Assignment: Technical support to Saferworld and its partners to develop and implement media activities for the Community Security Programme
Location of Assignment: South Sudan (Across 7 states)
Duration of Assignment: October 2015 to March 2016
Overview of the Assignment
Saferworld South Sudan is soliciting applications for a fixed price contract from prospective media organisations, herein referred to as “Contractor”, to support the development and dissemination of conflict-sensitive media products to further the implementation of its Community Security Programme across seven states in South Sudan. Expressions of interest to execute this assignment may be submitted by individual consultants or companies/organisations who can demonstrate the necessary expertise to deliver on this assignment.
About Saferworld
Saferworld is an independent international non-governmental organisation that works to prevent violent conflict and build safer lives. We work with local people affected by conflict to improve their safety and sense of security, and conduct wider research and analysis. We use this evidence and learning to improve local, national, and international policies and practices that can help build lasting peace. Our priority is people – we believe that everyone should be able to lead peaceful, fulfilling lives, free from insecurity and violent conflict.
To achieve Saferworld’s strategic objectives, we work to influence the behaviour of, and relationships between, four types of actors:
- Individuals and communities, who have the opportunity and capacity to influence effective responses to conflict and insecurity and to promote peace;
- Civil society, who plays an active role in influencing authorities and building capacities for peace;
- Authorities, who are responsive and accountable to people’s needs, and their actions help to build peace;
- External actors, who operate in a way that supports peace.
In this way, Saferworld plays a role in influencing the key people and institutions that, in combination, can make a significant difference to the conditions required to create lasting peace.
Saferworld’s South Sudan Programme
Saferworld has been working in and on Sudan/South Sudan since 2002 on issues of community security, small arms control, and conflict-sensitive development. From 2009 to 2012, Saferworld successfully implemented a programme on community security and small arms control in South Sudan. Since 2012, Saferworld has scaled-up our community security work, and we are now working in eight locations across seven of South Sudan’s ten states: Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Lakes, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
The Community Security Programme
The Community Security Programme is one of Saferworld’s approaches to peacebuilding in South Sudan with the goal of enabling communities, civil society organisations (CSOs), and other actors to engage more effectively with the state and non-state security provides, including the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS), and other authorities to improve safety and security. The programme is being implemented through eight local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) based in each of the project locations. The CSO partners are supported by Saferworld’s field-based Project Coordinators who provide oversight and monitoring of all activities at the community-level.
There are four broad outcomes that Saferworld hopes to achieve through its Community Security Programme:
OUTCOME 1: Targeted communities in South Sudan experience improved security, leading to conditions that allow for increased socio-economic development.
OUTCOME 2: Authorities and state institutions responsible for public security in South Sudan demonstrate increased willingness to consult with communities on security provision, incorporate community concerns into their responses, and operate to standards that are transparent and legitimate.
OUTCOME 3: Communities and CSOs in South Sudan demonstrate increased capacity to dialogue with and hold authorities and governments to account on security provision and conflict prevention interventions.
OUTCOME 4: International and national development actors in South Sudan (including donors, national and local authorities, INGOs, and local NGOs) have been influenced by the results and lessons from the programme to better address underlying conflicts and increase the peace dividend for participating communities.
The Media Project
The powerful role of the media in influencing conflict and peace is becoming increasingly recognised. On the one hand, the media can escalate conflict and incite violence if it transmits disinformation that manipulates the public or propagates messages of hatred and intolerance. On the other hand, it can be an instrument of conflict transformation if it disseminates reliable information, respects human rights and diverse views, and promotes messages of tolerance and peace. In our community security work, it is important for us to understand how we can use media interventions in South Sudan to prevent and transform conflict and to build safer, more secure lives.
Accordingly, to further expand the impact of our Community Security Programme, Saferworld South Sudan seeks to facilitate the development and dissemination of media products that target project beneficiaries in order to improve community awareness on key safety and security issues. Saferworld will engage a Contractor to support in this task. The Contractor will work with Saferworld to devlope a tailored, conflict-sensitive media component (including, radio programming and printed materials) to raise communities’ awareness of and response to local community security concerns.
