Assessment and Documentation of Gender Transformation Approaches in UNICEF Health and Nutrition Programming in Africa

The overall purpose of the consultancy was to document and assess gender transformative approaches that have been applied within UNICEF health and nutrition programming in Africa. This has helped to document promising practices and identified elements of successful gender transformative programmes, support UNICEF country offices develop gender-transformative theory of change for their health programming and foster the scale-up of health programming addressing gender barriers in the short and long term. The assessment focused on several countries in both WCAR and ESAR, and especially countries that have been part of and/ or benefited from: - Gates Foundation funded Joint Investment Mechanism - Together for SRHR - The Muskoka Initiative WCAR; Burkina Faso, DRC, Benin, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone ESAR; Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, Zambia.

This study is one among various other initiatives undertaken by UNICEF to advance its work on gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment and, more specifically, to lay the groundwork in all sectors and outcome areas for programming that is gender-transformative in approach and results. As regions and sectors align with operationalizing the commitment to gender actions supporting the goal areas of the Strategic Plans 2018-2021 and 2022-2025, UNICEF commissioned this investigation to focus on the health sector, including nutrition and HIV, in the West and Central Africa (WCAR) and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAR) regions. Further priority was given to countries that have benefitted from or participated in the Gates Foundation funded Joint Investment Mechanism (JIM),  the Together for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (2gether 4 SRHR) and the Muskoka Initiative.

A key portion of the work was the conduct of Key Informant Interviews of UNICEF and partners staff as well as Desktop review of project documents, annual progress reports, evaluations, research pieces and other relevant documents: a) to determine how gender affects health and nutrition outcomes, and b) identify the countries to be targeted for in-depth analysis based on defined criteria. Subsequently, this will involve organizing and conducting national innovative consultations with a cross-section of gender actors and partners, including adolescent girls, youth groups, influencers, feminists and girl-led organizations, religious and traditional leaders to discuss gender transformative approaches that have affected them and/or the realization of women and children’s rights.

Remote data collection was conducted to capture case stories that have evolved in UNICEF-Govt supported programmes and’/or joint initiatives supported by UN agencies through the Muskoka initiative  with relevant photographs, videos testimonies of women, men, and adolescent girls and boys showcasing changes and impacts brought out by the project.