TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR) COMMUNITY & COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT FOR WOMEN-LED GROUPS

TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)                                                                       COMMUNITY & COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT FOR WOMEN-LED GROUPS                                                                                                      Project: Establishment of Climate-Resilient Hydroponics Farming Units in Dollow
Implementing Agency: Lifeline Gedo (LLG)
Donor: GIZ -- Climate-Resilient Water Resource Management (CWRM) Programme
Government Counterpart: Jubbaland Ministry of Agriculture
Duty Station: Dollow District, Gedo Region, Somalia
Type of Assignment: Short-term technical consultancy (field-based)
Reporting Line: Project Coordinator – Lifeline Gedo
Technical Coordination: Jubbaland Ministry of Agriculture (District Level)

1. Background and Context

Lifeline Gedo (LLG), in partnership with the Jubbaland Ministry of Agriculture and with support from GIZ under the Climate-Resilient Water Resource Management (CWRM) Programme, is implementing a climate-resilient food security and livelihoods initiative in Dollow District, Gedo Region. The intervention aims to strengthen household food production, nutrition, and adaptive capacity among vulnerable women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and returnee communities.

Dollow District is a riverine and agro-pastoral area that has experienced repeated climate shocks, including prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, and seasonal flooding from the Juba River. These shocks have undermined conventional farming systems, reduced agricultural productivity, depleted household assets, and increased reliance on humanitarian assistance. Women particularly female-headed households, widows, caregivers, IDPs, and returnees are among the most affected, despite their central role in household nutrition and small-scale food production.

Under this intervention, women-led groups will be established to manage shared, climate-resilient food production systems as collective community assets. These groups are expected to improve household access to nutritious food while also serving as demonstration and learning platforms for wider community replication.

Experience from similar livelihood interventions shows that technical inputs alone are not sufficient to ensure sustainability. Without strong community ownership, transparent beneficiary selection, clear internal rules, and functional governance arrangements, group-based initiatives often face leadership disputes, weak participation, poor accountability, and ineffective management of shared assets.

To address these risks, Lifeline Gedo seeks to engage a Community & Cooperative Development Consultant for Women-Led Hydroponics Groups to lead the community mobilization, group formation, and cooperative development components of the intervention.

2. Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that the hydroponics intervention is grounded in strong community ownership, inclusive participation, and transparent group organization.

The consultant will support beneficiary selection, formation of women-led groups, establishment of leadership and governance structures, and development of simple cooperative-style arrangements that are locally appropriate and sustainable.

3. Objectives of the Assignment

The specific objectives of this assignment are to:

• Facilitate inclusive and transparent selection of women beneficiaries.
• Support the formation and strengthening of women-led hydroponics groups.
• Establish clear leadership roles, governance structures, and accountability mechanisms.
• Develop simple internal rules or bylaws for group operations and asset management.
• Strengthen group cohesion, participation, and collective responsibility.
• Promote community ownership and long-term sustainability of shared hydroponics assets.
• Lay a strong social and organizational foundation for technical training and implementation.

4. Scope of Work

A. Community Entry and Stakeholder Engagement

• Conduct introductory meetings with community leaders, elders, women leaders, IDP representatives, and relevant local authorities.
• Clearly present project objectives, benefits, and limitations in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Coordinate with district-level representatives of the Jubbaland Ministry of Agriculture.
• Support establishment of community liaison and communication mechanisms.

B. Beneficiary Identification and Selection

• Facilitate a transparent, community-led beneficiary identification and validation process.
• Ensure prioritization of female-headed households, widows, caregivers, IDPs, returnees, and highly vulnerable women.
• Support community committees to apply simple and fair selection criteria.
• Manage expectations and mitigate tensions arising from beneficiary selection.

C. Group Formation and Structuring

• Facilitate formation of women-led hydroponics groups in line with project targets.
• Support groups to define membership rules, roles, responsibilities, and participation expectations.
• Promote trust-building, collective responsibility, and inclusion of marginalized members.

