Objective
To raise awareness of gender equality and disability inclusion within volunteer first responder services.
1. Context & Background
Project Title:
Institutionalising a Volunteer First Responder Service in Armenia (VolFiRe)
Country / Location:
Armenia / countrywide
Project Duration:
01.12.2022 – 31.07.2026
The Civil Protection system in Armenia is currently mainly based on professional responders from governmental institutions. They are to a large extent on-duty firefighters and other paid staff of the Rescue Service (RS) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). But Armenia has numerous remote areas particularly affected by the limited coverage through the regional fire and rescue services. These areas are often out of reach if we consider international standards for rapid response to emergencies and disasters. Closest MIA RS local fire brigades are established far from these municipalities, 20km to 45km, and access is often difficult (bad road conditions, mountainous roads…). In some cases, the emergency services cannot at all reach the municipalities due to snow fall in winter or landslides in spring. This fact also applies to ambulances and other medical services. Therefore, the Armenian population living in remote areas is extremely vulnerable in case of emergencies (accidents, medical emergencies, house fires…) and disasters (landslides, forest fires…).
The Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) implemented the StrengthVOL project (https://strengthvol.org/) from 2020 – 2022 (funded by DG ECHO and co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency). In the frame of this project the Rescue Services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia (MES)1 , Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) and Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) developed a comprehensive model for Civil Protection volunteering for Armenia.
In this model, the volunteers are first responders, firefighters and rescuers called “Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups” (VFRGs). The volunteers are affiliated to the Armenian Red Cross Society. Volunteers pass also an exam with the MIA Rescue services (RS) and successful candidates receive from the RS an official rescuer ID.
The VFRGs are alerted and deployed by the MIA Crisis Management Centre (911) for any emergency or disaster occurring within their municipality. They are available 24/7 and should deploy within 15 minutes after the alert. The groups themselves are responsible for running a VFR station, and maintaining equipment and a fire truck. They are alerted and deployed on a regular basis. They are volunteer firefighters like in similar volunteer systems in many European countries, e.g., Austria.
The current project “Institutionalising a Volunteer First Responder Service in Armenia (VolFiRe)” is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), co-funded and coordinated by the Austrian Red Cross (AutRC). It is implemented in Armenia along with three project partners: Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), Caritas Austria (CA) and Armenian Caritas (AC). All activities are implemented in close cooperation with the Rescue Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (MIA, formerly Ministry of Emergency Situations). The project should contribute to the further development of 4 VFRGs already established within the preceding StrengthVOL project and facilitate the establishment of 8 additional VFRGs in Armenia. The following 12 municipalities will be targeted (see ANNEX: Project map): Alaverdi, Areni, Ashotsk, Baghramyan, Champbarak, Garni, Kapan, Noyemberan, Spitak, Talin, Vayk, Vedi.
Based on the lessons learned from the StrengthVOL project and its main recommendations, one of the outputs defined for the VolFiRe project was: Enhanced integration of gender equality and disability inclusion in the Volunteer Fire Rescue Groups of Armenia (Output 5)
Within the pilot project, it became clear that the different pilot fire rescue groups were composed differently in terms of gender and age. While one group contained many younger volunteers, including women, other groups were mainly frequented by men over 40. This has prompted the necessity to explore how to ensure more diverse volunteer teams and provide framework conditions to allow people from all walks of life to participate in the teams. Cultural beliefs and social practices are often the cause of discrimination and lead to leaving out certain groups of people from DRR planning and activities. People with disabilities are commonly considered a homogenous group in national DRR plans, although there are multiple forms of disabilities which entail different needs.
The international community recognizes inclusion as a guiding principle of DRR. This is reflected in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-30), which acknowledges that DRR requires an all-of-society engagement and partnership, which promotes the empowerment and inclusive, accessible, and non-discriminatory participation of all people disproportionately affected by disasters. Thus, several activities will be carried out to enhance the participation of women and to include people with disabilities in the VFRGs. This output will also support ARCS to improve their capacities to work with people with disabilities in the DRR context and mainstream gender equality and disability inclusion throughout the VolFiRe program.
2. Objective
The objective of this assignment is to develop a Training Module (including a facilitator’s guide and a toolkit) on gender equality and disability inclusion. The aim of the module is to build the capacity of volunteers and stakeholders to systematically integrate gender and disability aspects into the planning and implementation of Volunteer Fire Rescue activities – either in existing volunteer groups or in newly created volunteer groups.
