Individual Consultant - Baseline Assessment for Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional Programme (SRHR and Labour Mobility), South Africa

Individual Consultant - Baseline Assessment for Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional Programme (SRHR and Labour Mobility), South Africa Organization: IOM - International Organization for Migration Country: South Africa City: Pretoria Office: IOM Pretoria Job Description Introduction Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM is committed to ensuring a workplace where all employees can thrive professionally, while working towards harnessing the full potential of migration. Read more about IOM's workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration Category: B Consultancy Duty Station of the Consultancy: based with travel within the region Duration of Consultancy: 45 working days over 3 months Nature of the consultancy: Conduct a Baseline Assessment for the Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional Programme (SRHR and Labour Mobility) Objectives of the study are to : - Establish baseline data on women's participation in the transport and logistics sector across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia, with particular focus on professional driving roles and related occupations. - Assess the availability, accessibility, and implementation of gender-sensitive workplace policies and practices within transport and logistics companies, including recruitment, retention, workplace safety, anti-harassment, grievance/reporting systems, and equal opportunity measures. - Identify structural, institutional, workplace, and sociocultural factors that influence women's entry, retention, and advancement in the transport sector, including employer attitudes, peer and male driver attitudes, and community perceptions. - Assess the level of knowledge, awareness, and service utilization related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV, and mental health among mobile and vulnerable populations, including truck drivers, sex workers, migrants, and cross-border traders. - Map the availability and functionality of SRHR-HIV service delivery points, including the presence and use of e-lockers and other innovative service modalities along key transport corridors and within 20km radius from the border. - Generate baseline data and analysis disaggregated by sex, age, country, and target group to inform programme design, target setting, implementation planning, and future monitoring. Project Context and Scope The Safe Roads, Safe Lives programme is a potential regional initiative designed to address the underrepresentation of women in the transport and logistics sector while promoting safe, decent, and inclusive employment opportunities. Implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the programme builds on a proven training model that equips women with technical, practical, and life skills needed to become professional heavy-duty truck drivers. The initiative combines structured classroom learning, hands-on driving experience, and employability and life skills training, with a strong emphasis on workplace safety, gender equality, and job placement. Previous iterations of this model, implemented in multiple regions globally, have demonstrated strong results: participants graduate with formal driving certifications and successfully transition into employment through partnerships with transport companies. This regional initiative seeks to combine life skills training and job placement with IOM's expertise in cross border health programming (SHRH-HIV and MHPSS in particular), labor mobility and social protection. The programme is under consideration as a potential regional initiative across Southern Africa, with possible implementation in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia. Once developed, it will combine industry-led training expertise with IOM's operational presence and technical strengths in labour mobility, migration health, and social protection. The proposed programme aims to ensure that women not only gain access to employment opportunities, but are also able to work safely across borders, benefit from appropriate health and protection services, and integrate effectively into the transport workforce. The programme will adopt an integrated approach, linking skills development and job placement with essential support services, including health awareness, facilitated access to care, psychosocial support, and protection from gender-based violence. It will also be expected to contribute to shifting harmful gender norms by promoting the visibility, participation, and success of women in the transport sector. The proposed regional initiative will be aligned with regional health and labour mobility frameworks i.e. the Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the SADC Region ( [Click the Apply button below to see the contact details] ) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Employment and Labour as well as the Government of Sweden's Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Africa [Click the Apply button below to see the contact details] . It's aim is to support safer and more inclusive cross-border employment systems. In addition, it will be positioned to contribute to global development priorities, including the advancement of gender equality and expanded access to decent work, while reinforcing IOM's commitment to safe, orderly, and regular migration and improved health outcomes for mobile and vulnerable populations. Scope The baseline assessment will have a dual focus, reflecting the integrated nature of the Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional programme: (1) Labour Component: The assessment will examine women's participation in the transport sector, with focus on professional driving

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