Consultancy – Study on the advocacy work of the Lutheran World Federation Full Time

About the job
Study on the advocacy work of the Lutheran World Federation

LWF Action for Justice

Program Title: LWF Action for Justice unit

Project title From Windhoek to Krakow – advocacy in the LWF

Type of Assignment: Research and publication

Contract period: March to July 2023

Geographical area: Global – covering the work of a sample of LWF member churches and LWF World Service Country Programs
Background
The Thirteenth Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation, will take place in Krakow, Poland, 13-19 September 2023. This is the “most significant event” in the life of LWF, and it marks an important occasion for reflection and planning. The Assembly will be followed by a new strategic mandate for the LWF from 2025 onwards, and therefore reflection on activities of the current strategic period 2019-2024 is appropriate.

The LWF Action for Justice unit, which is the advocacy hub of the organization, would like to take this opportunity to review LWF advocacy in the past 6 years, taking a storytelling approach to understand what topics LWF member churches have advocated on, how they have approached advocacy work (detailing their local to global, human rights and faith-based advocacy approaches), and what successes and challenges they have faced in order to learn for the future.

With 149 member churches, LWF has significant reach and consequent ability to make an impact with advocacy efforts. The research will look back at the last 6 years of advocacy work around the world, both reviewing documentation and speaking to LWF member churches, World Service country programs and staff to understand how LWF has advocated on key issues. The focus will be on advocacy initiatives that were undertaken with the direct support of the LWF Communion Office.

Objective

The study will seek to achieve the overarching objective of capturing stories of LWF advocacy around the world over the last 6 years (since the last LWF assembly in 2017).
Brief description of the project
The study will use a mixed methods approach, primarily in-depth interviews and desk reviews of existing documents and information on advocacy. Sampling of stakeholders and advocacy initiatives will be done in such a way that it provides a balance in terms of regional coverage, thematic areas, advocacy methods and other factors. The overall report will take the form of a narrative story-telling in order to succinctly offer depth of stories from practice on the ground.
Scope of the consultancy
There Are Four Major Pillars Under This Project
Conceptualization: Thinking through the best possible way to collect the information required for the report; lessons from current research methods on advocacy (including faith-based advocacy); determining the best format to use; identifying limitations and addressing them; and any other relevant aspects.
Research: Application of mixed research methodology (interviews and desk reviews) to collect data and stories from the relevant sources. This includes a specific sampling approach that satisfies the scope of LWF structure and constituency.
Report writing : Analysing the data and turning it into report that is accessibly, interesting, and captures the story telling format.
Presentation: Developing a presentation that highlights the key findings and recommendations from the report. This presentation will be made in different places including the LWF assembly.
Deliverables
Report
Presentation
Consultancy timeline
Action | Date
Contracting the consultant | By end of March
Conceptualization and organization of the study, including decision on coordination between the consultant and the LWF | Early April
Research | April – May
Report writing | June
Delivery of the report and presentation | July
Consultant profile
5-7 years’ experience in research, specifically in the field of social science with a focus on humanitarian, development and advocacy work of civil society organizations at global levels. Experience in working with faith-based actors is an added value;
Previous experience with advocacy themes such as human rights, climate change, gender justice, peace and interfaith collaboration, humanitarian policy and practice;
Able to articulate key elements of advocacy in practice in relation to project design, implementation and impact
Strong organizational skills, experience in the organization of information in a narrative/story format
Able to work with a diverse team
Please send your expression of interest to undertake this consultancy, which must include a cover letter indicating your profile and experience and a budget proposal

Deadline for application: 27 March 2023