Job Description

Terms of Reference for

Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (Protection, Livelihood, WASH, and Livelihood in Emergencies) 

Location Hirshabelle state (Beledweyne, Buloburde and Merca South west State of Somalia

Duration 21 days

Consultancy Type National

Travel: Required

Starting Date TBC

  Introduction to ActionAid International

ActionAid is a global justice federation working to achieve social justice, gender equality, and poverty eradication. ActionAid works to strengthen the capacity and agency of people living in poverty and exclusion, especially women, to assert their rights. We work with communities, people’s organizations, women’s movements, groups and networks, social movements, and other allies to overcome the structural causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We connect the work we do at the community level with broader efforts and struggles for justice at every level to make the greatest contribution towards a just, equitable, and sustainable world.

ActionAid has been operating in Somalia since 1992 addressing issues of poverty and injustice and facilitate public accountability and systematic action on human rights. ActionAid has extensive experience on HRBA, conducting campaigns and awareness activities especially through strong community engagement, monitoring governance, and gender responsive policy advocacy. ActionAid also developed a Gender Responsive Public Services (GRPS) Framework that will be used to promote analysis and strategic incorporation of gender equality in this project. Further, strategic engagement with policy makers such as the regional government, district administrative authorities and the Federal Government of Somalia, national and regional specific CSOs, media and other stakeholders as key allies to lobby for policies will be pursued. ActionAid’s Country Strategy Plan (CSP) 2020-2024 is strongly aligned with Somalia WASH Sector Policy 2019 and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Somalia.

  Background and Overview 

ActionAid International in Somalia was among the first humanitarian organizations to respond to the floods in Beledweyne, focusing on lifesaving interventions primarily water trucking, one-off cash support, NFI kit distribution, and hygiene kits which targeted the most vulnerable communities affected by the floods. In spite of the joint effort of the Somalia Government and the humanitarian organizations towards improving the livelihood of the communities affected by natural disasters in Somalia, there is however needed to have a more comprehensive analysis of the current humanitarian needs and to identify most vulnerable target/locations based on the findings of the assessment. ActionAid Somalia proposes to conduct a detailed multi-sectoral needs assessment for the above-mentioned districts to ascertain the gaps in humanitarian response provision (Livelihood, protection, WASH) and to make recommendations on urgent current needs that could be prioritized.

Somalia remains one of the poorest countries in the world with about 70 percent of Somalis living below the poverty line and 90 percent living in multidimensional poverty (World Bank, 2022). Economic growth continues to be affected by various long-standing issues such as recurring conflict, persistent climate shocks, limited resources, and political fragmentation.

In 2022, the impact of the ongoing severe drought compounded by the rising commodity prices contributed to increased inflationary pressure. Food price inflation exceeded 10 percent in the first half of 2022 and was aggravated by lower domestic agricultural output and high imported food prices driven by the war in Ukraine (OCHA, 2022). High food prices disproportionately affected poor households, including IDPs, thus further exacerbating inequality.

Moreover, Somalia is characterized by poor access to clean water, proper sanitation, and solid waste management leading to negative impacts on the health and welfare of Somalis and the economy. Also, insecurity continues to hamper the ability of humanitarians to reach people in need. The use of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) represents one of the major threats to the right to life of civilians in Somalia. 

In addition, Somalia is on the front line of climate change. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent, threatening food security and livelihoods and exacerbating insecurity and vulnerabilities.

  The Assessment Target Locations: The assessment will cover three districts across three federal member states, including ), Hirshabelle (Beledweyne and Buloburde), and Southwest (Merka). The focus of the assessment will be on districts affected by climate change, droughts, conflict, and settlements hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people impacted by conflict. The assessment will encompass a total of 22 sites in urban communities, IDP settlements, and rural villages. Below is a key summary of the target regions and districts.

      I.        Beledweyne, Hiiran Somalia

Beledweyne is located in central Hirshabelle State and is the capital of the Hiraan region. The town is strategically situated on the Shabelle River, 340 km north of Mogadishu and 50 km from the Ethiopian border. The district of Beledweyne consists of four urban villages: Bundoweyn, Howl-wadag, Hawo Tako, and Kooshin. Buloburde is 100 km away from Beledweyne and is the second-largest district in the Hiraan region. The district is prone to flooding.

  2.    Merka, Lower Shabelle, Somalia  Merka is the capital city of the Lower Shabelle region. It is one of the hard-to-reach districts in Somalia due to the siege by non-state actors. Many communities affected by conflict in Lower Shabelle have been displaced to Merka. Basic social services in the district are limited due to the small number of humanitarian actors on the ground. The protracted humanitarian crisis in the region is multi-layered and complex. Conflict between clans, the siege by non-state actors, limited development, and recurring climatic shocks—such as droughts, riverine, and flash flooding—create high levels of need among affected populations. Insecurity and incidents of conflict severely hinder humanitarian access. Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) reside in overcrowded shelters in densely populated urban areas, further increasing their exposure to both new and past conflicts.

