TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING ADVOCACY NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING OF COMMUNITY DISASTER MANAGEMENT COMITTEES (CDMC)
Introduction
VSF Germany is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to pastoralists and vulnerable communities in areas where livestock is of importance. In the region, VSF Germany implements activities in Southern Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. We Focus on Livestock, food security and Livelihoods, Natural Resources Management, Peace and Conflict, Good governance, Disasters & Emergency, and Agriculture.
Rationale for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy Influencing
The Constitution of Kenya (2010), in the Fourth Schedule, parcels out government functions at the County and national levels. In this connection, County governments are mandated to undertake water service provision, agriculture, implementation of specific national government policies on natural resource management and, disaster management. Disasters have historically been managed from Nairobi but now the expectation is for Counties to manage disasters on their own, from mitigation activities such as risk identification and reduction, through to planning and preparedness, and response as well as recovery in the event of a disaster occurring.
County governments (supply side) now control huge financial resources that if utilized well hold promise for sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the dry lands, including Marsabit County.
Citizen participation is a thread that runs through the Constitution, including the right to information in Article 35(1) (a), and the right to petition authorities (Article 37), which gives citizens the right to demand accountability in service provision. Equivalently, the Constitution identifies good governance, transparency and accountability; as key pillars for achieving sustainable development in Article 10 (1) (c-d). Furthermore, County Governments are responsible for facilitating the establishment of structures for citizen participation, including budget preparation and validation forums, monitoring service delivery as well as deliberating on county legislations and plans as provided for in section 91 of the County Governments Act (2012) as read with section 22 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act (2011).
Community Action for Improved Drought Response Resilience (CAIDRR) Project
As the lead agency, VSF Germany is implementing a project titled ‘Community Action for Improved Drought Response Resilience (CAIDRR)’ in consortium which brings together two (2) other NGOs, namely: Community Initiatives Facilitation and Assistance (CIFA) as well as Water Right Foundation (WRF). With funding support from the European Union’s (EU) Strengthening the Horn of Africa’s Resilience Programme—SHARE Kenya, the project is expected to be implemented over a period of 36 months (1st October 2014- September 30th, 2017).
The project covers Marsabit Central and Laisamis Sub-Counties in Marsabit County, Kenya with an overarching objective ‘To contribute towards improving food security in ASAL livelihoods through enhanced response and resilience to drought’. The implementation matrix vests overall coordination of the project in the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) County office in Marsabit with technical guidance from NDMA national office in Nairobi. In addition, the project is working closely with the County Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development (MoALFD) and, Ministry of Water and Natural resources among other partners.
This consultancy assignment falls under Result 1: Capacities and systems for local preparedness, response to asset protection and management actions are improved and Result 3: Communities contribute to knowledge exchange and policy influence. Through the Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) approach, VSF Germany will support CMDRR committees in the two Sub-Counties to develop both: contingency and development plans. It is anticipated that at least 80 percent of these community plans (at the Location level) will be integrated into the respective Ward and Sub-County development plans—both of which are aligned to the County Integrated Development Plan—for implementation and follow up. To prepare CMDRR committees for these roles, they will be trained on advocacy within the framework of devolution.
Purpose of the task
The purpose of this consultancy is to contribute to build knowledge of beneficiaries and local stakeholders in advocacy. The acquired knowledge will be instrumental in the integration of community contingency/development plans into Ward/Sub-County and Marsabit County development plans. Knowledge on and approach to advocacy, is envisaged to ensure dialogues between communities and county authorities to support implementation of the community contingency/development plans. Therefore, advocacy training is proposed for the CDMCs to equip them with skills and capacity that will enable them to develop and implement comprehensive advocacy strategies to engage with various stakeholders on DRR and any other advocacy issue that may arise during and after the CAIDRR project.
Scope of Work
VSF Germany is seeking services of consultant(s) to;
· Develop a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) Tool(s) and conduct capacity assessment of Trainer of Trainers (ToTs) in the two (2) Sub-Counties of Marsabit Central and Laisamis
· Develop an advocacy Facilitator’s Guide, CDMC training module(s) and simplified Participants Handbook for use by advocacy Facilitators to train CMDRR committees
· Train resource persons from CDMCs as ToT on advocacy; knowledge and skills and how to train CDMCs and other project beneficiaries to better understand their roles within the devolved system of government and participation in decision making process at Ward and Sub-County development plans- in the two (2) Sub-Counties.
· Supervise 12 advocacy training workshop sessions (each two days) conducted by the advocacy ToTs for quality assurance.
· Develop Pre and Post training evaluation tools and deliver to VSFG.
