Job Description


INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSULTANCY

Save the Children International (SCI) Somaliland program hereby invites interested consultants to bid for the consultancy assignment detailed below.

Title of Consultancy

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE STUDY ON CHILDREN LIVING OR WORKING ON THE STREETS OF HARGEISA[1], SOMALILAND.

SCI Contracting Office

Save the Children, Somaliland

Period of Consultancy

30 working days starting from contracting date.

Consultant type required

Individual or Firm

Responsibility for Logistics arrangements and Costs

The consultant will be responsible for organizing logistical issues with no facilitation from SCI as per the consultancy agreement.

Taxation Provisions

Consultant shall be responsible for all Taxes arising from the consultancy in line with the Somaliland Tax regulations applicable at the SCI Hargeisa Office

Travel requirements

Consultant will manage all travel & any logistics costs may be required.

Security requirements

Consultant will comply with standard Save the Children Security procedures, including the completion of SCI online security training prior to travel to Somaliland

[1]  This ToR mainly uses the term ‘children living and/or working in the streets’ when referring to the children in street situation. The use of this term and the term ‘street children’ describes children who: 1) Depend on the streets to live and/or work, either on their own, or with other children or family members; and 2) Have a strong connection to public spaces (e.g. streets, markets, parks, bus or train stations) and for whom the street plays a vital role in their everyday lives and identities. This wider group includes children who do not live or work on the street but regularly accompany other children or family members in the streets. In other words, ‘street children’ are children who depend on the streets for their survival – whether they live on the streets, work on the streets, have support networks on the streets, or a combination of the three. (Consortium for Street Children)

Terms of Reference

Study on Children Living or Working on the Streets of Hargeisa[1], Somaliland.

 

1.   Brief introduction of Save the Children Country Office



Save the Children International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in children’s lives worldwide. SCI has been operational in Somalia/Somaliland since 1951. Guided by the Country Strategic Plan (CSP), SCI strives to ensure most deprived children aged 0-5 years have a strong start in life; children aged 6–14 years have a better foundation for a bright future; young people aged 15-24 years become socially and economically productive citizens; girls and women have greater voice, choice and control over decisions affecting their lives, and strengthened government and civil society capacity to sustain child wellbeing in Somalia/Somaliland. SCI Somalia/Somaliland implements a range of child-focused and thematically integrated programs across Somaliland, Puntland and Southern States through sustainable humanitarian and development programming which enhances both government and community ownership.

 

2.   Background of the Project

The WADUS (Wadajirka Daryeelka Ubadka Somaliland - Working together for better protection of children in Somaliland) project aims to strengthen child protection systems in Somaliland. More specifically, the project focuses on the provision of high-quality response and prevention services (both formal and informal), as well as capacity development of the social service workforce. This will improve access, efficiency, and effectiveness of case management implementation in Somaliland, especially for child survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The project advocates for the creation of a policy and legal framework conducive to addressing the rights of children. It builds capacity and action of local government officials on child-focused budgeting, budget transparency and investment in disability-inclusive child protection systems at national and local levels. Community-based approaches are used to increase capacities for violence prevention and response amongst children, parents/caregivers, and community-based child protection structures to ensure that children are safe and protected on all levels -at home, in the community as well as in school. 

 

·         The project goal: Vulnerable children and youth in Somaliland are better protected from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.


·         The outcome: Vulnerable children in project areas are supported through quality and inclusive child protection systems.

·         The outputs:

o   Output 1: Age, gender, and disability appropriate community child protection services are strengthened specifically for survivors of SGBV.

o   Output 2: Parents/caregivers, community-based child protection groups, traditional authorities and other actors create a safe and protective environment for children including children with disabilities.


o   Output 3: Strengthened legislation and structures to protect children at regional level with strong linkages to national and community-based systems and mechanisms.

The project is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Finland (MFA) through Save the Children Finland and is implementing by Save the Children International (SCI) Somalia/Somaliland CO in partnership with the local non-governmental organisation YOVENCO (Youth Volunteers for Development and Environment Conservation), and in local collaboration with the government line ministries and local authorities. The target areas are 5 areas in Hargeisa (Ayah 3, Ayah 4, Isha Boroma, Mohammed Moge and Stadium), 3 areas in Berbera (Lasadawayo, Burosheikh, and Wadajir) and 1 area outside Hargeisa (Gabiley). The project will reach directly 4,000 girls and 3,800 boys, and 4,300 women and 2,500 men including parents/caregivers, members of community-based child protection structures, religious and other traditional leaders, local authorities’ representatives. Indirectly the project will reach approximately 11,500 girls and 10,000 boys 1and 4,500 women and 9,550 men. 61% of the target population are IDPs and 36% are from host communities, with 3% refugees and returnees. 10% of persons with disabilities including children with disabilities from the overall target beneficiaries (direct reach) will be reached.


