Vacancy American Red Cross: Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Technical Consultancy Study

A. Expected Scope of Work
The consultant, in collaboration with American Red Cross – Indonesian Red Cross will be responsible to provide technical assistance for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Activities the Community Ready to Act continue Fostering Disaster-Ready Communities through Sustainable and Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (FDRCSI-DRR) project that is implemented in Tanggamus District (Province Lampung), Manggarai District (Province East Nusa Tenggara) and one new province/district (Gorontalo or Maluku) to be confirmed later.

The CoRTA/FDRCSI-DRR project will be implemented in January 2022 until December 2024. The consultant will conduct a Nature-based Solutions assessment including assessment report and identify road map for district level integrated watershed/coastal management for each target location. The scopes of work in detail are as follows:

To Provide Nature-based Solutions Study (include Carbon/Blue carbon) and Road map
To provide technical support to PMI on community-based Nature-based Solutions (NbS), consist of Catchment area, Watershed vegetation and coastal vegetation (seedling nurseries, planting and replanting).
To provide technical support to PMI on Flood mitigation, it consists of Natural retaining wall and bioengineering.
To provide relevant training to community groups on livelihood protection assets or livelihood alternative options related to catchment areas, watershed, and coastal ecosystem.
To provide technical support to PMI on community in developing Catchment area, Watershed and Coastal environmental regulation and protection policy
To facilitate Training on Integrated Watershed/Coastal Management.
To promote, advocate and replicate the local government on the adoption of Integrated Watershed/Coastal Management Plan into district development plan.
To facilitate quarterly monitoring to ensure a nursery, planting, replanting include survival rate 94%, flood mitigation, village regulation/protection policy, livelihood activity and coordination meeting and link with local government related promote, advocate and replication.

B. Location of Work
The project will work in three districts of three provinces: Tanggamus District (Lampung Province), Manggarai District (East Nusa Tenggara Province) and new Province/District engaging 20 communities in total: seven in Tanggamus, five in Manggarai and eight new villages. These three provinces already include in highest priority areas in Indonesia based on its scoping assessment, which focused on recurring vulnerability, high vulnerability and enabling environment The American Red Cross and the Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia).

C. Community Ready To Act – Fostering Disaster-Ready Communities through Sustainable and Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (CoRTA – FDRCSI-DRR)
Project Background: At the community level, with the aim of ensuring communities have knowledge, internal capacities, and the necessary resources to assess risks, take required measures, and respond to disasters in conditions of compounding risks, over the three-year period the project will assist up to 20 villages (12 villages from Phase 2, and eight new villages selected for Phase 3) affected by various recurring disasters, with a focus on at-risk watershed populations. This will be accomplished through strengthening community preparedness in Tanggamus District in Lampung Province, Manggarai District in East Nusa Tenggara Province, while also exploring the possibility to extend the program in one more province in the second half of this 3-year grant cycle. It is anticipated that the project will be able to graduate from the 12 existing (Phase 2) villages by June 2023 (subject to the AmCross Disaster Ready Community Assessment and Government of Indonesia Community Readiness tools) while work will begin in the eight (Phase 3) new villages during the second half of this 3-year grant cycle.

Following the Phase 2 re-design process in October 2020, COVID-19 aspects of the project have been integrated for improved response capabilities in four provinces and five districts under the current phase. PMI COVID-19 response from April to September 2020 saw the successful implementation of several COVID-19 related interventions focused on strengthening risk communication / CEA, emergency WASH, staff duty of care, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) / SOPs, response / contingency planning at both the community and PMI level. Phase 3 will see a continuation in distribution of PPE and provision of regular rapid tests for PMI Board members, staff, and volunteers, and CBATs, as well as continuation of pandemic-related health promotion activities (2022-2023). In Phase 3, PMI will also facilitate the completion of strengthening/developing internal capacities of target villages/schools to self-organize, and to identify and reduce their own risks, while at the same time maintaining certain basic functions such as community income/livelihoods during the crisis that postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic. PMI will also continue to improve the capacities of CBATs while also enhancing community engagement in DRR Behavior Change Communication (BCC) campaigns through household visits and visits to selected groups (such as regular women’s groups, and people living with disabilities). Also, during Phase 3, village and school level work will be expanded into eight new (Phase 3) villages and will focus on CBAT recruitment and Village/School Committee formation, ICBRR training for CBATs and Village/School Committees based on the revised ICBRR guidance and curriculum, conducting Hazard-Vulnerability Capacity Assessments (HVCAs), development of relevant risk reduction plans and SOPs, installation and testing of EWS, and roll-out of BCC campaigns. This will in turn contribute towards ensuring villages/schools have trained CBATs and DRR committees, have developed action plans and relevant contingency plans/SOPs within the three-year period.

