ThaiNGO

Terms of Reference

Growing Together Project – Regional Coordination

Background to the work/tasks             

Handicap International Federation, under the operating name Humanity & Inclusion (registered trademark) 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.

“Growing Together” is a 4-year regional project implemented by HI and partners in Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan in order to support communities to raising socially and emotionally healthy children in refugee/IDP camps and in host communities. The project goal is to enable children with disabilities and other vulnerable children (age 0-12) to develop their full potential on an equal basis with other children and acquire fundamental educational and social skills through inclusive play, arts, games, sport, culture, and early years’ education in displacement settings in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand.

For this purpose, the project engages various beneficiaries:

• Parents of children under five years old to participate in parenting clubs in order to raise their awareness on the importance of play for children and strengthen their knowledge and self-confidence on early child development, child protection and child participation.
• Children of primary school age to participate in clubs, where they will socialize but also learn knowledge — through inclusive play, games, arts, and sports — on 3 main topics: child protection, child participation and disaster risk reduction.
• Local child-development service providers to be more responsive to the needs of boys and girls with disabilities and other vulnerable children, and to implement measures and tools to encourage their inclusion in their services, especially through play.

The Regional Program team is in charge of the overall management and coordination of the “Growing together” Project, in functional links with each country team, implementing the project (Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand).

Second Annual Project Review workshop will take place in Bangkok over a period of 4 days (25-28 June), and will include team members from project countries (Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan) and HQ. The Annual Project Review will bring together approximately 30 persons, including project managers, operational coordinators, technical coordinators, M&E officers, support services coordinators (representatives), HQ representatives, partners, and is an opportunity to build excitement and positive energy among the team for successful project implementation and realistic solutions to challenges.

The Annual Project Review workshop is an important opportunity to reflect on the project achievements and challenges, identify practical priorities and next steps. The current draft objectives of the Annual Project Review workshop are:

1. To understand and recognize the teams' achievements in each country (according to the annual action plans); To understand challenges to the implementation; To share lessons learned, best practices & solutions; To analyse and problem solve the main challenges to implementation
2. To discuss project operational strategy in each country (given the changing contexts), and to start planning process for 2019 (and until the end of the project, May 2020), including a sustainability (exit?) strategy
3. To discuss the operational modalities of working with partners
4. To present technical updates and challenges (gender, protection, etc)
5. To discuss budget and finance monitoring: budget consumption and follow-up per country and of the project overall
6. To discuss M&E system (framework) implementation and Mid-Term evaluation
7. To discuss networking with the main stakeholders involved in the project thematic of intervention (protection, education, child development, displacement settings etc.) at country and international levels (in particular in Asia Region)

Primary Objective of the consultancy

Support GT Project Regional Team in the preparation and facilitation of the annual project review workshop

Specific Objectives

The external facilitator will work closely with the regional project coordinator and technical coordinator and other members of the regional team to:

-  Finalise the agenda in advance, so that it makes the best use of the time available, focusing on the issues that are most important for the project implementation at the moment. 


-  Identify people to lead each session, and work with them to design participatory approaches in advance. 


-  Facilitate discussions during the annual workshop, strictly following the timeframe and the agenda.

-  Facilitate the workshop as a whole, in ways that ensure everyone contributes, address difficult issues 
that emerge and strengthen GT as a team. 


-  Adapt the agenda and sessions during the workshop, to respond to emerging issues. 


-  Suggest next steps, to continue to improve annual workshops.

Methodology 


Prior to the workshop


- Establish an understanding of: current strategic and organisational project priorities; challenges to the implementation; effective
team working; and opportunities for progress


- Collaboratively design an agenda that is most suitable

- Hold bilateral meetings with each GT Regional team member (and, potentially, HQ members)

- Take part in one-day pre-workshop meeting (between GT regional team, and HQ members)

Facilitation of the meetings

- Overall facilitation of 4 days of annual review workshop (25-28 June, Bangkok), including 
facilitation of specific sessions

Follow-up

- Write up of the annual review workshop report, with recommendations and action points.

The consultant will be directly managed by GT regional project coordinator.


 Key Deliverables/Outputs, including timeframe and project duration:

Milestones and Payment Schedule:

Payment will be made upon submission of all the deliverables above.

Essential profile of the consultant:

• Experience of working with and helping to strengthen leadership teams, especially in the humanitarian sector
• Experience supporting teams and individuals through organisational change processes, and of constructively challenging staff
• Demonstrated coaching skills
• Mediation skills
• Experience of designing and running highly effective participatory workshops
• Experience of working with network organisations, alliances and/or regional projects and teams across countries
• Understanding of the challenges of working in regional teams 

• Flexible, professional and solutions-oriented approach

Application Procedures 


Expressions of interest are invited from suitably qualified and experienced consultants with capacity to undertake the above activities. The Consultant should submit proposal with the following components: 


• Summary of the Consultants’ understanding of the TOR and the proposed methodology to conduct the 
assignment, including techniques and tools to be used
• A proposed activities schedule/work plan with time frame
• Consultant CV 

• Itemized consultant’s fees and costs 
(HI will cover flight ticket and hotel expenses in Bangkok)

Proposal Submissions


Expression of Interest (including technical and financial proposals) must be sent to gtrecruitment@thailand-hi.org by 12^th March. Any additional clarifications on the consultancy can also be sent to the address above. Applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis.