RESEARCH ON IMPACT OF QAT ON COMMUNITIES

CARE SOMALIA/SOMALILAND

RURAL WOMEN PROGRAM

TOWARDS SELF-RELIANCE PROJECT – PHASE TWO

TERMS OF REFERENCE

RESEARCH ON IMPACT OF QAT ON COMMUNITIES

1. Project information summary

Project name: Towards Self-reliance Project, Phase Two (TSRII).

Location: Erigavo, El afwein, Ainabo and Bo’ame districts in the Sanaag and Sool Regions of Northern Somalia.

Target group:28,362 pastoralists (70% female, 4,727 households) living in drought affected areas of Sool & Sanaag of Northern Somalia a specific focus on rural women from vulnerable households.

Direct beneficiaries: 28,362 people (4,727 HH) (70% female) in 46 villages

Indirect beneficiaries: 289,567 people.

2. Background

2.1Study background

One of the biggest challenges which hinder development in Somali communities is qat consumption which has become increasingly widespread. Qat chewing is ubiquitous in the daily lives of rural communities. Qat (also known or spelled as ‘khaat’, ‘qhat’, ‘jaad’, ‘qaat’or ‘chat’) is a plant most commonly grown in Eastern African or Middle Eastern countries. Its leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect mostly by people from these regions. The use ofqat has a long-standing history within the Somali culture in particular. Qat chewing is viewed as a social activity in Somalia/Somaliland and brings people together for relaxation and to stimulate conversation (Ismail and Home, 2005). Qat use is normally restricted to particular times of the day and session length. Some people also chew qatin order to remain alert for studying or work reasons. Attitudes towards qat use vary but it is generally perceived as a legitimate activity.

Qatchewing became a widespread problem after initially limited to a small number of people and in towns. Gradually it became an omnipresent phenomenon, which, with the exception of young children, involves people of all categories and ages. Qat-chewing is an insidious habit that affects many aspects of life, consuming significant amounts of time (particularly of un- or under-employed men) and household income. With its adverse social, economic and medical consequences it has become a problem of grave national concern.

This study is sponsored by CARE Somalia/Somaliland’s second phase of the Towards Self Reliance (TSR) project funded by the European Union (EU). The first phase of the project ended in December 2012 and the second phase is a follow-up to and expansion of the former TSR program. The TSR 1 project has made considerable achievements in increasing livelihood security of the target communities, but more importantly systems have been established to help cushion livelihoods from the effects of future droughts. The TSR 2 project will build on these achievements by more deeply addressing structural root causes of poverty, decreasing vulnerabilities and fostering a culture of self-reliance and hence this study.

In implementing this, CARE envisages a community based approach where communities through a participatory rural appraisal approach, identify their needs and implement appropriate solutions hence enabling communities to start building a better and more dignified life. This study therefore emphasizes the need to identify most appropriate and sustainable approaches or solutions to the impact of qat chewing.

The new phase of TSR 2 introduces a number of methodological changes and additions to promote investment and further empower women. The enhancements entail:

a) Supporting specific activities that help project participants use the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) funds to start small business ventures.

b) TSR 2 will pilot a profit and loss sharing system that aligns with Islamic financing principles and is not interest based, working closely with local religious leaders. Once the pilot shows positive results this will be mainstreamed in the TSR methodology.

c) Expanding activities to enhance women’s role in household decision making on allocation of resources – through budget management training and leadership skills development., basic money management skills (e.g. literacy and numeracy, book-keeping, management, planning and maintenance).

d) Intensive training on entrepreneurial and vocational skills to help project participants pursue profitable self-employment opportunities.

e) Linking successful VSLAs to remittance companies to further improve access to financial services, and encourage remittance companies to start considering services beyond remittances, as part of a wider range of (Islamic) banking services.

3.Scope of work.

The research will last for a period of 24 days (excluding travel to and from the consultant’s place of work). It will be conducted in the Erigavo, El afwein, Ainabo and Bo’ame districts in the Sanaag and Sool regions of Northern Somalia.

3.1 Objectives of the research

The main purpose of the research is to identify the perceived and actual socio-economic effects of qat consumption at individual, household and community levels and devise necessary community led strategies to address or minimize the negative impacts. The specific objectives include:

1. Identify the perceived and actual social, health and economic effects of qat consumption on the study population at the household level and for the community at large (findings should be disaggregated by age and sex). This should include the impact of qat on gender relations both at household level and in the community.
2. Identify the key drivers and trends in qat use, including who is responsible for/benefits from producing, importing, transporting, selling qat.
3. Determine the scope of the industry in the target communities, including an analysis of the amount and value ofqat sold and consumed, and who is profiting from the industry.
4. Develop a set of recommendations to reduce or mitigate the ill effects of consumption at various levels (individual, HH and community), and to address its production, transportation, distribution, and sale. Include policy considerations and an analysis of role of various stakeholders.
5. Identify appropriate behavior change and communication strategies and tools to inform communities of the social, economic and health implication of qat.
6. Identify ways of supporting communities to address the problems associated with qat chewing.

3.2 Research questions

1. What categories and proportions of the study population are using qat? What are the patterns of qatconsumption geo-locations, gender, timing and seasons?
2. What are the perceived and actual social and economic effects of qat consumption at the household level and for the community at large and what are the perceived and actual health implications? How do these perceptions and realities vary among men and women? How does qat consumption affect gender relations and the household?
3. What are the socio-economic drivers of the industry (who produces, imports, transports, distributes/sells qatand what are the costs and profit levels of each)? How has consumption changed over time, what is the likely future trend and what are the alternatives to its use?
4. What policies and actions are required by stakeholders to address the qat industry in a holistic manner, bearing in mind the socio-economic effects and drivers?
5. What behavior change and/or communication strategies and tools are most appropriate to inform communities of the social, economic and health implication of qat and change behaviors?
6. Which community led approaches or solutions can be supported to address the problems associated with qatchewing? Who can play a role and what will the role be?