3. Scope of Work
Develop a comprehensive training module that addresses the identified needs, including but not limited to:
- Sensitizing for the importance of disability inclusion and gender equality
- Understanding the principles of disability inclusion.
- Recognizing and addressing unconscious biases.
- Communication and interaction with individuals with disabilities.
- Provide practical tools and resources for volunteers to apply the acquired knowledge in their roles (as peer-to-peer educators).
With respect to gender equality, the module will enable stakeholders to:
- Understand what the advantages of gender-balanced volunteer teams are
- Which framework conditions are necessary to allow women and men, girls and boys to participate in the VFRGs
- Hear about practical guidelines and recommendations on how to encourage more gender-balanced VFRGs
The training module shall contain a facilitator’s guide and a toolkit/collection of concrete methods for working with groups on at least each of the above mentioned topics. It shall be developed in such a way, that it can also be used individually and made available to partners, such as MES and other organisations.
The module will be available electronically on the websites of ARCS and AC and will be printed.
4. Target
The module is foreseen for:
- Volunteers of the Volunteer Fire Rescue teams
- Key decision-makers within the organizations
- Stakeholders
The module will be of use not only to hands-on practitioners, but also to policymakers, and it refers to information that is applicable at local, regional or international levels. This module can also be used by persons with disabilities and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (DPOs/OPDs) for policy advocacy and collaborative action.
5. Methodology
- Include participatory and interactive training methods in the toolkit.
- Incorporate real-life case studies and examples.
- Include methods to facilitate discussions and encourage active engagement.
- Include tools and material that can easily be used by future peer-to-peer educators.
6. Deliverables
The Inclusion Expert will submit the following deliverables:
a. An inception report containing the outline of the training module/facilitator’s guide/toolkit (including a short description of the aim of each chapter), a detailed timeline indicating milestones / including time for feedback and revisions.
Detailed training module on gender equality and disability inclusion, taking into account the subtopics of section 3.; including: # A facilitator’s guide on how to use the module and conduct trainings
# A toolkit with specific methods to treat each sub-topic
# Training materials, such as a ready-to-use PPT, handouts/worksheets ready for printing (as
annexes to the collection of the concrete tools/toolkit), multimedia resources.
# Pre- and post-training assessments to measure the impact of the training.
7. Timeframe
| Action | Responsible | Until |
|---|---|---|
| Kick-Off | ||
|
AC | 20.04.2026 |
| Inception Phase | ||
| Submission of draft inception report | Expert | 10.05.2026 |
| Feedback on Inception report – in written and/or in an online meeting | Caritas | 15.05.2026 |
| Inclusion of comments in inception report + Submission of final inception report | Expert | 19.05.2026 |
| Approval of final inception report | AC | 20.05.2026 |
| Elaboration of detailed training module | ||
| Submission of draft training module (as defined in Section 6.) | Expert | 17.06.2026 |
| Feedback on draft training module – in written and/or in an online meeting | Caritas | 24.06.2026 |
| Inclusion of Feedback + Submission of final training module including all materials | Expert | 01.07.2026 |
| Detailed presentation of training module including its use and supporting documents | Expert | Week of 15th of July |
8. Reporting
The Inclusion expert will be recruited and managed by Armenian Caritas.
The work will be done remotely with online contacts with the AC project Manager.
9. Budget
• Provide a detailed budget breakdown ensuring transparency and cost-effectiveness.
10. Qualifications
- A demonstrated expertise in gender equality and disability inclusion.
- Experience in developing and delivering inclusive training programs.
- Familiarity with the context of Volunteer Fire Rescue operations is an asset.
- Communication, report writing and analytical skills.
- Fluent in Armenian and English, both oral and written.
11. Submission
Interested experts should submit their proposals by April 14th, 2026 with the subject “VolFiRe – Inclusion Expert” at Gayane Norikyan g.norikyan@caritas.am and Elisabeth Haun Elisabeth.Haun@caritas.tirol
Proposals should include :
• A cover letter summarizing relevant experience and a proposed work planCV.
• The financial offer should include a proposed budget with an all-inclusive fee in AMD.
