Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition
Wool and Mohair Value Chain Competitiveness Project
The Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition (MAFSN) has just started implementation of the Wool and Mohair Value Chain Competitiveness Project (WaMCoP), which is a 7 years project that covers the 10 districts of Lesotho. The project is financed by the Government of Lesotho, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), OPEC Fund for International Development, Global Environment Facility and beneficiary’s contributions. The projects overall goal is to increase the economic and climate resilience of wool and mohair value chain stakeholders, with emphasis on wool and mohair farmers’ livelihoods, including women and youth. The MAFSN has established the key positions of the project coordination unit and would like to make a call to the relevant professionals for the following additional positions:
Position: Social & Gender Inclusion Officer
Reports to: Project Coordinator
Duty Station: Maseru, Lesotho
Job Summary:
The Social & Gender Inclusion officer will work under the guidance and leadership of the Project Coordinator and support the broad objectives of the project. The officer will mainstream social inclusion aspects including gender, nutrition, youth, and people with disabilities (PwD) in WaMCoP.
The officer will be guided by the imperative of ensuring a social inclusion logic underpins all key activities. The aim is to facilitate gender equality and the social and economic empowerment of identified target groups. The Social & Gender Inclusion Officer will provide a baseline of situation and priorities of rural women, youth and PwD in the project area. Moreover, the officer, will assist the PCU to clarify its targeting strategy and ensure that implementable pathways and strategies for targeting are developed.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Review the country context (legal, political, Institutional, social, cultural and sector policies) relevant to targeting and gender in relation to the project thematic focus.
- Review the national gender, youth, nutrition, PwD policy and strategy documents to understand the national priorities, institutional framework, strengths, gaps and opportunities, for IFAD’s investments to contribute to social Inclusion outcomes.
- Explore opportunities to work with key partners, including in policy engagement on women, youth, nutrition, PwD and the related domains.
- In the context of the project design, and in close collaboration with the design team, identify and include gender mainstreamed and youth-sensitive interventions in the project strategy, integrate social inclusion considerations in the theory of change by identifying women and youth empowerment pathways, and suggest partnership arrangements; reflect implementation arrangements.
- Define and profile project target groups, including the gender dimensions of rural poverty and linkages and engagement with formal and informal organizations.
- Develop a targeting strategy, including targeting and implementation mechanisms, to ensure that project design accommodates the needs and priorities of the target group and facilitates its participation in project interventions, and that the special concerns of vulnerable groups are considered
- Develop a gender mainstreaming strategy, including implementation mechanisms, to ensure that the project identifies opportunities to support gender equality and women’s empowerment and facilitates women’s participation in project interventions;
- Describe local social norms that hinder/support young peoples’ full participation in economic activities. Define youth by age according to the country and project context; identify where vulnerable rural young people are located in the project area.
- Describe the main challenges/ opportunities in project area in relation to Rural Youth Action Plan (RYAP) priority and emerging themes including; youth employment and empowerment within the RYAP framework in main commodities, food crops and agribusiness
- access to assets, services and skills in relation to rural economy trends in the project area.
- potential demand for on- and off-farm employment/entrepreneurship for youth
- what young women and men need to adapt to climate change/contribute to climate change mitigation, tackle environmental degradation and build their resilience
- food security and nutrition status of young women and men in the project area.
- Refine the main project investment options from a youth perspective: identify how youth fit in the project theory of change, targeting approach and results framework; specify to which RYAP priority and emerging themes the project can best contribute; determine whether policy engagement is also appropriate; identify which partnerships should be prioritized to advance youth interests, including public, private and non-governmental sectors, and any capacities that need to be strengthened; make recommendations for financing and human resources to deliver on youth commitments.
- Assess the entry points and how improved outcomes can be achieved; propose relevant project activities to address issues related to social inclusion problems of the different target groups for the proposed investment projects.
- Ensure that gender, youth and PwD related activities are budgeted and that financial resources are allocated in separated budget lines for their implementation (and reflected into the first Annual Working Plan & Budget, in the context of the project design);
- Provide inputs into the M&E framework, project log frame and learning systems to incorporate gender and social inclusion perspectives, including the use of participatory approaches and disaggregated data and indicators, and to measure performance of the strategies;
- Data disaggregation by gender, age, PwD and indigenous peoples in line with IFAD’s Results, Impact and Management System. Collecting case studies and leading the knowledge management, documentation and learning segment of the project related to social inclusion domains;
- Perform any other duty assigned by the project leader and related to the area of expertise to fulfil the objectives of the project.
Qualifications and Experience
- A Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies or Social Sciences
- A minimum 3 years of experience in community development and applied gender main-streaming at project or institutional level.
Skills and Competencies
- Experience with poverty, gender and youth targeting in agriculture-based rural development programmes.
- Experience in rural development project management and implementation.
- Knowledge and experience of Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques
- Knowledge of the Graduation Approach and Household Methodologies especially GALS (will be valued- but not essential)
- In-depth knowledge of social issues such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, and marginalization.
- Ability to engage with diverse communities and stakeholders to understand their needs, perspectives, and priorities
- Skills in advocating for the rights and needs of marginalized groups
- Experience in designing and implementing programs and initiatives aimed at promoting social inclusion, equity, and diversity.
- Knowledge of policies and regulations related to social inclusion,
Mode and Duration of Contract
The duration of the assignment will be three years, renewable depending on satisfactory performance.
SUBMISSION
Interested candidates’ applications should be accompanied by detailed CVs, certified copies of national identity document, educational certificates and transcripts and be delivered to the address below not later than 28 February 2025 At 16:00hrs
The Director Human Resources
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition
80 Constitution Road
P.O. Box 24
Maseru 100
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified