Ethiopia: Consultancy: Refugee Livelihoods Assessment, Gambella, Ethiopia

Background

Concern has worked in Ethiopia for over 40 years, primarily in emergency/relief response, health, nutrition and livelihoods. Currently, Concern is operational in emergency response and development programming in Addis Ababa and in the Amhara, Tigray, Afar, Somali and SNNP Regions. It is also providing nutrition support to South Sudanese refugees in Gambella Region.

In Gambella Region, Concern is the implementing partner for emergency nutrition response in Pugnido 1 refugee camp which shelters over 65,000 refugees from neighbouring South Sudan, providing interventions aimed at improving the nutritional wellbeing of the refugees. In Ethiopia, the South Sudanese represent the largest refugee community. They are mainly concentrated in the Gambella region, bordering the Jonglei and Upper Nile States of South Sudan. As of August 2017, an estimated 388,086 South Sudanese refugees resided in Ethiopia, an increase of over 100,000 since the same period last year. [1] The majority are housed in seven refugee camps in Gambella Region. The Pugnido 1 camp is the largest and oldest camp and its South Sudanese population[2] arrived in Ethiopia in different waves since the outbreak of conflict in 1993, up to the recent and ongoing conflict since December 2013. The health and nutrition status of camp residents does not meet acceptable Sphere standards, with global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates of 16.8%.[3] The 2017 SENS analysis attributed the high GAM rates to many underlying and multi-sectoral causes including: inadequate access to food; poor hygiene practices, lack of access to potable water, poor maternal care and child feeding practices especially the failure to introduce appropriate complementary foods, insufficient access to and utilisation of health and nutrition services.

The services provided by Concern in Pugnido 1 camp include a full package of emergency nutrition support (BSFP, TSFP, OTP, and IYCF) and community outreach for health and nutrition mobilization. The project aims to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity among South Sudanese refugees in Pugnido 1 camp. Its goal is reduced mortality and morbidity associated with malnutrition and specifically to reduce GAM to below 15% in children under five years. The second component of the programme involves the promotion of small scale backyard gardening for refugee households with the aim of enhancing dietary diversity and improving their nutrition status. The project interventions include the provision of seeds, tools and training on crop production, alongside demonstration gardens.

Purpose / Rationale for the Consultancy

The 2016 SENS survey in Gambella refugee camps showed that due to lack of access to sufficient food, 71% of refugee households were forced to resort to such negative coping strategies as borrowing cash, food or other items (48%); selling assets (16%); requesting increased remittances (15%); reducing meal quantity/frequency (37%); begging (6%) and engaging in risky or harmful activity (17%)[4]. Based on Concern’s inquiries in two refugee camps in Gambella and discussions with the woreda agricultural extension office, it is evident that many refugees have very little experience in agricultural production, both in their home country and in Gambella.[5] While each refugee household has been allocated 190^m2 of land adjacent to their home as per the Administration for Refugee & Returnee Affairs (ARRA) guidelines, only a handful have actually planted on their land and most are covered in weeds, despite the fact that the soil types are fertile and favorable for the production of a vast variety of crops. Most refugees have a pastoralist rather than a crop production background and moreover, have no tools to engage in agricultural production, combined and limited agricultural / gardening knowledge. They are entirely dependent on food aid, and often sell part of their food rations to meet other household needs, with adverse nutritional consequences. Food aid rations have been cut twice in recent times due to resource constraints. The various relevant stakeholders are increasingly considering livelihoods interventions as a more viable and sustainable alternative for this refugee community that will be unable to return home for the foreseeable future. Were the refugees given opportunities to enhance their livelihoods skills, this would also contribute to durable solutions in the longer term that would allow them to rebuild their lives in dignity when they are eventually able to return home.

WFP is at an initial stage of working together with UNHCR and ARRA to establish a livelihoods strategy for the refugees, taking into account market demand and opportunities, geo-climatic conditions, existing refugee skills and overall potential[6]. To complement this initiative, and in light of the immediate food security challenge faced by the refugees and its dire consequences for nutrition outcomes, Concern is planning to develop a livelihoods programme that would support refugee households to meet at least some of their food needs and which would enable them to be more self-reliant through engagement in a variety of livelihood opportunities.

