Consultancy on M&E and ToT on SGbV interventions

Given the high presence of the Syrian refugee population in the Bekaa Valley, interventions have been concentrated in the Municipalities of Barelias and Baalback, in three lines of work: i) Humanitarian Action and protection (distribution of equipment and materials, health -especially linked to disability- and protection, with special emphasis in People with Disabilities (PwD) and female survivors and/or in risk of SGbV; ii) Disability: with a human rights and development inclusive approach, through access to health, education, training, employment and economic rights; and, iii) Human Rights: all actions are carried out from a rights approach, focusing advocacy actions on the empowerment of the CSO, youth and women, involving public institutions to ensure greater sustainability.

The multiple crises in Lebanon have aggravated pre-existing vulnerabilities and a challenging humanitarian situation for the most vulnerable Lebanese, as well as for different refugees in Lebanon, and for migrant workers. Consequently, they disproportionately effect on people with disabilities. MPDL’s programs have responded, providing emergency relief and rehabilitation for refugees, promoting inclusion, accessibility and access to employment, engaging people with disabilities in local decision making and monitoring progress on disability rights across the country.

Information about the intervention:

In partnership with the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD), and funded by the Spanish Cooperation - AECID, MPDL launched the project “Emergency humanitarian assistance and protection of the most vulnerable PwD, especially women, in the Bekaa Valley”, that is being implemented since January 2022 to June 2023.

The intervention seeks to improve the resilience and protection of the most vulnerable persons with disabilities and their families, both refugees and host communities, in the Bekaa Valley, with a special focus on women and girls at risk and/or survivors of SGBV, reducing the impact of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon on PwD.

Through the delivery of cash transfers to 1.000 people with disabilities (60% women), prioritizing women at risk and/or survivors of SGbV, will improve their ability to meet their basic survival needs. They will receive counseling on healthy nutrition, reproductive health and hygiene habits, and psychosocial support. SOPs and the Specialized Guide for the detection, care and referral of women and girls with disabilities (WGwD) who are survivors and/or at risk of SGbV will be implemented, and their protection will be improved through awareness-raising and advocacy activities and by strengthening the capacities of CSOs.

The environment of PwD, specially WGwD, more affected by the crisis, will be reinforced with the improvement of their psychological situation, and their families, through the provision of individual and group psychosocial support sessions. At the same time, the implementation of the SOPs and mechanisms of early warning and first response, and articulation with other CSOs, for the referral of WGwD survivors and/or at risk of SGbV, will have repercussions in an improvement of their autonomy and their quality of life. In addition, the skills and abilities to have a better understanding of the concept of disability of the partners’ organizations working on SGbV, as well as of public institutions and other actors of interest, will improve thanks to the awareness and advocacy sessions implemented within the intervention.

Accountabilities:

Based on the above, the following will be requested from the consultant(s)/trainer(s):

• Sign a contract with the conditions, responsibilities and deliverables, as well as calendar and other relevant information.

• Sign the Code of Conduct of MPDL as well as the Protocol of Action against Sexual Harassment and Harassment based on Sex.

Responsibilities:

Creation of monitoring and evaluation tools and forms for the proper follow-up and evaluation of the intervention:

• Developing long-term M&E tools to evaluate the impact of interventions (awareness session, psychological intervention, case management) on participants’ knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes, and tools to assess the impact of short-term psychological intervention as well.
• Developing M&E tools to follow up and evaluate the performance of the facilitators according to the feedback from the beneficiaries of the awareness sessions, the psychotherapist, and the frontline with instructions for their use, and the mechanism of their analysis.
• Correct the mechanism of using the GBV caseworker’s performance evaluation by the supervisor, as well as the mechanism of using the well-being tool for the performance of the survivor.
• The need for specialized short-term and long-term M&E tools to assess the impact of psychological intervention services on the beneficiaries, as well as evaluation and follow-up tools for the performance of psychotherapists.

