Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Expert — EASETRADE Project 1. Background The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) is one of the world’s leading rural development non-governmental organizations. Founded in 1960, IIRR has impacted more than 62 million rural lives across five continents. Its programs strengthen the health, education, and environmental conditions of rural communities and prioritize sustainable, community-led solutions that empower people to improve their lives and livelihoods. IIRR maintains offices in Africa, Asia, and North America. Since 2025, IIRR is implementing the EASETRADE Project, which aims to strengthen youth-led agri-enterprises and improve inclusive market access for young entrepreneurs. To ensure equitable participation and meaningful inclusion of young women and men, IIRR seeks to engage a Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Expert to support the integration of gender-responsive and youth-inclusive approaches across EASETRADE implementation. The consultant will develop practical tools, build staff capacity, support the application of the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), and strengthen internal systems for gender and youth mainstreaming within project activities, monitoring, reporting, and learning. 2. Purpose of the Assignment The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen gender-responsive and youth-inclusive implementation of the EASETRADE Project by developing practical tools, building staff capacity, and supporting the application of GALS approaches within entrepreneurship, mentorship, market access, and financial inclusion activities. The assignment will ensure that project interventions address the differentiated barriers faced by young women and men and promote equitable participation, decision-making, access to services, enterprise growth, and inclusion in market systems. Specifically, the assignment will support IIRR to:
Identify key gender and youth gaps, risks, and opportunities across EASETRADE implementation.
Develop practical gender and youth mainstreaming tools for project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
Strengthen staff and field team capacity to apply gender-responsive and youth-inclusive approaches.
Adapt and deliver GALS training relevant to youth entrepreneurship, household decision-making, enterprise visioning, and market participation.
Support integration of gender and youth considerations into the project’s MEL system, reporting templates, and learning processes.
3. Scope of Work The Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Expert will undertake the following tasks: 3.1 Inception and Review The consultant will begin the assignment by developing a clear understanding of the EASETRADE Project design, implementation approach, target groups, MEL framework, and operational context. The consultant will:
Conduct an inception meeting with the EASETRADE Project team.
Review relevant project documents, including project design documents, workplans, MEL tools, training materials, mentorship approaches, youth profiling data, and reporting templates.
Conduct brief consultations with project staff, MEL team, field teams, and relevant implementation actors.
Identify key areas where gender and youth considerations need to be strengthened in project implementation.
Develop an inception report detailing the proposed methodology, workplan, consultation approach, deliverable schedule, and quality assurance process.
The inception phase should clarify how the assignment will be linked to EASETRADE’s actual implementation model, including training, mentorship, market access support, financial inclusion, county-level engagement, and monitoring. 3.2 Gender and Youth Analysis The consultant will conduct a focused gender and youth analysis to identify practical barriers, opportunities, and risks affecting young women and men participating in EASETRADE. The analysis should consider, among others:
Differences in participation between young women and young men.
Access to finance, credit, savings, and financial decision-making.
Access to markets, buyers, business networks, and value chain opportunities.
Digital access, digital literacy, and use of digital financial services.
Household roles, unpaid care work, and mobility constraints.
Enterprise ownership, control of income, and business decision-making.
Participation in training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
Barriers faced by youth with disabilities or other vulnerable groups.
Differences across counties, enterprise types, value chain roles, and stages of business growth.
Risks related to exclusion, gender norms, household conflict, and unequal access to project benefits.
The consultant will apply an intersectional lens, recognizing that young women and men experience different opportunities and constraints depending on age, sex, location, disability status, enterprise type, household responsibilities, access to finance, digital access, and market positioning. 3.3 Development of Gender Matrix The consultant will develop a practical Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Matrix for the EASETRADE Project. The matrix should help project teams identify what needs to be done, who is responsible, how progress will be tracked, and how gender and youth inclusion will be embedded into implementation. The matrix should include, at minimum:
Area of implementation
Gender and Youth issue
Implication for EASETRADE
Recommended action
Responsible team/Person
Timeline
Indicator
Data Source
To ensure project teams have a practical and concise tool for planning and implementation, the matrix should comprehensively cover participant mobilization and selection, training and capacity building, and ongoing mentorship and coaching. It must also address market access and business linkage activities, access to finance and lender engagement, and the integration of digital literacy and tools. Furthermore, the framework should incorporate county-level engagement and policy dialogue, robust monitoring, reporting, and learning mechanisms, and a steadfast commitment to safeguarding and do-no-harm considerations. 3.4 Development of Gender Planning Guide The consultant will develop a simple and practical Gender and Youth Planning Guide for EASETRADE staff and field teams. The guide should support project teams to integrate gender and youth considerations into routine activity planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting. The guide should include:
A brief explanation of gender-responsive and youth-inclusive programming.
Practical guidance on identifying gender and youth barriers.
A checklist for planning inclusive project activities.
Guidance on equitable participant selection and mobilization.
Gender-sensitive and youth-friendly facilitation tips.
Guidance on supporting young women’s participation in enterprise development, market access, mentorship, and financial inclusion activities.
Practical steps for integrating inclusion into business training, mentorship, and market linkage activities.
Do-no-harm and safeguarding considerations.
MEL and reporting prompts for gender and youth inclusion.
Simple examples relevant to EASETRADE implementation.
The guide should be written in clear, accessible language and designed for practical use by project staff, trainers, mentors, and field teams. 3.5 Gender Action Learning System (GALS) Training The consultant will design and deliver a practical GALS training package for IIRR project staff and field facilitators. The training should be adapted to the EASETRADE context and should support staff to apply GALS tools in youth entrepreneurship, household decision-making, enterprise growth, market access, and financial inclusion activities. The training will cover, at minimum:
Introduction to gender and youth inclusion concepts.
