Research Consultant Job Plan International

CONSULTANCY – COORDINATION OF PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ON COVID-19

Introduction

About Plan International

Plan International is an independent global child rights organisation committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalised children and their communities to be free from poverty. By actively connecting committed people with powerful ideas, we work together to make positive, deep-rooted and lasting changes in children and young people’s lives. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind. For over 80 years, we have supported girls and boys and their communities around the world to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights, free themselves from poverty and live positive fulfilling lives.

Plan International has been operating in Kenya since 1982 and to-date continues to work in 9 counties: Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka Nithi, Siaya, Kilifi, Kwale, Homabay and Kisumu. We strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We engage people and partners to:

· Empower children, young people and communities to make vital changes that tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability

· Drive change in practice and policy at local, national and global levels through our reach, experience and knowledge of the realities children face

· Work with children and communities to prepare for and respond to crises and overcome adversity

· Support the safe and successful progression of children from birth to adulthood

Our key thematic areas of focus are:

• Improved access to basic quality education and early childhood development
• Quality Health (WaSH, Adolescent and Child Health)
• Child Protection
• Youth employability and economic opportunities
• Resilience building through Disaster Risk Management

About SDI

SDI is a non-profit organisation that provides core technical and professional support to Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the Kenyan federation. Muungano Wa Wanavijijii is the Kenyan federation of slum dwellers and urban poor people. Muungano is made up of local groups from cities and towns across Kenya; a network of community-based organisations, organised groups, informal markets, squatters, and urban poor people. Around 100,000 people in nearly 1000 groups, together we fight for the land and housing rights of many millions in Kenya.

Muungano seeks to improve the quality of life of slum dwellers and urban poor people in Kenya through a process of policy advocacy and through dialogue with central and local government, civil society, and private sector organizations. By and large, the federation proactively engages its members in savings groups.

Muungano is structured as a federation of around 1000 slum-based groups located throughout Kenya. As a national federation, the movement is centrally facilitated by a set of national leaders who are drawn from the settlement groups and networks in the counties where Muungano works.

SDI Kenya acts as a secretariat for the federation, making connections to formal agents, such as city and central government institutions, and to other development partners.

Overview of Safer and Inclusive Cities (SAIC) Project

The Safer and Inclusive Cities Project being implemented by Plan Kenya and SDI Kenya targeting young women and men and their organisations living in Kenya´s fragile urban areas of Mukuru, Mathare, Huruma, and Kibera in Nairobi; Nyalenda and Kondele in Kisumu and Mombasa, later on, including the most vulnerable and excluded segments of the youth population; young women and men making their living in the informal sector, young women subjected to violence and abuse in public transport, see details under context.

The programme’s objective is: A diverse and strong civil society that influence urban governance and development processes and contribute to making cities safe and inclusive for young women and men.

The foundation for the intervention is to support the development of a strong, dynamic and diverse civil society at all levels of the city as a platform for young women and men’s participation in urban governance and development processes. In doing this, the intervention focuses on three critical and interconnected issues: reducing young people’s engagement in urban violence, improving decent income opportunities and strengthening young people’s influence and civic engagement.

The programme has the following outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Urban violence and conflict affecting young women and men have declined in fragile urban areas targeted by the strategic partnership
• Outcome 2: Vulnerable and excluded young people, especially young women, working in the urban informal sector are enabled to engage in decent work in cities targeted by the strategic partnership
• Outcome 3: Through strong CSOs, young women and men are influencing urban governance and planning on safety and economic opportunities in cities targeted by the strategic partnership
• Outcome 4: Civil Society effectively generate and use knowledge to ensure evidence-based responses to urban violence and fragility affecting young women and men.

