Country: Somalia
Closing date: 19 Feb 2018
TERMS OF REFERENCE: A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF PREDICTABLE CASH TRANSFERS UNDER A SAFETY NET ON BUILDING THE RESILIENCE OF COMMUNITIES IN LOWER JUBA, SOMALIA
Organization: Adeso - African Development Solutions, www.adesoafrica.org and the Somalia Resilience Action Consortium (STREAM Consortium)
Project: Building Resilience Through Social Safety Nets in South-Central Somalia Program (SSNP)
Position Type: Short-Term Consultancy
Study Topic: Impact of Predictable Cash Transfers Under a Safety Net on Building the Resilience of Communities in Lower Juba ,Somalia
Position Location: Lower Juba (Kismayo, Dhobley and Afmadhow) - Somalia
Duration: Thirty (30) Days
Reporting To: Consortium M&E Coordinator
Wor**king With**: STREAM Consortium Secretariat, ACTED, SADO and Adeso and Monitoring and Evaluation Units
Starting Date: Immediately
Application Deadline19th February, 2018
Vac**an**c**y Contact**: Please send applications to consultancy@adesoafrica.org, Adeso will only respond to short-listed applicants.
BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
The STREAM Consortium, established in early 2013, aims to provide a sustainable opportunity for resilience building for communities chronically affected by food insecurity and humanitarian crises in Lower Juba. Targeted communities will benefit through the delivery of predictable and regular cash transfers to vulnerable households, alongside investment in diverse livelihood bases and the provision of support and community led preparedness, early warning and timely response systems. ACTED, SADO and Adeso have extensive experience of and presence in humanitarian programming in Somalia, in particular in South-Central Somalia and Lower Juba.
PROJECT SUMMARY
STREAM (Somalia Resilience Action Consortium) is a humanitarian Consortium formed in early 2013 by ACTED/SADO and Adeso to provide a sustainable opportunity for resilience building for communities chronically affected by food insecurity and humanitarian crises in Lower Juba. Targeted communities benefit through the delivery of predictable and regular cash transfers to vulnerable households, alongside investment in diverse livelihood bases and the provision of support and community led preparedness, early warning and timely response systems.
Stream Consortium is implementing a project named “Building Resilience through Social Safety Nets in South-Central Somalia’.
The project is a long term, predictable, market-based intervention which has the potential to improve households coping mechanisms and livelihood opportunities, minimizing the negative impacts of shocks.
It aims at reducing lower Juba community’s vulnerability to acute and chronic food insecurity.
STREAM Consortium aims to provide a sustainable opportunity for resilience building for communities chronically affected by food insecurity and humanitarian crises in Lower Juba. Targeted communities will benefit through the delivery of predictable and regular cash transfers to vulnerable households, alongside investment in diverse livelihood bases and the provision of support and community led preparedness, early warning and timely response systems. Resilience will be strengthened not only at the household level directly, but through implementing improvements to systems and policies in terms of early warning and disaster preparedness.
The program will reach 5,000 households with regular cash transfers and livelihood support, and the overall communities - an estimated 18,000 households will benefit from improved access to early warning messaging, disaster risk reduction and a scale-up of cash transfers in the event of a shock or disaster event. The project will support a body of research on Social Safety Net Programming, enabling service providers to continue to deliver better designed Safety Net interventions into the future.
The project target locations are the three districts of Lower Juba region, namely Kismayo, Afmadow and Dhobley, where ACTED and Adeso each have a strong presence. The STREAM Consortium will aim at implementing a similar approach in other locations with complementary funding sources.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of a predictable cash transfers under a safety net on building resilience of vulnerable communities in Lower Juba, Somalia.
Key Assessment Questions include (but are not limited to):
- How have the cash transfers demonstrated absorptive capacities and protected poor households from shocks?
- How have the cash transfers demonstrated adaptive capacities and protected poor households from shocks?
- How has this approach, if at all, assisted targeted households to reduce the use of negative coping mechanisms?
- How have households diversified their livelihoods (income sources, skills, etc.)?
METHODOLOGY
The study will be coordinated by an external consultant who will develop and define the methodology and selection of parties to be interviewed. The consultant will produce an inception report, containing an overview of their understanding of the study, planned work, suggested methods and potential interviewees as well as any parties they see fit to engage, to be approved by the consortium advisors.
