2021-12-15

Re-Advert: Qualitative Coverage Nutrition Puntland And Galmudug And Banadir – Somalia

Nugal, Banadir, Mudug and Galgadud regions, Somalia
Posted on December 15, 2021

IRC

Re-Advert: Qualitative Coverage Nutrition Puntland And Galmudug And Banadir – Somalia

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE – SOMALIA

PROGRAM

(RE-ADVERT)

Location: Nugal, Banadir, Mudug and Galgadud regions

Job Title: Qualitative Coverage nutrition Puntland and Galmudug and Banadir

Duration: 26 days

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we aim to deliver high-quality, client-centered, cost-effective programs – on our own and with local partners. We combine the best available research with client-driven insights. We want empowerment and lasting change to be the norm not just for the people we serve, but for all those who are caught in crisis.

In nutrition, the IRC aims to strengthen health services and food systems to ensure women and children are well-nourished and protected from all forms of undernutrition. We increase access to, and continuity of, treatment for acute malnutrition through scaling up the community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) and through the uptake of our cutting-edge research, whereby we’re simplifying the diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition to improve access, coverage and cost-effectiveness of services.

The Give Well CMAM Cost-Effectiveness Project

The Give Well program in Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Somalia, and DRC aims at increasing the coverage of malnutrition treatment in a cost-effective way. Coverage estimates will thus be important in informing the cost-efficiency of programs and the reasons for sub-optimal coverage will be important for orienting the program during its 3 years of life to better address any barriers to maximize the coverage.

Coverage of the malnutrition treatment program will be estimated through a 2-stage cluster sampling survey deployed in each district. The surveys aim at estimating the percent of malnourished children currently being treated and identifying the key barriers to seeking treatment among cases not currently in treatment. The quantitative treatment coverage survey is followed by a qualitative investigation on the key barriers and enablers identified in the quantitative survey.

The objective of the qualitative research piece is to gain further understanding in the key barriers to coverage, local perceptions on malnutrition, its seasonality and treatment seeking behavior in general. In addition, potential solutions to increasing coverage will be explored.

Scope of work:

With support of the IRC HQ and Somalia nutrition, GRIP and MEAL teams, the consultancy firm will carry out qualitative research into the barriers and enablers of high malnutrition treatment coverage. Specifically, the consultancy firm will perform a desk review of past work relevant to the study objectives in the study zone, adapt an in-depth qualitative guide to understand barriers to seeking treatment for acute malnutrition in the study zone (Banadir(Wadajir and Xamar Jajab),Galgadud(Dhusamareb),Mudug( Galkacyo) and Nugal regions( Burtinle and Dongoranyo)).

This guide will be based on the findings of a first-stage quantitative survey, conducted in the month of November. The consultacy firm will propose a sampling methodology and recruit and train any additional research staff needed. The consultant will lead the in-depth qualitative investigation in different communities and among representatives of the health district catchment area. The consultant will document data collected in a database. They will synthetize the findings from field work daily and adapt the methods if needed or requested. They will analyze the data and synthetize the findings as well as participate in debriefings, results presentations and triangulation. The consultant will contribute to final report writing and actively participate in coverage dissemination.

The consultancy firm’s specific responsibilities include:

Objective 1: Conduct a desk review on enablers and barriers to high malnutrition treatment coverage in the study context or relevant neighboring/similar other contexts

Search for relevant reports available from coverage surveys or other relevant surveys and program reports,
conduct a brief literature review on the enablers and barriers to high malnutrition treatment coverage
Identify key barriers and enablers of high treatment coverage according to the quantitative survey
Define key enablers and barriers to be studied in the qualitative study on malnutrition treatment coverage based on the quantitative survey results and other relevant information

Objective 2: Revise the interview guides and propose a sampling methodology for the qualitative coverage study

