Elections Sensitization Strategy Consultant at Mercy Corps

Total Level of Effort: 6 days
The Consultant will report to: Program Manager, NE-CMS
The Consultant will work closely with: Conflict Management Advisor

Program Overview
The Northeast Conflict Management and Stabilization (NE-CMS) Program is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) mechanism to reduce violence and insecurity in Borno State. The program is an expansion from a pilot phase implemented by a consortium from August 2016 to March 2017; and is currently being implemented by a consortium with multiple partners both international and national with Mercy Corps being the lead. The program will run until March 2019.

The NE-CMS program seeks to contribute to:

• Improved trust in the state to meet community needs
• Reduced youth vulnerability to involvement in violence
• Improved prevention of violence and peaceful coexistence within and between communities

Consultant Objectives
In the context of the nationwide general elections currently scheduled to take place in February 2019, the Consultant will work to support Outcome 1 through the development of an elections sensitization campaign strategy, aimed at raising citizen awareness of:

• The forms and risks of corruption in elections and how to counter them
• Their rights and responsibilities, rules and regulations related to voting
• The risks of hate speech and rumors in elections and how to counter them
• The importance of issue-based voting for accountability

These objectives were developed during a participatory Elections Sensitization Workshop with members of the North East Peace and Security Network on 4th October 2018 in Maiduguri, and subsequent strategy design will be based on results of the workshop. The strategy should demonstrate a high degree of conflict sensitivity and cultural sensitivity. The strategy will be used as the key planning document to guide the production and dissemination of sensitization tools and materials.

Consultant Activities
The Consultant will:

• Consult with the NE-CMS team in order to gain a strong understanding of Mercy Corps’ election sensitization objectives, as well as specific results of the Elections Sensitization Workshop to use as the foundation for strategy design.
• Develop a conflict-sensitive elections sensitization strategy that prioritizes and consolidates the proposed objectives, messages, and methodologies developed during the Elections Sensitization Workshop in order to ensure that the sensitization campaign is coherent and impactful.
• Verify translation of all sensitization messages into English, Hausa, and Kanuri languages, in coordination with licensed translators within Borno state.
• Ensure that all sensitization strategy objectives are sufficiently SMART (Specific – Measurable – Achievable - Realistic - Time Bound) to enable NE-CMS to effectively measure outcomes.

Deliverables and Timeframe
Deliverables Deadline:

• Consultation with the NE-CMS team 26th October 2018
• Draft Strategy 2nd November 2018
• Validated Translation of Messages in Hausa and Kanuri 7th November 2018
• Final Strategy 9th November 2018
• Deadlines to be confirmed upon contracting.