ThaiNGO

Organization

Handicap International (HI)

Position Title

Consultant for conducting Inclusive Vulnerabilities and Capacity Assessment (VCA)  at communities level

Project Locations

Thailand: 5 Refugee camps in Mae Hong Son and Tak Provinces

Duration

4 Weeks

Start Date

July 1, 2017 (approximately)

Application deadline

June 7, 2017

Consultant Base

Maesot

HI Background

Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.

Project Description

The aim of the "Growing Together" (GT) project is to create opportunities for children with disabilities and other vulnerable children, in particular children at risk of developmental delays and psychological distress (0-12 years old) in displacement contexts, to learn and develop safely while having fun. The project will coordinate implementation of country-based projects of Handicap International and partners to support communities in raising socially and emotionally healthy kids in refugee/IDP camps and in host communities in Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Project Goal:

Enable children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, children at risk of developmental delays and psychological distress (0-12 years old), to develop their full potential on an equal basis with other children and acquire fundamental educational and social skills through games, sport, cultural arts, early years’ education and complementary learning in displacement settings in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand.

Project Outcomes:

·         Children with disabilities and other vulnerable children in early childhood (50% girls and at least 25% with disabilities) have the opportunity to play, learn and develop safely in playgroups and parenting crèches.

·         Children with disabilities and other vulnerable children of primary school age are engaged in child-led games, educational games on disaster risk reduction, arts, sports and complementary learning, promoting their equal participation, safety, protection and well-being (50% boys/girls, at least 20% with disabilities).

·         Local child-development service providers are more inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of boys and girls with disabilities and other vulnerable children.

Implementation of the project will be supported by HI past and on-going experiences in child development, social support, rehabilitation, mental health, protection, inclusive education, disaster risk reduction and inclusive recreation. The project offers opportunities for the development of innovative approaches including the development of a tool to measure the quality of life of children with disability, construction of inclusive playgrounds and toys, using a home-based rehabilitation tool, monitoring of the environmental print of HI’s in-country missions, and others.

To this end, it will empower families to set up playgroups and parenting clubs for children in early childhood with support from community-based structures. It will engage children of primary school age to participate in clubs, where they learn and socialize through inclusive games, arts, sports and complementary learning, and where they champion rights and needs of vulnerable children’s in their communities. Simultaneously, the program will engage local child-development service providers to be more responsive to the needs of boys and girls with disabilities and other vulnerable children, and will assist the organizations in implementing measures to facilitate their inclusion.

An important component in starting activities is doing Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCAs) because of:

-the risks involved in working in refugee and displacement contexts

-promoting a culture of risk reduction amongst project teams

-increased knowledge of protection issues and resilience

Assignment Summary

HI is seeking a qualified and professional consultant in conducting Inclusive Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments and will conduct the Inclusive VCA in the project locations. The short-term consultancy is for a period of 4 weeks, start from July 1,2017 and will include inception report, desk review work, prepare the tools, methodologies and process of the assessment, orientation of field staff on DRR and data collection, undertake the field work, data collection, data analysis, and final report writing with the support of the GT Thailand team, HI DRR Advisor and Regional Technical Coordinator. HI encourages consultancy firms, groups or individual that can assign consultant(s) specialized in inclusive VCA focused on disability, vulnerable groups, minority, elders, children etc.

Project Objectives

To contribute an increase in community resilience to natural hazard by enabling communities/camps to identify and address critical issues causing /contributing to their vulnerabilities to disaster risks

Effect 1: Communities/camps are mobilized to assess and evaluate risks through participatory identification and implementation of some specific activities around Disaster Risks Reduction, Disaster Risk Management model.

Effect 2: Linkages of stakeholders at all levels are facilitated to provide individuals and communities with greater means to address vulnerabilities to disasters.