With support from the IRC HQ and national team and based on findings from the desk review and the quantitative coverage survey, adapt the qualitative methodology (including questionnaires and guides) to include detailed discussion guides/plan, various approaches to eliciting qualitative information among other qualitative instruments that will be used during the enquiry.
Pre- test qualitative tools before the start of the community-level qualitative fieldwork
With help of the IRC local team, identify suitable sites, individual profiles and recruitment strategies for conducting the qualitative research work
Validate the qualitative research plan by the IRC HQ and national team
Recruit a qualified research team to conduct field work

Objective 3: Qualitative research training, selection of participants and conducting qualitative enquiry

Select respondents for the qualitative research with support from IRC local teams and community mobilisers
Ensure truly informed consent of all research participants is obtained before any data collection
Lead in the in-depth qualitative investigation
Record/document all discussions collected from various qualitative sources for analysis and share with the IRC team
Debrief among his/her survey team, directly after each day of data collection
Share daily the key findings to the IRC team to support in possible direction of enquiry.
Adapt the qualitative research approach and methodology as needed and if requested by IRC staff

Objective 4: Qualitative data analysis and report writing

Conduct data analysis applying the most appropriate analysis method and writing a summary report
Together with the IRC team, triangulate all the pieces of information collected during the qualitative research to evaluate whether the information is reliable and coherent with what was reported in the quantitative survey
Contribute to the narrative of barriers and enablers of treatment coverage put forward in the quantitative report with quotes and other data points from the qualitative research

DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The duration of the assessment will be 26 days including travel days. This is excluded number of off days ( Friday)

Activity	No. days	Dates
Review coverage survey results, define key barriers to focus the qualitative work on, revise interview guides accordingly and propose a sampling framework.	3 days
Lead training of qualitative enumerators	4 days
Conduct the field qualitative data collection	12 days
Compile a qualitative database.	3 days
Analyse the qualitative data and write the final report- qualitative narrative.	4 days

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERTISE REQUIRED

Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in Nutrition, Behavior or Social Sciences.
Professional experience in qualitative research applied in the fields of health, nutrition, food security, water, sanitation and hygiene
Strong background and experience in data collection and analysis.
At least four years of professional experience in leading qualitative research, especially in coverage methodologies. SQUEAC/ SLEAC an asset. Research team management and training experience.
Experience working in rural areas with regular field trips. Experience in humanitarian or social impact innovation, field-testing or prototyping, design approaches is an asset.
Ability to work effectively and respectfully on diverse teams and across diverse contexts. Good technical acumen, takes initiative and produces results, ability to accept feedback and integrate it, strong communication skills and ability to uphold a positive work environment.
Good level interpersonal skills with a high level of English or Somali oral and written skills.

Willingness to travel to field up to 70% per the organization’s security protocols. Committed to upholding diversity, equality and inclusion principles both professionally and personally. Computer literacy and competency in use of Microsoft office software, especially Excel.

Competency in qualitative data analysis software (e.g. NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Quirkos, Dedoose) required and presentation software experience preferred. Willingness to learn new approaches to qualitative research and ways of working with clients. Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative problem-solving ability. Good time management and communication skills. Ability to independently and proactively work as a team member
Excellent communication and report writing skills.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS

The qualified consultancy firm is required to provide the following

Legal registration with the Galmudug and Federal authorities
A technical proposal with detailed response to the TOR, with specific focus on the scope of work, methodology to be used and key selection criteria for respondents.
A financial proposal detailing the daily rate expected (use price sheet in annex 1)
Vendor Information Form completed and stamped (annex 2)
Bank Statement for the last one year
Proof of previous similar consultancy assignments
Initial work plan based on methodology outlined, and indication of availability.
Company profile or CV including a minimum of 3 references.

How to apply

Qualified consultancy firms are invited submit bid documents as per above requirement, to:

International Rescue Committee (IRC) Somalia

Emaill address SO-procurement@rescue.org.

Deadline for submission of bids is 16^nd December 2021 by 4.00pm East African Time. Late submission of bids will not be accepted.

Any clarification shall be sought through the same email