· Write ToT training reports and submit to VSFG upon completion of training sessions as well as review and consolidation of reports from ToTs for the sessions conducted at Community level
· Facilitate two (2) sub-county advocacy forums with key county authorities among other stakeholders (Each forum is 2 days) for linkage of CMDC action plans with Ward and sub-county plans.
Deliverables
· An inception report
· Submission of the Training Needs Assessment Tool(s)
· A report on Training Needs Assessments for the two Sub-Counties (Saku and Laisamis) of Marsabit County.
· A Facilitator’s Guide to be used by ToT as advocacy training manual.
· A simplified Participants Handbook to be used by ToTs in training CMDRR committees and other project beneficiaries
· A training schedule and work plan for all the project areas
· Community level Training reports including feedback from the trained TOT. Advocacy action plans from the community training sessions
· Pre and Post training evaluation tools.
· Consolidated report for the sub-county level forum with key county authorities among other stakeholders (for Laisamis and Saku/Marsabit central) for linkage of CMDC action plans with Ward and sub-county plans.
Proposed Methodology
The consultant is required to provide and use an appropriate methodology that will enable the achievement of the above listed deliverables. The proposed methodology may include, among others, a comprehensive desk review of available relevant documents of the project (Proposal, baseline and progress reports, etc) as well as collect primary data. Use of participatory approaches to data collection is encouraged to build trust and gather as much data as possible; thus Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Participatory Adult Learning (PAL) are some of the envisaged methodologies in this process.
Indicative Time frame
Overall, the task is expected to commence in 3rd December, 2015 and be completed before 28th February 2016 in time for County Budget Hearings.The assignment will be implemented in a staggered manner within the period mentioned above based on action plans developed by the consultant and agreed with VSFG.
Reporting Lines
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability (MEA) unit under VSF Germany’s Regional Programme/ Country Programme Manager will be the contact point. The consultant will report to the CAIDRR project Manager and work in close collaboration with CAIDRR Project DRR officer.
Mode of payment:
The payment will be done according to the matrix below:
InstalmentsAmount Time line1st instalment 30 % of the total amount Upon submission of the Inception Report (Based on desk review, and outlining proposed methodology), Assessment tools and work plan for field activities. 2nd instalment 30% of the total amountAfter submission of;
· A draft Report of Training Needs Assessment,
· Facilitator’s Guide and Participants Handbook.
· ToT training report ( colour printed 3 hard copies and 1 Soft copy)
· A training schedule and plan for all the project areas
· 3rd instalment 40% of the total amount After satisfactory completion of the task and acceptance of final training report(s);-
· Consolidated Community level training reports from 12 communities ( colour printed -3 hard copy and 1 Soft copies)
· Advocacy action plans from community training sessions
· Consolidated report for sub-county level forums ( colour printed, 3 copies and 1 soft copy)
· Consolidated package of all expected deliverables of this assignment saved in a compact disk ( 3 copies)
· The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques/ or direct bank transfer in the name of the consultant/firm.
· VSF Germany will deduct withholding tax from proceeds of the consultant at source as per the Government of Kenya Tax regulations in force.
Logistics
Required logistical support will be provided by VSF Germany. These may include, but not limited to, facilitating community entry, organizing of FGDs and KIIs meetings, transport to, within and from the field as well as accommodation for the consultant.
Proposal Format
· The consultant/ firm shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the proposal.
· All cost should be quoted in USD and will remain valid up to fifty days (50) from the day of proposal submission.
· It is mandatory that the proposal should maintain the following format: Interpretation of the Terms of Reference (ToR),Methodology,Work plan,financial proposal and, Capability statement including reference from similar work done by the consultant/firm.
Qualification and Experience
· At least a Degree qualification in any of the following areas, Law, Political Science, Public Administration, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Social Sciences, Disaster Management or any other relevant degree from recognized institutions.
· Must have minimum of 5 years’ of overall experience conducting advocacy related assignments including civic education, civic engagement, capacity building and, resilience building initiatives.
· Must demonstrate a minimum of 3 years’ experience working in the Greater Horn of Africa particularly in pastoral areas of Kenya.
· Must have a firm understanding of Kenya’s devolved governance structures including avenues for public participation.
HOW TO APPLY:
How to apply
Interested consultants/firms are requested to submit both technical and financial proposals not later than 27th November 2015. The proposals should be sent by e-mail on:admin_hr@vsfg.orgunder the subject:‘SHARE PROJECT- ADVOCACY ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING’ OF CDMC’*;and application addressed to the Head of Admin and HR,*VSF Germany, P. O. Box 25653-00603, Nairobi Kenya, copied to sabara@vsfg.org
