Support to conduct a baseline study in Eastern Africa Region 2020

Terms of Reference

Support to conduct a baseline study in Eastern Africa Region 2020

Thematic Area(s)

Peacebuilding

Location

Burundi, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Time Frame

40 working days

Tentative Start date

September 1, 2020

1. Background

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a diaconal organisation mandated by churches and Christian organisations in Norway to work with people around the world to eradicate poverty and injustice. In 2016-2018, NCA’s long-term development work resulted in long-lasting change for people in over 30 countries.

NCA has been operating in Africa since the 1960s implementing large humanitarian and developmental programmes and currently has presence in 16 countries. In Eastern Africa, NCA aims to contribute to a more inclusive, just, cohesive and peaceful region. Together with faith based organisations and civil society organizations drawn from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa Region, NCA’s Regional Peace Programme promotes social cohesion, prevents and counters violent extremism, and strengthens peace structures to prevent and transform conflicts, ensuring that peace processes are inclusive and social action for peace is safeguarded. In contributing to this, NCA works with the All Africa Conference of Churches, the African Council of Religious Leaders, Arigatou International Kenya, Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations, and the International Centre for Peace Human Rights and Development.

NCA considers religious actors and communities as important drivers of positive change in the region. Not only religious actors but women and youth are considered pivotal actors in promoting social cohesion and countering violence. Therefore, in its 2020-2024 strategy NCA seeks to strengthen the capacity of faith-based actors, women, and youth to participate in the design and implementation of its initiatives aimed at preventing, mediating and transforming the root causes of conflicts in the region. To this end NCA wishes to conduct a baseline study to provide benchmarks which will qualitatively and quantitatively establish the present situation in relation to a set of peacebuilding programme indicators.

2. Purpose and Scope of the work

Purpose of the baseline:

The main objective of the study is to collect baseline values of which progress can be monitored against the specific project impact and outcome indicators and effectiveness of the Regional Peace Programme’s (RPP) interventions in midterm and endterm reports and evaluations. The baseline will also establish the pre-intervention status of each of the RPP’s outcomes to guide NCA in planning and strategic decision-making.

Specifically, the study will:

· Investigate the extent to which different individuals and social groups experience and enjoy social cohesion.

· Investigate the extent to which peace structures prevent and transform conflict

· Establish the extent to which peace processes are inclusive.

· Identify challenges and opportunities in the region for undertaking peace and advocacy work.

· Provide recommendations on specific areas of focus that the programme should consider based on the findings.

Against this background, NCA Eastern Africa Regional Peace Programme is looking for a consultant/team of consultants to support the baseline process.

Scope of the baseline

The Regional Peace Programme covers 12 countries in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region including: Burundi, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. The consultant(s) is not expected to travel to the 12 identified countries, but will nonetheless be expected to collect data from identified respondents in sample countries. The consultant is therefore expected to present an adapted methodology for collecting the information, details of which should be in the inception report. This will be finalized in consultation with NCA and refer to NCA’s thematic guidance for adapting strategic initiatives. The respondents will be derived from the following target beneficiaries in consultation with NCA and partners:

· Religious leaders.

· Women of faith networks.

· Interreligious councils.

· National councils of churches.

· Duty-bearers at national and regional level including those at the AU, EAC, ICGLR IGAD, etc.

· Young women mediators.

· Youth in Action networks.

· Representatives from selected human rights and peacebuilding organisations.

Baseline data will be collected on the indicators outlined below:

Program Outcome and Output indicators

Outcome 1

% of men acknowledging women's role in peacebuilding in NCA supported initiatives.

% of individuals in the targeted social groups who have a positive attitude to each other.

Outcome 2

% of people with a positive view on the peace structure.

Output 2.2. Level of capacity of the peacebuilding structure to respond, prevent and transform conflict.

Outcome 3

% of women and youth in target locations who report positive participation in peace processes.

Output 3.2. % of decision-making body members belonging to an underrepresented group.

Outcome 4

% of human rights defenders and peace activists who feel their space for social action is protected.**

These indicators are currently under review and the revised indicators will be shared with the consultant before data collection is undertaken.

3. Methodology

The consultant will propose a specific methodology in the inception report to be submitted to NCA for approval before proceeding with the field work. They should demonstrate the use of mixed methods approach in arriving at plausible findings. The inception report must provide details on the sampling strategy and quality assurance measures along the process. The consultant will propose and discuss the sampling strategy and NCA will take the final decision. The target communities will be selected by NCA and its partners with guidance from the consultant. NCA’s minimum standard to sampling can be found in NCA’s survey guide, Operations Manual. The data collection and analysis must include gender and age disaggregation.

