NDMA Early Warning Consultancy Terms of Reference

June 2014 – January 2015

Background: The NDMA is currently engaged in a substantial revision of its early warning system and process, at National and County levels, in view of strengthening its early warning system and allow more appropriate and timely response when needed.

ECHO is funding a Consortium of consortium of international NGOs (ACTED, Oxfam, VSF-G and Concern Worldwide) across the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya to build community resilience to recurrent hazards. 

Within this consortium, ACTED is committed to support continued enhancement of early warning system in two pilot Counties, Baringo and Mandera.
The project is build on three previous phases funded by ECHO aims to: To increase the capacity of communities to plan, prepare and withstand shocks and stresses; To increase the capacity of county structures to plan and prepare to shocks and stresses; To enhance consortium capacity to coordinate and initiate early response to localized crisis. Objectives

Provision of strategic technical support to ACTED for improved County level early warning using contextual local knowledge to ensure appropriate data collection and levels of analysis;Documentation of lessons learnt based on the pilot activities, with recommendations for improvements to pilot design.The consultant will tackle the following aspects of the Kenya early warning system:Understand how the information collected on each early warning indicator is analyzed within the Baringo and Mandera livelihood contexts;Recommendations on tackling the issues of data reliability and availability;Provide feedback and areas of improvement for the early warning products and their dissemination;Link early warning analysis and key parameter data with contingency planning and response analysis drawing from technical development from the Global ERC project Situation and Response Analysis Framework and the County contingency planning process.Development of a broader strategy paper, building on the Baringo workshop report linking to the developing work plan;Incorporate learning and link with activities from other related initiatives (ERC, etc.);Meeting with the NDMA at Nairobi level to ensure buy-in and share the strategy paper (draft) and work plan. August - September 2014 (6 days)Meeting with La Nina Consortium and share the strategy paper; Travel to Baringo to attend a CSG meeting as an observer; Meeting with NDMA at local level and share the strategy; Preparation of Mandera workshop (no mission): agenda, content, outputs / outcomes; Development and implementation of a format to track progress of the pilot initiatives in Baringo and Mandera in relation with ACTED’s AME Manager and linked to the ECHO proposal. Development of a short interim report taking stock of progress to date (3-4 pages) with the program advisor and the AME Manager.November - December 2014 (5 days)Preparation and facilitation of a 2 day multi - stakeholder workshop, with Baringo and Mandera NDMA, and national key stakeholders: NDMA, Ministries, ECHO, FEWS NET, WFP, FAO, UNICEF to share progress realized so far and future working opportunities. Development and finalization of a final report.Total number of days: 25

Expected inputs from ACTED

ACTED will provide:

The necessary support and guidance including regular feedback on pilot initiatives in Baringo and Mandera counties;M & E will provide short reports based on lesson learning formats;Logistics: transportation and accommodation during field visit. Strategic brief based on Baringo workshop report and links to other initiatives;Short interim report taking stock of progress to date with recommendations for the pilot activities (3-4 pages);Synthesis of Lessons Learnt from the pilot activities;Preparation and facilitation of workshops. Minimum Master degree in political science, humanitarian or development or development economics;  At least 15 years in international experiences in Early Warning and Disaster Risk Management; Relevant working experience in Kenya (minimum 8 years); Experience in communication with external actors, partners and donors; Excellent writing and verbal communication skills; Experience in assessment and monitoring; Excellent analytical skills. Please provide CV and cover letter to Nairobi.administration@acted.org on or before 4th July 2014