Call For A Proposal On Baseline Assessment Under Health Sector

UNHCR LebanonCall for proposalsThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon is looking for an entity or institution to undertake a project baseline and end-line survey. Background and Context In the past two and a half years, Lebanon has experienced unprecedented refugee influx from neighboring Syria. UNHCR expects to register 1 million refugees in Lebanon by the end of 2013. The spill over of the Syrian crisis into Lebanon compounded pre-existing vulnerabilities in the health care sector. Refugee populations have in many cases settled in areas inhabited by impoverished and vulnerable Lebanese communities further stretching limited or non-existent health care services at the local level. In addition, prior to 2012, some Lebanese communities in the Bekaa and the North addressed their health needs by crossing the border into Syria. With the conflict in Syria making this no longer possible, local populations in those regions in particular are hit by the fact that they must now rely upon Lebanese health care alongside newly arrived refugees, without a corresponding increase in availability of services. The public health care system is currently overstretched and unable to meet the needs for Lebanese and refugees.The EU funded project - Instrument for Stability, is planned to run for 18 months starting in January 2014. It aims to reduce and defuse tensions among Lebanese host communities by providing specifically targeted support for the health care sector, in particular the Government and Public Health sector. UNHCR, together with WHO and UNICEF, and through cooperation with implementing partners, will strengthen and reinforce the Government’s capacity. Through improvements to the health care sector, the overarching goal of this project is to reduce tension at the local level by reassuring the Lebanese population that (1) the Government can address their on-going needs and that (2) it has the capacity and resources to meet new challenges which have arisen in the context of the Syrian crisis. In addition, through the work of a peace building NGO the capacity of project partners and a wider range of health sector actors will be increased to implement projects using a conflict sensitive approach. Lessons learned from this project can serve to guide the development of future initiatives of this kind in other sectors. The project targets over 180 MoPH affiliated and 20 health facilities run by MOSA/NGOs with material and some human resource support. The support will particularly target health centers and dispensaries where provision of health services appears to be creating tension and conflict among the refugee and the host community. Partners working closely with the catchment population and health care providers will engage the refugee and host community with interventions aimed at conflict reduction and peaceful coexistence. As part of a comprehensive M&E framework, UNHCR proposes to conduct two surveys (base-line and end-line). The first survey is expected to provide implementing agencies with preliminary sources and causes of conflict, suggestions to reduce tension as well as provide indicators to measure the impact of the project.Objective and scope of the surveys: UNHCR seeks to measure the impact of the project and to understand how to shape further adequate responses aimed to address any tensions among Lebanese host communities originating from an overstretched health sector.Hence a baseline assessment among the beneficiaries on their perceptions/conflicts in relation to the health services and how these perceptions in turn affect their access to health care is critical at the onset of the project.After finalization of the project, the end-line survey has to be undertaken in order to analyse if the project indeed reached its overall objective of defusing tensions between populations by improving access and quality of health services, taking into account changing political environments during the project cycle. Time Frame: - The initial baseline survey must be undertaken in February and early March 2014 for results to be available no later than 10th April 2014.- The end-line survey must be undertaken after 16 months, i.e. in May 2015 and completed no later than 31st July 2015.Methodology & costs:We would like to receive a detailed assessment proposal, including the methodology, tools and proposed time frame for each of the surveys and associated costs.