4.Methodology

The consultant will be responsible for designing the methodology of the research. The methodology shall consist of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods including questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews and other participatory approaches such as seasonal calendars and daily activity mapping.

· Literature review: The research should make use of relevant secondary information such as CARE’s study on Underlying Causes of Poverty and Vulnerability, previous researches and reports to narrow down the focus of the primary data collection.

· Field work: Data collection using quantitative and qualitative tools. The research will rely primarily on qualitative information from semi-structured interviews with key informants, focus group discussions with various social groups and stakeholders, and other participatory research methods with pastoral communities.

· Where possible, case studies will be used to identify and illustrate the problems associated with qat consumption.

· Analysis and report writing: The primary data will be triangulated among various sources and methodologies and will be crosschecked with secondary data. The research will involve various data analysis techniques: trend analysis, comparative analysis, causal effect analysis and stakeholder analysis.

5.Tasks

Key tasksTimelines1. Develop and submit an inception report that includes the research methodology, sampling technique and sample size, detailed schedule for the research and appropriate data collection tools (translated and validated into Somali) 1.5 days 2. Conduct desk reviews of secondary information 2 days 3. Train (a mix of both male and female) enumerators and pre-test the data collection tools. 1 day 4. Obtain feedback on data collection tools from CARE and partner staff and finalize data collection tools 5. Collect and verify data from a representative sample of individuals from the target population and key stakeholders in 4 districts using/through household questionnaires, key informant interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) 13 days 6. Conduct data entry, cleaning and analysis; 3 days 7. Develop and submit first draft report to CARE 1 day 8. Present and validate preliminary findings and recommendations to local stakeholders (including the study population and local authorities), partners and staff before departure from the field 1 day 9. Hold a debriefing session in CARE’s Nairobi office. 0.5 day 10. Finalize and submit the final report incorporating feedback from CARE and partners 1 dayTOTAL 24 days

6.Specific Deliverables/Expected Output

In reference to the scope of work above, the consultant is expected to submit the following:

a) An inception report outlining the research methodology including sampling technique, sample size, appropriate draft data collection tools (validated and translated into Somali) and an updated and detailed schedule for the research.

b) A 30-40 page draft report (in MS Word),in the following format at a minimum:

1. Executive Summary (max. 2 pages);
2. Introduction;
3. Methodology, including sampling;
4. Analysis and findings of the study, including case studies;
5. Conclusions;
6. Detailed set of recommendations covering those who benefit from and consume qat, policy/legal framework, key stakeholders, behavior change/communication strategies; that discusses who the audience is and how they will be reached;
7. Annexes

c) The consultant shall submit the following as annexes in soft to CARE Somalia/Somaliland

i. Relevant maps and photographs of the study areas;

ii. Bibliography of consulted secondary sources;

iii. Finalized data collection tools;

iv. List of key informants;

v. Raw data of the research in agreed upon format.

d) Reports of the presentations of preliminary findings incorporating recommendations from the validation session and feedback from local stakeholders and CARE.

e) Final report with corresponding finalized annexes.

7.Qualifications of Consultant

· An advanced degree in social sciences or development studies solid experience/qualification.

· Solid experience in research.

· Background in community development and conversant with participatory methodologies.

· Excellent data and livelihoods analysis techniques such as knowledge on comparative analysis, stakeholder’s analysis and creation of databases.

· Working knowledge of pastoral communities in arid/semi-arid lands of the Greater Horn of Africa (Kenya, Somalia/Somaliland and Ethiopia)

· Experience with community development projects.

· Excellent analytical and report writing skills.

· Advanced English writing skills (knowledge of Somali is a plus)

8.Roles and responsibilities

CARE Somalia/Somaliland -During the research, CARE, through the Area Manager – Erigavo, is responsible for coordination/guidance, logistical arrangements, and provision of the needed project documents for review, approval of the final report, payment for the consultancy and dissemination of the report to all stakeholders.

The consultant will be responsible for the development of methodologies and research tools in liaison with CARE project staff, conducting the research, analysis, reporting and submission of high quality standard final report, corresponding annexes and other related deliverables.

NOTE: CARE will only pay the entire consultancy fee (as per the contract) after the full submission and acceptance of the final report and corresponding annexes and other related deliverables.

9.Work plan and time schedule

The total duration of the research is expected to take 24 working days within a period of approx. 6 weeks including the fieldwork and report writing. A tentative time schedule is included below. The final work plan and time schedule will be agreed upon between CARE and the consultants.

Tentative schedule

Note: the final schedule will be determined by flight schedules.

Day 1-2 Review documents and finalize work plan and schedules

Meet with relevant CARE

Continue reviewing of documents

Day 3-5 Fly to Hargiesa/Erigavo meet with Program Coordinator, Area Managers, field staff, finance staff and local officials. Review and finalize field visit and interaction plan with project staff.

Day 6-14 Field visits in the four districts, interactions with community groups and project staff and field observations.

Day 15-16 prepare a preliminary report outlining the major findings.

Brief the project staff and local partners on the initial findings and major recommendations. Check facts and figures. Incorporate feedback from the project staff.

Day 17 Fly to Nairobi

Day 18-22 Prepare first draft report and circulate to CARE staff

Day 23 Brief CARE staff in Nairobi and obtain comments and feedback.

Day 24 Incorporate feedback and prepare the final draft

Day 25 Present the final draft to CARE and EC.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your updated CV and technical and financial proposal to somconsultants@care.org by 20thApril 2015, quoting the title of the consultancy.

CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer, promoting gender, equity and diversity. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For more information about CARE and its programs, visit www.care.org