Individuals in the suitable team must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the fields of Social Sciences, Statistics, Demography, Research Methodologies, Development Studies, Law, Education and any other related fields.
• At least 5 years’ experience working with development organizations by undertaking desk reviews, as well as rapid assessments & or evaluations.
• The consultant team should be conversant with NGO’s operation with a focus on feminism, women’s rights and sexual and gender-based violence.
• The consultant should also have experience in ethical and trauma sensitive data collection approaches in the area of SGBV
• The consultant team should have a significant experience of collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from surveys/assessments;
• Knowledge of medica Liberia’s work is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of SASA! Together Approach is an added advantage

Application Process

Please submit the following documents when applying:

• Cover Letter.
• CVs of team members including reference details of previous clients worked for.
• A sample of any previous work in similar consultancy work, i.e; assessments, surveys, baselines; provide a technical proposal to conduct the baseline survey including methodologies to be used, work plan and a financial proposal.
• Roles and responsibilities of team members.

All documents must be submitted no later than March 3, 2025 via email to recruit@medicaliberia.org with a copy to: mbalu.jusu@medicaliberia.org reference “Baseline Assessment Consultant– STARS 4” as the subject of respective mail/application.

Note: Female consultants are encouraged to apply.

Expression of Interest

(SGBV/SRHR Services)

Date: February 20, 2025

Background and Introduction

medica Liberia (mL) formerly medica mondiale Liberia is a non-governmental women’s rights organization working in Liberia since 2006. Our organization offers support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through legal, psychosocial, and sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) services. With a feminist, trauma-sensitive approach, we provide direct support, advocacy, and community engagement to advance women’s rights.

medica Liberia with funding support from the Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland Liberia is implementing a three-year project titled: Strengthening Action, Response and Services for SGBV in South-eastern Liberia (STARS 4 SGBV).

This project is designed to scale up SGBV/SRHR prevention, response, and support services particularly for women, adolescents (girls and boys), and marginalized populations, including sex workers, women with disabilities, people living with HIV, and individuals of diverse sexual orientations. The project will integrate SASA Together! A proven community driven approach to addressing social norms that cause SGBV.The project will be implemented in three counties (Grand Gedeh, River Gee & Sinoe).

Purpose and Rational of the EOI

Given the above-mentioned, medica Liberia seeks a qualified Community-Based Organization or Civil Society Organization to implement SGBV/SRHR activities under the Irish AID Project in Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Sinoe Counties and achieve the below expected outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Increased SGBV /SRHR prevention in local communities and Institutions.

• Outcome 2: Improved quality of SGBV/SRHR service provision through trained, supervised, and motivated local public and non-public institutions, and strengthened local referral system for SGBV survivors.

Application Process

All interested parties should fill in the form below by February 28, 2025, to (recruit@medicaliberia.org and mbalu.jusu@medicaliberia.org)

Please provide details of the proposed activity lead for this initiative:

Please provide the following information as part of your Expression of Interest