Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of the most systematic, widespread human rights violations faced globally. The effects of trauma are substantial, impacting women’s and girls’ physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and economic well-being. The essential services package entails the implementation of survivor-centered approaches placing the rights, needs and desires of women and girls as the center of focus for service delivery. This requires consideration of the multiple needs of survivor, the various risks and vulnerabilities, the impact of decisions and actions taken, and ensures services are tailored to the unique requirements of each individual women and girl. Services should respond to the trauma that these women and girls face and also should work towards creating a safe environment where survivors can not only recover from the trauma, they faced but also become resilient and empowered. Trauma-informed services involve understanding, anticipating, and responding to the issues, expectations, and special needs that survivors who have been victimized may have in a particular setting or service. At a minimum, trauma informed services endeavor to do no harm  – to avoid retraumatizing survivors or blaming them for their efforts to manage their traumatic reactions.

Among others, trauma-informed approach to economic empowerment is essential for rehabilitating survivors of violence. It addresses both their immediate and long-term needs, helping them regain control over their lives. Achieving economic independence is vital for survivors to break free from cycles of violence, allowing them to rebuild their self-worth, autonomy, and security. Survivors face unique challenges that impede their financial stability, such as physical, emotional, and psychological trauma, discrimination, and social exclusion. These barriers, compounded by their traumatic experiences, can lead to difficulties in decision-making, trust, self-esteem, and financial planning. Survivors of violence access economic empowerment opportunities either through admission to shelters/safe houses, in IDP (Internally Displaced People) centers, or while they are in their place of origin/in their communities Shelters are institutions that provide essential aspects of protection, services and resources such as medical support, legal support, psychosocial counseling, vocational skill trainings, life skill training, income generating activity (IGA) and other services which enable women who have experienced abuse and their children to recover from the trauma, to rebuild self- . The economic empowerment programme and provision of IGA across shelters lacks consistency in quality and capacity, with some shelters outsourcing vocational training, which often doesn’t align with survivors’ interests. Many survivors are enrolled in vocational training or businesses they are not passionate about, leading to high dropout rates. This challenge is compounded by survivors’ limiting beliefs about their potential, despite counseling, which affects the sustainability and effectiveness of these programs.  Economic empowerment programs in settings beyond shelters, that do not recognize the unique needs of GBV survivors may offer generic solutions. However, survivors may need specialized support, such as flexible work schedules, mental health services, or job training that takes into account their trauma. If this is lacking, survivors may find it harder to build stable financial independence and may experience higher rates of stress or burnout.

There is also a need to ensure concurrent healing alongside economic empowerment. Healing can be both collective and individual, allowing survivors to embrace their recovery journey with the support of their community. The model will include mechanisms to create safe spaces both in the community and workplaces, thereby fostering environments where survivors can engage in healing and meaningful economic empowerment. In addition, tapping into the private sector will be critical in creating employment opportunities and linkages with potential employers. These linkages will help ensure that survivors are equipped with skills that align with market demand and increase their employment opportunities upon completion of their training. When survivors are in “survival brain”, they tend to focus on immediate threats and can struggle to engage in educational or employment activities. To shift survivors into a “learning brain”, the model should address basic needs first creating safety and stability so that survivors can engage in learning, skill development, and economic participation. By creating a safe and supportive environment, survivors can begin to make the transition from survival brain to learning brain, allowing them to process complexity, take risks, and successfully plan and execute tasks related to their new skills and economic empowerment activities.

In the past years, some regions have been severely affected by conflict, leading to an increased number of survivors of CRSV who face both physical and psychological trauma.   Existing programs often lack a trauma-informed approach when it comes to economic empowerment schemes, leading to limited long-term and sustainable changes  as economic empowerment in this context goes beyond simply providing financial resources.  UN Women aims to develop a trauma-informed economic empowerment model that could be used in shelters or in other settings/projects which   This model should extend beyond the context of shelters, addressing survivors in the broader community, especially those not admitted to shelters. By incorporating community-based approaches and tapping into the values and assets of the community, such as coffee ceremonies, Idir, and Equb, the model should be designed to ensure empowerment and healing within the cultural context.

