Country: Somalia
Closing date: 26 Sep 2017
Terms of Reference (TOR)
CONSULTANCY FOR INDEPENDENT MONITORING OF SUSTAINING LIFE-SAVING AND HUMANITARIAN RELIEF TO COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY DROUGHT IN SOMALIA – IRF 5 (FSL COMPONENT) PROJECTS
Background
For over 90 years, Save the Children has been making a difference in children's lives in more than 120 countries. We are the world's largest independent child rights organisation, underpinned by a vision in a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
Save the Children International (SCI) is an organization for talented people with different backgrounds and perspectives. We are proud that our people are representative of the children we work with and we thrive on our diversity. We are an equal opportunity organisation dedicated to our core values of Accountability, Ambition, and Collaboration. Our culture is embedded in these values, along with a strong commitment to our Child Safeguarding Protocol, ensuring that all representatives of Save the Children demonstrate the highest standards of behaviour towards children both in their private and professional lives.
SCI has worked in Somalia/ Somaliland for over 60 years, since 1951. Our long history has endowed us with a comprehensive understanding of the local context, experienced and skilled local staff, and established systems and procedures to effectively implement projects, often in an insecure or unpredictable operating environment. In 2015, 1 million people benefitted directly from our work in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Education, Child Protection, and Child Rights Governance.
Save the Children Somali/ Somaliland program is currently implementing a safety net program, IRF 5 funded by Department for International Departments (DFID) in Central South Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland in several selected districts. . The project focuses on lifesaving interventions to address the immediate effects of the ongoing drought. SCI is targeting 10,841 HHs in all the targeted areas with 4-month safety net program up to the end of the year 2017.
Consultancy Objectives
The primary objective of this consultancy is to undertake the independent monitoring of SCI sustaining life-saving and humanitarian relief to communities affected by drought in Somalia under IRF5 (FSL Component) projects in Central South Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland in several selected districts in order to enhance program quality and accountability to beneficiaries.
Scope of work
The consultant is expected to visit all the below mentioned districts/ areas and interview the sampled beneficiaries in the below table. The sample size has been calculated at 95% confidence level and at a confidence interval of 5.
State Region District Total targeted HHs Sample Size (HHs) Number of days
CSS Bay Baidoa Town 3,100 342 13 days
Bakool Wajid 936 273
Galguduud Abdudwak 1,291 296
Hiraan Beletweyne 1,743 315
Hiraan Mahas 600 234
Hiraan Matabaan 1,000 278
Puntland Sanaag Badhan 265 157 12 days
Sanaag Dhahar 175 120
Sanaag Hingalol 560 228
Somaliland Sool Lass Caanood 770 257 12 days
Togdheer Burco 401 196
Areas of focus of the consultant
A: Program implementation
Food Security and Livelihood
Hold interviews with beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries and other stakeholders to:
Document the beneficiary selection process specifically look at community participation including women and marginalized groups in the selection and verification of beneficiaries.
Document the process of selecting beneficiaries’ committees and establish the role of the committee members and SCI staff in the selection and verification of project beneficiaries.
Assess the appropriateness of the targeting criteria, the extent to which it was followed and overall fairness of the process.
Determine any issues related to the payment process or diversion of assistance. Diversion of cash through voluntary or involuntary taxation or forced contribution should be properly scrutinised and reported.
Determine how the targeted communities have benefited from the unconditional cash transfers & Cash for work activities in their respective communities.
Collect case studies from the beneficiaries to support the findings
Mobile cash transfer system:
- Determine how targeted project beneficiaries have benefited from the mobile cash transfer system in which they have received their unconditional and conditional cash payments.
- Gather general feedback from project beneficiaries between the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile cash transfer systems.
WASH
- Visit water storage facilities to assess their hygiene and sanitation as well as the feedback from the VRCs and community members.
- Organize interview with VRCs and community to know the quantity and quality of water received against allocated amount.
- The consultant will interview Village Water Management Committees (WMCs) and other sampled beneficiary representatives to assess the beneficiary satisfaction with water trucking and document any feedback/ complaints.
- Interview WASH training participants and assess the behaviour change after attending training Hygiene and Sanitation training sessions (attend were possible)
- Hold interviews with beneficiaries to establish their level satisfaction with the services/ facilities and document any feedback/complaints.
- Hold interviews with beneficiaries to establish community ownership of the WASH facilities and their willingness/ ability to maintain them.
- Come up recommendations regarding on process of water trucking
Accountability to beneficiaries
B: Information sharing
- Assess the extent in which the beneficiaries are informed and aware of key project information such as project objectives, activities, timelines, budget, expected results and targeted beneficiaries and criteria for selecting beneficiaries.
- Establish whether beneficiaries have been informed and are aware about opportunities/ activities in which they can participate.
- Establish whether there is information that beneficiaries would like have about the project and its implementation but not getting are currently.
C: Complaint and response mechanisms (CRM): -
- Establish beneficiaries’ awareness of mechanisms through which they can give feedback or make complaints to SCI. (how to complain or raise concerns about activities, what people can complain about, who to complain to, how and where they can complain and issues of confidentiality).
- Assess the extent to which complaints mechanism has been accessible to all beneficiaries including women, children and marginalized groups
- Assess the acceptance and level of confidence that beneficiaries have in the existing SCI CRM.
- Generate ideas for improving the existing complaint handling mechanism
D: Participation
- The independent monitor will review the extent in which the program stakeholders including children are participating in the implementation of the project
- Generate information about how beneficiaries including children would like to participate in SC programs.
E: Impact
- Collect qualitative data on the impact of the program including case studies that demonstrate change in the lives of children and their families.
F: Program integration
- Hold interviews with beneficiaries to find out Level of integration with other ongoing SCI programs in their respected areas.
- Organize meeting with the respective village’s community structures to see if there is an overlap among SCI programs/ projects going on in the project supported areas.
Duration of the assignment
The duration of the assignment of third party monitoring will take maximum of 25 days in all the locations starting from the date the consultant signed the contract (tentatively the exercise is expected to start early October 2017).
Deliverables:
The following outputs are expected of the consultant:
Detailed methodology and data tools
Field monitoring reports of no more than 15 pages summarizing findings of the field monitoring and recommendations after every field visit.
A set of pictures with GPS coordinates taken during the monitoring exercise shall be appended separately. Pictures must show supported facilities, beneficiaries receiving services and all other information that depicts the quality of services being offered
Management and logistics
- The consultant will be supervised by the Area MEAL Manager with the support of the National MEAL Manager
- The consultant will be responsible for organizing logistical issues with limited facilitation from SCI and as per the consultancy agreement.
How to apply:
How to apply:
Application Process
All expressions of interest should include:
Cover letter: A short letter (maximum two pages) addressing the consultancy criteria.
Summary CV: Demonstrating previous relevant experience and achievements (maximum 4-pages).
Financial Proposal (1-page): Cost estimates for services rendered, including daily consultancy fees. The proposal should also indicate the preferred mode of payment.
Interested candidates who meet all the above specified requirements should send their applications to somalia.procurement@savethechildren.org . Applications to include:
Cover letter
Summary CV (as above) of consultant
Financial proposal
One relevant report produced by the applicant in the last 4 years.
Three recent professional references and referee contact details (for same three)
The deadline for applications is 26th September 2017