 

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, through Save the Children Finland (SCF) is financially supporting the project with € 350,000 annually for 4 years (from 1.1.2022 to 31.12.2025).

 

2.1.   Situation of street and other vulnerable children in Somaliland 

Every child has the right to live free from violence, exploitation and abuse. National laws, policies, and children’s rights conventions promote and protect children’s rights by establishing a protective environment for children in Somaliland, where girls and boys should be free from violence, neglect, and exploitation. According to the Somaliland Constitution[2] Article 19, “The state shall be responsible for the health, care, development and education of the mother, the child, the disabled who have no one to care for them, and the mentally handicapped persons who are not able and have no one to care for them”. Street children fall within this category of the vulnerable groups hence the Constitution protects them. Further to this provision in the Constitution, the National Development Plan III (2023-2027)[3] recognizes efforts made by MESAF (Ministry of Employment Social Affairs and Family) to develop and implement child-sensitive social safety nets for children in orphanages and those on the streets.  However, due to limited financial and institutional capacity, a significant number of children still lack fundamental rights. National Development Plan III (2023-2027)[4] prioritizes strengthening the relevant institutional, policy and legal frameworks to protect children’s rights.  In October 2022, Somaliland passed a landmark Child Rights Protection Act (CPA), which is geared to protect children from all forms of abuse and neglect.

Approximately 30 percent of Somaliland children are fostered, with four percent having lost both parents and 12 percent having lost one parent. 36 percent of fostered and/or orphaned children live in urban areas compared to 21 percent who are nomadic.[5] Most of these children usually end up in the streets or depending on the streets for livelihood. Although Somaliland labour law prohibits child labour, more than 13 percent of children (ages 5-14) engage in child labour[6]. Despite significant efforts to scale up care, support and protection of vulnerable children and households, Somaliland continues to face significant challenges to support the rights and needs of vulnerable children. A number of civil society organizations (CSOs) currently operate in Somaliland but are not reaching out to many of the most vulnerable children and households, especially the IDPs and street children. This has mainly been attributed to their overwhelming numbers, coupled with the limited capacity of both Government and civil society actors. There is no government run social welfare system in place to help these groups, but Somali communities have traditionally shown a great deal of generosity and have cared for the poor through use of religious, community and clan-based coping strategies and systems. However, with increasing urban population and the urban poor, these coping mechanisms have been overwhelmed.

Street children tend to be from IDP families or of Somali ethnicity from Ethiopia, with boys more visible than girls.[7] About 100 to 200 immigrant children cross the border from Ethiopia into Somaliland annually on their way to Puntland, or to Yemen[8]. The main reasons given by street children for separation from their families were the loss of the primary family breadwinner, especially the mother, and general poverty amplified by continuous natural disasters such as drought, poor economic returns and high unemployment rates among youth both in urban and rural areas. When the family arrangement changes and there is a new stepmother or stepfather, boys are more likely to leave than girls who tend to stay with their mothers or go to their mother’s kin. According to the Child Rights Situation Analysis – 2023, many children are separated from their families and live on their own due to the result of recurrent droughts and armed conflicts in Somaliland. According to HNO[9], Separation from caregivers is a persistent concern, specifically among displaced populations with 40% of displaced households taking care of children who have been orphaned or separated from their parents or other adult caregivers.

Unaccompanied child refugees are vulnerable to emotional and sexual abuses. Street children and all other working children are subject to the worst forms of odd labour. They are used as drug peddlers or induced to using drugs at an early age. From a study undertaken by Save the Children International on street children in Somaliland (2013)[10], it was found that children were exposed to selling and using of illicit drugs, glue, Khat and alcohol. They were also used by peddlers to carry illicit alcohol to underground venues where it was sold and consumed by members of the public. Barber shops were mentioned as common places where alcohol was sold.

According to the National Study on Street Children conducted in 2020, some of the barriers affecting the full realization of children rights were embedded in weak legal and policy instruments for protection of children, poor resource base by the government to invest in social services, negative public attitudes towards street children, and negative cultural practices including clan and gender-based discrimination.