Additional activities have also been introduced in Phase 3 for existing villages in order to strengthen program objectives at the village level, and to overall improve relations and coordination with the village, district, provincial and national governments. These will include activities such as improving green mitigation and Nature-based Solutions, which contributes to reducing poverty among households, and vulnerable families, as well as reducing children dropout rates at schools due to disasters, especially in situations of compounding risks. This will also include strengthening IRM (defined as one map one policy , upstream-downstream approach with one regulation, plan and SOP), FbA at the community, PMI and local government levels linked with national platforms, and EWSs as a trigger step for early action activities. Focus will also be given to Forecast Translation and Application for Disaster Management (BMKG signature , INAsafe , InaRisk ), development of SOPs for activation of the Early Action Protocol EAP), compiling and updating EAP at the village level that have potential of being funded by village funds, as well as improving CEA mechanisms in the villages while linking it to PMI’s CEA program. It is anticipated that these additional activities will be expanded into the new (Phase 3) villages during the second half of the 3-year grant cycle.

Beyond the project, PMI and the AmCross plan to continue to enhance cooperation and support each other through the Strategic Partnership Plan (SPP ) and wish to mutually contribute to strategic cooperation in each government agency and institution. This project will help further expand both PMI’s Strategy and the AmCross’ SPP implementation in terms of institutional capacity building. Linking directly to the community level, this project will ensure sufficient capacities within PMI to deliver it at any levels (Headquarters, Province, as well as district and community).

Project Stakeholders: The CoRTA – FDRCSI-DRR project is implemented by PMI at National, Chapter/Province and Branch/District levels in the respective target areas in close coordination with the Disaster Management Agency, local government and other DRR and watershed/coastal stakeholders.

Administrative and Logistic Support: The consultant is expected to use her/his own computer, equipment and software. Approved administrative and logistical costs will be reimbursed by American Red Cross with standard financial compliance as required. Training, air travel and accommodation will be arranged by consultant.

Reporting relationship: The consultant will report to Country Manager and Program Manager, American Red Cross Indonesia Delegation

Expected that experts work:

• 1 expert for Nature-based Solutions
• 1 expert for Integrated Watershed/Coastal Management
• 1 expert for Livelihood approach
• 1 expert for Institutional and Environmental protection policy
• 1 expert for Training Curriculum and Module

D. Deliverables & Qualifications
Expected work plan and deliverables: Based upon the listed scope of work above, deliverables from consultant will include:

• Proposal including timeline, method, analysis plan, and budget
• Nature-based Solutions Assessment Report including, road map, planting area, nursery area, type of vegetation, number of plants, soil/mud condition, soil acidity
• Livelihoods Assessment Report including Impact of environmental damage on livelihoods, potential livelihood for community
• Organizational and Environmental Protection Policy Report
• Provide Training Report (Nature-based Solutions, Livelihoods and Organizational and Environmental Protection Policy
• Provide trip report for each monitoring and activity report conducted with standards report by ARC (Bahasa and English)

The consultants should provide separate applications to American Red Cross. Details for required qualifications are below:

• Experienced in watershed/coastal rehabilitation and management practices at least for the last 7 years.
• Post graduate degree from a recognized institution relating to social research, riverbank, marine and fisheries studies or forestry.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Excellent report writing skill both in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
• Has the ability to work with minimum supervision/directions.
• Has a strong network with the local universities in project target areas.
• Has strong skill in conducting and facilitating training for community members and volunteers.
• Ability to work independently, ability to juggle and coordinate many tasks simultaneously, ability to prioritize tasks, well organized, reliable and trustworthy.

To apply this position, Candidate should submit proposal as outlined below:

• Consultant experience: This section should highlight experiences of the consultant in conducting research, watershed/coastal intervention and approach as well as advocacy.
• Work plan: The proposal should clearly mention details of each activity including kind of preparatory work, training, meetings and visits. The timeline and person(s) responsible for each activity needs to be clearly mentioned.
• Field team: Provide the number of team members needed for the proposed activity.
• Training: State who will be responsible for training, describe how training will be done, the topics covered, expected duration and logistic and administrative support needed from American Red Cross.
• Quality control mechanisms: Provide a section detailing the mechanisms to ensure the quality and monitoring of the proposed activities including the monitoring of the watershed/coastal rehabilitation.
• Proposed daily basis consultancy fee
• Provide at least 2 lists of referees and samples of previous work that are related to this topic.

E. Contract Duration
The contract duration will be for one year starting in April 2022 with possibility to extend

F. Payment
Payment will be based on agreed on key deliverables:

• The payment divided into areas: Consultancy Fees and Operational Costs (allowable travel and associated costs will be reimbursed based on actual costs)
• Payment for Consultancy Fees could be requested from American Red Cross on a Quarterly basis for Contractual Work.
• Payment for Operational Cost could be requested from American Red Cross on a monthly basis, based on actual costs
• American Red Cross will transfer the payment after consultant submits Report and invoice letter to American Red Cross