Consultant for conducting a feasibility study of the project “Resilience and Sustainable Economic Opportunities for Syrian Refugees and Host Communities in Lebanon (RESO)”

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 2 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have some contact with or access to children or young people

Background

The project “Resilience and Sustainable Economic Opportunities for Syrian Refugees and Host Communities in Lebanon (RESO)” is a proposed project to the German Federal Ministry of Economic and Development Cooperation (BMZ), in cooperation with Save the Children Germany (SCDE). This is a two-year project to be implemented in Bekaa, with the overall objective that Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Lebanon are resilient against shocks and continue to invest in their children's protection, learning and development. This overall objective responds to the problems identified below.

As the conflict in Syria moves through its seven-year, the situation for refugee families and children in Lebanese host communities continues to deteriorate. The estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees,  half  of  whom  are  children,  along  with  34,000 Palestine  Refugees  from  Syria  (PRS),  have  joined  a  pre-existing  population  of  277,985  Palestine  Refugees  in Lebanon (PRL)[1], making up approximately one quarter of the Lebanese population, and outnumbering locals by 2:1 in some areas. The living situation for Syrian refugees across Lebanon continues to be extremely challenging in 2018. Many of the refugees have now been in the host country for four or more years and struggle to make ends meet. While the vast majority of Syrian refugees continue to be geographically integrated with host communities in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, they are increasingly vulnerable and face extremely high rates of poverty, more than 76[2] percent of Syrian refugees are below the poverty line in Lebanon. Restrictions on refugees’ access to employment reduce households’ ability to cover their basic needs without engaging in negative coping strategies that become more severe and irreversible with time as families continue to struggle economically. Households’ powerlessness to meet their basic needs, including food, shelter, health and education, combined with the poor security situation in the region contribute to an unstable environment at risk of significant further deterioration.

The impact of the crisis is strongly felt among Lebanese host communities too; Government and World Bank estimates reveal that the number of poor people presently living in Lebanon has increased by 170,000 – approximately a two-third fold reaching 2.1 million; of which, 336,000 are living with less than US$2.4 per day, which is under Lebanon’s lowest poverty line. Unemployment is particularly high in some of the country’s poorest localities: in some areas, it is nearly double the national average, placing considerable strain on host communities. Long-standing inequalities are deepening and tensions at the local level have been rising during the course of 2017, mostly over perceived competition for jobs and access to resources and services. The economic downturn has had a disproportionate effect on young people and others who are entering the workforce: Lebanon’s youth unemployment rates are three to four times higher than the overall unemployment rate.

In order to respond to these problems, the RESO project will ensure that targeted households’ economic resilience, including people with disabilities, is enhanced through increased sustainable household income. Data will be disaggregated by gender and disability to ensure strong and mainstreamed inclusion for these beneficiary groups. For stronger impact on economic development in Bekaa, the program will take a holistic approach in the occupational sector of agriculture. This will be achieved through results in four areas: 1) MSMEs increase their financial viability, productivity and job creation, 2) Targeted households’ participation in business opportunities are expanded and they are better equipped to seek employment, 3) Female caregivers’ contribution to household finances is increased, and 4) Local institutions under the Ministry of Labor improve their capacity to provide vulnerable individuals with livelihood-related support.

 

Scope of the consultancy

In order to ensure that the proposed program will achieve these results and contribute to the overall objective, a consultant is sought to conduct a feasibility study.[3] The feasibility study will be used to ensure accountability towards the donor and communities by demonstrating a well-founded basis of the design of the project, including thorough contextual analysis and the needs and opinions of stakeholders. This is in order to increase the effectiveness of the project, and to ensure that external specialist recommendations are integrated at the proposal design phase. This feasibility study will inform changes in the proposal if needed in order to add value and relevance to the program design.

 

The scope of work for the third-party consultant will encompass assessing all aspects of the project and its main components. It is foreseen that the consultant is an independent expert with technical, methodological and practical expertise, as well as the regional knowledge of central and west Bekaa.

Objectives

1. Assess the feasibility of the proposed project with regard to relevance of the approach with regard to the context and against the background of the needs of the proposed target group
2. Highlight directions for effective and efficient implementation of results and their contribution to proposed project outcomes (specific objectives)
3. Make concrete recommendations to adjust the design in terms of proposed target group or locations, and the activities and methodology where necessary

 

Report structure and key questions to be addressed

The following sections will be included in the final feasibility study, which will comprise a maximum of not more than 30 pages.

Initial situation and problem analysis

The initial situation and problem analysis of the sector and the region as per the socio-economic, political, and cultural context can be largely determined through a desk review. This section should seek to summarize the key problems and what effect they have on the target populations. From this, what needs were derived from the problem analysis? How were the needs identified for the planned project? Finally, are there alternatives to the planned project or its subcomponents?

