Research Lead Lebanon (Health & Protection, vectors for Social Cohesion project)

Introduction

The project “Health & Protection, vectors for Social Cohesion” is implemented by Amel Association International (Amel), in partnership with Samusocial International (SSI) and International Alert (Alert) and funded by the Agence Francaise de Developpement.  The specific objective of the project is to strengthen the resilience of health care services and protection in Lebanon to the most vulnerable populations (refugees, host communities, women and men) through the implementation of health and protection services with conflict sensitive approach, networking and engaging public and non-governmental agencies active in the basic services (health and protection) in dialogue, building the capacities of the health caregivers and identification and case management for most vulnerable children and youth and their families living in street situation. The project, including its health, protection and social cohesion components, is implemented through community centers and mobile units in the regions of Beirut, Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon and Bekaa. Amel and Alert decided to pilot an in-depth health and social cohesion intervention in 3 catchments areas: Bourj El Barajneh, Sour and Mashgharah. Given the innovative approaches adopted by the two NGOs in these areas, they decided to conduct a research action.

Purpose and objectives of the consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to produce an evidence-based advocacy strategy on how to integrate social stability objectives into the medical, social and protection services of community-based centres in Lebanon. This strategy will serve as a document to guide Amel Association’s and International Alert’s advocacy with partners, local, national and international organizations, stakeholders and donors across the development and humanitarian sectors.

Specific objective 1: To identify best practices and recommendations for supporting social stability based on the work of Amel’s community-based centres in Baajour (Mount Lebanon), Machghara (Bekaa) and Tyre (South Lebanon).  

The consultant will conduct an action research jointly with Amel Association programmatic and operational teams in the 3 pilot centres in order to come up with a set of best practices and recommendations.

Tasks for objective 1:

• To conduct a desk-based literature review
• To design and plan the methodology and field research in selected locations in Lebanon in the Bekaa, South and Mount Lebanon
• To collect, consolidate and analyze data
• To draft the action-research report (key findings and recommendations)
• To finalize the report with feedback from a validation workshop

Specific objective 2: To develop an advocacy strategy on supporting social stability through the work of community-based centres

The consultant will facilitate a one-day workshop with Amel, International Alert and their partners to validate the research findings and recommendations and develop key advocacy messages for organizations working on health, social services and protection and their donors. Advocacy messages and channels for reaching specific audiences will be produces at the workshop with input from active practitioners in the medical, social and protection fields and the donor.  The advocacy strategy will include problem statement, objectives, key target audiences, key messages and engagement strategies.  The main advocacy messages for practitioners and donors will be shared and discussed at a national conference where different audiences from partners, active stakeholders from the medical, social and protection sectors

• To facilitate an internal workshop with partners to 1) validate research findings and recommendations, and 2) develop an advocacy strategy for different audiences
• To draft the advocacy strategy document
• To present findings of the action research in a national conference with academics, practitioners, local, national and international stakeholders as well as donors and UN agencies
• To finalize the advocacy strategy document with inputs from the national conference

Scope of the action-research and methodology

Alert will oversee the development of the methodology with the support of the Consultant and in close collaboration with Amel’s program team in addition to operational staff in three pilot community-based centres in different governorates. The donor (AFD) and the partner (SSI) will also be associated to this research. This research methodology will take a participatory approach and it will involve different qualitative methods. It will build on the accumulation of three years of coaching and accompaniment work conducted by Amel to Amel centres on the conflict sensitive approach to services provision; and it will generate a framework and a clear strategy to advocate for the integration of social stability objectives in health and protection services. This framework must have an adaptive structure that can fit community-based centres with different contexts, conditions and characteristics.

Hypothesis 1: The integration of social stability and conflict sensitivity into the healthcare and protection services improves the ability to mitigate and decrease tension between the centre users of the different communities and between the users and the staff, improving relationships, working environment and making the centre a friendly space for positive interaction.

Hypothesis 2: Social stability and conflict sensitivity, once integrated in a community based centre’s strategy and services provision has the potential to transform the centre from a ‘healthcare and protection services provider” to facilitating a higher level of social engagement, so it in effect becomes an ‘active agent of change’ contributing towards social stability in the area.