 

3.      Objectives and Scope of the Assignment

The study will look at the situation and rights of street children[11] in Hargeisa and present an assessment of the problem. It will also analyse the causal factors, the effects of the problem of street children, the interventions and responses currently being offered to street children, the gaps in service provision and recommend strategies for intervening in the short- and long-term. The study should include a strong component of listening to girls and boys and will use gender lens in all the analysis and recommendations.  The data will also be disaggregated by age and disability. In reference to the Berbera study, it took time to create trust among children living and working in the streets. As such, the study should employ various strategies that would ensure that children’s own opinions will be heard. The study is expected to generate but not limited to the following information:

 

·         To the extent possible and through triangulation of different sources, provide an estimate of the number and type of street children in Hargeisa.

·         Information about street children on the following issues: demographic characteristics, country of origin, family background/support/contact, quality of life, shelter/stay arrangements, educational status, income generation, risks and protective factors, perception of street life and aspirations, patterns for separation from families and an analysis of push and pull factors for children living and working on the streets.

·         An analysis of access and utilization of basic services including a mapping of stakeholders (NGOs/CBOs, Government, and other Non-State Actors,) that support children living and/or working on the streets of Hargeisa.

·         Recommendations for appropriate interventions/strategies for working with street children in Hargeisa.

3.2. Key questions

1.      Which children are living or working on the streets of Hargeisa and why?

2.      Why are girls and boys joining the streets in Hargeisa and what are causes of family separation? (push factors and pull factors)

3.      What children’s rights are being violated in the case of street children in Hargeisa?

4.      What contributes to vulnerability of girls and boys who are living or working on the streets in Hargeisa and who are most at risk?

5.      What services are available and what is not available for street children in Hargeisa?

6.      Which strategies do street children in Hargeisa recommend for staying safe and to be better protected in the city and stay back at home?

7.      What do the key stakeholders think should be done to address the plight of the street children?

 

4.      Intended users of the study and key stakeholders involved.

The intended users of this study will be all stakeholders supporting and working with children in Hargeisa. The results from this study will guide the stakeholders on how best to protect the children living and/or working in the streets of Hargeisa. The assessment will be conducted in close collaboration with all stakeholders, with the leadership of the local government.

 

The study should involve representatives of all key stakeholder groups of the project, including children and youth, women, men, partners, local and national government, and SC staff. Special attention will be paid to making sure that the views of girls, children with disabilities and of other relevant vulnerable groups are captured. Before leaving all communities, partners and SC offices visited, the study team must ensure that participants are informed about the reasons of the visit and the next steps in the research process including how the findings will be shared with them.

 

5.      Geographical scope

The study will be conducted in Hargeisa town in Somaliland.

 

6.      Methodology

The study shall adopt qualitative methods to collect information from both primary and secondary sources. At the beginning of the process, the consultant / study team and relevant SC staff should conduct meeting(s) to further discuss and agree on the methodology and approach. It is envisaged that the following methods will be applied:

 

6.1.   Secondary data review (desk review)

The consultant in collaboration with SC CO will identify secondary data for review (research, evaluations, government policies and so on relevant to the project) to derive perspectives, lessons, and good practice from other regions in responding to the street children phenomena and programs that have been implemented to address it at a global, region and country level (Somalia/Somaliland). These will include but not limited to:

·         Existing relevant policies/laws/research/initiatives/schemes/programmes

·         Child Rights Situation Analysis

·         Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct

6.2.   Primary data collection and tools

The data collection tools for primary data collection will be developed by the consultant in close collaboration with SC and local partners. The study should ideally include qualitative approaches with a variety of primary and secondary data sources including child-centred participatory methods.

 

The following are some possible tools. All tools used should be gender-sensitive and where children are involved, child-friendly. The tools should be tested before use and reviewed and approved by SC before commencing any data collection activities.

·         Key informant interviews with key stakeholders that are knowledgeable on the street children phenomena as well as actions that have been taken or are being taken to address it.

·         Focus group discussions organized for street children by age, gender, and background.

·         Observation of living conditions and behaviours among other issues.

·         Individual interviews with children where the children may not be ready to share information in a focus group discussion.

·         Collection of some case studies to provide descriptive information about the situation of street children in Hargeisa.

Based on the above recommendations and experience from conducting similar research, the consultant shall propose the most appropriate data collection methods and tools which will be discussed and agreed upon with Save the Children prior to commencing the study.

 

6.3.   Sampling

The consultant shall adopt an appropriate sampling method that will allow correct conclusions about the study population. The sampling methodology and size will be agreed together by SC and the consultant. SC should in all cases review and decide whether to approve any further modifications or changes made.

 

6.4.   Analysis, debrief and reporting.

It is critical that a debrief is given of main preliminary findings to key Save the Children and partner staff at the end of the study visit to the project so that there is an opportunity to reflect on and discuss the findings. Once the draft report has been prepared, the consultant should present the findings to Save the Children before the final report is prepared. Save the Children will also share written comments before the report is finalised.