Scope of Work

The consultancy objective is to Coordinate Participatory Action Research in 6 informal settlements of Mukuru (Kwa Njenga, Kwa Rueben and Viwandani); Mathare (Mlango Kubwa, Utalii, Mabatini and Hospital); Huruma (Huruma and Kyamaiko); and Kibera (Makina, Lindi and Sarang’ombe) in Nairobi; Nyalenda and Kondele in Kisumu where the SAIC project is working on. Particularly, the Participatory Action Research is supposed to help understand the social-economic effects of COVID-19 on safety, security and well-being of adolescent girls and young people (18-24) in these informal settlements.

Why the Participatory Action Research?

The overall purpose of this study is to document all COVID-19 related socio-economic effects on adolescent girls and young people (18-24) in informal settlements in Kenya. This will inform and give recommendations on what strategies and interventions should be out in place to address the effects of the pandemic now and in the future. The study will also recommend best practices in terms of coping with the pandemic for adoption and wide use. Further, the study findings will form critical lessons that will not only strengthen ongoing interventions but also inform future programming for adolescent girls and define partnership development approaches in future. Further, the LKM work around COVID-19 will be very instrumental in shaping future response to pandemics and humanitarian emergency situations locally and internationally.

Specific tasks for the Consultancy

The consultant is expected to work closely with Plan Kenya and SDI Kenya to deliver on specific objectives/task of this consultancy which include:

• Review and finalize the Action Research Study Protocol;
• Seek all approvals necessary for the study from relevant bodies including but not limited to ethical approvals;
• Review and finalize the study data collection tool in close collaboration with SDI Kenya and Plan Kenya;
• Come up with a work plan for executing the study within the 6 study sites;
• Work with SDI-Kenya and Plan Kenya staff to lead the administration of the study tool;
• Lead the process of analysis and packaging into a study report following specific study objectives; and
• Facilitate the review and finalization of the action research report. **

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following as part of the assignment.

• An inception report detailing the methodology, work plan and approach;
• Finalized study data collection tool;
• After Action Review Report from the Research Process; and
• Research Study Report;

Qualifications of Consultant

The consultant will be required to have:

• At least an Advanced Degree in research, monitoring and evaluation, information management, community development or other related fields;
• Demonstrable prior experience in conducting research specifically Participatory Action Research;
• Experience conducting studies in the informal settlements in Kenya;
• Ability to deliver products according to the specified technical requirements;
• Fluency in English and Swahili;

Management of the Consultancy

The consultant will work closely with Plan Kenya and SDI-Kenya on this assignment. He/she will report directly to the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Manager at Plan International Kenya with dotted lines to SDI-Kenya research lead. The consultant will be working in liaison with the SAIC program manager and staff based at Plan Kenya/DNO and SDI-Kenya at field offices and communities where the program is being implemented. The consultant will be responsible for planning and execution of the Participatory Action Research and will also prepare and present the deliverables as listed above.

Assignment Duration

This consultancy will run from November 2020 to March 2021. The actual number of days is expected to be 60 working days spread across this period.

Remuneration

The consultant is supposed to submit a financial proposal for this consultancy detailing their fees.

Child Protection Policy

The team undertaking this assignment must demonstrate commitment to strictly adhere to Plan’s Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy and Plan’s Code of Conduct. It is the responsibility of Plan Kenya to ensure that all persons hired, used or otherwise consulted for this exercise, are made familiar with the policies and are in agreement to also abide by them before their services are agreed to.

As a child cantered community development organization, Plan ascribes to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children’s Act, Act 8 of 2001. Accordingly, Plan has a policy on Safeguarding Children and Young People, which provides guidance on how individuals should conduct themselves while working with and otherwise relating to children, either directly or indirectly, in the course of project implementation. All individuals and organisations, who work in partnership with Plan International shall at all levels, subscribe to and uphold the principles and practices outlined in the Policy which will be provided to the assigned consultancy firm.

Rights to Intellectual Property

All intellectual property accessed or acquired during the currency of this agreement, including all availed documents/papers, books, photographs, videos, computer software or other literary or pictorial books shall be considered works made for hire and all rights to such intellectual property shall be held by Plan International.

The consultant shall not use Plan International’s intellectual property except directly in the performance of this agreement.