UN Women inviting CSOs in empowering Migrant Women Returnees in Ethiopia

Deadline: 10-Apr-24

UN Women is seeking proposals to engage civil society organizations (CSOs) to collaborate in empowering migrant women returnees in Ethiopia.

This initiative focuses on fostering economic integration and self-sufficiency by addressing reintegration challenges through tailored economic opportunities. Priority areas include access to resources, skills training, financial services, and leveraging digital technology for financial inclusion. Collaborative efforts aim to achieve targeted outcomes in enhancing economic decision-making and overall empowerment.

Migrant women returnees in Ethiopia face considerable reintegration challenges upon their return, including limited access to decent work and social protection, as well as lack of income security and economic autonomy.

Supporting the reintegration of migrant women returnees is a critical part of the Making Migration Safe for Women programme in Ethiopia. With the provision of tailored economic empowerment opportunities which consider and address the specific needs and situations of migrant women returnees the Making Migration Safe for Women programme aims to contribute to increasing their access to decent work and economic empowerment.

The strategy for the economic empowerment component of the MMS programme will focus on increasing migrant women returnees’ access to and control over productive resources, their access to skills training including technical, vocational, business and life skills in order to upskill and re-skill them so that they can set up their business/enterprises or access paid employment. The programme seeks to improve their access to capital and financial services, including cash and asset transfers, credit, savings, and assets for growth and resilience. The strategy will also focus on enhancing migrant women’s voice, agency, and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels and their overall wellbeing in particular sense of self- worth, confidence, dignity and safety and workloads or time dedication. Another aspect of empowerment strategy making use of the growing digital technology including digital financing in addressing gender gaps in access to financial and non-financial services.

This project aims to increase access to decent work, and economic empowerment opportunities for migrant women, and migrant women returnees.

Project Goal

Contribute to the enhanced livelihood of migrant women returnees, and the empowerment of migrant women.

Funding Information

The budget range for this proposal should be 800,000 USD – 1,000,000 USD (Min.– Max.)

Timeframe: Start date and end date for completion of required services/results

The project will commence upon signature of the partnership agreement with the selected organization and will end after twenty months.
The project implementation period is expected to run from May 2024 to December 2025.

Required Services/Results

Outcome 1: Migrant women returnees have accessed decent work and economic empowerment opportunities.
Economic Empowerment is assessed on the basis of increased income, economic autonomy, access to and control over financial and non-financial resources, leadership and decision making, wellbeing, workload, and time dedication.
- Output 1.1. Skills and capacity for wage employment or self-employment of migrant women returnees are strengthened.
  - Indicator, Target, Baseline, Source
    - Indicator 1.1.a 1500 migrant women returnees who accessed appropriate trainings, mentorship, markets for successful self- employment and job opportunities for wage employment.
    - Indicator 1.1.b Percentage of targeted migrant women returnees who demonstrate increased entrepreneurial/vocational skills and capacity for wage employment or self-employment.
      - Baseline: TBD
      - Target: 85%
    - Indicator 1.1.c Percentage of targeted migrant women returnees who accessed financial and non-financial services and resources.
      - Baseline: TBD
      - Target: 60%
    - Indicator 1.1.d percentage of targeted migrant women returnees who expressed improvement in income and economic autonomy, decision making, and time dedication related to their business.
      - Baseline: TBD
      - Target:60%
    - Indicator 1.1.e shared decision making at household level, equitable participation of men and women, family members/spouse providing support on domestic chores and to the spouses, men promotors of gender equality
  - Activities
    - Identify/map the target group in consultation with relevant government stakeholders based on set vulnerability criteria.
    - Conduct skills gap analysis.
    - Conduct a baseline assessment and determine the baseline.
    - Identify the approaches to the different target groups:
    - Effective collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.
    - Facilitate and deliver demand-driven skills trainings and business development services to migrant women returnees.
    - Facilitate access to (digital) finance and start-up capital though micro-finance, Saving and credit associations.
    - Facilitate access to formal finance.
    - Engage men and boys throughout using male engagement approaches/ and other gender transformative strategies.
    - Build the capacity of service providers and market actors to better understand and meet the specific needs of migrant women returnees.
    - Facilitate role model sessions to address personal, social, and cultural barriers migrant women returnees face aiming to inspire targeted migrant women returnees.
    - Monitor and evaluate progress
- Output 1.2. Women Migrant workers have increased knowledge on safe labour migration and their rights.
  - Indicator, Target, Baseline, Source
    - Indicator 1.2.1 Number of potential and actual trained women migrant workers who demonstrate increased knowledge on safe labour migration and their rights.
      - Baseline: 0
      - Target: 2500
    - Indicator 1.2.2 Number of skilled teachers and trainers on gender-responsive pre-departure training delivery
      - Baseline: 0
      - Target: 30
  - Activities
    - Develop and deliver Training of Trainers (TOT) on gender-responsive pre-departure trainings in collaboration with Ministry of Labour and Skills (MOLS) and TVETS for teachers and trainers delivering orientation programmes and skills trainings for migrant women.
    - Provide technical support to TVETs (government and private) to cascade the gender- responsive pre-departure trainings to labour migrants.
    - Provide financial and material support to TVETs that enhances the availability of gender-responsive predeparture trainings to migrant women.
    - Identify opportunities and support the improvement of the modules and training materials from gender perspective and to ensure that migrant women have improved access to information about their (labour) rights.

Competencies

Technical/functional competencies required.
- Legally constituted organization with a valid registration in Ethiopia with not less than 10 years’ experience.
- Good reputation and trust among government actors and in particular experience working with government sectors particularly Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Skills and Ministry of Justice.
- High understanding of national and international tools, guidelines, and policies on women economic empowerment,
- Experience in addressing issues relevant to migrant women returnees including reintegration services, economic empowerment, and access to finance.
- Experience in building partnership with financial and non-financial service providers as well as working modalities with microfinance, banks, cooperatives,
- Experience in working with different gender mainstreaming and gender transformative approaches,
- Have experts in the area of the service required and a team of dedicated, qualified, and skilled professionals to carry out their critical role in implementing the project.
- Presence in regions is an asset.
- Previous working experience with United Nations is highly desirable, not a must.

For more information, visit UN Women.