Thursday, June 7, 2012

Save the Children Somalia TOR for Consultancy Job


Terms of Reference

1. Introduction
 
Save the Children Somalia is a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose mission is to fight for children’s rights and deliver immediate and lasting improvement to children’s lives worldwide. Save the Children Somalia has been operational in the Greater Somalia for over 40 years. 

Currently Save the Children Somalia operates programmes that span relief to development with a wide range of programming in Health, Nutrition, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Vocational and Skills Training, Education and Food Security & Livelihoods working in Somaliland, Puntland and Central and South Somalia. 

Save the Children Somalia works to ensure quality programming on the ground which forms the basis to advocate for greater changes in policy and practice at regional, national and global levels.

2. Background of the Project
 
Save the Children Somalia has been working to help communities in the Hiran Region of Somalia for over 40 years including reducing their vulnerability to a number of hazards (e.g. drought, conflict, displacement and flooding).

Since mid 2011 with multi-donor funding, including ECHO, Save the Children Somalia began cash based programming to drought and conflict affected communities in the Hiran Region of Somalia. The programme was aimed at increasing the communities’ access to food and non-food items and implemented through most of 2012. 

The rate of cash transfer given to the households was pegged to the FSNAU defined Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) the guarantee money intended for food needs was not diverted to other households needs. 

The contribution to resilience was implied, but has not been formally explored as of yet. Additionally, Save the Children Somalia is providing support to asset recovery through seeds and tools distributions, livestock re-distribution and treatment.

3. Purpose and Objectives of the consultancy
 
The purpose of the consultancy is to analyze the previous and current Save the Children Somalia cash based programming in Hiran to establish its contribution to household and community resiliency. 

The objectives of the study are:
  • To conduct a risk assessment across the different livelihood zones in Hiran
  • To analyze the impact of cash based programming in improving the resilience of poor communities in relation to food security and livelihoods
  • To analyze how cash interventions have complemented Save the Children Somalia’s FSL programming in Hiran
  • To provide recommendations for policy advocacy and practice for humanitarian actors
The resilience building impact of cash should be analysed in the context of other complimentary food security and livelihood projects and not in isolation. It should also consider the affects of seasonality and be disaggregated by the different livelihood zones in Hiran.
 
4. Methodology
 
The consultants will identify and develop detailed methodologies that are universally accepted and suitable to such studies. These will have both qualitative and quantitative components. 

The methodologies should include, but not limited to, the following:
  • Review of literature
  • Review of SC data
  • Secondary data sources
  • Primary data
Background literature:
  • Twigg’s characteristics of disaster resilient communities 2007
  • The characteristics of resilience building 2012 (Interagency Resilience Group UK)
  • Action research for community adaptation (Arcab framework) ACCRA Local Adaptive capacity framework
  • TANGO Resilience framework March 2012
5. Mandatory steps for outputs:
  • Inception note and initial briefing at the commencement of work
  • Debriefing at the end of field work is mandatory with relevant SC staff
  • Final report should be provided in electronic form as in hard copy with any databases from field work
6. Report Structure
 
Report will have the following structure:
  • Executive Summary
  • Project Background
  • Study Methodology
  • Findings per study area
  • Discussion
  • Recommendations
  • Annexes including tools used, people contacted, etc
  • Total report should not exceed 25 pages without annexes
7. Roles & responsibilities
 
7.1. Consultant
  • Provide synopsis of the proposed methodologies (inception note)
  • Establish contacts with pre-identified organizations and explaining the objective of the work
  • Administer data collection, data entry and analysis of questionnaires and key informant interviews
  • Review of relevant documents and literature
  • Provide reports as per the pre-agreed timeframe of the study
7.2 Save the Children Somalia
  • Save the Children Somalia Facilitate consultations with the relevant informants
  • Ensure contacts in areas of study
  • Arrange translators, if necessary
  • Provide necessary information,
  • Review the draft report and provide feedback to the consultant
  • Disburse payment of the service as per the contract agreement
8. Timeframe & Budget
  • The task requires a total of 45 days allocated for preparation, field work, report writing and debriefing.
  • All costs related to the consultancy will be charged to the ECHO HIP budget
9. Deliverables
  • An inception note
  • A preliminary draft report within 40 days of start of consultancy
  • A final report before within 45 days of start of consultancy
  • A PowerPoint presentation explaining the final report and recommendations
  • A policy brief
10. Management structure
  • The consultancy is managed by the Food Security and Livelihoods Technical Manager
11. Level of access to children
 
The responsibilities of the consultancy may require the consultant to have regular contact with children or young people. In the overseas context all posts are considered to be level 3 posts in view of potential situations that may allow staff unsupervised access to vulnerable children and young people.
 
12. Required qualification and experience
 
The criteria for selecting a consultant will include:
  • Post graduate qualification related with developments studies or other relevant feilds;
  • At least 5 years of experience in humanitarian work and or development experience;
  • Proven experience in adaptation and adaptive capacity
  • Experience with cash programming highly valued
  • Strong understanding of current situation in Southern Somalia
  • Previous experience working in Somalia or for Somalia country programs
  • Proven experience of excellent writing skills
  • Teams with at least one Somali speaker will be highly valued
13. Applications Procedures
 
All interested candidates should forward applications which must include:
 
Proposal on research including:
  • Methodology
  • CVs of proposed team
  • Time frame
  • Budget
A writing sample of similar work
 
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
 
Applications should be sent to: vacancies@scsom.org, expire date of applications is on 24 June 2012. 

Due to urgency applications will be view on rolling basis.