Context
Optio is a nonprofit organization currently working across Latin America to increase access to reproductive health and justice for women and girls. We partner with strategic allies to advance reproductive justice through litigation, increasing access to essential medicines, capacity building, and advocacy. Grounded in a human rights and gender equity framework, our efforts aim to drive structural changes that ensure lasting autonomy, dignity, and the full realization of rights for women and girls.
In 2026, Optio will build on our work in Latin America by expanding to other regions where abortion laws are restrictive and access to sexual and reproductive health services remains limited. In Southeast Asia, we aim to deepen our understanding of the reproductive health landscape to assess where our expertise could have the greatest impact.
Objective and Scope of Work
We are seeking a consultant to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment in Southeast Asia to identify barriers, opportunities, and strategic entry points for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a particular emphasis on access to safe abortion. The assessment will provide an overview of the regional context and include a more in-depth analysis of the situation in Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines, informing Optio’s potential role and impact in the region’s evolving reproductive health landscape. Specifically, the analysis will include:
- Legal and Policy Review
Review national laws, regulations, and health policies related to reproductive health access, with a focus on abortion. - Pathways for Policy Change
Identify potential avenues for reform—such as domestic impact litigation—and assess the barriers and opportunities associated with each in the target countries. - Health Indicators
Identify and analyze key reproductive health indicators in the target countries, including maternal mortality, unintended pregnancy, adolescent fertility, abortion incidence and safety, and sexual violence. - Access to Essential Medicines
Evaluate the availability of emergency contraception and medication abortion across white, grey, and black markets. - Opportunity and Risk Assessment
Analyze enabling factors and potential risks for policy advocacy, litigation, and programmatic interventions.
- Stakeholder Mapping and Power Analysis
- Identify both primary supporters and opponents of reproductive rights rights and safe abortion, including their key activities.
- Map key actors, including abortion and lawyer networks, accompaniment networks, advocacy and policy groups, and relevant government bodies.
- Identify both national and regional partnerships and their communication and collaboration approaches.
- Identify whether there are active groups of lawyers working to shift laws in their country in favor of safe abortion access.
Based on the above analysis, the consultant will identify 3–5 areas of unmet need in reproductive health access that align with Optio’s organizational strengths, values, and current approaches.
Methodology
The Consultant will conduct desk research in addition to interviews and focus groups with key informants, where feasible. The process should be guided by a gender-sensitive and rights-based approach.
Deliverables
- Workplan, including timeline, data collection approach, and sources
- Narrative methodology
- Stakeholder mapping report
- Needs assessment report, including collected data and identified gaps/opportunities
Timeline
Approximately 4 months, July through October, 2025.
Qualifications
Required:
- Proven experience conducting needs assessments, stakeholder analysis, and policy reviews in the field of SRHR, public health, or gender justice.
- Demonstrated knowledge of abortion policy, accompaniment, and advocacy efforts in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Laos, and Indonesia.
- Strong communication, research, analytical, and facilitation skills.
- Experience conducting sensitive work with a rights-based and ethical approach.
- Excellent English writing and communication skills.
Preferred:
- Experience working in or with reproductive rights organizations in Southeast Asia.
- Ability to work in local languages (Filipino, Lao, Bahasa Indonesia) or access to translators/local consultants.
To Apply
Interested applicants should submit their CV and brief cover letter by June 20, 2025.
Submit applications to morgan@optio.org with subject line “South East Asia Consultancy – [Last Name]”