Principles and application of GALS.
Household and enterprise visioning.
Gender-responsive entrepreneurship support.
Gender, power, decision-making, and control of income.
Gender-sensitive facilitation approaches.
Supporting young women and men to identify and address household and enterprise barriers.
Applying GALS tools in mentorship, coaching, and field follow-up.
Tracking gender and youth outcomes.
Safeguarding, confidentiality, and do-no-harm in gender discussions.
The consultant will prepare a complete training package, including:
Training agenda.
Facilitator guide.
Participant handouts.
Presentation slides.
Practical exercises.
Adapted GALS tools.
Pre and post-training assessment tools.
Training evaluation form.
The training should be participatory and should include practical demonstrations, role plays, group work, and reflection on how GALS can be integrated into EASETRADE implementation.
3.6 MEL Integration The consultant will work closely with the MEL team to ensure that gender and youth mainstreaming is integrated into project monitoring, reporting, and learning systems. The consultant will support the MEL team to:
Review existing indicators and recommend gender and youth-sensitive improvements.
Identify appropriate disaggregation by sex, age, county, disability status, enterprise type, and other relevant variables.
Recommend qualitative outcome markers related to agency, confidence, decision-making, market access, financial inclusion, and enterprise growth.
Propose gender and youth reporting prompts for monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting.
Recommend how project tools can capture changes in participation, access, control, decision-making, and benefits.
Identify learning questions that can guide reflection on what works for young women and men.
Recommend how gender and youth inclusion can be tracked during training, mentorship, market linkage, and access to finance activities.
The consultant should ensure that MEL recommendations are practical and aligned with existing EASETRADE reporting requirements. 3.7 Safeguarding, Do-No-Harm, and Ethical Considerations The consultant shall ensure that all tools, training sessions, consultations, and facilitation approaches are guided by safeguarding, do-no-harm, confidentiality, informed participation, and respect for participants’ dignity. The consultant will identify potential risks associated with gender norms discussions, household decision-making, financial control, and enterprise-related power dynamics. The consultant will recommend practical mitigation measures for project staff and field teams. The consultant will ensure that no activity exposes participants, staff, or community members to harm, stigma, retaliation, exclusion, or conflict. 4. Deliverables The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs.DeliverableExpected ContentIndicative Timeline1. Inception ReportMethodology, workplan, consultation plan, document review approach, proposed tools, deliverable schedule, and quality assurance approachWeek 12. Gender and Youth Analysis BriefKey gender and youth gaps, risks, opportunities, and implications for EASETRADE implementationWeek 23. Gender and Youth Mainstreaming MatrixPractical matrix covering issues, actions, responsibilities, timelines, indicators, and data sourcesWeek 24. Gender and Youth Planning GuidePractical guide with checklists, planning steps, facilitation tips, safeguarding considerations, and MEL promptsWeek 35. GALS Training PackageTraining agenda, slides, facilitator guide, participant handouts, practical exercises, adapted GALS tools, pre/post test, and evaluation formWeek 46. GALS Training Delivery and Training ReportTraining delivery, attendance summary, participant feedback, pre/post assessment results, key learning, capacity gaps, and recommendationsWeek 57. Final Assignment ReportSummary of assignment, key findings, tools developed, training outcomes, MEL recommendations, implementation recommendations, and annexesWeek 6All deliverables should be submitted in editable formats. Tools and guides should be concise, practical, and suitable for use by project staff, field teams, trainers, mentors, and MEL personnel. 5. Duration of Assignment The assignment will be conducted within 2 months, estimated at 20–25 working days. 6. Reporting and Supervision The consultant will report to:
EASETRADE Project Manager
IIRR Kenya Team
The consultant will work closely with:
Project staff
MEL team
Field teams
7. Required Qualifications The consultant should have the following qualifications and experience:
Advanced degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Agricultural Development, Rural Development, or a related field.
At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in gender mainstreaming, youth inclusion, or gender-responsive programming.
Practical experience in applying Gender Action Learning System approaches.
Experience developing gender tools, training materials, planning guides, facilitation manuals, or mainstreaming frameworks.
Experience working with youth, women entrepreneurs, rural enterprises, agricultural value chains, MSMEs, or market systems programmes.
Strong understanding of gender barriers related to entrepreneurship, access to finance, market participation, household decision-making, and unpaid care responsibilities.
Experience supporting donor-funded projects.
Demonstrated experience integrating gender and youth considerations into MEL systems, indicators, tools, and reporting.
Strong facilitation, training, writing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Familiarity with Kenya’s agricultural, MSME, youth employment, and county development context will be an added advantage.
9. Application Requirements Interested consultants or firms should submit the following:
Technical proposal outlining understanding of the assignment, methodology, workplan, and proposed approach.
Financial proposal clearly indicating professional fees and any reimbursable costs.
CV of the lead consultant and any proposed team members.
At least 2 professional references.
Sample of similar work, such as a gender mainstreaming guide, GALS training report, gender analysis, gender matrix, training manual, or related assignment output.
10. Expected standards of work The consultant is expected to produce work that is:
Practical and directly applicable to EASETRADE implementation.
Clear, concise, and user-friendly for field and project teams.
Grounded in gender-responsive and youth-inclusive programming principles.
Sensitive to safeguarding, confidentiality, and do-no-harm.
Aligned with the project’s MEL, reporting, and learning needs.
Responsive to the realities of young women and men in agri-enterprise, market access, and financial inclusion contexts.
11. Submission Details Interested consultants or firms are invited to submit their proposals through the IIRR application portal by the stated deadline. All application documents should be complete, clearly labelled, and submitted in the required format. Subject: Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Expert, EASETRADE Project Deadline: 9 May 2026