In order to provide a comprehensive study, it is expected that the firm will use a balanced range of qualitative and quantitative methods.
With the facilitation of STREAM Consortium coordinator and consortium advisors, the consultant will develop a participatory design where the main project stakeholders will be involved to give their inputs and views in the research process.
The data collection tools to be used should capture crosscutting issues particularly gender, environment and accountability, to their best possible extent. The tools developed will be pre-tested to ensure that enumerators and the study population alike have the same understanding of the assessment topics, and revised based on identified shortcomings. This also includes translation of the study tools into Somali language where necessary.
Presentation of Survey Findings
The consultant will be responsible for writing and presenting the study findings to both field and Nairobi based teams working closely with STREAM consortium secretariat. The consultant will be expected to make a presentation of the methodology and finding in plenary sessions organized by the M&E coordinator.
DELIVERABLES
Initial work plan and proposal for study and presentation to consortium members on the study methodology and process of data collection.
Inception Report to be reviewed and validated by STREAM consortium secretariat: includes initial work plan and detailed methodology, analysis plan, report outlines of final products, each assessment sector survey tools, process of data collection, analysis as well as final set of data-collection tools and the revised budget if needed.
Presentation on the main findings of the study at Nairobi and field level involving project teams, community representatives and local authorities.
Produce a case study based on the findings.
Final report (three hard copies and a soft copy on CD ROM) in English not exceeding a length of consortium specified pages.
Summary version of the final report to be shared with project communities.
Raw data summaries and data sets used.
CONSULTANCY PERIOD**
The study shall be completed within a period of 25 days. The final report is expected to be finalized by the end of March 2018. This research is part of key result areas of the consortium hence timelines agreed between STREAM and the firm are strictly to be adhered to.
POSSIBLE FIELD WORK:
The consultancy is expected to commence within February 2018. The consultant will prepare a study work plan/schedule to operationalize and direct the study for the stipulated period of consultancy assignment. The work plan will describe how the study will be carried out, bringing refinements, strategy, specificity and elaboration to the terms of reference.
Consultant will need to provide his/her own travel insurance and the same will be applicable to personnel independently deployed for data collection.
MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION
The consultant will report to the MEAL focal point of the Consortium and will work closely with Consortium Secretariat and the implementing partners.
QUALIFICATION PROFILE
Qualifications of the Team Leader
· Master’s degree in community development, planning, research, monitoring or social sciences and other areas relevant to the assignment.
· At least 10 years of relevant professional work in social research or related studies with specific reference to profiling of sequential shocks in a volatile environment.
· Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, such as local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives, local and international staff.
· Thorough knowledge and understanding of social protection programming approaches and its linkages.
· Extensive experience in working with INGOs and local NGOs, local authorities and beneficiaries.
· Demonstrated analytical and writing skills.
· Previous work experience in Lower Juba, Somalia.
· Excellent knowledge of English with supportive Somali speaking capabilities.
IN**T**ELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
All documentation related to the assignment shall remain the sole and exclusive property of the STREAM Consortium.
How to apply:
Applications should be submitted to consultancy@adesoafrica.org with the subject line**: “STREAM Cash Study”** not later than 19th February 2018.The selection committee consisting of Project staff will review all applications as they arrive. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described. The application must have one page cover letter; Technical proposal and proposed comprehensive budget for the whole assignment. The application package should include the following:
· A one page application letter addressing:
• The lead consultant’s previous experience and how it is relevant to the proposed assignment.
• The names, expertise, years of experience and relevance of team members in undertaking this assignment.
· A comprehensive proposal. Showing the firms understanding of the Terms of reference.
· Updated CVs for all consultants of the bidding firm including relevant work, number of days required, specific roles, experience and qualifications.
· An explanation or a chart of showing how the team will be organized and an estimate number of days for each team member and the team leader.
· Detailed comprehensive budget. Covering all assessment costs i.e. Total number of days verses individual man-days, per diem, flight tickets, assessment training costs, transportation & accommodation costs; visa fees e.t.c. The consortium will not cater for any costs or be liable for other additional costs due to other factors.
· Samples of recently written reports on similar assignments. Individual sector assignment reports can also be submitted in lieu of the above i.e. reports on conflict dynamics, markets, FSL e.t.c.
· An updated company profile detailing the composition, management and areas pf expertise.
· Contact details for three references the consortium can contact.
Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed. Adeso is an equal opportunity employer.