Title

Sahel Natural Hazards, Preparedness & Response: Opportunities for Appropriate Programming?

Purpose

With support from by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), the IRC will conduct a study in the Sahel region (with focus on Mali, Niger and Chad) aiming at examining prevention and response mechanisms to natural hazards, particularly flooding and cholera. The IRC will commission a study to look at vulnerabilities, risks and existing Early Warning Systems (EWS), and will assess the capacity needs for these systems and district staff involved in their management. The aim of the study is for the IRC and partners to analyse and explore ways to reduce vulnerabilities and risk and improve response mechanisms to identified natural hazards, which are endemic in several parts of the programme area.

The IRC will use the results of the study not only to inform interventions that the IRC can undertake in future projects, but also work that would be beyond the scope of the IRC and could be implemented by government or other actors. As part of this research and learning exercise, the IRC will share the study results with each country for local municipal authorities, inform actions plans, address any capacity-building needs specific to each country, and organise a workshop bringing together IRC country and regional teams and Sida.

Context

From 2010 to 2012, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, 700 natural disasters were registered worldwide affecting more than 450 million people. Strengthening readiness, including through early warning, remains one of the most important measures to be taken in order to cope with this phenomenon.

Countries of the Sahel region are adversely affected by natural disasters, including droughts, floods, often resulting in cholera outbreaks, as well as transboundary animal diseases, food insecurity, economic crises and civil conflicts. The countries in the region have been also severely impacted by climate change, namely in terms of changes in rainfall patterns translating at the same time into extensive droughts and, especially since 2005, into flooding which weakened agriculture-based livelihoods.

With the frequency of natural hazards on the rise the international community has been called to respond beyond meeting the immediate needs of those affected to build the resilience of communities. Increasingly complex and diverse crises, the majority of which are transnational, require not only joint commitments from all parties involved, but also an understanding of the local context and a participatory inclusion of local knowledge, largely lacking to date.

Objectives

1. Assess the impact of identified natural hazards on the safety and livelihoods of populations living in the Sahel region (focusing on Mali, Niger and Chad);
2. Identify priority geographical zones affected by the identified natural hazards where IRC’s engagement can have the greatest added value;
3. Assess past and present responses to the identified natural hazards at both community and municipal levels;
4. Identify culturally appropriate opportunities that exist for IRC to reinforce capacity, create synergies between local actors or provide inputs to strengthen community level responses to natural hazards;
5. Inform policy and practice in all three countries by informing Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) and Early Warning System (EWS) action plans;
6. Contribute to dissemination of research findings internally at IRC and to external stakeholders.

Methods & Activities

Methods

This study will have two methodological components: 1. Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA) at community level, and 2. Vulnerability Risk Assessment (VRA) at municipal level. Both are multi-stakeholder, qualitative methodologies that will provide in-depth contextual data to inform the IRC and external stakeholders’ programmatic responses in zones affected by identified natural hazards in Mali, Niger and Chad. The PCVA will be conducted one or two countries in selected villages where IRC works to gain an in-depth understanding of past and present responses to the natural hazards and to identify culturally appropriate opportunities for IRC to provide support. The VRA will be conducted with stakeholders at municipal level in one or two countries to identify priority geographical zones affected by identified natural hazards where the IRC’s engagement can have the greatest added value.

1. Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA)

The PCVA will be conducted in selected villages where IRC works to gain an in-depth understanding of past and present responses to identified hazard(s) and to identify culturally appropriate opportunities for the IRC to provide support. After an initial desk review, the consultant will be required to lead a team of local facilitators and data collectors (hired by the IRC) for conducting a PCVA in villages located in one or two of the countries. The team will participate in a workshop facilitated by the consultant, who will provide the necessary training on the different modules of the exercise. The PCVA will comprise of a number of participatory activities and accompanying Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to: i) analyse the hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities, ii) prioritise risks, iii) identify opportunities for action and support. The work at village level will be supplemented by Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with other local and municipal level actors.

2. Vulnerability Risk Assessment (VRA)

Focusing on the community perceptions of vulnerability to natural hazards and capacity to adapt, the VRA is based on a composite of guiding questions tailored to capture locally-relevant issues which are critical for understanding vulnerability to hazard. The VRA will be conducted with stakeholders at municipal level to provide a framework of enabling factors for Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) through the identification of priority geographical zones affected by identified natural hazard(s) where the IRC’s engagement can have the greatest added value. The external consultant will undertake a qualitative VRA at municipal level, conducting KIIs with expert informants. The aim of the VRA will be to: i) obtain information on the geographic locations and peoples most affected by the natural hazard(s); ii) carry out a mapping of international and national actors responding to the identified natural hazard(s); and iii) identify and analyse past and present responses. The consultant will be work with locally-hired external facilitator(s) for conducting the VRAs.

Ethical Considerations

As for any project involving collecting data from human participants, the consultant is expected to uphold IRC’s standard ethical procedures regarding the use and guarding of data collected from project participants. All primary data collected should already have been coded anonymously when submitted by field staff, so the report itself is not expected to include any information that could be attributed to specific. individuals.

Activities

This study will be conducted in the following phases with oversight and support from IRC staff:

Phase I – Review Study Design & Tools (October - November 2014)

• Review & finalise study objectives      & research questions;
• Prepare list of key informants for all      three countries;
• Draft & finalise data collection &      analysis tools;
• Arrange logistics for in-country work.

Phase II – Exercise in Mali (December 2014 - January 2015)

• Secondary data collection;
• Primary data collection at village and/or      municipal levels;
• Preliminary data analysis & country      specific report;
• Debriefing with IRC & local      stakeholders.

Phase III – Exercise in Niger (February 2015)

• Secondary data collection;
• Primary data collection at village and/or      municipal levels;
• Preliminary data analysis & country      specific report;
• Debriefing with IRC & local      stakeholders.

Phase IV – Exercise in Chad (March 2015)

• Secondary data collection;
• Primary data collection at village and/or municipal      levels;
• Preliminary data analysis & country      specific report;
• Debriefing with IRC & local      stakeholders.

Phase V – Analysis, Write-Up & Presentation of Findings (April 2015)

• Data analysis;
• Writing – compilation report (three      countries all included);
• Dissemination of research findings      internally at IRC & to external stakeholders.

Expected Deliverables

1. Preliminary country specific      reports with actionable learning to inform policy and practice by      informing Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) and Early Warning System (EWS)      action plans;
2. A compilation report (all three      countries included) with actionable learning to inform IRC’s future      programming and synergies with stakeholders at village and municipal      levels;
3. Power point presentation and      contribution to a dissemination workshop.

Timeframe

Profile of the Consultant

• Masters in a      relevant social science, agriculture, economics, or other with relevant      field experience;
• A minimum of 3      to 5 years of research experience, including the use of participatory      approaches, preferably within a humanitarian, international development      setting;
• Demonstrated      expertise in qualitative methodologies and experience in PVCA or other      similar vulnerability and capacity analysis tools;
• Strong verbal      and written communication skills;
• Ability to      lead, motivate and work with staff who are not direct reports;
• Demonstrated      experience in managing data collection in logistically challenging      context;
• Proficiency in      French and English;
• Knowledge of DDR      and/or EWS, preferably in the Sahel region.

Expression of Interest

Submit a CV, cover letter (indicating expected daily fee rate) and copy of at least one similar study, to:

Mark.Montague@rescue-uk.org

and

AnaCarina.SantosFranco@rescue.org

Deadline for application: 9 October 2014