Terms of Reference (ToR) - Provision of Consultancy Services to Conduct a Baseline and End-Line Assessment on Household Gender Transformation within the Kataza Project

1. Organizational Background

The Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC) is a non-governmental organization committed to promoting gender equality through positive masculinities and male engagement approaches aimed at preventing gender-based violence (GBV) in Rwanda.

RWAMREC works across four key programmatic areas:

• Community Empowerment and Sustainability

• Peaceful and Healthy Families

• Child Support and Youth Mentorship

• Institutional Capacity Development

Diversity, inclusion, and gender justice are integrated as cross-cutting themes throughout all RWAMREC programs.

RWAMREC currently operates in 23 districts across Rwanda’s four provinces.

2. Kataza Project Context and Rationale

Despite Rwanda’s significant progress in advancing gender equality through strong national policies and institutional frameworks, gender inequalities persist at the household level. Unequal power relations, restrictive gender norms, and gender-based violence continue to undermine women’s agency, decision-making power, and access to economic opportunities.

The Rwanda MSME Financing Program, implemented by the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) under the Kataza Project, seeks to increase access to finance for small enterprises while ensuring that young women and families benefit from expanded economic opportunities.

Within this framework, RWAMREC integrates the Journey of Transformation (JoT), a gender-transformative approach designed to engage couples in dialogue and reflection on:

• Gender norms

• Shared decision-making

• Household communication

• Non-violent relationships

This is delivered through a structured twelve-week training curriculum.

Through this initiative:

• Approximately 2,700 couples will participate in the JoT curriculum; and

• A wider group of approximately 18,500 participants will be reached through the financial inclusion component of the Kataza Program across 15 districts.

Evidence indicates that financial inclusion alone does not automatically result in equitable household relationships or improved family well-being. Where restrictive gender norms and unequal power dynamics persist, economic empowerment interventions may fail to produce sustainable improvements and may even increase the risk of household conflict or GBV.

In this context, RWAMREC seeks to conduct:

1. A baseline assessment to establish the initial conditions of participating households and examine how financial access interacts with gender relations, household decision-making, and GBV risks; and

2. An end-line assessment to measure changes over time and assess the impact of the Journey of Transformation approach.

The findings from the baseline assessment will inform program implementation and establish benchmarks for measuring change. The end-line assessment will generate rigorous evidence on outcomes achieved, contributing to learning, accountability, and future program design.

3. Purpose of the Baseline and End-Line Assessment

The overall purpose of the assessments is to establish pre-intervention and post-intervention evidence on household dynamics, gender norms, financial decision-making, and GBV risks among couples participating in the Kataza Project.

Specific Objectives

The assessment aims to:

1. Establish baseline data on couples’ attitudes and practices related to:

   • Household decision-making

   • Economic management

   • Division of unpaid care work

2. Assess prevailing gender norms related to:

   • Women’s financial leadership

   • Asset ownership and control

   • Men’s participation in domestic responsibilities

3. Examine how access to finance interacts with:

   • Household gender dynamics; and

   • Risks of gender-based violence

4. Identify key enablers and barriers influencing whether financial access leads to equitable and cooperative household relationships.

5. Develop measurable indicators to assess the impact of the Journey of Transformation curriculum within the financial inclusion context throughout the project lifecycle.

6. Measure changes between baseline and end-line assessments to determine the outcomes and impact of the JoT curriculum among treatment and comparison groups.

7. Generate evidence on the added value of the gender-transformative approach and provide recommendations for:

   • Scale-up

   • Adaptation

   • Future programming

4. Scope of Work

RWAMREC seeks to engage a qualified consultancy firm or individual consultant to conduct both the baseline and end-line studies using a rigorous mixed-methods approach.

Study Design

The study will adopt a quasi-experimental design comparing:

• Couples participating in the Journey of Transformation curriculum; and

• Couples benefiting from financial access initiatives but not participating in the JoT curriculum.

This design will enable RWAMREC to:

• Assess whether JoT contributes to improved gender relations beyond the effects of financial inclusion alone; and

• Measure the magnitude of change between baseline and end-line.

Key Responsibilities

The consultant will work closely with RWAMREC’s MELI Manager to:

• Finalize the study design and methodology for both assessments

• Develop and refine quantitative and qualitative data collection tools

• Train enumerators and supervise field data collection for both rounds

• Conduct data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation

• Produce a comprehensive baseline assessment report

• Produce a comprehensive end-line assessment report, including comparative analysis of change

• Present findings and recommendations to RWAMREC and project stakeholders

5. Methodology

Both the baseline and end-line assessments will use a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection approaches applied consistently across both rounds to enable valid comparison.

5.1 Quantitative Survey

A structured household questionnaire will be administered digitally using KoBoToolbox.

To ensure confidentiality and reduce response bias:

• Each partner (husband and wife/partner) will be interviewed separately.

• The same questionnaire and protocol will be used during the end-line assessment to enable rigorous before-and-after comparison.

