Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey on Disability and Social Inclusion Project in Thailand

1. Background:

1.1 About Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International)

Handicap International runs its program under the operating name Humanity & Inclusion (HI). It is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict, and disaster. Working alongside people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our actions 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 60 countries worldwide, including Thailand.

1.2 Context in which the project takes place

Thailand has a long-standing history of receiving refugees from neighboring countries even though Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a formal national asylum framework. Myanmar refugees have been hosted on the Thai-Myanmar border for over three decades. Currently, more than 82,000 refugees[1] live in nine temporary shelters. (1 https://www.theborderconsortium.org/resources/key-resources/camp-population/)

Prolonged stay in temporary shelters with limited education, livelihood, and other opportunities contribute to a difficult social environment with protection concerns such as substance abuse, youth offending, early pregnancy/marriage, and domestic and other forms of Sexual Gender Based Violence and exploitation. Refugees with disabilities often remain excluded from mainstream humanitarian services including general information and protection measures in the temporary shelters. The current funding reduction further compromises the protection environment of already very vulnerable refugees.

1.3 About Handicap International in Thailand

HI started working in Thailand in 1982 and first focused its actions on the delivery of mobility and assistive devices to Cambodian and Burmese landmine victims, most of whom needed lower limb prostheses. Since 1998, the scope of projects broadened, and HI started providing physical rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities, in 2009, promoting inclusion within mainstream service providers, so far targeting mainly livelihoods, shelter, and vocational training actors.

In Thailand, HI currently implements 3 projects:

• Explosive Ordnance Risk Education: conducted towards the overall community, with a focus on at-high-risk groups including refugees willing to return to Myanmar implemented across all 9 temporary shelters in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi provinces;
• Physical rehabilitation: Physiotherapy and occupational therapy-based services and provision of assistive technology; implemented across all 9 temporary shelters in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi provinces;
• Disability and Social Inclusion (DSI): Inclusion of disability into a mainstream livelihood, vocational training and protection services providers, support of Self-Help Groups of persons with disabilities, and physical accessibility across all 9 temporary shelters; in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi provinces;

1.4. Context in which the project takes places

Under Disability and Social Inclusion, which is in focus for this KAP survey, HI seeks to ensure refugees with disabilities have increased access to mainstream services, through a three-fold approach:

• (i) direct support to representative organizations of refugees with disabilities (Self Help Group),
• (ii) direct support to refugees with disabilities using Triage assessment and personal plan development,
• and (iii) awareness raising for services providers, CBOs[1] and community leaders [2]

Project name

Disability and Social Inclusion (DSI)

Exact location

4 camps namely Ban Mai Nai Soi, Ban Mae Surin, Tham Hin and Ban Don Yang in the Northern and Southern provinces of Thailand, situated along the Myanmar-Thailand Border

Target groups (Beneficiaries)

Mainstream service providers, CBOs, and community leaders.

Project Goal

The refugees, including community leaders participating in awareness sessions, demonstrated increased knowledge, and become more inclusive in their practices in 4 refugee camps in Thailand.

Funding

The project is financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM).

2. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SURVEY

2.1 Objective

The overall objective of the consultancy is to conduct a survey to measure HI’s impact, assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of the service providers, CBOs, community leaders demonstrated increased knowledge and practice more in inclusive in 4 temporary shelters: Ban Mai Nai Soi, Ban Mae Surin, Tham Hin and Ban Don along the Thai-Myanmar border.

2.2 Specific objectives:

1. To assess the change in KAP of service providers, CBOs, and community leaders (including security staff, section leaders, and camp committee members) regarding the disability fundamentals and the knowledge increased from the training.
2. To assess the implementation of disability-inclusive measures in services provision (accessibility, disability-friendly policies, recruitment of persons with disabilities etc.).
3. To assess the change in KAP of people with disabilities regarding advocacy and empowerment in inclusion and accessibility.

2.3 Expected results of the survey

• The level of KAP towards the inclusion of people with disabilities of service providers, CBOs, and community leaders targeted in the ongoing project is assessed.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the service providers, CBOs, community leaders, and focal points of people with disabilities are identified and analysed, with a view to providing information for strategic decision-making.
• Practical recommendations are formulated regarding to potential new areas of work with service providers, CBOs, and community leaders (or other actors) in terms of inclusion and accessibility.

A set of clear Lessons Learnt / Good Practices (including in the implementation of the training action plan) is available.

3. METHODOLOGY:

The exact methodology should be proposed by the consultant/s in the application documents.

The KAP survey will be participatory, taking into account the opinions of the different targeted actors. The methodology should include but not be limited to quantitative data. The sampling techniques and target groups will be developed by the consultant, as well as the KAP protocol, using the same approach as the previous KAP survey (if relevant).

The consultants should take into consideration the high turn-over within CBOs, camp committees, service providers’ staff and the fact that some might not have been trained by HI. It might be necessary to include this new staff in the survey with some specific attention.

The technical feedback on the tools and outcome will be delivered by the DSI Project Manager, MEAL Manager, Technical Inclusion Officer, and the relevant Technical Advisor at HI HQ as well as from target groups after testing the questionnaires.

