TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT A BASELINE SURVEY FOR MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

Over the last two decades, climate and ecological change have exacerbated resource-based conflicts and communal violence mainly in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) in Kenya. Pastoral and peripheral agricultural areas of eastern and northern Kenya received little rainfall during the March to May 2022 long rains season, marking the fourth consecutive below-average season. In September 2021 the Government of Kenya declared the drought affecting most parts of the country a national disaster. Widespread livestock death, low livestock productivity, very low cropping levels and sharp declines in purchasing power have created large food consumption gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition among millions of households in eastern and northern Kenya. According to Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET, May 2022 Report) four to five million people need humanitarian food assistance. Long-term challenges exacerbating the situation include environmental degradation, poor agricultural credit access, poor access to quality agricultural inputs and seed varieties, and emerging crop and livestock diseases. These are compounded by global forces such as the War in Ukraine, which has driven up fuel and food prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread job loss. Political and economic marginalization, communal conflicts, cross border conflicts and increasing resource competition are emerging. Water and pasture are becoming increasingly scarce and less reliable; therefore, contributing to local inter-clan conflicts.

Youth, women, and children in these arid and semi-arid regions bear the brunt of these challenges. They make up the largest proportion of people whose livelihoods are dependent on rapidly degrading land and livestock. Access to and quality of education is a great challenge, and unemployment among youth (15-24 years) is high.

ChildFund Kenya is an affiliate of ChildFund International which was registered in1960 as non-governmental organization (NGO) by the Kenyan government through the NGO Coordination Board. Working in 26 out of the 47 counties in Kenya, it implements its program through 11 Local Partner NGOs. ChildFund Kenya reaches more than 1.3 million people who include children, youth, and caregivers.

Regreening Kenya will counter the impacts of climate change and improve resilience and adaptability of women and children in Nairobi, Makueni, and Kajiado counties in Kenya. Dow will convene partners to work with youth and women to establish fruit tree nurseries as sustainable income-generating enterprises. The youth will be trained to operate commercial fruit and agroforestry tree nurseries that will be sold to schools, individuals and communities, supporting reforestation, enhanced environmental conservation and green communities while mitigating the impacts of climate change. The youth will benefit from the incomes that they will get from the sales of the seedlings. The fruit-trees such as Avocadoes, Oranges, Mangoes and agro-forestry trees such as Moringa will also meet food security and nutrition gaps as well as household income gaps while contributing to the health and well-being of children. Participating youth and women will be trained and supported to sustain the nurseries and reap supplemental income. Learning centers will promote the project’s replication and sustainability, build resilience to climate change vulnerabilities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

PROJECT EXPECTED OUTCOME AND IMPACT

The overall project Goal (impact) is mitigating the impact of Climate Change and improving resilience and adaptability of women and children in Nairobi, Makueni and Kajiado Counties,

Outcomes

Outcome 1: Enhanced youth and women-led Climate Smart Green enterprises for environmental conservation, employment creation and increased incomes

Indicator 1.1: % of women adopting and practicing climate smart agriculture for increased nutritious food production and access.

Indicator 1.2: % of targeted women-led Climate Smart nutrition sensitive livelihood interventions enhanced.

Indicator 1.3: % of targeted families with improved nutrition because of the project

Outcome 2: Improved capacity of schools and children to positively influence climate change adaptation and environment management to mitigate the impacts of Climate Change

Indicator 2.1: % of children with improved knowledge and skills on climate change adaptation and are positively applying the skills for improved climate change adaptation and environmental management to mitigate the impacts of Climate Change

Indicator 2.2: % of primary school children and teachers with and skills and knowledge on environmental conservation practices and climate change adaptation and resilience

Outputs:

Output 1: 600 (450 out of school and 150 in school) youth and 300 women will be engaged in climate-smart green enterprises, promoting reforestation, and resulting in increased incomes by October 2025

Output 2: 80,000 trees (grafted avocadoes, mangoes, oranges, macadamia, moringa among others) will be planted by October 2025.

Output 3: The youth will also be able to earn more than $307,692 from the sale of the fruit tree and agroforestry tree seedlings by October 2025.