Some of the terms and survey questions will require contextual definitions before collecting data. These definitions will be developed and agreed on in cooperation with NCA.

The inception report must account for ethical approaches to research design, data collection, analysis and dissemination of findings. The consultant (s) shall commit to protect the rights and confidentiality of informants and abide by “do no harm” principles. The consultant(s) shall sign and be held accountable to ACT-NCA Code of Conduct in the implementation of the task. Data and information collected in the course of the assignment will be used for the purpose of the assignment only, and handed over to NCA once the assignment has been completed.

NCA has established a Steering Group for quality assurance and approval of key baseline process deliverables. The consultant/team of consultants will report to NCA’s Steering Group Chairperson. Quality control must be integrated throughout the baseline process and it is recommended that competent research assistants with mastery of the sectoral subject matter and probing skills will be deployed.

4. Deliverables

Minimum requirements under deliverables are as follows:

1. Inception report including detailed description of methodology.




2. Final data collection tools. Where relevant, the collection should be undertaken and stored using kobo.




3. All the collected data, interview transcripts and summaries.




4. The list of all respondents reached during the study.




5. Presentation of draft baseline report to NCA Steering Group with focus on findings and analysis of interesting findings.




6. Validation workshop including presentations from the workshop.




7. Baseline values as per the indicators in the results framework.




8. Final written baseline report, maximum 40 pages (excluding annexes) and in English.

The draft and final baseline study report need, as a minimum, to contain the following components:

• Baseline background




• Deviations from ToR and/or inception report.




• Indicator by indicator data with baseline values broken by geography/project/grant and disaggregated by gender and age




• Brief analysis of interesting findings




• Lessons learned from data collection – to inform endline study process




• Link to raw data

Annex 1 - Indicator by indicator – description of approach (method(s), sampling framework etc.)

Annex 2 – Data collection tools used

Annex 3 – Full ToR

5. Timeframe – schedule

The baseline study should be completed within 40 working days, from the time the contract is signed. The successful candidate must commit to accomplish and deliver the consultancy services within 40 days. The schedule will be as follows:

Task

Days

Preparation and inception report

10 days

Data collection

15 days

Data analysis, report writing and final report submission

15 days

6. Qualifications and skills

· University degree in any field, preferably Social Sciences. Post graduate education is an added advantage.

· In-depth knowledge and experience on research methods (household survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussions).

· Knowledge of and familiarity with the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa context, especially understanding of regional political context, existing conflicts, peace processes and key stakeholders.

· Fluent in both oral and written English. Knowledge of French will be an added advantage

· Knowledge of NCA thematic programme area of peacebuilding and role of faith partners.

· Excellent analytical, communication and report writing skills.

7. Submission of proposals

Qualified consultant/team of consultants are requested to submit an application that must include the following:

1. A cover letter detailing suitability to undertake the assignment.




2. A brief technical proposal (5-10 pages), including an outline of the methodological approach and activities proposed considered to be necessary to achieve the contract objectives and a tentative timeline with key milestones.




3. A detailed budget as part of the proposal.




4. CV (if more than one, please submit CVs for all team members and detail the different roles and responsibilities).




5. A sample of previous research work similar to this assignment.

Please submit your applications by email to Procurement.Somalia@nca.no with the subject line ‘NCA RPP Consultancy: Baseline Study’. The closing date for receipt of applications is August 14, 2020.

8. Technical evaluation

The evaluation method will be the quality and cost-based selection. A two-stage procedure shall be utilised in evaluating the Proposals; a technical evaluation (75% of the score) and a financial evaluation (25% of the score). For the evaluation of the technical proposals, the Contracting Authority shall take the following criteria into consideration, with the indicated weights:

Technical evaluation

Maximum Points

1.Candidate’s relevant academic qualifications (10)

2.Candidate’s relevant experience with relevant research methods (20)

3.Candidate’s knowledge and familiarity with country (10)

4.Candidate’s relevant language skills (2.5)

5.Candidate’s knowledge of NCA thematic programme areas (2.5)

6.Candidate’s analytical, communication and report writing skills (5)

Sub-total Candidate and/or Organisation

50

1.To what degree does the proposal show understanding of the task? (15)

2.Have the Terms of Reference been addressed in sufficient detail? (15)

3.Is the conceptual framework adopted appropriate for the task? (10)

4.Is the sequence of activities and the planning logical, realistic and promising efficient implementation to the Contract? (10)

Sub-total Methodology

50

Total Technical Score

100

How to apply

**

Please submit your applications by email to Procurement.Somalia@nca.no with the subject line ‘NCA RPP Consultancy: Baseline Study’. The closing date for receipt of applications is August 14, 2020.