CONSULTANCY VACANCY : Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation: Child photo project for Growing Together

PROGRAM : Growing Together Regional Programme

DOMAIN : Monitoring and Evaluation

LOCATION

The consultant(s) will work with one group of approximately 8-12 children (age 6-12) in each of the three countries where the project is implemented:

· Thailand: 5 refugee camps in Mae Hong Son and Tak Provinces

· Bangladesh: Kutupalong official and makeshift camps in Teknaf and Ukhiya sub-districts (Cox’s Bazaar district)

· Pakistan: Jalozai IDPs camps/host communities in Peshawar

START DATE : 25 April 2018

APPLICATION DEADLINE : 20 February 2018 at midnight (Bangkok time)

I – CONTEXT:

Handicap International (HI) is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster.

Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.

HI is currently implementing projects in more than 50 countries worldwide, including Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“Growing Together” is a 4-year regional project implemented by Handicap International and partners in Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan in order to support communities to raise socially and emotionally healthy children in refugee/IDP camps and in host communities.

The project aims at enabling children with disabilities and other vulnerable children (age 0-12) to develop their full potential on an equal basis with other children and acquire fundamental educational and social skills through inclusive play, arts, games, sport, culture, and early years’ education in displacement settings in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand.

The project will engage different beneficiaries:

• Parents of children under 5 years old to participate in parenting clubs to strengthen their knowledge and self-confidence on early child development, child protection and child participation but also to improve their well-being through peer support mechanisms.

• Children of primary school age (6-12 years old) to participate in clubs, where they will learn and socialize through inclusive play, games, arts, and sports, and where they will champion children’s rights (child protection, child participation) and needs of vulnerable children in their communities.

• Local child-development service providers to be more responsive to the needs of boys and girls with disabilities and other vulnerable children, and to implement measures to facilitate their inclusion.

II – OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY:

The project has designed a monitoring approach where beneficiaries are not only informants. Rather, through child-led and adult-led monitoring committees, children and caregivers will take an active role in determining and sharing progress and positive change as a result of the project, all through artistic, participatory methods which cover a variety of visual and audio methods. This will position them as partners with HI to collect qualitative data, analyse data, which will in turn help to highlight what activities are working well and are creating meaningful change for them, as defined by them.

The child photo project is therefore part of this participatory monitoring and evaluation framework. It will be specifically used to collect qualitative data in order to measure if targeted children demonstrate a better understanding of (i) equal participation, (ii) disaster risk reduction, and (iii) protection measures in alignment with child rights.

For that purpose, the child photo project will be implemented two times in the project: in Year 2 (the current vacancy) and later on Year 4. In April 2018, this will be the first time the photovoice methodology will be used with the project beneficiaries. At that period, children’s clubs should be functional for approximately 4-6 months (depending on the country). Children should therefore start to become familiar with the concepts of child protection, child participation and disaster risk reduction. Hence, at this stage of the project, the child photo project will encourage children to analyse the “pre-project situation” and therefore to capture the challenges they are currently facing in terms of equal participation and child protection in their communities.

HI is seeking qualified and professional consultant(s) to facilitate this photo project (based on the photovoice methodology) with one child-led monitoring committee (8-12 children in total) in each implementing country (Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh).

The short-term consultancy will start from 25 April 2018.

During the field phase, the consultant(s) will travel consecutively to Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

III –EXPECTED RESULTS OF THE CONSULTANCY:

1. Collect qualitative data: Photovoice is a participatory research and monitoring tool which allows participants to tell their stories and have their voice heard through a specific photographic technique. In the frame of the photovoice project, children will collect and analyse data on children participation and protection by capturing photographic evidence in their daily lives.

2. Empower participating children by building their skills through:

• Stimulating their creativity and learning photography skills;

• Exploring their own reality and examining their struggles;

• Learning critical thinking, critical analysis and improving their ability for self-expression;

• Enhancing their self-esteem through participation in a project where they build skills and competencies in photography;

• Understanding the right to be heard and the importance of sharing your voice and ideas.

IV – EXPECTED DELIVERABLES:

The consultancy will deliver the following tangible outputs:

·Inception report in English, including all proposed methodology and action plan for child photo project facilitation and coaching of children. The inception report will have to be validated prior to the field phase.

·Edited photographs at the end of the mission, which should be ready to be disseminated to the donor and partners.

· Final report in English submitted within 2 weeks after completing field missions. The final report should include relevant observations and comments from sessions held with children, especially related to their experience on child protection and child participation.

V – METHODOLOGY OF WORK, TIMELINE AND LOCATION:

DESK PHASE:

· Step 1: The consultant(s) will review existing project documents (project proposal, M&E framework, internal Photovoice guidelines, etc.). On this basis, the consultant(s) will refine the methodology and field work plan. These elements will be incorporated in an inception report written by the consultant(s).

