Consultancy: Data Collection

Terms of Reference

- Data Collectors -

Rapid labor assessment:

Status of the businesses and employees affected by the Beirut Port Explosion

Background:

Beirut Explosion:

On August 4, 2020 at approximately 18h00 (Beirut time), a warehouse at the Beirut Port containing 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded. After an initial explosion, a subsequent blast caused widespread damage, with reports of destruction more than 20 kilometres from the port area. 

To date, it was reported that:

• More than 200 people are reported dead with 7 people still missing, and over 6,000 injured.
• Some 40,000 buildings were damaged, with 3,000 residential structures seriously damaged.[1]
• Over 70,000 workers are estimated to have lost their jobs as a result of the explosions, with direct implications for over 12,000 households.[2]
• 178 public and private schools were damaged.[3]

The explosion impacted several neighbourhoods in Greater Beirut and adjacent quarters in the Mount Lebanon governorate. According to preliminary assessments, the most affected areas are[4]: 

• In Beirut governorate: Gemmayzeh (Saifi quarter); Karantina (also known as Khodr) and Mar Mikhael (Medawar quarter); Jetaoui (Remeil quarter); Gharb, also known as Karm El Zeitouni (Achrafieh quarter); Nouveau secteur, also known as Downtown, and Marfaa (Marfaa quarter); Bachoura quarter; Zqouq al Blatt quarter; Mazraa quarter; Moussaitbeh quarter; Ras Beirut and Ain Mreisseh sectors (Dar El Mreisseh quarter); and Minet El Hosn quarter 

• In Mount Lebanon governorate: municipalities of Bourj Hammoud, Bauchriyeh, Sin El Fil, Aamaret Chalhoub, Jdaidet El-Matn and Zalqa (all in Metn district) 

The explosion led to catastrophic destruction of residential houses, businesses, infrastructure, and the Port. Reports state that around 300,000 people have lost their homes, and are currently living with families, friends, and others who offered their houses. The damage has affected both Lebanese and non-Lebanese, with primary data from first responders indicating that migrant workers and refugees will need targeted support as the impact of the explosion has exacerbated their already dire status[5]. 

Oxfam’s emergency response:

Oxfam’s emergency response is based on overarching humanitarian approach, which identifies localisation, community engagement, social accountability and feminist approaches as the four guiding pillars.  The country team is heavily invested in mainstreaming local humanitarian leadership and maintaining strong strategic partnership with local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and support to grassroot organisations. Based on this, Oxfam’s Beirut Explosion response strategy is heavily focused on supporting local partners, existing and new, in their response. Taking an inclusive and intersectional approach to the response, Oxfam will support local partners who respond to community groups that are already subject to different types of vulnerability such as elderly, people with disabilities, migrants, women, refugees, and the LGBTQ community. The response can be framed under the following objectives:

• Overall Objective: Save lives, reduce suffering and enhance resilience of vulnerable groups in Lebanon who have been impacted by the Beirut explosion through a targeted, localized response that will address the root causes of crisis while saving lives in the short term.
• Specific Objective 1: Delivery of immediate, quality, inclusive, and safe life-saving emergency assistance to those most impacted community members living in affected areas, including areas outside of Beirut.
• Specific Objective 2: Provide coordinated and integrated economic support to affected micro and small enterprises and employees, focusing on the most vulnerable groups, within Beirut and across the country.

Reflecting on the progress of the emergency interventions currently implemented, the results of the assessment and consultation with partners, Oxfam’s response plan will be divided into two phases:

• An emergency response phase (first 3 to 5 months): address urgent, life-saving needs
• An early recovery phase (following 3 -24 months–and beyond): seek to support the most affected groups to recover, build back better, and strengthen their adaptive and absorptive resilience capacity.

