Consultancy for the adaptation and finalization of the EMAP+ resource package for Ethiopia (POWER program)

1. Background of the project 

The Women's Protection and Empowerment (WPE) program seeks to empower women and girls in conflict-affected areas to lead safer, more resilient lives by expanding their access to protection services, strengthening their participation in decision-making, building the capacity of local women's rights organizations, and ensuring that gender equality and the prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG) are central to humanitarian planning and response. Under the program's Safety Outcome 4, which holds that the social norms of community members support the rights of diverse women and girls and prevent and condemn VAWG, the program works to reduce VAWG and promote positive behavior change through evidence-based approaches. 

In Ethiopia, this work sits within the POWER program (2025–2027), supported by Irish Aid. POWER pursues holistic GBV prevention and response across Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, delivered through strengthened women-led organizations. Its design reflects a set of deliberate commitments: at least 25 percent of funding flowing directly to partners, adherence to the PEERS principles for equitable partnership, women-led safety audits, a dedicated emergency response pillar, and a partnership learning pillar. This consultancy contributes directly to Sub-outcome 2 of the Irish Aid project. 

The EMAP+ (Engaging Men through Accountable Practice Plus) methodology focuses on transforming harmful masculinities and promoting accountability among men and boys in order to prevent VAWG. To ensure that the EMAP+ Resource Package is relevant and effective in the Ethiopian context, the program will engage a consultant to lead the adaptation, review and finalization of the EMAP+ materials. 

The assignment’s center of gravity is quality, learning, and carrying program evidence into humanitarian policy and practice, rather than day-to-day implementation in a single country. The adaptation of EMAP+ for Ethiopia is meant to produce a contextually sound curriculum for Ethiopia while generating transferable learning about how EMAP+ is adapted, learning that can inform other POWER countries and IRC's wider protection work. Consistent with POWER's partnership learning pillar, the contextualization is documented so that the reasoning, and not only the finished product, is available to others. In this consultancy that intent is kept deliberately light: it is met through clear documentation of the adaptation decisions rather than through a separate toolkit. 

2. Purpose of the consultancy 

To support the WPE program and the global VPRU in adapting, reviewing and finalizing the EMAP+ Resource Package for the Ethiopian context under the POWER program, and to capture the learning from that adaptation in a form that strengthens quality across POWER countries and supports the translation of program evidence into humanitarian policy and practice. The consultant will refine the overall resource package, validate its relevance through remote engagement with the IRC Ethiopia team and partners, and document the adaptation decisions taken so that the process is traceable and reusable. This consultancy contributes directly to the achievement of Sub-outcome 2 of the Irish Aid project. 

3. Specific objectives of the consultancy 

Adapt, review and finalize the EMAP+ Resource Package (the implementation guide, the training guide, and the resource package for women and men) to ensure contextual relevance for Ethiopia and alignment with the POWER program. 

Validate the finalized resource package with the WPE regional Technical Advisor, IRC Ethiopia WPE staff and partners, incorporating their feedback for improvement. 

Document the key adaptation decisions and their rationale in a concise contextualization and learning note that feeds POWER's partnership learning pillar, capturing what was changed, why, and how the same reasoning could guide adaptation in other POWER countries and in different realities within Ethiopia, and drawing out any implications relevant to humanitarian policy and practice. 

4. Scope of work 

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks. 

4.1 Review and planning 

Phase 1: Review, adapt and finalize the remaining EMAP+ resource package. 

• Review, contextualize and finalize the implementation guide and the training guide, and present them to the WPE Global Practice Lead and WPE Technical Advisors for validation. 

• Review, contextualize and finalize the new EMAP+ resource package for women and men, and present it to the WPE Global Practice Lead for validation. 

Phase 2: Under the guidance of the global VPRU / WPE technical team, in coordination with the East Africa WPE Technical Advisor, review, contextualize and finalize the full EMAP+ resource package for Ethiopia. 

• Address the feedback received and clean the full EMAP+ resource package so that it is coherent, internally consistent and ready for use. 

• As the package is adapted, keep a simple running record of the substantive contextualization choices made (for example changes to language, examples, scenarios, or facilitation guidance) and the reasons for them. 

4.2 Documentation of adaptation decisions 

On completion, consolidate the running record into a concise contextualization and learning note. The note should set out the main adaptation decisions and their rationale in a form that a colleague in another POWER country, or working in a different reality within Ethiopia, could read to understand the reasoning and apply it to their own context, and should flag any points of wider relevance for quality standards or humanitarian policy. This is intended as a light, reusable reference and not as a separate standalone toolkit. 

5. Deliverables 

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables. 

6. Payment rate and schedule 

• All costs will be paid on completion and submission of the report and materials, and validation of the report and materials by the country WPE Coordinator and the regional Technical Advisor. 

• The payment rate will be 350 USD per day, exclusive of applicable tax. 

7. Requirements 

• Degree in Gender Studies, Social Work, Social Marketing/ Behavioural Sciences, social anthropology  or a related field. 

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in GBV prevention, behavior change programming, male engagement, gender- and/or community organising programming. 

• Proven experience in adapting and contextualizing  social change curriculum materials for diverse cultural settings. 

• Familiarity with women-led and partner-centered approaches to protection and social change programming,  

• Familiarity with the Ethiopian humanitarian context; knowledge of Amharic or other relevant local languages is an asset. 

• Familiarity with the EMAP curriculum is a plus. 

• Fluency in English. 

• Strong facilitation, communication, and cross-cultural skills, and an ability to translate program experience into clear written learning.