D. Leadership and Governance Arrangements

• Support establishment of simple leadership structures such as chairperson, secretary, and treasurer.
• Facilitate transparent selection or election of group leaders.
• Support agreement on internal decision-making processes and conflict resolution mechanisms.
• Promote women’s leadership and inclusive participation in governance.

E. Development of Internal Rules and Bylaws

• Guide groups to develop simple, locally appropriate internal rules covering:

ü  Membership and attendance

ü  Labor contribution and workload sharing

ü  Use and protection of shared hydroponics assets

ü  Handling of produce or benefits

ü  Conflict resolution and sanctions

F. Basic Organizational and Record-Keeping Practices

• Introduce basic principles of membership records, leadership registers, and asset registers
  Support groups to agree on practical systems for managing shared tools and inputs.

G. Coordination with Technical Implementation

• Coordinate closely with the Hydroponics Technical Trainer / Systems Consultant to ensure alignment of activities.
• Prepare groups socially and organizationally for technical training and system establishment.
• Ensure group arrangements support smooth daily operation of hydroponics systems.

5. Key Deliverables

• Community mobilization and cooperative development approach note
• Finalized beneficiary lists
• Group formation and leadership documentation
• Simple internal rules or bylaws
• Basic group records
• Completion report with lessons learned and sustainability recommendations

6. Duration and Level of Effort

The assignment will cover community mobilization, beneficiary selection, and group formation phases. The exact number of working days will be agreed with Lifeline Gedo based on field conditions and implementation timelines.

7. Management and Coordination

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Lifeline Gedo Project Coordinator and in close coordination with:

• Field Staff
• Hydroponics Technical Trainer / Systems Consultant
• District-level representatives of the Jubbaland Ministry of Agriculture
• Community leaders and women representative

8. Required Qualifications and Experience

The consultant must meet the following minimum requirements:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Community Development, Sociology, or a related field.
• Minimum 4 years of professional experience

Experience and Skills

• Proven experience in community mobilization, cooperative development, or group formation.
• Experience working with women-led groups, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, or other vulnerable communities.
• Strong facilitation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Familiarity with participatory, inclusive, and conflict-sensitive approaches.
• Experience working in fragile or low-resource contexts, preferably in Somalia or similar settings.
• Good understanding of Somali social structures, clan dynamics, and local governance systems.

9. Ethical Standards and Conduct

The consultant is expected to:

• Respect local customs, traditions, and gender sensitivities.
• Promote inclusive, non-discriminatory, and transparent participation.
• Uphold safeguarding, accountability, and do-no-harm principles.
• Prevent elite capture, politicization, or exclusion within groups.
• Maintain professionalism and confidentiality at all times.

10. Application Requirements

Interested candidates shall submit the following:

A. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The CV should demonstrate relevant experience in community mobilization, women-led group formation, cooperative development, and facilitation in fragile contexts.

B. Experience and Approach Note (Maximum 2 Pages)

A short narrative note outlining:

• Relevant experience in community mobilization and cooperative or group development.
• Approach to beneficiary selection, group formation, leadership development, and governance support.
• Experience working with women-led groups and vulnerable communities.
• Understanding of local social dynamics and conflict-sensitive facilitation.

C. Financial Proposal

The Financial Proposal shall:

• Be submitted in USD
• Clearly itemize costs for all project sites in Dollow District, supporting four (4) women-led hydroponics groups serving a total of two hundred (200) farmers, including:

ü  Daily consultancy fees

ü  Transport costs

ü  Accommodation and living costs

ü  Community facilitation and training materials

All costs shall be clearly justified and presented in a detailed cost breakdown.

11. Selection Criteria

Selection will be based on:

• Relevant field experience and facilitation capacity.
• Quality and clarity of the Experience and Approach Note.
• Demonstrated understanding of community dynamics and women-led group development.
• Cost-effectiveness of the Financial Proposal.

Applications for this consultancy should be made through the following link: https://app.lifelineorganisation.org/careers no later than 26 February 2026