Consultant - Baseline Study for ICLA, FSL, Education Cross-border Program in Northeast Nigeria and the Far North of Cameroon at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Locations: Nigeria and Cameroon (With travel to all field locations)
Reporting to: Baseline Study Manager/Steering Commitee

The Project

• This study will set the baseline for the project titled “Supporting social inclusion and local governance in the areas most impacted by the Lake Chad crisis”.
• This 3-year project will be implemented in following locations: Nigeria: Borno (Pulka, Gwoza) and Adamawa States (Mubi);
• Cameroon: Mayo Sava (Mora, Kolofata), Mayo Tsanaga (Mokolo, Mayo Moskota), and Logone-et-Chari (Makary, Fotokol) Departments
• The goal of the project is to support displacement-affected populations towards durable solutions through improved governance in areas affected by cross-border displacement. This will be achieved through four integrated intervention axes: (1) strengthening access to civil and legal identity, (2) strengthening social cohesion and access to land rights (3) to support the economic recovery of households and (4) securing access to quality education, especially for girls. The project will focus on strengthening existing local structures in their legal and social responsibilities towards the population.

Background on the Context

• As the Lake Chad Basin region enters its tenth year of conflict, the political and security situation shows no signs of reaching an immediate resolution. The protracted conflict has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of affected populations who now have to deal with high levels of insecurity and reduced opportunities for development and economic self-reliance.
• It is estimated that 90% of the affected population in the region relies on humanitarian aid as their only means of survival. After years of instability and displacement, programs to build resilience of the population are essential. The affected population requires particular support in addressing long-term needs such as livelihoods, employment opportunities, and access to education and land.
• As the conflict takes on a multidimensional form, the integration of civil documentation rights and House, Land and Property (HLP) issues with other structural issues such as food security and livelihoods as well as access to education is an essential step to strengthening local governance and a prerequisite for sustainably strengthening the resilience of people affected by crisis.

Description

• NRC is seeking expression of interest from a team of consultants to undertake Baseline Study for 3-year project supporting social inclusion and local governance in the areas impacted by the Lake Chad crisis in Northeast Nigeria and Far North of Cameroon.

Purpose of the Baseline Study

• The baseline study shall provide the starting point, prior to the beginning of the intervention, from which a comparison can be made.
• It shall also generate evidence to establish a better understanding of the situation in the intervention zones, as well as certain elements related to civil and legal identity, land rights, education and economic recovery.
• These findings shall inform planning and contribute to the implementation of the project.

The objectives of the baseline study are to:

• Inform the confirmation or adjustments of accurate and useful indicators;
• Establish the baseline data for project indictors, and inform refinement of realistic targets;
• Provide and analyze data related to project outcomes, to constitute the basis to measure project performance over time;
• Generate evidence about identified elements regarding the situation, dynamics, and stakeholders in the intervention zones, as well as civil and legal identity, land rights, education and economic recovery.

Requirements
NRC is looking for a team of consultants, with the following experience and capacity:

• Demonstrated experience in conducting research, baseline studies and evaluations with quantitative and qualitative components, as well as in leading teams;
• Expertise on housing land and property rights (bundle of rights framework) in West Africa required - ideally with experience specific to Lake Chad Basin area
• Complimentary experience with legal identity, education, and/or livelihoods would make a proposal more competitive.
• Advanced university degree in Development, Geography, Sociology, Social Sciences, or related field of study;
• Comfortable working across cultures and familiarity with language and translation issues.
• Must be registered as a business (self-employed persons included) within your home country (proof of this registration will be expected before signing the contract)
• Strong analytical, synthesis, and report writing skills;
• Fluency or high technical proficiency in both English and French;

Additional requirements:

• Consultants/companies are responsible for paying tax/VAT, social benefits to national authorities, social insurance, insurance beyond travel insurance provided by NRC, vacation payments etc.
• Consultants/companies, Ltd or sole-trade, must be registered in accordance with the legal requirements
• The consultants are responsible for all other requirements beyond what is contractually agreed from list in the ToR under “5. NRC Support”
• The consultant is responsible for and bears the risk for the project tasks undertaken and the results
• To issue the payment, the consultant will provide an invoice to NRC fulfilling the formal requirements listed in the contract