Effect 3: Community based solutions and families and children to address the root causes of vulnerability to disasters are implemented

Objective of VCA

The main objective of the proposed study is to identify the potential hazards (natural, man-made) in the project sites, identify the risks and elements at risk, explore the capacity of the community, existing DDR structures, their level of inclusiveness and also highlight the vulnerability of common people particularly disable, women, elder, children.  The end result of the VCA is expected to help stakeholders to identify a set of structural and non-structural steps that the HI and partners can take to mitigate the risk caused by various hazards or if those structures already exist to make them more inclusive.

The Inclusive VCA will be based on the following main components;

a)      Multi Hazard Mapping and Analysis

b)      Vulnerability Assessment of the community

c)       Risk Analysis

d)      Capacity Assessment of the community

e)      Inclusiveness assessment of the existing structures.

f)        Recommendations for different stakeholders (HI, Government, Community, etc)

Process of VCA

The process of Inclusive VCA can be divided into five steps:

Step 1:  The consultant will review the relevant documents (including any existing DRR action plans), develop research, sampling strategy and prepare inception report with the consultation and discussion of HI staff from the regional team, Thailand and HQ.

Step 2:  The consultant will conduct orientation and training session with the relevant teams (DRR, field and data analysis) and finalize logistic plans with support from the local DRR focal point and/or Operational Coordinator.

Step 3:  The consultant will undertake FGD and/or structured interviews, collect, entry and analyze data.

Step 4:  The consultant will present the findings with stakeholder in the consultation workshop and incorporate the input and suggestion in the final report. (TBC)

Step 5:  The consultant will share the final report and all deliverables as per agreed in ToRs / MoU with Thailand program and regional team.

Step 6: The consultant will work with HI teams to develop and then propose an updated version of action plan.

Methodology

a)      Desk research: Information will be collected on the existing situation in terms of potential hazards, vulnerabilities and capacity to deal with major disasters. The inform index can be used as a reference. http://www.inform-index.org/

b)      Participatory, consultative community meetings and mapping (semi structured focus group discussions) with all stakeholders (communities, camp committees, CBOs, disaster management committees, national and international NGOs)

c)       Risk analysis including hazard, vulnerability, and capacity assessment (HVCA) through FGD in the project locations.

d)      Validation Workshop to present the draft report to Stakeholders

Main Tasks for the consultant

a)      The consult will work in combination with DRR advisor HI, Regional Technical Coordinator, GT Thailand team, and Regional Project Coordinator to finalize the design and inception report

b)      Share the Inception report within the period of one week after signing the MoU/Contract

c)       The consultant will prepare the tools for the study

d)      The consultant will undertake the process of data collection, data processing, analyzing, reporting, technical briefing and present to relevant stakeholders

e)      The consultant will share the first draft as per set schedule

f)       The consultant will present the findings with recommendation in stakeholder’s first quarter meeting  

g)       The consultant will share the final report including recommendations and suggestions

Skills and Qualifications

a)      Master graduate degree in DRR, development studies, social studies or related fields, preferably including gender and disability studies, with demonstrated professional practice in capacity assessment analysis during the last five years

b)      Five years of hands on experience in conducting VCA

c)       Strong knowledge of Disaster Risk Management

d)      Must be experienced in developing and implementing gender and disable sensitive research methodologies

e)      Good knowledge and experience in survey design, implementation of surveys and statistical data analysis is required

f)       Experience in the use of participatory appraisal techniques in data collection

g)      Previous work experience in displacement settings is an asset

h)      Excellent analytical, research, writing and communication skills

i)        Proven track-record working with government departments and civil society

j)        Strong capacity and vulnerable assessment analysis skills particularly in the contest of disables and most vulnerable groups

k)      Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and work well with diverse people

Offer Expected

a)      CV including two references

b)      Cover Letter (mentioned the previous assignment)

c)       Brief outline proposed process and methodology

d)      Technical offer, including an action plan and Financial Offer

Deliverables

a)      Inception Report within one week after signing the contract

b)      Draft VCA report

c)       Final VCA Report

d)      Presentation material

e)      Data collected in hard and soft copies

f)       Photographs, primary notes, etc

Budget code

B00_011/TA36/01.3.A.1