3.1 Desk phase, during which the consultant will:

• Review existing project documents;
• On this basis, the consultant/s will develop the survey tools (survey protocol; data collection tools: questionnaire, focus group guide and semi structured interviews guide);
• Develop method of data collection (sampling size and procedure, data entry form etc)
• Coordinate the translation of the tools from English to Karen / Burmese;
• Prepare the surveyors training and materials;
• Gather and analyse secondary data;
• Define a detailed working plan including the list of stakeholders to meet during field phase.

These elements will be combined in an inception report that will have to be validated by HI team.

3.2 Field phase (steps/methodology to be detailed by the consultant/s

3.3 A reporting phase during which the consultant will:

• Write a preliminary report highlighting major findings, analysis and recommendations;
• Organise a debriefing workshop with HI team, to present the findings with the aim of exchanging, and sharing feedback;
• Submit the preliminary report to get comments and feedback from HI team within 5 working days;
• Submission of a final survey report to HI of 50-pages maximum including Annexes.

4. DELIVERABLES:

• Produce an inception report in English, including all proposed tools to be introduced at the end of the desk phase. The inception report will have to be validated prior launching the field phase. This includes the final KAP Protocol including all the data collection tools and methodology, and training materials.
• Organize a restitution presentation/workshop to HI including an analysis of the findings and a set of recommendations. During this workshop, the consultant will also provide detailed explanation of the methodology used for the survey. The consultant will prepare a Power Point presentation of preliminary findings which will include the following:

i. Key points from draft report outline;

ii. A detailed explanation of the methodology used and timeframe;

iii. Major findings/results of the survey for each objective;

iv. Recommendations.

• A Final Report (50-pages maximum) in English within 2 weeks after completing field data collection. HI will provide comments within 5 working days for the consultant to finalise/adjust the report. The final report should be divided into the following sections:
  • Executive summary of KAP findings;
  • Introduction to the context;
  • KAP survey methodology, including selection and sampling methods, and explain any constraints and challenges encountered, and strategies used to overcome them;
  • Detailed key findings and conclusions;
  • Recommendations;
  • Appendix – all data collection tools;
  • Data base(s);
  • List of persons met during the survey process and salient points of the meetings.

Within the report confidentiality will be respected when representing personal information. A consent form needs to be used prior taking any photo used will have HI permission form completed, any inclusion of pictures of children will have the statement within the document…. “All names & information about the location of children and family privacy in conformity with HI Child Protection Policy”

NB: For reasons of confidentiality, the survey report remains the intellectual property of HI exclusively.

5. TIMELINE:

The start of the consultancy is expected to be on 7th August 2023. The final deadline for the submission of the finalized KAP survey report is 12th September 2023. The mission will be planned in accordance with the project team (HI and partners) and dependent on activities planned for the proposed timeframe

[1] Community Based Organization

[2] Camp committee, section leaders, security leaders, zone leaders and religious leaders

6. PROFILE OF THE CONSULTANT:

The KAP survey can be carried out by an expert or a team of experts/ support staff.

If a team of experts is selected, the survey will be put under the responsibility of one team leader chosen among the team of experts. This person will ensure all communication with HI Thailand office and will be the sole responsible party for managing the organization of the KAP survey.

The expert or team of experts should combine the following skills, experience and knowledge:

• Proven experience in conducting KAP surveys / assessments.
• Proven experience in data analysis and reporting.
• Good knowledge of MS Office, especially MS Excel.
• Experience and/or knowledge in refugee contexts, preferably along the Thai-Myanmar border.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Knowledge of Karen/Burmese language is an asset.
• Background in disability, or other vulnerable or marginalized groups, preferably with a working knowledge on civil society organizations.
• Experience in working with HI is an asset.

Evaluation of the proposals/ applications will be made through a selection committee through two phases:

• Administrative selection: checking for completeness of application (all 6 items listed above and 5 minimum as compulsory).
• Technical selection: criteria to select the best application will be based on the quality of the technical proposal, competitive financial proposal, human resources skills and previous experiences, demonstrated expertise of the applicant.

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration for technical selection.

How to apply

FORMALITIES:

Proposals from interested consultant(s) should include:

1. Letter of expression of interests (compulsory);
2. Technical proposal (compulsory) including the survey design and methodology, capacity to implement the survey despite the international travel restrictions, data collection and analysis, activities e.g. finalization of protocols and tools and training delivery, and confirmed timeline (suggested timeline attached) considering contextual limitations (see enclosed below);
3. Financial proposal (compulsory) for the KAP survey. All costs related to the survey without exceptions should be figured into the financial plan of a consultant, including consultancy fees, domestic travel if needed/possible, visa, accommodation, interpreters, enumerators, data collection and analysis fees, per diem, logistics, organization of workshops, etc. Note: No per diem will be paid to the consultant(s). Also, international travel days (if any) will not be considered as working days and will not be paid;
4. Curriculum vitae (compulsory) detailing a consultant’s preparedness, experience & expertise in KAP surveys and disability work; reference of previous assignment done or sample of work accomplished;
5. 3 references of which 2 should be from a previous KAP survey experience;
6. A list of relevant documents for the contractual process will be requested in case of selection (passport/ID card, insurance, fiscal registration…).

• The deadline for submission of proposals is 16th July 2023 at midnight Thailand time.

• Proposals should be submitted to the following email: [email protected]

  Only candidates who passed the administrative selection will be taken into consideration for a technical assessment and will be afterwards notified on final decision. Selected applicants may be invited for a (phone/skype) interview.

• HI reserves the right to contact the applicants for further information before the final selection of the selection committee.