Intended Impact

For the humanitarian response to be effective and to target the most affected regions and populations as a way of responding to this complex and protracted crisis, accurate and up to date information and context is a necessity. Moreover, there is lack of adequate and up to date information from affected districts and this prevents comprehensive response by actors during crises. Many of the areas in the targeted districts are newly ‘liberated’ from Al-Shabab control and not enough information is available to support preparedness and response.  This assessment is intended to identify and address information gaps by assessing the severity of each cluster's requirements. In addition, the assessment aims to address information gaps regarding cross-cutting needs at the household (HH) level and facilitate understanding of the co-occurrence of various sectoral needs. The multi-sectoral needs assessment will provide an in-depth overview of the situation of the population displaced by crises such as droughts, floods, and conflicts in hard-to-reach areas such as Beledweyne by assessing their needs in relation to livelihood in emergencies, protection (cross-cutting) and WASH interventions. 

The multisectoral needs assessments will build on existing assessments conducted by other institutions. The goal of the assessment is to inform ActionAid, aid agencies and actors to improve the understanding of the current situation to guide our planned humanitarian interventions, identify the existing partners on the ground and the types of assistance they provide, and assess the living conditions and access to basic services.

Specific Objectives: 

§  Assess the humanitarian conditions and the living standards gaps in the targeted communities.

§  Provide a detailed overview of the magnitude and severity of the humanitarian needs among the hard-to-reach areas in Beledweyne.

§  Assess the current and forecasted needs of the population,

§  Assess the existing partners on the ground and their current services.

§  Recommend pragmatic strategies to address the identified priority needs and gaps.

§  To share the outcome of the assessment with Wash Cluster, UNICEF, and ECHO/HIP for better humanitarian decision-making for emergency humanitarian response to fill existing gaps in Beledweyne on the need status of the communities.

§  Determine existing services to support victims of abuse and GBV and identify strategic recommendations to support survivors.

§  Determine the existing community structures and communal hierarchies To enable evidence-based engagement with the donor and partners in the humanitarian sector.

Methodology

The assessment will use a blend of participatory quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and will begin with a study of secondary data. This desk review will gather data from existing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations (UN) agency reports and evaluations, academic publications, security updates, and cluster factsheets to provide a contextual groundwork for the assessment cycle. Following that, primary data will be collected through HH surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), questionnaires, and consultations with key ministries, local authorities, and partners. Detailed design of the assessment will be done by a National Consultant. The HH survey will be conducted through in-person interviews. The assessment instrument and indicators will be developed iteratively in collaboration with the Clusters Coordination Units.

The assessment will be guided by ActionAid’s approaches, values, and principles particularly: 

a.    Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA)

b.    Humanitarian Signature (annex)

c.     Feminist principles and values

The assessment will also ensure the elements of the Core Humanitarian Standers (CHS) are reflected in the overall process. 

All questionnaires and interviews will begin with a statement aimed at getting the interviewee(s)' consent. Potential respondents will be informed of the survey's aim, confidentiality, and anonymity, as well as the fact that participation is entirely voluntary. The interviewer will then explicitly request their permission to participate in the assessment. Respondents who reject to participate will be politely excluded.

Designated Quantity 

The multisectoral needs assessment will aim to give the most comprehensive coverage of the intended locations feasible. In fact, an estimated of locations would be targeted to ensure representative coverage. All inaccessible locations will be covered by the Hard-to-Reach method (Respondent Driven Sampling), while all others will be considered accessible and covered by the in-person technique.

Timeframe

The multisectoral assessment (Including design, data analysis, and reporting) will be conducted in (21 days) and to end no later than 24, December   2024. The specific details of the schedule will be discussed later with AAI Somalia, Area Manager, and the MEAL Coordinator. 

Expected Deliverables

1. Technical proposal with a work plan.

2. Indicators of assessment and overall design of the assessment.

3. Report on the desk review.

4. Data collection instruments.

5. Initial review of preliminary findings.

6. Final Report.

Experiences and Qualifications

PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION

The consultant/consulting firm interested is expected to provide the following documentation:

·         A cover letter introducing the consultant. In the case of a firm, the cover letter should introduce the team composition and specify the role to be played by each team member.

·         A technical proposal of not more than 10 pages outlining how to execute the task with a clear framework, methodology, and timelines.

·         Proof of experience by sharing preferably similar assignment report preferably EU/ECHO.

·         Proposed methodology should demonstrate a clear understanding of the ToR (sampling framework, data collection strategy/methods)

·         Resume of the consultant, or each team member for the firm.

·         Evidence of experience conducting similar assignments

·         Proposed budget indicating consultancy fee, costs of enumerators/ data collection, and all other auxiliary costs in USD.

Skills Required

Follow us on social media