There is a need to implement a trauma-informed economic empowerment model for women and girls’ survivors of violence. Trauma-informed interventions, refer to trauma treatments that have been researched and are evidenced-based or, at least, promising practices such as cognitive processing therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy, and EMDR, are evidence-based practices delivered by trained professionals. This model will ensure that economic empowerment programs are survivor-centered, trauma-sensitive, and supportive, offering survivors a range of choices and empowering them to make informed decisions.  A trauma-informed economic empowerment model shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you and how can I help?” by applying key principles like safety, trust, choice, empowerment, collaboration, and cultural responsiveness. This approach enhances engagement and participation by recognizing the widespread impact of trauma and potential recovery paths. It requires integrating trauma knowledge into policies and practices to avoid re-traumatization and support the healing process for clients, families, and staff.

To this end, UN Women Ethiopia is seeking to hire a national consultant who will be working on the development of a trauma informed economic empowerment model which will be implemented during the rehabilitation of survivors of violence against women and girls in various settings. This model will ensure that the economic empowerment practices are survivor-centered, trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive, and trauma-specific, non-blaming, and support women and girls who are rebuilding their lives.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The overall purpose of trauma informed economic empowerment model is to design, develop, and build trauma sensitive, trauma specific and trauma informed model that is evidence based, survivor centered with effective business and entrepreneur approaches that can be applied in the context of rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors in development and humanitarian contexts.

The specific objectives are:
•     Review evidence-based trauma-informed economic empowerment approaches at global, regional, country and local level that could be implemented for survivors of violence in development and humanitarian settings
•     Integrate trauma-focused research and practice-generated knowledge from survivors and professionals, private sectors highlighting effective trauma interventions and best practices
•     Assess the current economic empowerment practices in selected shelters, IDP centers and in the community, identifying gaps, challenges, and areas for improvement in the economic empowerment programs.
•     Develop a trauma-informed framework for the overall economic empowerment, ensuring the model is tailored to the unique needs of survivors of VAWG that considers the existing community resources and cultural values with a focus on long-term recovery and resilience.
•     Design strategies for engaging survivors in productive income-generating activities, focusing on building survivor autonomy, economic independence, and social reintegration.
•     Recommend context-specific strategies for integrating trauma-informed economic empowerment practices into the rehabilitation and reintegration services for VAW/ CRSV survivors, ensuring long-term effectiveness and mental health recovery that includes practical monitoring tools.

Scope of the work:

•     The consultancy service will be conducted over a period of 30 days within two months (starting from February 26, 2025), with ongoing follow-up and monitoring to ensure the successful implementation of the objectives outlined in the TOR.
•     The trauma informed model will be developed and validated
•     The model will be translated to Amharic with the aim of ensuring its relevance and applicability in local context
•     Roll out the model to selected partners and stakeholders

Deliverables
The main expected activities to be undertaken by the national consultant include:
•     Desk Review and Contextualization
•     Consultations and Needs Assessment
•     Development of Draft Trauma-Informed economic empowerment Model with clear monitoring tools/approaches
•     Feedback and Revision

•     Validation and Finalization
•     Roll out the model

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

Addis Ababa with travel to regions where projects are being implemented (Adama, Axum, Gondar and  Kombolcha)
Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

•     Strong knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues
•     Excellent level of conceptual and analytical capacity
•     Ability to work in a team
•     Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively
•     Demonstrates use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements
•     Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
•     Meets deadlines for delivery of products or services
•     Able to work virtually, using communication technologies
•     Strong interpersonal skills

Education and Certification:

Master’s Degree in Economics, Sociology, Social work, Psychology and related Social Science fields

A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;

Experience:
•   Minimum seven years of experience on economic empowerment and development of economic empowerment model for women including survivors of Violence Against Women and Girls, Conflict related sexual violence (CRSV), Trauma related interventions
•     Background in business, entrepreneurship, or related fields.
•     Strong expertise in business development, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.
•     Familiarity with the Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and Afar regions, have an understanding of the specific challenges faced by survivors of violence in these areas.
•     The national consultant should bring a team member that have an extensive experience in designing trauma-informed programs, particularly for survivors of violence. The expert should have an experience of working with survivors and knowledge of mental health and psychosocial support needs. This will ensure the economic empowerment model is trauma sensitive and trauma informed.
•     A strong expertise in the area of service required
•     Previous working experience with United Nations is desirable
Languages:
•     Fluency in English and Amharic is required.
•     Knowledge of local language is an asset.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements