Kenya: Consultancy, Integrated Life-Saving and Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives

Nov 13, 2021 | VSF Germany
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VSF Germany is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to pastoralists and vulnerable communities in areas where livestock is of importance. In the region, VSF Germany implements activities in South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. We Focus on Livestock, food security and Livelihoods, Natural Resources Management, Peace and Conflict, Good governance, Disasters & Emergency, and Agriculture.

1. Overview of the project

VSF Germany through funding from Germany Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) is implementing a 36 months’ project titled; “***Integrated Life-Saving and Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Kenya**”. *The project locations is Turkana County (Turkana Central, Turkana North and Loima Sub-Counties) and Marsabit County (Saku, North Horr and Laisamis sub-counties). VSF Germany is collaborating with local partners; TUPADO in Turkana County and CIFA in Marsabit County. The project target beneficiaries are 9,000 households (54,000 people). The project overall outcome is ***t**o contribute to food, nutrition and livelihood security, health and protection against recurrent crises of especially vulnerable (agro—pastoral) communities in rural areas*** through integrated live-saving and disaster risk reducing interventions.

Expected Outcomes and Activities

Output 1: Smallholder farmers, (agro-)pastoralists and fisher folk in the target locations have access to extension and training inputs and services and improve their production and value addition.

  • 1.1: Support smallholder farmers and (agro)-pastoralists to grow protein-rich crops (legumes), vegetables and commercial crops to increase availability of food and income
  • 1.2: Support fishery groups including youth and women with trainings on fishing techniques, boat building, fish processing, net making, and provision of standard support packages
  • 1.3: Support pastoralists with emergency/strategic livestock treatment and vaccination programs
  • 1.4: Provision of milking and lactating goats with concentrated feed to improve milk access to children.
  • 1.5: Support livestock value chain development, train women and youth groups on hygienic milk processing/cheese making, livestock-marketing and/or leather tanning, and provide with start-up kits

Output 2: Target communities have better access to adequate and safe water for domestic use and for livestock watering, hygiene promotion and environmental sanitation services

  • 2.1.: Rehabilitate non-functional water points for human and livestock watering (boreholes, hand-dug wells, water troughs, pumps, hafirs, etc.).
  • 2.2.: Upgrade hand pumps hand/motorized boreholes to solar-powered water schemes
  • 2.3: Establish, train, and equip community-based water use committees
  • 2.4.: Implement hygiene promotion programs and distribute soap to at-risk HHs and hand washing facilities, household toilets.
  • 2.5 Awareness campaign on the prevention and control of Covid-19, including provision of equipment

Output 3: Extremely vulnerable households have improved social protection capacity through access to multipurpose cash services

  • 3.1: Implement multipurpose/unconditional cash transfer to extremely vulnerable HHs to enable them access their basic needs for food, hygiene, health and education
  • 3.2: Cash-for-Work to cover basic needs (above all food), while improving resilience against recurring crisis (building of dykes and dams, rangeland rehabilitation, stabilize river beds, rebuilding roads, etc.)

Output 4: Women and girls have access to protection support services against gender-based violence through awareness creation, supporting multipurpose centres and capacity building trainings

  • 4.1: Activate and train community-based protection networks
  • 4.2: Train government counterparts on protection principals and prevention and response to GBV
  • 4: Activate and strengthen referral pathways and provision with psychosocial support to GBV victims/survivors
  • 4.4: Support women IGA groups through the centres/community (e.g. soap making, sanitary pads making)
  • 4.5: Awareness creation to the communities especially women and girls on prevention and response to GBV

VSF Germany is seeking to engage a reputable firm or individual/s to undertake baseline survey in Kenya (Turkana, and Marsabit).

