Researcher/Writer Consultant for Inclusion Project (WASH Innovation Fund) (INT10230)

For Oxfam Pilipinas

Philippine Nationals Only

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Background

Oxfam Pilipinas (OPH) has conducted humanitarian actions since its foundation in the country and has become one of the pioneering thought leaders in the sector. Guided by our core values, we have sought to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, gender, and social class, is served and treated with dignity. Access to basic needs and services is fundamental for the well-being and development of individuals and communities affected by conflict and disasters. To date, our achievements include the following:

1. Incorporated the Washington Group Questions (WGQ) in our multi-threat and multi-risk assessment tool.
2. Initiated the process of partnering with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) to ensure that inclusion becomes an integral part of our portfolio strategy;
3. In capacity-building initiatives with our government, NGO, and community partners, we rolled out training on WGQ and Inclusive Humanitarian Action.
4. In our policy work, we helped partner with local governments to integrate protection and inclusion into their plans.
5. We integrated inclusive criteria, processes, and feedback mechanisms into our community engagement processes.
6. In our ongoing Anticipatory Action (AA) projects, we integrated community consultations to promote inclusiveness in our early warning support and anticipatory action protocols
7. More importantly, we have incorporated Physical Therapy assessments and distribution of assistive devices to persons with disabilities for Typhoon Rai Response, integrated, inclusive features, and processes to make our facilities appropriate, accessible, and safe for Persons with Disabilities, the elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers, LGBTQ, including in the construction of WASH systems, shelter, and temporary learning spaces.

While we have implemented strategies and activities to make our AA and humanitarian response inclusive, we have yet to generate evidence on the impact of our interventions or assess if any standing gaps need to be addressed. 

To this end, we hope to document our current approaches, evaluate their results to the extent feasible, and identify areas for improvement.  The findings of these studies will inform the scope and nature of our future support for inclusive AA and humanitarian response.  In addition, our partnerships with OPDs are at a nascent stage, and it would be constructive for programming purposes to review the extent to which these partnerships could improve the delivery of our inclusive humanitarian actions before and after a disaster, informed by OPH’s Strategic Partnership Model that promotes locally-led approaches and local women and men leadership.  

To help the project document our approaches and help the humanitarian team evaluate and identify areas for improvement, the project is seeking to hire a Research and Writer Consultant with the tasks, roles, responsibilities and deliverables outlined below.

Scope of Work

The Consultant shall conduct research and write a document for publication on the Inclusion Strategies and Practices in OPH humanitarian and anticipatory actions. 

Specifically, the consultant is expected to:

1. Conduct a desk review of all OPH humanitarian and anticipatory actions in regard to its inclusive policies and practices.
2. Conduct research and document findings to determine whether Oxfam PH’s inclusion strategies and practices are up-to-standard.
3. Conduct focus group discussions and key person interviews with project participants and partners on the said inclusion strategies and practices.
4. Write-up a Document for Publication of OPH’s inclusion strategies and practices.
5. Work closely with the Inclusion Project Support Staff, the WASH Advisor, MEAL Officer and relevant humanitarian team members on the deliverables and requirements for research and interviews; and,
6. Submit high quality document for publication aligned with Oxfam’s program standards and compliance with organizational and donor requirements.

Period of Engagement :  March 1, 2024 until May 15, 2024

Other Responsibilities

• Adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women’s rights.
• Perform priority organizational tasks related to his/her competencies as may be assigned from time to time.

Organizational Values:

• Equality –  We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and opportunities.

• Empowerment – We acknowledge and seek to expand people’s agency over their lives and the decisions that impact them.

• Solidarity –  We join hands, support, and collaborate in working towards a just and sustainable world.

• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions

• Courage – We speak truth to power and act with conviction on the justice of our causes

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of consultancy will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.