Consultancy Sevice- Development of Human Rights Monitoring Manual for Training of Trainers (ToTs) in South Sudan.

IntroductionSouth Sudan, the world's youngest nation, continues to grapple with the profound and multifaceted legacies of protracted conflict. The intermittent yet devastating cycles of violence, coupled with a severely weakened institutional framework, have created an environment where the upholding of fundamental human rights remains a significant challenge, particularly for its most vulnerable populations. This includes widespread displacement, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and a pervasive culture of impunity that undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in state and traditional justice mechanisms.Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains a systemic and alarming feature of the human rights landscape in South Sudan. Both conflict-related sexual violence, often used as a weapon of war, and intimate partner violence are widespread, with devastating physical, psychological, and social consequences for survivors. The deeply entrenched patriarchal norms, combined with a culture of impunity and limited access to justice, mean that the vast majority of GBV incidents go unreported, and survivors often lack access to comprehensive and survivor-centered medical, psychosocial, and legal support services. This exacerbates the human rights situation, creating a climate of fear and vulnerability that further deters individuals, particularly women and girls, from seeking essential health services, including those related to SRHR, due to security concerns and fear of re-victimization.BackgroundCommunity leaders, including traditional leaders, women's group representatives, youth leaders, and religious figures, are uniquely positioned at the grassroots level. They possess invaluable local knowledge, established trust within their communities, and the potential to act as critical first responders and advocates for human rights. Their active participation in identifying, monitoring, reporting, and responding to violations is crucial for building a rights-based society and strengthening accountability mechanisms.Under the framework of the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), UNFPA South Sudan is committed to building the capacity of community leaders to monitor, report, and respond to human rights violations, including those affecting access to health, gender-based violence (GBV), and sexual and reproductive health services.To support this initiative, a structured and context-sensitive training manual is aimed to be developed to equip community leaders and grassroots actors with the knowledge and tools to carry out effective human rights monitoring.The main objective:This consultancy is to develop a comprehensive, practical, and culturally sensitive training manual on human rights monitoring specifically designed for community leaders and grassroots actors in South Sudan.The manual will serve as a foundational resource to:Enhance community leaders' understanding of human rights principles, accountability mechanisms, and their role in upholding these rights at the local level.Equip community leaders with practical methodologies for community-based monitoring of human rights, with a specific focus on violations affecting access to health services (including SRHR) and incidents of GBV.Provide clear guidance on the effective documentation, reporting, and referral of human rights violations, ensuring safe and ethical practices.Strengthen linkages between community-level monitoring efforts and formal legal, health, and social referral systems, facilitating timely and appropriate interventions for survivors and victims.Methodology The assignment will adopt a collaborative and participatory approach, ensuring that the manual is technically sound, contextually relevant, and user-friendly for community leaders with varying literacy levels.Desk Review: Review of relevant program documentation, reports, and data provided by UNFPA and implementing partners, including monitoring and evaluation reports and training materials.Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Interviews with key stakeholders, including UNFPA staff, implementing partners, government officials, community leaders, and health service providers.Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Conducting FGDs with community members, health workers, and key partners.Validation with Low-Literacy Audiences: Draft materials will be pre-tested and validated through participatory sessions with community leaders of varying literacy levels to assess usability, cultural appropriateness, and clarity of key messages and tools.Guiding QuestionsThe following key questions have been designed to inform the development of the Training of Trainers (ToT) manual. They aim to ensure the manual is contextually relevant, technically sound, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the realities faced by community leaders engaged in gender-based violence (GBV) monitoring and human rights promotion in South Sudan.What core human rights principles and legal frameworks (national and international) must community leaders understand to effectively monitor and respond to GBV in their communities?What community-level GBV trends, practices, and socio-cultural norms must be considered to ensure the manual is contextually relevant and culturally sensitive for diverse regions of South Sudan?What specific roles and responsibilities do community leaders currently play or are expected to play in monitoring, documenting, and responding to GBV-related human rights violations?What are the minimum skills and competencies that ToTs need in order to train community leaders on GBV monitoring, reporting, and referral?What adult learning approaches, facilitation techniques, and materials (e.g., illustrations, case studies, role plays) are most suitable for a low-literacy and multilingual training audience?What ethical standards and survivor-centered practices must be integrated into the training content to ensure safe and confidential handling of GBV cases by community actors?How should the manual integrate or align with existing referral systems and support services for GBV survivors, ensuring that community leaders are equipped to refer cases safely and appropriately?How can the manual ensure gender inclusion and sensitivity to vulnerable or marginalized groups such as adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, or widows in GBV monitoring efforts?What structure and sequence of training modules (e.g., sessions, exercises, practice tools) would provide a logical and practical flow from basic knowledge to advanced skills in GBV monitoring and response?What strategies and tools should the ToT manual include for measuring the effectiveness of community leaders’ learning and application of GBV human rights monitoring skills post-training?DeliverablesThe following deliverables are expected from this study:Inception Report with Annotated Outline and Detailed Work Plan: This will be in one week by the International Consultant (Lead) with inputs from National Consultants.Final Manual Report: Finalized training manual/toolkit.Final Consultancy Report: Narrative report detailing methodology, lessons and recommendationsValidation Workshop and Field-Testing Report. This will be by National Consultants (Facilitation & Reporting) and International Consultant (Remote Support & Guidance)NOTE:The final ToT manual must include a dedicated section or integrated guidance that demonstrates how gender, disability, and youth inclusion perspectives have been embedded across all modules, with practical examples, inclusive language, and case studies that promote equitable participation and protection of vulnerable groupsStakeholders and CoordinationThis assignment will involve coordination with various stakeholders, including:Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, South Sudan.UNFPA South SudanAmref Health Africa.MOHCounty Health DepartmentsEthical ConsiderationsGiven the sensitive nature of human rights violations, GBV, and SRHR, this assignment must be guided by the highest standards of ethical integrity, respect for human dignity, and protection from harm. The consultants are expected to articulate and uphold ethical principles throughout the manual development and ToT processes, particularly when engaging with community members, survivors, and vulnerable groups.BudgetA modest budget should be developed covering all costs related to literature review, data collection, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and report preparation.ReportingThe study team will report to the country MEL manager and designated project manager at Amref Health Africa in South Sudan. Regular updates will be provided through bi-weekly meetings and progress reports