In addition, the researcher will be required to investigate the following lines of inquiry:

1. If effectively integrated into service provision in the healthcare and protection sectors, to what extent does social stability and conflict sensitivity have the potential to enhance relationships between the different communities and nationalities? What are the conditions which necessary for the integration of social stability and conflict sensitivity into health care service provision to improve relationships between the different communities and nationalities outside the remit of direct project intervention (i.e. health centres)?
2. How could a community-based center providing healthcare and protection services contribute to social stability and become an active agent of change in the area?
3. How are the healthcare and protection services in Amel centers being conflict sensitive and how are they promoting social stability?
4. How are Amel's social stability and conflict sensitivity elements contributing to tension reduction and mitigation in the centre between the users coming from different communities?
5. What is the role of each working personnel in the different departments in promoting conflict sensitive model?
6. How can in-house dialogue activities when accompanied with external coordination meetings with different local actors and active stakeholders enhance the relationship between the different communities and mitigate tension.

A combination of three qualitative research methods will be used to conduct the filed research and test the hypotheses set out above:

1. Key-informant interviews
2. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
3. Observation
4. Questionnaires.

The target participants for this method include the following (it is acknowledged that there may be some overlap between categories): 

• Syrian and Lebanese men and women (center users)
• Syrian and Lebanese men and women (non- center users)
• The center’s medical and administrative staff in addition to social workers and protection staff
• Amel's field and project coordinators
• Alert’s related staff
• Donor and other service providers working in health and protection

Deliverables and duration of the consultancy

The consultant will act as lead researcher in Lebanon working closely with International Alert’s team and in cooperation with Amel. He/She will cover 23 working days in the period from 20 May 2019 until end of August 2019 and will be responsible for two main deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Research report with recommendations (approx.20 pages, in English) – by end of June 2019

Deliverable 2: Advocacy strategy (approx. 5 pages, in English) – by mid of August

 ¥ The selected consultant should be able to produce the following deliverables:

Under Deliverable 1: Research report with recommendations (approx.. 20 pages, in English) – by mid of July 2019

• Conduct desk review of relevant literature on health and social stability in Lebanon, including publications, research, policy documents from practitioners in healthcare and social stability sectors, MPH and academia.    
• Design the action-research methodology and validate the research questions jointly with partners
• Develop the data collection tools (guidelines for Key informants’ interviews, focused groups discussions, surveys…)
• Collect data from staff and vulnerable communities in the relevant locations (Bekaa, South and Mount Lebanon)
• Deliver transcripts and notes
• Lead on the analysis of data
• Develop a write-up of the synthesized data (which is the 1st draft of the action-research)

Under Deliverable 2: Advocacy strategy (approx.. 5 pages, in English) – by mid of August

• Conduct a validation workshop
• Draft the final action-research ‘Advocacy strategy’ in English to Alert staff for feedback and will refine analysis and recommendations following Alert input; and
• Present the findings through a national conference for partners, active stakeholders and donors. 

Tasks List and Timeline

Activity:

• Desk review & research methodology: 3 working days (20 - 31 May 2019)
• Data collection (FGDs, interviews, surveys) : 5 working days (1 - 17 June 2019)
• Data consolidation: 3 working days (18 - 24 June 2019)
• Data analysis / Write-up of the 1st draft: 4 working days (25 June – 8 July 2019)
• Internal validation workshop with partners and integrating feedback: 1 working day (8 – 12 July 2019)
• Submission draft advocacy strategy: 4 working days (13 – 29 July 2019)
• Submission of final report (including Alert feedback) : 1 working day (29 July- 5 August 2019)
• Presentation of the findings in a national conference/ closing event: 1 working day (3rd week of August 2019)
• Finalizing the Action strategy based on the National conference inputs: 1 working day (end of August 2019)

Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in social sciences or relevant fields
• Experience in peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity, social stability and researches in Lebanon is a must
• At least five years of experience in interviewing vulnerable populations, including refugees, with familiarity for standards of ethical conduct in research settings
• Strong knowledge of the Lebanese context and the implications of the Syrian crisis
• Ability to grasp key elements in the project
• Strong inter-personal communication and facilitation skills
• Excellent skills in research and data collection
• Ability to conduct interviews in Arabic
• Excellent analytical skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism
• Excellent English language writing and translation skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Prior experience working in the fields of health and protection is a plus

Languages

Arabic: Fluent.   English: Fluent 

Period: three months