CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT VULNERABILITY CAPACITY ASSESSMENT & DESIGN FORECAST BASED APPROACHES FOR EARLY WARNING ACTIVITIES/ACTIONS

1: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Malteser International (MI) is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta that has for over 60 years provided relief and recovery during and following conflicts and disasters. MI also work alongside vulnerable communities on long-term programs to deliver lasting change. Christian values and humanitarian principles form the foundations of our work: Bringing aid to people regardless of their religion, background, or political convictions with over 140 Projects in more than 35 countries. MI’s vision is a life in health and dignity for all; its mission is to provide emergency relief in crises such as natural disasters, epidemics, or armed conflicts and carry out programs that enable people transform their lives for the better. The approach is to protect health by ensuring people have access to functioning medical structures, adequate nutrition, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene as well as strengthen the resilience of people in especially vulnerable regions against future crises.

Malteser International and Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA) are currently implementing a humanitarian and resilience project titled: Strengthening climate change adaption through improved resilience approaches in Kenya and Southern Ethiopia. The programme has 4 result areas namely: (1) Support communities and/or authorities to prevent/mitigate disasters/outbreaks and adapt to climate change measures/mitigation strategies; (2) reduced risks to communities and infrastructure resulting from climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods, (3) increased food and nutrition security by enhancing agricultural and livestock productivity and resilience of the target population, and (4) increased access to clean and quality water for human consumption, livestock use and agricultural production. The project is being implemented in Marsabit and Dirre Woreda Zone in Ethiopia.

2: OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The main objective of the consultancy is to conduct a vulnerability capacity assessment and design forecast based approaches for early warning activitiesto inform the implementation of the project. The specific objectives include:

• Identifying and analysing the vulnerabilities of communities and critical infrastructure to various natural and man-made hazards.
• Assessing the existing capacities and resources within the county and target communities, including human, financial, and technological assets, to forecasts, respond to and recover from disasters.
• Engaging with local communities, government authorities, and relevant stakeholders to gather qualitative and quantitative data for a comprehensive assessment.
• Developing a report by outlining key findings, recommendations, and an action plan for enhancing Early warning activities within the target communities.

3: SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall supervision of the Malteser International Partner Coordinator, and the direct supervision of MI’s Program Officer, the consultant will perform the following activities:

a. Desk Review:

• Review existing MI Global Anticipatory Action Feasibility Study, literature, reports, and relevant documents on Marsabit County’s & Dirre Woreda geography, climate, demographics, and past disaster events.
• Analyze existing disaster management plans, anticipatory action frameworks or forecast based finance approaches by other stakeholders, and policies at the county, regional, and national levels.

b. Stakeholder Engagement

• Conduct consultations with local communities, government agencies, NGOs, DRR (disaster risk reduction) & One Health networks, and other relevant stakeholders to understand their perspectives on vulnerabilities and capacities.
• Organize workshops and focus group discussions to gather qualitative insights on community-specific risks and resilience factors.

c. Field Assessments

• Conduct field visits to different communities within target sites in Marsabit and Dirre Woreda to assess the physical vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure and communities.
• Use standardized tools to quantify and qualify vulnerabilities, including household surveys and infrastructure assessments.

d. Capacity Assessment

• Identify and assess the capacity of local institutions, emergency responders, DRR & One Health networks, and community organizations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing early warning structures, systems, and communication channels.

e. Data Analysis and Reporting:

• Analyze collected data using appropriate statistical methods.
• Develop a comprehensive report highlighting key vulnerabilities, capacities, and recommendations for Malteser International.

4: TIME FRAME AND DELIVERABLES

The consultant should describe the assessment’s overall schedule that should end on or before the 29th March 2024. The assessment deliverable to be met include:

1. Inception Report detailing the methodology, work plan, and data collection tools.
2. Preliminary Findings Report for review and feedback.
3. Final VCA Report including detailed vulnerability and capacity assessments, recommendations, an action plan for disaster resilience reviewed project results framework including the Project Performance Monitoring Plan and project monitoring tools/instruments.
4. Presentation slides of findings to MI, PACIDA and County teams.

5: DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND ABILITIES

• At-least a master’s degree in public health, Nutrition or other social sciences or relevant field; Statistics, M&E, Agribusiness, Food economics etc.
• At least 10 years’ experience undertaking assessment for Climate Change projects, Food security, livelihoods and DRR.
• Expertise in food security, livelihoods, climate change and resilience programming
• Must have led at least two to three similar/assignments in the past 4 years and especially in the ASAL regions of Kenya.
• Strong analytical skills with proven experience in collecting and analyzing qualitative, quantitative methodologies.
• Excellent conflict sensitive approaches and able to work in highly sensitive environments.