 

Project partner in target country (local partner)

SCI is conducting a rigorous internal partner assessment to determine their technical, institutional, personnel, and financial capacities. This section of the feasibility study can be largely addressed based on this assessment, validated with key informant interviews to collect the objective perspective of the partner in strategic areas of cooperation. Key questions to drive this section are: What self-interest/ownership do the local implementation partners have in the success of the project? What is the relationship between local partners and the target group/stakeholders (legitimacy)? Are there any convergences or conflicts of interest? How can the interaction be improved?

 

Target groups and stakeholder analysis

A desk review of international assessments and government strategy papers can provide the overall presentation of the target group’s demographics and needs. This section should seek primarily to answer: What potentials does the target group have, especially in terms of self-initiative, ownership and local problem-solving capacities? How can these be strengthened?

With regard to government stakeholders, a desk review of relevant strategies of line ministries will answer how the project relates to the government’s development strategies and their interests. Key informant interviews may be needed to confirm the interests of the relevant authorities or non-governmental stakeholders. Are there potential synergies with the government’s or other stakeholder’s projects? How do these synergies find their way into the project design?

 

Evaluation of the planned project

Based on the analysis presented in sections 1-3 above, the evaluation of the project will focus on 4 key criteria according to OECD DAC guidance.[4]

Relevance: Will the planned project be adequate?

• Is the design of the planned project oriented towards the needs of the target group?
• Are the planned activities and outputs consistent with the intended impacts and effects?

 

Effectiveness: Which project approach is the best way to achieve these objectives?

• Are the measures and the chosen methodological approach suitable to achieve the project objective? Should development on the meso- and/or macro-level (multi-level approach) activities be considered to increase sustainability?
• Can synergies with other programs be created?

 

Efficiency: Can the objectives of the planned project be achieved economically?

• Are the planned financial, structural and personnel resources adequate?
• Is it possible to implement the planned activities with the intended resources in the planned period? Can the desired impacts be achieved efficiently (cost-benefit) and economically?

 

Significance and developmental impacts: Does the planned project contribute to achieving superior developmental impacts?

• To what extent is the planned project structure-forming, model-like and exemplary? Can a multi-level approach (micro-, meso-, macro-level) be used to increase significance and effectiveness?
• To what extent does the project design take gender-sensitive, inclusive, culture- and conflict-sensitive and human rights-based aspects into account?

 

Sustainability: Will the positive impacts (without further external funding) persist after the end of the project?

• What role/responsibility will be assumed of governmental and/or civil society organizations? To what extend can local potentials, structures and processes be developed? Which measures and instruments are best suited in utilizing and strengthening local initiatives, participation and capacities?
• What negative consequences and impacts could the project activities or sub-goals entail? To what extend can this be taken into account in the project (concept) (e.g. do-no-harm approach, conflict-sensitive impact monitoring etc.)?
• What risks (personnel risks for the implementing parties, institutional and reputational risks, context risks) exist during the project implementation and how can they be minimized?

 

Methodology

The methodology for this feasibility study is mixed, but will be largely based on a desk review of the existing materials.[5] Limited qualitative information will be required, however this should be obtained through key informant interviews with core group members of the relevant sectors, government authorities where appropriate, and local partners, for the purpose of triangulation. Interviews with key SCI staff are also expected.[6] The consultant is free to select any mix of approaches suitable for each task within the allotted timeframe, but with full coordination with the Food Security and Livelihoods Technical Adviser. Any forms and/or questionnaire used during the evaluation are to be developed by the consultant, reviewed and accepted with full coordination with the Food Security and Livelihoods Technical Adviser.

 

Deliverables

All deliverables will be validated by the FSL Technical Advisor and approved by the Deputy Country Director Programs before considered complete. Coordination of all activities with the FSL Technical Advisor is required.

 

The study will take place during the period of 9 April 2018 – 30 April 2018, following the tentative schedule below.

 

Indicative timeframe

1 Short report on the workplan for the consultancy period, including methodology for each section and outline of tools to be developed - 2 days after signing contract

2 Tools or questionnaires to be utilized for qualitative methods - 5 days after signing contract

3 Delivery of a comprehensive draft feasibility study - Friday 27 April 2018

4 Presentation of the final findings and recommendations to SCI for comments and discussion - Monday 30 April 2018

 

Required competencies

The successful candidate will have the following required qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in social sciences or any related field
• Demonstrable experience in issues related to the project; experience in related evaluation and analysis
• Knowledge of cross-cutting issues and relevant approaches for the project (e.g. do-no-harm)
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience in working with INGOs, including excellence in monitoring and reporting and demonstrable analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills in English, Arabic highly desirable
• Good inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking aptitude (the consultants will contact various actors and stakeholders of the project)
• Professional experience in mid-term, final or post-project evaluations, impact assessments of projects and feasibility studies
• Proven experience with M&E methods and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative and participatory), information analysis and report writing

 

[1] LCRP 2018 update

[2] VASYR 2017

[3] All program documents will be provided to the consultant by the FSL TA

[4] http://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/49756382.pdf

[5] Existing materials developed by partners in the sector will be provided to the consultant by the FSL TA

[6] Necessary contact information for KIs will be provided to the consultant by the FSL TA