Illustrations for promoting Gender Justice in Asia through Digital Platforms At Oxfam

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)

A. BACKGROUND

Oxfam is a global movement of people, working together to end the injustice of poverty. That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together, we save, protect and rebuild lives when disaster strikes. We help people build better lives for themselves, and for others. We take on issues like land rights, climate change and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.

Oxfam envisions an Asia where women are standing up and leading nations. We believe in an Asia with gender justice at its heart. Where all people’s dreams of a promising future can be realized and where care responsibilities are valued and shared equally. An Asia where women and girls have power over their own lives and the voice, skills, knowledge and platform to influence the political, economic and social decisions that impact them. Where women and girls can feel safe in their homes, schools, workplaces and digital spaces, and can walk freely through their neighborhoods without fear of violence, harassment or discrimination.

Oxfam invites talented illustrators and artists to create digital conceptual illustrations for selected themes from our mission. These illustrations will play a crucial role in conveying Oxfam’s commitment to addressing key issues in Asia and promoting gender justice.

Examples of Oxfam illustrations:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2286197658126158&set=a.631860752317230

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjPg5fatsSu/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQdkAH4Ik-X/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

B. RATIONALE

Now, more than ever, we recognize the importance of vivid and compelling illustrations to breathe life into this vision. Through the power of art, we aim to convey the essence of our work and aspirations. Illustrations possess the unique ability to encapsulate complex ideas and emotions, making them accessible to a diverse audience. By visually representing our vision, we can inspire and mobilize people to stand with us in our pursuit of gender justice and equality in Asia. The primary target audience for the artworks will be young feminists and social media users, while our secondary audience will be policymakers across Asia.

C. PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

These illustrations will visually represent Oxfam’s unwavering commitment to ending poverty, addressing climate change, and promoting gender justice in Asia. They will help us convey the depth and breadth of our vision, emphasizing the importance of shared care responsibilities, feminist leadership, and safety for women and girls. This assignment serves as a bridge between Oxfam’s vision and the broader community. It transforms abstract concepts into vibrant, relatable images, in the hopes of igniting conversations and actions that move us closer to the realization of a more just and equitable Asia.

Our brand style is unapologetic, passionate, and energized.

We speak with authority about inequality and the systemic forms of oppression that hold people back from living full and dignified lives.

We act with urgency and conviction. We demand long-term sustainable change. We believe in the power and potential of people.

We speak with passion as we strive to support a movement that enables ordinary people to drive extraordinary change. We believe that change is urgently needed. And that change starts with you, your passion, your conviction, and your belief in a better future.

We have a clear and optimistic vision for the future. We proactively seek solutions and do not give up.

We are not defeatists and do not get deterred. We know that if we all use collective power and courage, we can build an equal future for ourselves and generations to come.

D. SCOPE OF WORK

Oxfam seeks the services of four or five illustrators/artists to create digital conceptual illustrations for the selected six themes. The illustrations must align with our brand style but also bring Asian perspectives to life.

We wish to engage artists from Asia or those with a strong connection to Asia, preferably from Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal, as it is crucial for creating artwork that is culturally sensitive, contextually relevant, authentic, and capable of effectively conveying Oxfam’s mission and vision to local and global audiences. The artist must choose 3 out of the 6 following themes:

Theme 1: Women and Climate

• Illustration Concept: Visualize the gendered impacts of climate change on individuals in Asian countries, considering various factors like gender, age, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic status.
• Depict the necessity of gender-sensitive response mechanisms and equal access to climate finance for women, girls, trans, and non-binary people.
• Showcase women as primary providers of essential resources and their resilience in protecting natural resources.
• Highlight the systemic discrimination faced by women in accessing livelihood resources and the resulting disproportionate impact of climate change.
• Emphasize the importance of inclusive participation in climate-related decision-making.

Theme 2: Care Work

• Illustration Concept: Illustrate the concept of unpaid care work, including direct personal care activities (e.g., childcare) and indirect activities (e.g., cooking and cleaning).
• Depict how women’s disproportionate care responsibilities hinder progress towards gender equality and a feminist future in Asia.
• Celebrate the rights of care workers and promote the care economy as a beneficial economic model.
• Emphasize the need for increased investment in public services, specifically for elderly care, childcare, and public health.
• Showcase the integration of care infrastructure and support mechanisms into policies and practices.