Objectives:
1.To support the design of a high quality media component of the Community Security Programme across the eight programme locations in the seven states.
2.To develop Saferworld South Sudan programme staff, CSO partners, and community leaders’ knowledge and skills in conflict-sensitive media engagement in order to build capacity to act as awareness-raising agents in their communities.
3.To promote increased access to accurate, credible, and balanced information on community security, community policing, and peacebuilding issues, including sexual and gender-based violence and small arms and light weapons, through radio and printed materials.
Tasks:
Upon award of the contract to implement the assignment, the Contractor will execute the following tasks:
- Review the Community Security Programme documentation, including the community security assessments and state-level advocacy strategies, and conduct meetings with Saferworld and CSO partner staff to further understand the programme and key objectives, outputs, and activities of the media component;
- Produce a detailed work plan and budget for the media component, which supports the state-level advocacy strategies;
- Conduct a training needs assessment, and develop and deliver needs-based training to Saferworld and CSO partner staff and community leaders to build their capacity to engage in media-related programming
- Work with the Saferworld Project Coordinators and CSO partners in each of the eight programme locations to develop, record, and transmit radio programming that is specific to the local context and raises awareness on the local security issues;
- Work with the Saferworld Project Coordinators and CSO partner in each of the eight programme locations to produce and disseminate information, education, and communication (IEC) materials that are specific to the local context and raises awareness on the local security issues;
- Work with Saferworld (including its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Adviser) and CSO partners to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the media component of the programme.
Key deliverables:
- Work and movement plans, updated monthly
- Media training developed and delivered to Saferworld staff, CSO partners, and community leaders (at least 6 people in each project location)
- At least eight media products (radio messages, printed IEC materials) developed and disseminated across eight programme locations
- End-project report (maximum 15 pages)
Supervision, support, and oversight:
The Contractor will be managed by the Policy, Advocacy and Communications Manager and will work closely with the Policy, Advocacy and Communications Project Coordinator, as well as the Programme Manager, Area Project Managers, and State Project Coordinators. The Contractor will be required to provide monthly progress updates to Saferworld.
Duration of the project:
Saferworld anticipates working in partnership with the media organisation to design, plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the media component of the Community Security Programme for a period of six months from October 2015 to March 2016.
Budget and Remuneration:
Applicant individuals and organisations are required to submit an indicative budget as part of their application (refer to application procedure outlined below), which should reflect a range between USD 200,000 and USD 230,000, inclusive of all staff, operations, travel, activities, and product costs associated with the project.
CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS
The Contractor should demonstrate expertise in designing and disseminating conflict-sensitive media interventions in conflict contexts. The Contractor should also have the operational and financial capacity to successfully implement any necessary field activities. Key essential competencies are set forth below:
- Extensive experience of providing tailored media and communications training and building the capacity of CSOs to utilise media and communications in their work;
- Proven experience in developing, recording, and transmitting appropriate, effective community awareness-raising radio programming in South Sudan;
- Proven experience of developing appropriate, effective IEC materials;
- Good knowledge of conflict- and gender-sensitivity, community security, and peacebuilding;
- Excellent knowledge of the South Sudan context.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications should include:
a) Cover letter: A short (maximum two pages) letter addressing the required qualifications
b) Technical Proposal(maximum 10 pages): This should include an overview of the approach to be take; a brief explanation about the organisation with particular emphasis on previous experience in carrying out related assignments; profiles of key personnel; an indicative work plan.
c) Financial Proposal: The financial proposal should provide cost estimates for the entire project.
Please submit your electronic proposal with subject e-mail “Media Project’ to Marie Aziz atmaziz@saferworld.org.uk by 24 September 2015.
All applicants will be notified of the result of their application once a decision has been made.
