Livelihood Landscape Review and Strategy Support-Consultancy

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC opened the country program in Afghanistan in 1988. Our programs range from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development activities, focusing on child protection, education, economic wellbeing, health, and power. The IRC works in 9 provinces throughout Afghanistan, among which some of the most security volatile, and employs over 500 staff.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

IRC Afghanistan is looking for an eligible, technically competent consultant to conduct a livelihoods landscape review and subsequently support the development of a livelihoods strategy for IRC Afghanistan. The landscape review will define thematic priorities for future IRC livelihood interventions, based on which potential partners, funding opportunities, geographical areas for future IRC livelihoods expansion in Afghanistan, etc will be defined in form of a livelihood strategy.

Methodology:

The IRC anticipates that the completion of the deliverables (specified in the next section) will require both reviews of the existing secondary data such as IRC’s end of projects reports and Afghanistan contextual documents (e.g. existing economic and market assessments, including labor, climate change risk assessment, etc.) as well as collecting primary data, including at a minimum key informant interviews with IRC staff, members of the different organizations, affected populations as well as relevant public and private sector stakeholders. The consultant will propose the final methodology to be applied during this assignment which will be agreed upon between the consultant and the IRC. Potential in-country travels to the provinces will be coordinated with the IRC.

Deliverables and Reporting Requirements:

There are three key deliverables for this review process:

Deliverable 1: Inception report and desk review (20% of the total payment)

The consultant will prepare and present an inception report with a work plan. The inception report will include a detailed review framework of the livelihood landscape in Afghanistan focusing on the period (2015-now) in the following locations as detailed below:

• South (Helmand)
• West (Herat and Badghis)
• East (Khost, Paktya, Nangarhar, Logar, Laghman, Kabul)

The consultant will conduct a desk review of IRC’s reports and other contextual information leading to recommendations of thematic priorities/sub-sectors for IRC’s future livelihoods programming. The final list of 3 to 5 priority themes will be determined in direct consultation with IRC.

Deliverable 2: Draft Reports (60% of the total payment)

1. Based on the prioritized themes in deliverable 1, the consultant will then conduct detailed analysis of the agreed priorities/sub-sectors and deliver a sub-sector review report to the IRC by April 30th, 2021. The report will include the following:

• Mapping stakeholders, including donors and other organizations (including local and international civil society organizations, government actors and departments), engaged in each sub-sector programming and on-going, completed, and planned programs on each sub-sector in the specified regions,     
• Review of recommendations on types and quality of interventions, gaps and barriers to successful implementation, and actors that should be engaged,
• Provide reflections on key enabling and impeding factors that affect women’s participation (from the rural and urban areas) in each sub-sector,
• Analyze key local/national legislation and policies related to the prioritized sub-sectors,
• Identify opportunities and role of IRC in each identified sub-sector based on historical experience, technical areas, and resources available.

2. Based on the findings of the sub-sector review, the consultant will organize a design workshop (could be remote or in-person) where he/she will present the findings as well as kick start the design process of the livelihood strategy.

3. Draft livelihood strategy

• Summary of key findings from the sub-sector review
• Review of current IRC Afghanistan programming and mapping of IRC’s strengths and weaknesses against government/donor strategies and stakeholder landscape in each sub-sector.
• Key strategic direction in each sub-sector

Deliverable 3: Final Reports and presentation (20% of the total payment)

The consultant will finalize the sub-sector review report and livelihoods strategy following feedback from the IRC team. He/she will present the key elements of the livelihood strategy to the IRC Team in one workshop (remote interactive meeting).