Yemen: Consultancy for Climate Change Impact Assessment on Livelihoods in IDP Sites, Yemen

Oct 27, 2023 | War Child

War Child UK is an international humanitarian agency working to protect children living in some of the worst conflict-affected places in the world. War Child programmes are focused on three thematic areas: Child Protection, Education in Emergencies, and Food Security/Livelihoods. The current WCUK programme portfolio includes operations in: Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo.

War Child UK started its operation in Yemen in 2016 working in the three (3) thematic areas of Education, Protection and Livelihood. War Child UK’s main office is located in Sana’a, with a sub-office in Aden and project site in Al Mukha. War Child UK works according to five principles:

• War Child reaches children early in the conflict cycle and it stays to support them through recovery;
• War Child  is a specialist organisation focused on high-impact and sustainable interventions;
• War Child champions the voices of children and mobilise others to take action to support them;
• War Child’s values define its actions and drive it to continually improve its work and systems;
• War Child is a part of an effective global family. Read more about www.warchild.org.uk For more information, please see www.warchild.org.uk

2. Background and Context

17 million Yemenis are food insecure. The scale of food insecurity can be largely attributed to the conflict that has affected supply chains and transport, the use of blockade in the civil war, and widescale poverty. However, in the last three years, frequent droughts in the South and flooding in the North have: heavily impacted domestic agricultural production (the main form of subsistence for most Yemenis in rural areas); resulted in constant displacement for IDPs after their crops fail; and exposed Yemenis to further risks owing to climatic hazards. This is the new reality that the livelihoods sector must face if its programming should continue to be effective.

WCUK has been presented with evidence in conversation with local authorities indicating that ‘traditional’ livelihoods methodologies provided by humanitarian actors (a) do not take into consideration the impact on the local ecosystem; (b) are far less effective in the face of climate crisis. For example, livelihoods projects that contribute to soil erosion through certain agricultural practices can reduce IDPs’ resilience in future, or for example, the provision of wood for energy production for livelihoods has resulted in fatal fires in IDP sites.

The research will support the Yemen team in programmatic decision-making to help IDPs to better access livelihoods, both when providing them with climate adaptive livelihoods, and ensuring that their community continues to be resilient in the face of climate crisis (by not resorting to coping mechanisms that further contribute to their vulnerability). It is also expected to support other actors working in livelihoods in Yemen to adapt their livelihoods programming to the realities of climate change.

3. Scope and Objectives of the Research

The overall objective of this research is to understand the impact of climate change on food security and the ability to access livelihoods for internal displaced persons, assess current IDPs’ livelihoods practices to generate findings to build a greater understanding of the best practices that WCUK can encourage through livelihoods programming that would improve conditions for children, their caregivers, and their communities.

This Impact of Climate Change Assessment on Livelihoods will focus on IDP sites, chosen based on War Child’s expected commitment to the sites for programmatic activities in future and following discussion with authorities. The research will help WCUK to make programmatic decisions for livelihoods projects in these sites and support the sector to adopt climate mainstreamed livelihoods practices.

The research has three main questions:

1. 1)  How climate change has impacted IDPs’ ability to access livelihoods, approached through a gender, age, and disability lens.
2. 2)  How IDPs’ livelihoods practices either mitigate or exacerbate climate change induced challenges in their ecosystem (for e.g. burning wood for energy that pollutes the environment; creation of bio-pesticides in agricultural work that are better for water systems).
3. 3)  What practices that WCUK can encourage through livelihoods programming that would improve conditions for children, their caregivers, and their communities. These practices fall into two categories: mitigation practices by supporting IDPs to undertake new practices that harm their ecosystem less; resilience practices that can make IDPs more resilient to climate change.

4. Approach and methodology

It is suggested for this research to be conducted by a researcher who provides technical advisory.

support on the research tools and data cleaning and data analysis, while its team in Yemen will manage data collection, and the Global Livelihoods Advisor will oversee the researcher and conduct desk research and the drafting of the final report. By collaborating in this way, War Child hopes to reinforce its internal capacities whilst benefitting from academic expertise.

