[Consultancy] Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Environment and Climate Change (ECC) Integrated Market System Analysis (MSA) Study

Work package

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Environment and Climate Change (ECC) Integrated Market System Analysis (MSA) Study

Location

Kenya: Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and Dadaab

Expected start date

June 29, 2026

Expected end date

August 7, 2026

Application deadline

June 19, 2026

Approximate budget

$55,000 CAD

Background

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that focuses on three programmatic areas: economic opportunities, Education, and Empowerment. Our vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs. Our mission is to catalyze change by improving education and economic opportunities for young people. We support all young people, with a focus on women and people affected by displacement. Our organizational values are rooted in a commitment to collaboration and partnership, learning and adaptability, courageous leadership, youth voice and agency, and inclusion for all.

WUSC currently works in over 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD 50 million. Globally, we partner with a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders who help us achieve our mission.

Project Description

The Strengthen Skills Training Ecosystems & Pathways (STEP) project is a seven-year initiative that aims to enhance the economic well-being of displaced and host community youth, particularly young women, by increasing access to market-relevant skills training, promoting equitable transitions to employment and entrepreneurship, and expanding digital and remote work opportunities in Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and Dadaab regions in Kenya. STEP builds on WUSC's past successes, such as the LEAP and DREEM 1.0 projects, and aligns with Kenya's Shirika Plan and Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy.

STEP's design is informed by an intersectional understanding of exclusion and by the recognition that labor mobility is a core determinant of whether skills training actually translates into work. Young refugees and host community youth, especially adolescent girls and young women, face overlapping constraints linked to documentation and movement barriers, limited access to work authorization, transport costs, commute safety, household gatekeeping, care responsibilities, time poverty, restrictive social and gender norms, limited digital access, protection and security risks, disability-related barriers, language barriers, and weak market linkages. In Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and Dadaab, these barriers affect equitable participation in training, higher-return sectors, entrepreneurship, and decent work, and also the ability to move safely, legally, affordably, and consistently between home, training sites, workplaces, markets, county towns, nationally, globally, and to digital access points for apprenticeships, interviews, onboarding, business development, and access to markets beyond immediate camp locations.

The project also recognizes that exclusion is not experienced uniformly. Women and girls, young men and boys, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, underserved groups, and youth with caregiving responsibilities may experience different forms and intensities of exclusion. Policy and implementation gaps further shape these outcomes, including inconsistent access to documentation, permits, transport, labor market entry points, and mobility, as well as to disability-inclusive or safeguarding-responsive services.

Given these intersecting barriers faced by youth, particularly young women and other underserved groups, a comprehensive intersectional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Environment and Climate Change (ECC) integrated Market Systems Analysis (MSA) study will assess structural, social, institutional, economic, and protection-related barriers that shape access, participation, retention, transition, and identify practical, context-responsive measures to strengthen inclusive, equitable, and safe project delivery.

Nature and Scope

WUSC is seeking a consultant (firm) to conduct a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Environment and Climate Change-integrated (ECC) Market Systems Analysis (MSA) to validate priority sectors