· Step 2: The Growing Together regional team will provide feedback and validate the inception report.

· Step 3: The consultant(s) will potentially attend a Skype meeting with each national country team to prepare the field mission.

FIELD PHASE:

· Step 1: The consultant(s) will meet with national teams and selected beneficiaries (8-12 children in each country).

· Step 2: The consultant(s) will train children on basic photography techniques that will help them to represent their experiences, strengths and struggles through photographs.

· Step 3: The consultant(s) will coach children during a few days in order to improve the quality and meaning of their photographs.

· Step 4: The consultant(s) will edit photographs, directly on site, being guided by children.

· Step 5: If time allows, the consultant(s) will support children and project officers in the organisation of a photo exhibition to show the community photographs taken by children. The consultant could therefore help children to select the most relevant photographs, to write captions but also to provide logistics guidance to project officers for the printing of photographs but also for the spatial display of exhibited photographs.

· Step 6: The consultant(s) will provide remote support to continue capacity-building of field team on photovoice if needed.

This field process will be repeated in the three countries of mission (Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh). The different steps can slightly be modified according to the working methods of the selected consultant(s).

FINAL REPORTING:

The consultant(s) will write a final report which will include the following elements:

• Selected methodology (including constraints and challenges encountered), and strategies used to overcome them;

• Detailed key findings and conclusions (notably observations and notes from group discussions with children on child protection and child participation);

• Recommendations;

• Outline of any follow-up that might be needed.

VI- LOGISTIC ARRANGEMENTS AND RESOURCE PERSON:

The consultant(s) will:

· Organize and pay for their flight tickets (beginning and end of mission).

· Organize and pay for transfer flights between Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan.

· Organize and pay for their visas.

· Organize and pay for their stay in Mae Sot (Thailand), Peshawar (Pakistan) and Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh). This includes meals, accommodation, and any other extra personal expenses during the mission.

· Organize and pay for adequate medical insurance coverage including repatriation.

· Provide proof of adequate professional, third party liability insurance or a discharge of responsibility by which they respond personally to any damages caused to third parties by their act.

· Provide a proof of their worker’s official status or the documents evidencing the legality of their activities in their country of domicile.

Handicap International will:

· Provide logistical support and cover the costs for meetings, workshops and training with HI beneficiaries and staff.

· Provide an external interpreter to English when necessary.

· Make available relevant documents to the consultant(s).

· Provide working space, access to the internet, telephone usage and office services.

Note that NO per diem will be paid to the consultant(s). Also, international travel days will not be considered as working days and will not be paid.

VII- BUDGET:

The consultant(s) should present a financial proposal with a breakdown of all the costs incurred as follows:

· Professional daily fees;

· Travel costs (plane tickets, visa costs, etc.);

· Living expenses (meals and accommodation);

· Medical insurance.

The payment schedule will be agreed during the contracting process.

VIII - CONSULTANT PROFILE:

HI encourages consultancy firms, groups or individuals that can assign consultant(s) expert in participatory monitoring and evaluation and photography with vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities.

Experience type and length of experience):

· Experience in coaching others in photography

· Strong experience in child-friendly, participatory methods of facilitation for groups of children

· Previous experience with disadvantaged populations and people with disabilities desirable

· Previous experience in the topics of child development, child protection or disaster risk reduction

Competencies (Knowledge, skills required for the job)

· Proven skills in photography

· Excellent analytical, research, writing and communication skills required;

· Capacity to manage a photo project autonomously

· Ability to use inclusive methods, including disability inclusive methods.

Personal qualities:**

· Strong interpersonal, intercultural skills

· Ability to communicate and work well with diverse people

· Adaptability

· Detail oriented, organized

IX- APPLICATION PROCEDURE

To apply please send all the following application documents to gtrecruitment@thailand-hi.org

with « Child photo project consultant » as the subject of your email:

a) CV;

b) Cover Letter outlining relevant experience;

c) Technical offer including: proposed process and methodology, and an action plan (activities and timetable);

d) Financial Offer;

e) Example of photography work (please insert a link in your application of your website or blog displaying your artistic work);

Evaluation of applications will be made through a selection committee only if complete application is received. Criteria to select the best application will be based on quality of the methodology, realistic work plan, previous experiences, demonstrated expertise of the applicant, and competitive financial proposition.

The deadline for submitting applications is 20/02/2018 at midnight (Bangkok time).

Selected applicants will be invited for a skype interview.

HI reserves the right to contact the consultant(s) for further information before the final selection of the evaluation team.

“Handicap International is committed to protect the rights of the children and opposes to all forms of child exploitation and child abuse. HI contractors must commit to protect children against exploitation and abuse”.