Consultancy: Leadership, Climate Resilience and Conflict Prevention Training for Women at Peace & Climate Empowerment Initiative (PACE)

About PACE Initiative

Peace and Climate Empowerment Initiative (PACE Initiative) is a Nigerian civil society organisation working to advance community resilience, inclusive governance, sustainable development and peaceful coexistence.

PACE Initiative is implementing activities under a project funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), in partnership with Grassroot Researchers Association (GRA).

As part of this initiative, PACE seeks to engage a qualified consultant to design and facilitate participatory capacity-building sessions for 200 women in selected communities in Jos, Plateau State.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultancy aims to strengthen women’s knowledge, confidence and practical skills to participate in community leadership, respond to climate-related challenges, prevent and resolve conflicts, and advocate for inclusive governance.

The training must be highly participatory, accessible and culturally appropriate, recognising that participants will have varying levels of formal education and literacy.

The consultant will be expected to adopt practical, activity-based learning methods rather than conventional lecture-style delivery.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will be responsible for:

1. Developing a practical training curriculum, facilitator’s guide and session agenda.
2. Designing engaging exercises, group discussions, role-plays, storytelling activities and community-based problem-solving sessions.
3. Delivering four one-day training sessions for 50 women per cohort, reaching 200 women in total.
4. Facilitating sessions in accessible English and Hausa, with appropriate support for participants who have limited literacy.
5. Administering simple pre- and post-training learning assessments suitable for the participants.
6. Supporting participants to identify practical actions they can undertake within their communities.
7. Preparing a comprehensive post-training report documenting participation, key learning outcomes, participant feedback, challenges and recommendations.

Training Themes

The curriculum will cover four interconnected themes:

Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

• Understanding local climate challenges and their effects on livelihoods and households.
• Practical community-level adaptation strategies.
• Women’s roles in strengthening household and community resilience.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

• Understanding common sources of community conflict.
• Dialogue, negotiation, mediation and peaceful dispute resolution.
• Women’s roles in preventing and resolving conflicts.

Gender-Responsive Governance

• Understanding women’s rights, participation and representation.
• Identifying barriers to women’s involvement in community decision-making.
• Practical strategies for inclusive community leadership.

Legislative Advocacy

• Understanding how community concerns can be communicated to decision-makers.
• Identifying relevant community leadership and government structures.
• Developing simple advocacy messages and collective action plans.

The consultant must contextualise all four themes to the lived experiences of women in Jos and surrounding communities.

 Training Approach and Schedule

The training will be conducted over four days, with one cohort of 50 women participating each day.

Daily schedule: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Tea break: 10:30–10:45 AM
Lunch break: 1:15–2:00 PM

The approach should prioritise:

• Interactive exercises and practical demonstrations.
• Small-group discussions and peer learning.
• Role-playing and storytelling.
• Visual learning aids and simplified language.
• Locally relevant examples and scenarios.
• Inclusive participation and a safe, respectful learning environment.

 Expected Deliverables

All deliverables will be subject to review and acceptance by PACE Initiative.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should demonstrate:

• A university degree in Development Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Gender Studies, Social Sciences or a related discipline.
• At least three years of relevant experience facilitating community-based capacity-building programmes.
• Demonstrated knowledge of climate resilience, conflict prevention, women’s leadership and inclusive governance.
• Experience working with grassroots women’s groups and participants with limited formal education.
• Strong participatory facilitation and adult-learning skills.
• Excellent communication skills, including proficiency in Hausa and English.
• Familiarity with the social, cultural and environmental context of Plateau State.
• Experience implementing or supporting donor-funded development projects.

Experience facilitating similar training under UN-funded or other internationally funded programmes will be an advantage.

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Only shortlisted candidates may be contacted for further discussions or interviews.

PACE Initiative reserves the right not to award the consultancy if no application adequately meets the assignment requirements.

Safeguarding and Professional Conduct

The selected consultant will be required to comply with PACE Initiative’s applicable safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, confidentiality, non-discrimination and professional conduct requirements.

All participant information and training documentation must be handled confidentially and used only for authorised project purposes.

PACE Initiative is committed to equal opportunity and encourages applications from qualified women and locally based consultants.