 

6.5.   Dissemination of findings

After finalization of the study, the consultant should share the main findings with key staff at the country office level (by Skype of other appropriate means as agreed). Dissemination of the findings with the project’s relevant stakeholders and research participants will be carried out by the project staff in an audience-appropriate way.

 

7.      DELIVERABLES

 

7.1.   Inception report

The inception report will be delivered to SC after the initial meeting and desk review have taken place. The report should include the purpose and objectives of the study, clarification, interpretation and elaboration of the key questions, a detailed plan of how the study will be carried out describing research methodology, sampling strategy, qualitative guides, proposed guiding questions for semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion or other approaches, and proposing the draft data collection tools incorporating the Washington Group short set of questions, together with a matrix lining the suggested methods and tools with the questions they are supposed to answer. Methodology to address data quality issues should be explained in the report. The inception report should also provide a clear matrix of roles and responsibilities indicating the persons involved in the study and their roles, the key internal and external stakeholders to be involved, a detailed work plan with expected outputs/deliverables and timeline and a detailed financial breakdown including the number of days and persons involved. A detailed plan on enumerator training, including persons to be trained, contents and duration of training and translation provided should be included. It should also summarize the preliminary findings from the desk review and explain the process for obtaining the participants’ consent and any necessary government permissions. Requirements for reporting and dissemination of findings as well as planned dissemination and any restrictions to confidentiality should be included. A detailed work plan should be annexed to the report. The main text of the inception report should not exceed 10 pages. The inception report as well as all the suggested tools should be delivered in English.

 

7.2.   Data collection tools and related materials

The final FGD questions, interview questions, questionnaires, other tools that will be used with target groups will be shared by the consultant in English and local language prior to the data collection process after the tools have been tested and possible modifications to them based on the tests have been made.

 

7.3.   Reports

a) Draft study report: A full report with main text of maximum 30 pages excluding cover page, table of contents, abbreviations, executive summary and annexes. The draft report should be delivered in a soft copy in English. References should be fully cited after all important facts and figures. The analytical reports of the findings should be presented in a qualitative format supported by quantitative charts and tables. The report should as a minimum include the following elements:

o   Front page with the title of the study, date, and authors of the report

o   Table of contents

o   List of abbreviations used.

o   Executive summary (3-4 pages) that presents the key points of the different sections.

o   Objectives and the intended use of the study 

o   Methodology and limitations of the study

o   Findings

o   Conclusions and recommendations

o   Relevant annexes, which as a minimum must include:

§  Tools used.


Skills and Qualifications
Individual consultants and companies are eligible to apply this consultancy service. However, the applicant must have the following profiles.

•      Post graduate qualifications in the development studies, Social Sciences, Political Science or another related discipline relevant to the assignment.

•      At least five years of relevant professional experience including at least three years’ experience in development work.

•      Substantial experience in qualitative and quantitative methodologies including child-friendly research tools.

•      Substantial knowledge and understanding of street children/children on the move issues in the region and globally.

•      Sound knowledge of local and international legal instruments governing the protection and promotion of children’s rights

•      Understanding of key working approaches and principles in Child Protection (Child Rights Programming and Child Participation frameworks)

•      Knowledge of Somali culture will be an added advantage and the social political dimensions of child protection.

•      Experience in conducting similar research/studies conducted for INGOs working with children.

Excellent oral, and effective presentation and report-writing skills

Evaluation Criteria

The following award criteria will be used during the evaluation of the technical proposals.



Attachments
INVITATION TO BID Consultancy service for Children Living or Working on the stree.docx
How to apply
Application Procedure

Individuals/Firms interested in this evaluation are expected to provide the following documentation:

·         Technical proposal aligned with ToR, presenting the background, objectives, research questions, study design, study area, proposed sampling techniques and tools, and timeline.  

·         Separate financial proposal: Depicting names and number of staff time, daily rates, number of days, roles and responsibilities in the study.  

·         The profile of the staff involved in the study and experience including CVs of research team members, examples of similar research reports written by the consultant, contact details for further information regarding proposal submission, etc. 

·         References – at least two credible and traceable referees  

Closing date for Applications

Interested candidates shall submit their applications through [email protected]   by not later than 24th July 2024.

Terms of Reference (ToR)

Complete ToR with details appended below attached herewith as    Annex 1.

Purpose of the consultancy
Introduction of the project
Background of the consultancy
Objectives of the consultancy
Proposed methodology and approach
Scope of work
Key deliverables / outputs
Activity timelines


Email[email protected]
 
PhoneUnspecified