Theme 3: Feminist Leadership

• Illustration Concept: Convey the idea of transformative feminist leadership as a collaborative process to combat systemic oppressions against women, including trans women and gender non-binary people.
• Showcase diverse individuals working together to realize gender and social justice.
• Emphasize the importance of empowering women to have a voice in political, economic, and social decisions.

Theme 4: Economic and Political Equality

• Illustration Concept: Illustrate the urgency of closing the gender gap in politics and economics in Asia.
• Depict the need for radical reforms to tackle gender inequality.
• Showcase women in leadership roles and convey the vision of economic and political equality for all genders and sexual orientations.
• Highlight Oxfam’s commitment to shifting power structures and achieving climate and gender justice through collaboration and partnership.

Theme 5: Violence

• Illustration Concept: Convey a vision of an Asia where women and girls feel safe in their homes, schools, workplaces, and digital spaces.
• Highlight the importance of condemning and eliminating gender-based violence and online harassment.
• Depict a society where women can walk freely without fear of violence, harassment, or discrimination.

Theme 6: Empowering Asia for Equality and Justice

We believe in an Asia with gender justice at its heart. An Asia free of inequality, injustice and poverty; where everybody has the freedom to speak out and take action on the issues that matter. Where people are safe from violence, conflict, and the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Strategic Objectives:

• Changing the narrative:

Shifting the terms of debate around inequality throughout Asia to drive growing consensus for climate and gender justice outcomes.

• Policy and practice change:

Bringing specific rights-based policy and practice changes to end inequality through advancing climate justice and gender equality.

• Building powerful movements, voices, multi-stakeholder partnerships and civic space:

Strategic movement building among grassroots networks, womens’ rights organizations, impacted communities, civil society, academia, media, private sector, digital activists and influencers to amplify voices, mobilize communities and grow a powerful network of people taking action to advocate for these rights-based changes.

This theme reflects our commitment to creating an equitable and just Asia. Through our efforts, we aim to reshape narratives, drive policy changes, and galvanize a robust movement towards a future defined by equality, justice, and safety for all.

E. OUTPUTS:

• Three digital conceptual illustrations (per artist) for the selected themes along with a brief description of the concept for each theme.
• Illustrations should be of portrait size of the dimensions: 1080 x 1350px
• All artists must provide source files of illustrations.

F. IMPORTANT NOTES:

• The artists will be expected to work closely with Oxfam staff at each stage of the campaign.
• The artists should provide exploratory artwork/thumbnails at the pre-production stage to build on the concept or idea and ensure feedback can be accommodated from Oxfam.
• Oxfam reserves the right to request one variation/change in the illustration even after the final illustration has been submitted in case there is any brand risk/non-alignment with Oxfam values.
• All rights for the content produced for this assignment including illustrations and other material will remain with Oxfam. The artists will be responsible for ensuring the quality and timely submission of the deliverables.
• For all communication products, the artists will be bound to adhere to the branding and sensitivity guidelines of Oxfam.
• All content is to be shared with Oxfam for screening and vetting before external dissemination.
• The illustrations will be used in Oxfam’s promotional materials and campaigns to raise awareness and drive action on these critical issues.

G. TIMELINES

The engagement is expected to commence once a contract has been signed between the Consultant and Oxfam. All artworks must be completed and signed off for online dissemination before the end of November 2023.

H. PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION:

Interested consultants should submit the following in their proposal:

1. Tell us about yourself. Write a couple of sentences about you and your work. Feel free to send a short client list.
2. Detailed proposal with rationale/ideas on what elements you might cover under the chosen 3 themes.
3. PDF Portfolio or website portfolio that communicates your signature style on possibly a variety of subject matter illustrated within that unique style.
4. Itemized financial quotation.

I. SELECTION PROCESS & CRITERIA:

The proposals will be evaluated through a competitive selection process. The following criteria will be followed:

Consultant’s profile: 50 points

Proposal: 30 points

Proposed Budget: 20 points

• Experience with International Development Organisations/ UN agencies is a plus.
• Experience with commissioning artwork on a rolling basis.
• Failure to submit relevant samples of previous work will lead to disqualification from the application process.