2. Objective and Purpose of the Baseline Survey

The survey will identify milestones and indicators to measure the progress of project implementation and during the end line evaluation of the project. The purpose of the baseline study is to generate adequate and quality baseline information (quantitative and qualitative) against a set of indicators as benchmarks under each specific outcome. The products of the assessment will provide the benchmarks on which any changes resulting from the interventions and achievements could be measured. The outcome will also inform any modifications that may be made in the course of project implementation in order to realize optimum achievements of results. Specifically, the consultancy will undertake participatory assessment and analysis of the baseline situation of:

  • Assessment of agriculture enterprises practiced by the agro-pastoralists and productivity levels, extension services provision, input access, food/nutrition security and incomes of target households.
  • Assess level of skills and capacity of fisheries groups (youth and women) in relation to fishing, boat building, fish handling/processing, net making and access and use/ownership of appropriate fishing gear.
  • Assess livestock disease prevalence/seasonality/hotspots, mortality, access to livestock health services (treatment, vaccination), vaccination coverage and functionality of the existing diseases surveillance systems.
  • Assess the level of milk livestock production, consumption and quality of livestock feeds accessed by the households.
  • Identify and assess different livestock value chains and capacity/level of participation by women and youth groups for incomes **
  • Assess the functional status of the identified water points, capacity of the community based water users’ committees and implication on water access by households.
  • Assess household food/nutrition security status, incomes and food (quality and quantity) access
  • Community awareness, capacity and community level networks for prevention of SGBV
  • Government capacity to manage SGBV in the target communities-capacity gaps and other challenges constraining government role in prevention of SGBV.
  • Existence and status of referral pathways to access medico-psychosocial services for SGBV survivors, reporting channels/structures.
  • Economic enhancement opportunities available for SGBV survivors

3. Specific tasks for the performance of the consultancy

The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

  • Submit a proposal detailing research methodologies of the baseline assessment
  • Carry out a desk-review of relevant project documents including, the project monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework, budget and other relevant documents prior to the implementation of the study;
  • Provide an inception report detailing the proof of concept;
  • Develop the baseline survey tools (questionnaires, interview checklists, guidelines for enumerators, etc.) in consultation with project staff;
  • Train research assistants/enumerators on data collection tools and undertake a pre-test of the questionnaire
  • Conduct the baseline survey: perform focus group discussions and/or key informant interviews, etc
  • Analyse and quality check the data, including through review meeting(s) with trained enumerators to get more in-depth understanding of the data collected;
  • Prepare and discuss with the project staff a draft report with sufficient detail to specify findings within each specific outcome and provide key recommendations for implementation;
  • Undertake a validation of baseline survey findings with the project staff
  • Incorporate the comments from project staff into the final report;
  • Prepare and submit a final report.

4. Methodology

The consultant will be required to develop clear methodology and procedure to carry out the task. The Consultant (s)/firm is/are expected to employ both qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure inclusion of all the project actors/stakeholders in the baseline survey process. The final decision on what type of methodology and selection of persons/groups interviewed or consulted will be the responsibility of the Survey Consultant (s)/firm and s/he is expected to fully justify the choice of the methods in the final report and explain any limitations. The selected Consultant (s)/firm is expected to take all necessary steps to ensure that the security and dignity of the respondents and the rest of the population participating in the baseline survey process is not compromised and that disruption to other on-going operations is minimized. The role of VSF G and partners is to provide the Consultant (s) with all the necessary support and documentation to facilitate the smooth baseline study completion process.

5. Expected Deliverables/Reporting

  1. An inception report within 5 days of commencement of the consultancy, detailing, the methodology, sampling frame and data collection tools
  2. Concisely written draft baseline report (30 pages excluding annexes) three (3) days after the field work containing; the executive summary, introduction, methodology, discussion of findings, conclusion and recommendations, and clean dataset of the baseline in soft copy. The draft baseline survey report will be submitted to VSF G for review and comments before production of the final report. T
  3. The final report must be submitted within 1 week of receiving comments and feedback from VSF Germany staff. The final report should contain; Executive summary, short introduction to the project, the objectives of the survey and the methodology with justification of the methods and techniques used, a presentation of the findings and the analysis thereof (including unexpected, relevant findings). Conclusion and recommendations. Report appendices that include: The Terms of Reference; the data collection tools; the techniques used for data collection (including list of informants and locations visited); list of documents and bibliography; the composition of the evaluation team and CVs. These are not subject to the page restriction.