The purpose of this consultancy is to carry out an assessment which would establish which livelihoods options have economic viability for refugees in Pugnido 1 camp. The aim is not profit maximisation per se but rather, assessing which activities would contribute to food security either through actual production of food for consumption and perhaps, partially, for sale; and/or non-farm activities which are environmentally sustainable and which could be used to generate cash for refugee families.

The consultant is tasked with conducting assessments and formulating strategies which will provide Concern with detailed contextual information and guidelines to facilitate development of a livelihoods program in Pugnido 1 camp. This will include developing appropriate targeting criteria and implementation mechanisms to ensure that such a programme will effectively impact the wellbeing of participating refugees.

Specific Objective

To develop feasible strategies to reinforce and develop refugees’ livelihood-related capacities, assets and outcomes in Pugnido 1 camp.

This will include:

• Review of secondary information: relevant existing reports/studies and previous livelihoods assessments

• Documentation of the current livelihoods strategies of refugees in Pugnido 1 camp with particular attention to the respective roles of men and women, detailing the challenges and barriers that they face in engaging in such activities

• Assessment of the potential for additional livelihood activities which could be feasible and viable in the Pugnido 1 context, paying particular attention to nutrition sensitive food production

• Setting out, in the case of each potential livelihood option identified, (i) capacity gaps; (ii) challenges; (iii) inputs required – training and other – to facilitate refugees wishing to engage in the designated livelihood activities: and (iv) means of addressing or overcoming barriers or threats

• Documentation of economic activities being undertaken by the host communities living adjacent to Pugnido 1 camp and assessment of (i) potential synchronicity between refugee and host activities; and/or (ii) potential adverse consequences for host community livelihoods were refugees to set up in competition to them

• Detailing the compatibility of potential livelihoods activities with the Ethiopian legal framework and ARRA guidelines

• Making detailed recommendations to inform the development of Concern’s proposed livelihoods programming in Pugnido camp.

Outputs

• An inception report detailing the study methodology and tools by 30^th October 2017

• Provide debriefing to the Concern project team in Ethiopia.

• Prepare and submit the draft report (maximum 30 pages without annexes) by 30^th November 2017 ; incorporate changes as a result of feedback and submit the final evaluation report by December 8^th 2017 in electronic form (Word) and which includes a maximum three page Executive Summary, introduction, methodology, and analysis, findings and recommendations for future programming

Qualifications of the Consultant

Minimum of 10 years’ relevant practical field experience within one or more of the following areas: livelihood programming; urban and rural small business development; market assessments; Income Generating Activities, ideally including some experience of working with refugees

In-depth knowledge of at least one relevant technical sub-sector in livelihoods (e.g. market gardening / agriculture; etc).

Demonstrated experience in conducting livelihoods assessments for programme planning and/or evaluation purposes. Familiarity with established assessment and analytical tools is desirable

Familiarity with community-based and participatory approaches.

Experience in working effectively with INGOs, UN organisations and with government authorities

Fluency in English required.

Previous experience of working in Ethiopia or South Sudan and / or working with refugees highly desirable

Time frame

Commence fieldwork 6^th November 2017 if possible

Fees/Costs

The consultant will propose the total cost within their Expression of Interest (EOI).

[1] UNHCR Bimonthly Ethiopia Situational Report August 2017

[2] 65,283 refugees (31 July 2017). Source: UNHCR progress database

[3] SENS preliminary report April 2017

[4] SENS 2016 report

[5] Concern livelihood field visit report to Gambella, Nov - 2016

[6] WFP mid-term operational evaluation of food assistance for South Sudanese and Somali refugees (2015-2018) June 2016

Consultants are requested to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to marian.cadogan@concern.net by midnight 10^th October 2017. The EOI is to include the following:

1. The Consultant’s CV

2. Proposed methodology

3. Draft schedule of activities and proposed start date

4. Logistical and other requirements

5. Budget including all fees inclusive of daily rates, administration and meals; Concern will provide and arrange transportation in Ethiopia and accommodation. (Note: if the consultant is based outside Ethiopia, Concern will purchase an economy return airfare the cost of which should not be included when quoting fees which should be inclusive of daily rates, administration and meals)