Livelihoods and Market Assessment, South Sudan

Background

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. 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. In South Sudan, the IRC provides vital assistance in economic recovery and development, health and nutrition, women protection and empowerment, child protection, general protection, and education. The IRC in South Sudan is one of the largest providers of aid, delivering emergency relief and post-conflict assistance for over 30 years. Today, the IRC provides services for more than one million people across the country, delivering lifesaving care and life-changing assistance.

Despite the advent of the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement (R-ARCSS) and the formation of the Unity Government in February 2020, South Sudan continues to experience unprecedented humanitarian needs. Four consecutive years of severe floods, desert locusts, internal conflicts, and localized dry spells across South Sudan have greatly disrupted the availability and accessibility of food, farming services, and natural resource-based livelihoods. The humanitarian context remains fragile with an estimated 2.2 million people displaced in the country since 2013 and at least 148,000 returnees from abroad remain displaced within the country, unable to reach their homes. An estimated 9.4 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023, a staggering 76 percent of South Sudan's population, increased by 500,000 people from 2022 (HNO, 2023). According to the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC, 2023) for South Sudan, In the lean season projection period of April to July 2023, an estimated 7.76 million people (62.7% of the population) will likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity, with 43,000 people likely to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) acute food insecurity in Akobo, Canal/Pigi and Fangak counties of Jonglei State; and Leer and Mayendit counties of Unity State. 

Protection monitoring data reveals that women and girls are some of the most adversely affected population groups in the South Sudan context given the high rates of GBV and related impunity for perpetrators as well as the pervasive presence of traditional practices that are harmful to women and girls. While the overall security situation has improved, 2022 has seen increasing intercommunal clashes, localized violence, cattle raiding incidents, and rising tensions in the Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites secured by UNMISS. Over 83% of South Sudan’s population relies on subsistence farming, livelihood and fishing as their primary source of livelihoods,^[1] leaving them vulnerable to climatic and conflict related shocks and stressors.

Introduction

To better understand the changing context and needs of women and youth in urban areas of South Sudan and design responsive market-based livelihoods projects and contribute towards addressing the challenges affecting women and youth in urban areas, the IRC plans to conduct a livelihoods and market assessment in Juba in Central Equatorial State; Rumbek in Lakes State, and Aweil in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State in South Sudan. The IRC has seen a need to get a better understanding of the urban livelihoods patterns as well as the market systems operation and seeks to hire a short-term qualified and experienced consultant to conduct a livelihoods and market assessment which will inform its urban livelihoods program in Juba, Aweil and Rumbek.

 Geographical coverage and target population

The assessment will be conducted in Juba in Central Equatorial state, Rumbek in Lakes state and and Aweil in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal state, South Sudan. The focus will be on all populations including IDP’s in camps, returnees and host communities.  

Objectives of the assessment

The livelihoods and market assessment and analysis is aimed to achieve the following specific objectives:

A.     Livelihoods:

1.      Determine key livelihood activities in which women and youth are engaged in in urban areas.

2.      Analyze the main income sources and the assets owned by communities in the target area as well as identify specific assets owned by women and youth.

3.      Analyze the problems/challenges around access and management of livelihoods assets.

B.      Demand:

1.      Documentation of emerging and declining sectors in the local economy.

2.      Clearly spell out any market-related challenges and provide possible solutions.

3.      Identify existing sectors with high and low employment and business/self-employment opportunities for women and youth.

4.      Review of existing formal employment opportunities by the sectors identified.

5.      Review of existing business/self-employment opportunities by the sectors identified.

6.      Identify relevant challenges/constraints to women and youth employment and self-employment opportunities.

C.      Supply:

1.      Identify employment and business/self-employment interests and skills of the communities in the target area with a focus on women and youth.

2.      The required skills/capabilities in various sectors and occupations based on consultation with local employers.

3.      Review of existing vocational training opportunities provided by both humanitarian and national actors and government.

4.      Identify women and youth interest on digital skills.

5.      Identification of existing job-matching resources and platforms that can be utilized by graduates of the program.

6.      Identify market-relevant skills training needed to improve youth and women’s employment and self-employment opportunities.

7.      Identification of private sector businesses and trade associations that could partner with to facilitate access to employment for VT graduates.

D.     Access to Financial Services

1.      Identify women and youth sources of finance.

2.      Identify women and youth access to financial products and services.

3.      Identify financial services providers (Commercial, Microfinance and mobile money agents) providing services to youth and women for self-employment.

4.      Identify opportunities for providing loans and credit for youth and women in the financial service providers (FSP).

5.      Identify women’s and youth’s interest in the financial services providers of their interest.

Methodology

The IRC strongly advises that the needs assessment will utilize a mixed methods approach employing quantitative and qualitative methods to gather sector-specific data towards defining target group needs.  Relevant secondary data be reviewed and utilized to throw light dimension and trend of needs across the two counties. The primary data collection will include i) Key informant interviews with private sector actors, community elders,  local authorities and focal points in government line ministries and where applicable key inter-agency stakeholders [OCHA, WFP,UNDP,FAO] ii) Data collection target within communities – Structured household surveys/interviews,  and focus group discussions with different groups of women, men, youths, traders, and vendors will be conducted to gather significant data and information for thorough understanding of needs, trends of disasters and community recommendations for redress. The Consultant should propose appropriate sampling method to ensure representativeness and achievement of the assessment objectives.

Data collection, Analysis, and reporting 

The lead consultant will lead the data collection in close coordination with the IRC MEAL and ERD Technical Coordinators.  S/he will develop data collection tools and upon review and approval by the IRC technical teams, uploaded onto KOBO mobile app for offline administration. To ensure diversity and a participatory method, the consultant is expected to employ a robust mixed-method approach incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis during the assessment. Qualitative methods should include observation, interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) with a range of key stakeholders national authorities and targeted populations with Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach. The consultant must triangulate data/ information from a wide range of sources to ensure reliability of needs and recommendations. The Consultant should outline quality assurance measures that he/she will put in place to ensure quality deliverables that are fit-for-purpose.

Time frame:

The needs assessment is expected to run for a period of 35 days between February and March 2023.

Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible to deliver the following:

1.      Desk review and draft and submit an Inception report with clear methodologies showing how to carry out the assignment and the timelines for implementation.

2.      Development of data collection tools in collaboration with the technical teams and lead on ground data collection at field.

3.      Draft assessment report with recommendations for review by IRC Technical teams both in Juba and the Technical Units.

4.      A validation meeting with key stakeholders i.e. partners, technical teams, national and state-level actors etc.

5.      Mapping of key livelihood options for the target area.

6.      Final Livelihoods and market assessment report with recommendations.

7.      A PowerPoint presentation for dissemination of findings to varied audiences.