Development of a recovery strategy

Oxfam’s response team are currently developing a recovery strategy following the horrific Beirut blast which took place on August 4 2020, along with active actors such as the livelihood actors, International Labour Organisation (ILO), several micro-finance institutions, economic experts, and local partners who work in business development support.  The strategy will set the roadmap which will guide the second phase of the response. It is expected that the strategy will include three inter-linked lines of work: 1) support the Micro, Small, and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to re-open, re-recover, and re-employ and/or create jobs, through the provision of direct assistance to meet primary needs (e.g. rent and resources), non-financial support through Business Development Support (BDS), and financial support through grants and/or other financial schemes; 2) support unemployed women and men secure jobs through reactivating referral mechanisms and linkages with livelihood actors, and 3) support economic – recovery alternatives that continue to support solidarity economic initiatives (e.g support to cooperatives to social entrepreneurship) In implementing the strategy, Oxfam will partner with existing and new actors with expertise in providing recovery business support. As mentioned, the plan is in the development phase, and an updated version will be provided soon.

To guide the development of the strategy, Oxfam and partners are planning for the implementation of a labour assessment. The assessment aims to survey the affected businesses in the port and the surround and assess the impact of the explosion on the employees of the surveyed businesses. The exercise will be divided into two phases: (1) assessment of the affected businesses, and (2) surveying affected employees. The exercise will be guided by the following research questions:

Phase I (Businesses):

• What is the impact of the Beirut Port Explosion on the status of the businesses in the port and surrounding areas?
• What are the plans of the affected surveyed businesses (e.g. re-open, close, pending)?
• What financial resources are needed for the businesses to reopen?
• What is the status of the employees of the businesses of the surveyed businesses?
• What are the specific skills that the businesses require from employees to re-open?

Phase II (Employees):

• What is the impact of the Beirut Port Explosion on your work and livelihood?
• What are some coping mechanisms adopted following the loss of income?
• Is your workplace looking to re-open and re-hire, or are you looking for another job?
• What are your needs post-August 4?

Objective of the data collection exercise

Oxfam will be conducting a vulnerability assessment of the status of the employees of the MSMEs in the port area under Phase II. The data collection exercise will aim at collecting specific information on the status of the employees who got affected to design the Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) program.

The data collector will use the following methods:

• • Phone interviews will be used to collect information from the employees
  • An adapted vulnerability assessment survey will be used which will be translated to Arabic
  • Information will be recorded on Survey CTO

To complete the data collection for phase II, Oxfam is looking to conduct:

• Approx 1,000 phone call to companies asking for list of employees
• Approx 2,000 phone call to conduct vulnerability surveys to employees (20 min/call)

Expectations

Based on the above expectations the data collectors are expected to:

• Meet/have a conversation with Oxfam to discuss the details of the assignment
• Conduct phone surveying to employees
• Record answers in Survey CTO
• Refer to Oxfam with any inquiries during the data collection process
• Adhere to Oxfam’s code of conduct and data protection policies at all times.

Language:

• The Survey will be available in Arabic and English and questions will be asked in Arabic.

Outputs:

• Assigned # of surveys completed

Duration:

• 3 weeks during the month of December

CODES OF BEHAVIOUR:

The process will be directed by Oxfam’s guidelines for the ethical conduct of evaluations and research, guiding the team of consultants through careful consideration of the key ethical implications at every stage of the harvest. These guidelines are available at this link: http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/undertaking-research-with-ethics-253032 

DISCLOSURE:

Although free to discuss with the authorities on anything relevant to the assignment, under the terms of reference, the consultant is not authorized to make any commitments on behalf of Oxfam. All data collected as part of this consultancy belongs to Oxfam and public dissemination of the data and findings and recommendations can only be done with the written consent of the Oxfam.

Application

Interested companies should send an email to jbabassian@oxfam.org.uk & LebanonProcurement@oxfam.org.uk (in cc) with a financial proposal and workplan by December 7.

[1] OCHA, Beirut Explosion SitRep 5.

[2] Ibid.

[3] OCHA, Beirut Explosion SitRep

[4]https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/emergency-operations-centre-beirut-assessment-analysis-cell-analysis-affected-areas

[5] https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/emergency-operations-centre-beirut-assessment-analysis-cell-analysis-affected-areas