The researcher will employ a qualitative and quantitative approach using a set of tools (KIIs, FGDs, HH survey, and any others necessary), and triangulate findings across multiple sources through the desk review. Where security or access to stakeholders or target groups creates methodological limitations the approach and methodology may be adjusted by the researcher accordingly.

The approach and methodology may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Key informant interviews (KII) including but not limited to interviews with local and national

government authorities; mandated UN agencies, NGO staff, national working groups.

• Focus group discussions (FGDs) with targeted IDPs groups and/or staff. FGDs may include

children and/or adults and should be approached through a gender, age, and disability lens.

• Household Survey (HHs): with IDPs families/households in targeted IDP sites.

5. Responsibilities

The researcher’s primary role will be outlining the overall methodological vision, and providing technical advisory support on the research tools, data cleaning, data analysis. Meanwhile, its team in Yemen will manage data collection, and the Global Livelihoods Advisor will conduct desk research and the drafting of the final report.

This will be informed by the Yemen team in the initial stages of the research.

6. Expected deliverables.

The researcher will be expected to deliver the following within the suggested timeframe:

• Inception phase: Independently lead on determining the research methodology (10 days)
• Provide the sampling methodology (2 days)
• Lead the first workshop that covers: the context; present the research methodology (1 day)
• Integrating feedback from workshop (2 days)
• Discuss desk review with Global Livelihoods Advisor (2 days)
• Draft the set of tools (KIIs, FGDs, HH survey, and any others necessary) (5 days)
• Present the set of tools and incorporate feedback, adapting tools to the context, and train the

enumerators on final tools (2 days)

• List of key stakeholders to interview (2 days)
• Data cleaning (for HH survey); coded interviews (for FGDs and KIIs) (5 days)2
• Data analysis and presentation of key trends in a workshop (5 days)
• Review of final report produced by Global Livelihoods Advisor (2 days)3
• Miscellaneous and any other tasks (2 days)

7. Profile:

WCUK is looking for a researcher (working either independently or within an institution) specialized in climate adaptation and/or empirical research approaches to climate crisis, to support on developing data collection tools, data cleaning, and data analysis. Applications from both international and national candidates are welcomed. Professional qualifications, experience and expertise required for the researcher are as follows:

Mandatory

• Post-graduate academic experience working on climate adaptation, at PhD or post-doctoral level
• An understanding of climate adaptation efforts in the Global South
• Excellent analytical skills and understanding of research methodologies, with ability to

facilitate this process remotely

Desirable

• Understanding of high severity contexts like Yemen
• Fluency in Arabic is highly desirable

Note: Travel is not required as part of this consultancy, although it can be arranged upon request, subject to compatibility with visas and overall accessibility.

 8. Timeframe and Payment procedure

The Yemen team will be led by proposals on the timeframe submitted by the researcher, though it's hoped that this bulk of the work will be completed by late 2023 / early 2024. The researcher will be budgeted for 40 working days.

Payments:

• 20% on integration of feedback following the first workshop
• 30% on approval of the final assessment tools and provision of training to enumerators
• 50% on successful completion of the assignment and the submission and acceptance of the expected outputs.

9. Safeguarding

The researcher must read, sign, and adhere to the War Child UK Safeguarding and PSEAH Policies. War Child UK reserve the right to conduct background checks for the researcher, in addition to collecting references from previous clients. data collection

10. Budget

The researcher is to submit a financial proposal for this work. Value-for-money and quality considerations will be part of the selection process.

11. How to Apply:

Applications should be addressed and sent to: Tiara Ataii TiaraA@warchild.org.uk and clearly state: “Consultant Climate Change Impact Assessment on Livelihoods in IDP sites” in the title of the email. Applications should include a proposed methodology (no more than 2 pages), curriculum vitae, one example of a similar assignment, financial proposal, earliest availability and the names of two referees attesting to the researcher’s capability.

Selection Criteria

The method that will be applied for evaluation and selection is (T60+F40). Technical proposal should not exceed 2 pages and will include;

• Specific experience relevant to the assignment. (10 scores)
• Proposed methodology in responding to the TORs. (10 scores)
• Key personal comprising skills in Climate change (40 scores)
• Financial proposal (40 scores) - Separate document.

For further information, visit the job posting here.