Indicative Plan/Time Frame

The duration of the assignment is within three weeks although actual implementation plan could be discussed and greed by both parties. The assignment is expected to commence urgently and take maximum of 20 days, which includes desk-review, preparation, implementation, report-writing and presentation of final report.

6. Key Contacts and Report:**

Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability (MEA) unit under VSF Germany’s Regional Programme/ Country Director will be the contact point. At Field level, the consultant(s) will be under supervision of the Project Managers based in Marsabit and Turkana.

7. Qualifications, Skills, and Experiences

Consultant or firm with human resources having appropriate mix of relevant qualifications including International Development Studies, Conflict and Development, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Social Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Disaster Management or any other relevant degree from recognized institutions. At least a Masters Degree qualification( for the Lead Consultant) in any of the following areas Water, Veterinary Medicine, Social Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Disaster Management or any other relevant degree from recognized institutions. Not less than 5 years’ experience of conducting baseline studies, programme and use of participatory methods for assessment in a field-based setting and/or undertaking similar assignments under humanitarian and development frameworks in the ASAL of the Greater Horn of Africa. Sufficient knowledge and experience covering the key outcome areas of the project.

  • Demonstrated understanding of evaluating Disaster Risk Reduction, Holistic Natural Resource Management, Agriculture, Livestock and Animal Health Interventions, Fishery Resources Value Chain and Economic Empowerment models at community level.
  • Outstanding research, Strong analytical and writing skills to clearly present findings
  • Previous work experience and knowledge of context of project area is a plus.
  • Ability to deliver on the tasks within tight deadlines and against set targets.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

8. Expression of Interest

Any person/firm interested in undertaking this task should send an expression of interest comprising:

  • Technical proposal; The technical proposal should briefly and clearly describe the following aspects; Understanding of the task, Technical aspect of the proposal, Methodology to be used, operational plan, and curriculum vitae (CV as an annex) of the person(s)to do the work and with contact details.
  • Financial proposal: The financial proposal/budget of the task should be broken down in details as follows: Consultancy fees, travel costs, and Reporting cost.

9. Mode of payment:

The payment will be done according to the following plan /arrangement:

  • First instalment: The Consultant will be paid 20% of the quoted amount after submission of the inception report.
  • Final instalment: 80% of the amount agreed in the contract shall be paid upon completion of task, acceptance and approval of the final report and any other documents pertaining to this assignment.

10. General Considerations

  • Required logistics support will be provided by VSF Germany as prescribed in the contract and meet other costs related to the baseline exercises such as transport, communication, office printing, and contacts in the field among others.
  • All documents prepared during the assignment will be property of VSF Germany. Assignment will not be sub-contracted to a third party by the consultant.
  • In the event that additional time is required to complete the assignment, over and above that previously agreed to, without changing the scope of work, then it has to be agreed with VSF Germany in writing.
  • Confidentiality of all the assignment will be assured at all times.

11. Validation of the Proposal

All costs should be quoted in USD and will remain valid up to thirty days (30) from the day of proposal submission.

12. Confidentiality

All the outputs – survey reports, data base, etc. produced by this assignment will not be disseminated in part or whole without express authority from VSF-Germany. Thus the consultant shall not produce in these materials in any form (electronic, hard copies, etc.) to a third party without a written permission from VSF Germany.

13. How to Apply

Interested consultant/firms should submit both technical and financial proposals by Wednesday 24th November 2021. The proposals should be placed in a sealed envelope marked: INTEGRATED LIFE-SAVING AND DRR INITIATIVES IN KENYA – BASELINE SURVEY and addressed *and addressed to Head of HR/Admin, VSF Germany. P. O. Box 25653-00603, Nairobi Kenya.* It can also be sent through E-mail to**:** recruitment@vsfg.org