Output 4: Participating households will have better access to food and indicators of long-term resiliency by October 2025.

Output 5: Youth will be actively engaged in environmental conservation and promotion of environmental responsibility beyond direct participants by October 2025.

Output 6: 600 children will have access to nutritious and fortified moringa food for improved nutrition status by October 2025.

Output 7: 6 Schools (1 secondary and 1primary) in each of the three counties will have increased capacity to promote climate change adaptation and environment management strategies by October 2025.

SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main purpose is to undertake a baseline study for the Mitigating the impact of Climate Change and improving resilience and adaptability of women and children in Nairobi, Makueni and Kajiado Counties implemented in partnership with Dow, Emali Dedicated Children’s Agency, and Matonyok Organization. The objective of the baseline study is to establish initial information against the project indicators at community level which will be used as a threshold for this project to assess outcomes and impact.

The project indicators as stipulated in the project M&E framework, will form the basis for data collection for this baseline study. The consultant should be open to additional duties during the inception phase to capture relevant information that will enhance implementation approaches. Data obtained from the baseline study will also be utilized to revise the indicators in the current project. ChildFund Kenya will undertake an endline evaluation that will compare the projects’ achievements against the findings from the baseline study.

METHODOLOGY

The study will adopt a cross sectional research design that will use mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches. The consultant will be expected to use participatory tools and techniques for data collection, which may include but not be limited to In-depth interview, Key informant interviews, Focus group discussions among others. The methods of sampling, data collection and analysis will be proposed by the consultants and discussed further with the ChildFund Kenya project management team. The consultant will also be expected to undertake a comprehensive desk review of all relevant documents for reference and to inform the baseline study process further. These documents shall include but not limited to the Project proposal and log frame. The consultant will have to fully engage the primary project participants (stakeholders) including women, youth, children among others who, ChildFund Kenya acknowledge play the most significant role in the development process.

Specifically, it is envisaged that the methodology used during this assessment will include, but not necessarily limited to the following:

1. Review of existing secondary information and reports relevant to the baseline study topics. The previous studies and assessments in the project areas by other stakeholders may also be referenced.
2. Discussion with key members of the project consortium partners at the county and country levels.
3. Interviews with concerned government agencies, line ministries, and stakeholders.
4. Field visits in the implementation areas for data collection and observations.
5. Community level participatory meetings and focused group discussions for data collection and information gathering.
6. Household level survey for data collection through structured questionnaires developed to address the key project objectives and indicators.
7. Special emphasis should be given to ensure participation of women and youth in the process to deeply understand the underlying socioeconomic challenges facing women and youth in climate change, environmental conservation, and economic empowerment.
8. Use of data/information from local institutions or organizations as deemed appropriate.
9. Data analysis and verification of analysed data.

The baseline study approach should have strong focus on application of participatory approaches and proven methodology that fits well in the context of local communities and stakeholders. The sampling methodology must have statistical representation of different sub-sections.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

An inception report: An inception meeting will be held between the consultant, project implementation team and ChildFund staff. The inception meeting will provide ChildFund Kenya the opportunity to verify that they share the same understanding about the Terms of Reference with the consultant. An inception report shall be compiled outlining the key scope of the work and intended work plan. The report should therefore detail the consultant’s understanding and interpretation of the TOR, methodology, implementation schedule, and data collection – encompassing: structuring of study; review of documents; quantitative/qualitative data collection; and data collection instruments design, sample size, field work planning and implementation, data collection plan, data entry and analysis plan, and budget forecast. The inception report will be discussed and agreed upon with ChildFund Kenya and project partners.

Draft comprehensive baseline report: incorporating feedback from ChildFund review and validation with other stakeholders that will culminate in the final baseline report. The report shall be produced within 20 days after approval of the consultancy.

The final report: This will be presented 5 days after the validation workshop and receiving comments on the draft report. The content and structure of the final baseline report shall include but not necessarily limited to executive summary, introduction, findings, recommendations, reviewed project results framework including the Project Performance Monitoring Plan and project monitoring tools/instruments.

TIME FRAME

Presumably, 20 working days would be required for the task, which can also be decided upon discussion between both parties. It is expected that the entire task should be finished by 20th February 2024.

MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

The management of the day-to-day activities in the field will be supported by Program Coordinator and M&E Officer at Emali Dedicated Children’s Agency (EDCA). The consultant will draw support from the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) specialist and MEL Manager at the country office level.

ETHICAL GUIDELINES

It’s expected that the consultant will adhere to the following ethical guidelines and principles:

1. Informed consent: All participants are expected to provide informed consent following standards and pre-agreed upon consent protocols i.e., if project beneficiaries are minor’s parents/guardian’s consent should be sought.
2. Compliance with the Child Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
3. Systematic inquiry: The consultant conducts systematic data-based inquiries
4. Integrity/honesty: Evaluator display honesty and integrity in their own behavior and attempt to ensure the honesty and integrity of the entire evaluation process
5. Respect for people: The consultant respects the security, dignity, and self-worth of respondents, programme participants and other stakeholders. It’s expected that the evaluator receives informed consent of the participants to ensure that they can decide in a conscious, deliberate way whether they want to participate; avoid exposing children to harm because of the response.
6. Responsibilities for general and public welfare: The consultant should evaluate and consider the diversity of different stakeholders.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

ChildFund Kenya seeks to engage the services of qualified and experienced consultant with adequate experience in research and appraisal of development programmes to undertake the assignment.

Desired Qualifications & Experience

The Consultant(s) must have the following qualifications and experience: –

1. An advanced degree (Masters and above) in climate change, rural development, social economics, agribusiness or other related development studies.
2. A minimum of five (5) years working experience strong technical background and experience in climate smart agricultural technologies, value chain development & management, climate change adaptation work is highly desired.
3. Demonstrated and extensive knowledge and understanding of climate change, environmental conservations, and women and youth economic empowerment.
4. Excellent drafting and communication skills in English
5. Fluency in English and Kiswahili

BUDGET, LOGISTICS AND PAYMENT

The consultant shall submit a comprehensive financial proposal in Kenya shillings with broken down costs and justification for professional fees, all the logistical costs for the assignment and taxes itemized clearly.

Payment of the consultant will be in three installments as follows:

1. First instalment: 20% of the total agreed consultancy amount upon submission and acceptance of an inception report by ChildFund and partners.
2. Second installment: 40% paid upon submission and acceptance of the draft baseline report by ChildFund and partners.
3. Third installment: 40% will be paid upon submission and acceptance of the final report by ChildFund and partners.

Important Note:

• The Consultant’s compensation shall be paid NET, within 30 days from receipt of a proper invoice unless otherwise specified.
• Payment will be made through direct bank transfer otherwise specified.
• The payment shall be subjected to 5% withholding tax as required by the Law at the time of payment.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The technical and financial proposals MUST be prepared in line with the implied standards and be submitted timely as indicated in this TOR. A technical team at ChildFund Kenya will review the proposals based on pre-determined objective criteria. Upon selection, the consultant(s)/consulting firm would be invited for a discussion and requested to submit a detailed inception report and work plan prior to starting the assignment. Expression of Interest (EOI) from qualified firms/individual should comprise a comprehensive technical and financial proposals. The EOI will be accepted preferably in soft copy through email and mentioning subject line; “BASELINE STUDY – MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND IMPROVING RESILIENCE AND ADAPTABILITY OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Technical proposals should include the following:

The Application Process

All applications must include the following,

1. A financial plan proposal covering professional fees, logistical costs and expenses related to carrying out the assignment including enumerators costs, hall hire etc and taxes.

2. A Cover letter outlining how the consultant(s) meets the selection criteria.

3. An Expression of Interest (EOI) of not more than ten pages. This shall contain:

• the consultants’ understanding of the TOR.
• how the consultants will undertake the baseline study.
• how the consultants meet the requirement of evaluation and the proposed work plan.

4. Curriculum Vitae (CVs) of individuals or team members and their roles in delivering the assignment.

6. Names of at least two references who can be contacted regarding the consultants’ relevant experiences.

7. A consulting firm profile (if any) includes all details of the firm.

8. The report outline that the consultant intends to use for the final report.