Survey Modules

The survey will include modules on:

• Household demographics

• Household decision-making and financial management

• Gender norms and attitudes

• Division of unpaid care work

• Partner support and communication

• Experiences and perceptions of gender-based violence

5.2 Qualitative Data Collection

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be conducted during both baseline and end-line phases to provide deeper insights into:

• Gender norms and social expectations

• Household communication and conflict resolution

• Perceptions of financial empowerment

• Barriers to equitable household practices

At the end-line stage, qualitative inquiry will additionally explore:

• Mechanisms and pathways of change; and

• How and why transformation occurred (or did not occur) at household level.

6. Key Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs:

6.1 Inception Report

Including:

• Detailed study methodology and evaluation design for both phases

• Data collection tools and sampling framework

• Panel tracking and attrition management plan

• Detailed work plan and implementation timeline

6.2 Refined Data Collection Tools

Including:

• Household survey questionnaire

• Focus Group Discussion guides

• Enumerator training materials

6.3 Data Collection and Analysis

Including:

• Supervision of field data collection

• Data cleaning and validation

• Statistical and thematic analysis of findings

6.4 Baseline Assessment Report

A comprehensive report including:

• Baseline indicators and findings

• Analysis of household gender dynamics and economic management

• Gender norms and GBV risk analysis

• Identification of barriers and enablers to equitable household practices

• Recommendations for strengthening program implementation

6.5 End-Line Data Collection and Analysis

Including:

• Supervision of end-line field data collection using the same tools and protocols as the baseline

• Panel data tracking and attrition reporting

• Data cleaning and validation

• Statistical and thematic analysis, including difference-in-differences or equivalent comparative analysis

6.6 End-Line Assessment Report

A comprehensive report including:

• End-line indicators and findings

• Comparative analysis of change between baseline and end-line for treatment and comparison groups

• Assessment of the added value of the JoT curriculum on household gender transformation

• Analysis of equity, inclusion, and differential outcomes by:

  • Gender

  • Age

  • Geographic area

• Key lessons learned and recommendations for future programming and scale-up

6.7 PowerPoint Presentations

Baseline Presentation

Summary of:

• Key findings

• Insights

• Recommendations

End-Line Presentation

Summary of:

• Key outcomes

• Comparative findings

• Strategic recommendations

6.8 Datasets

Baseline

• Raw dataset

• Cleaned/final dataset

End-Line

• Raw dataset

• Cleaned/final dataset

7. Qualifications and Skills

The consultant or consulting firm should possess the following qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in:

  • Development Studies

  • Gender Studies

  • Social Sciences

  • Economics

  • Statistics

  • Public Policy

  • Or related fields

• At least 10 years of proven experience conducting:

  • Research studies

  • Program evaluations

  • Gender equality assessments

  • Economic empowerment or GBV-related evaluations

• Strong expertise in:

  • Quantitative and qualitative research methods

  • Survey design

  • Statistical analysis

  • Qualitative data analysis

  • Longitudinal and difference-in-differences analysis

• Demonstrated experience in:

  • Gender-transformative programming

  • Male engagement approaches

  • Household-level research

  • Financial inclusion programs

  • Community development initiatives

• Proven experience conducting:

  • Baseline and end-line evaluations

  • Panel data management

  • Attrition analysis

• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills

• Fluency in:

  • English

  • Kinyarwanda

    
    

8. Evaluation Criteria

Criteria	Score
Methodology	30
Work Plan	10
Qualifications and Experience	30
Financial Proposal	30
Total	100

Note: Any candidate scoring below 42 out of 70 (equivalent to 60%) in the technical evaluation will not qualify for the financial evaluation stage.

9. Duration of the Consultancy

The consultancy assignment will be conducted over a period of six (6) months:

Baseline Phase

June – August 2026(Approximately three months)

Activities include:

• Inception

• Data collection

• Analysis

• Reporting

End-Line Phase

January – March 2027(Approximately three months)

Activities include:

• End-line data collection

• Comparative analysis

• Final reporting

The exact timing of the end-line phase will be determined in consultation with RWAMREC’s MELI Manager based on the implementation timeline of the program.

10. Procedure for Submission of Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit the following documents:

Technical Proposal

A proposal outlining:

• Proposed methodology

• Work plan

• Timeline for both baseline and end-line phases

Maximum length: 4 pages

Financial Proposal

A financial proposal covering both phases:

• Maximum length: 1 page

• Currency: Rwandan Francs (RWF)

• Inclusive of all applicable taxes

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Including:

• At least two professional references

• CVs of any additional consultants involved in the assignment

Sample of Previous Work

At least one example of similar work conducted previously, such as:

• Evaluation reports

• Research studies

• Preferably involving both baseline and end-line components

Submission Details

Applications should be addressed to the Executive Director of RWAMREC and submitted electronically with the subject line:

“Baseline and End-Line Assessment on Household Gender Transformation within the Kataza Project”

Submission Address

RWAMRECYYUSSA Plaza, KimironkoTel: +250 788 315 140Email: info@rwamrec.org

Only complete applications submitted before 01 June 2026 will be considered.

Done at Kigali, 11 May 2026

Fidèle RUTAYISIREExecutive Director, RWAMREC

TORs_Baseline and Endline Assessment on Kataza JoT.pdf

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