ToT on reproductive health issues for adolescent girls and/or WGwD survivors and/or at risk of SGbV:

• To conduct training of trainers on sexual reproductive health awareness.
• The training needs to include more in-depth topics related to:

• Reproductive health
• Family planning methods
• The female and male reproductive system
• General and personal hygiene
• Mental health and its connection to sexual reproductive health
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• HIV and AIDS
• Breast cancer
• Linking reproductive health with women and girls with disabilities survivors of GBV
• The rights of women with disabilities with reproductive health issues
• Social norms /stereotypes in society towards sexual reproductive health, women, and girls with disabilities.

• Training should include M&E tools (suggested pre-test and post-test) for the topic of sexual reproductive health awareness sessions.
• The training should also include interactive methods for raising awareness with the beneficiaries, and how to select participants from the awareness sessions.
• Preparing a theoretical material on reproductive sexual health to support facilitators when preparing for awareness sessions.

Strengthening CSO capacities for the detection of SGbV among PwD, to incorporate into their work strategies for inclusive approaches, including the ad hoc guide developed by MPDL:

• Based on previous assessments, caseworkers and other project team members need to raise their competence in identifying GBV and the intersection between GBV and disability, raising their efficiency on GBV and Disability Intersection, Case management for Persons with Disabilities GBV survivors, Safe Identification of Survivors with Disabilities, identifying barriers to access and participation of persons with disabilities in GBV programs, Intellectual/psychosocial disability and GBV Guiding Principles for working with Survivors with Disabilities, to enable them to conduct training for their CSOs partners. In other to do that, its expected:

• To update and develop the Guide manual that was developed by MPDL to be used to strengthening CSO capacities for the detection of SGbV among PwD;
• ToT on GBV and Disability Intersection, based on the updated MPDL’s Guide manual, for project staff.
• Coaching on preparing the materials to conduct training for CSOs partners on the detection of SGbV among PwD;
• Organize and lead a workshop on prevention, detection and response to GbV in PwD with representatives of the WGwD, social organizations of the Bekaa Valley, local authorities and international agencies, to jointly analyse the challenges for the inclusion of WGwD in strategies for the protection of women and girls’ survivors and/or at risk of SGbV and to elaborate recommendations addressed to duty bearers and duty bearers.

Deliverables:

• Monitoring and evaluation tools and forms for the proper follow-up and evaluation of the intervention, as well as to follow up and evaluate the performance of the facilitators.
• ToT on reproductive health issues for adolescent girls and/or WGwD survivors and/or at risk of SGbV.
• Update and develop the Guide manual that was developed by MPDL to be used to strengthening CSO capacities for the detection of SGbV among PwD.
• ToT on GBV and Disability Intersection, based on the updated MPDL’s Guide manual, for project staff.
• Coaching strategy on preparing the materials to conduct training for CSOs partners on the detection of SGbV among PwD.
• Workshop on prevention, detection and response to GbV in PwD with representatives of the WGwD, social organizations of the Bekaa Valley, local authorities and international agencies.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge:

The desired qualifications, experience and skillset of the consultant(s)/trainer(s) are:

• Relevant academic qualification and field experience.
• Proven professional experience in humanitarian action preferably in an emergency context.
• A commitment to promoting and supporting persons with disabilities’ rights.
• Knowledge of legal frameworks and key policies relevant for disability and SGbV issues.
• Excellent knowledge related to social protection programs in Lebanon.
• Understanding of issues and sensitivities required when working with persons with disabilities and especially with women and girls with disabilities survivors and/or in risk of SGbV.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Lebanese context and the Syrian crisis.
• Fluent spoken and written communication skills in Arabic and English.
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills.
• Ability to deliver on tight time frames and meet deadlines within agreed budgets.
• The consultant(s) should have the following personal attributes:

• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Excellent organization and planning skills; detail oriented.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and requirements.

Timeline:

The consultant(s) is expected to develop a detailed work plan for this consultancy, but it is anticipated that the whole process should be finalized by May, 2023.

Key Relationships:

The Consultant(s) will work under the supervision and guidance of the MPDL’s Country Coordinator, in collaboration with MPDL’s Head of Mission, and the project’s focal point for LUPD, through the Technical Monitoring Committee.