🇸🇱 Job Vacancies @ Trocaire – 2 positions

Trocaire is recruiting to fill the following positions:

1.) TOR Accompanying Inter-Religious Leaders
2.) Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Consultant

See job details and how to apply below.

1.) TOR Accompanying Inter-Religious Leaders

TERMS OF REFERENCE 

Support and accompany religious leaders and faith networks, like the Inter Religious Council of Sierra Leone, to integrate peace messaging into their  religious gatherings, sermons, and events- production of audio and video  peace messages from Inter-Religious leaders and faith-based networks.

Program Title: Strengthened Peace Infrastructure and Accountability through Community led Peacebuilding and Empowerment of Women and Youth as Leaders in Sierra Leone.

1. 1. Brief Overview 

Trócaire is an Irish development agency that was established in 1973 by the Catholic Bishops  of Ireland and whose work is inspired by Catholic Social teachings, with an overarching  commitment to social justice. Trócaire works in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America,  and the Middle East. Trócaire works in partnership with local organizations in developing  countries and with the people in Ireland to tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice.

In Sierra Leone Trócaire was established in 1995 implementing programmes on governance,  human rights, women’s empowerment, prevention, response to gender-based violence,  sustainable livelihoods, climate change, peacebuilding, and humanitarian response. We work  in partnership with several local Civil Society Organizations that directly implement projects  in communities in Port Loko, Kambia, Karene, Bombali, Kono, Bo, Kenema, Western Area  Rural and Urban districts.

About the project 

In July 2023, Trócaire secured funding from the United States Agency for International  Development (USAID titled Strengthened Peace Infrastructure and Accountability through  Community-led Peacebuilding and Empowerment of Women and Youth as Leaders in Sierra  Leone. The 36-month project will be implemented by a consortium of CSOs – Social Enterprise  for Development Sierra Leone (SEND-SL) – Local Entity, Campaign for Good Governance (CGG)  – Local Entity, Women’s Forum for Human Rights, and Development (WOFHRAD) – Local  Entity, Association for the Wellbeing of Communities & Development (ABC-D) – Local Entity.

The overarching purpose of the project is to support a people-to-people peacebuilding  approach in addressing issues of social cohesion and politically motivated violence. The  project also sets out to support the empowerment of marginalized groups, such as women,  youth, and Commercial Motor riders, through taking up positions of leadership within their  communities as Peacebuilding Ambassadors.

The overall goal of the project is to contribute to the prevention and mitigation of politically  motivated violence through the people-to-people peacebuilding approaches in Western Area 

Rural, Kambia, Bombali, Karene and Kono Districts. The specific objective of the project is to  empower women and youth to have increased voice and leadership as peacebuilders and  actively contribute to the strengthening of “peace infrastructure” at local and national levels.

To achieve its objectives, the project will use the following approaches/methodologies:

● People-to-People Methodology (“Connector” Events, Dialogue & Building Trust)

● Youth-centred “Planting the Seeds of Peace” approach.

• Capacity strengthening of local CSO partners.
• Women and youth socio-economic empowerment

Outbreaks of violence are indicative of the weakened social contract between the state  and its citizens, especially youth and women. There is a general lack of trust in  governmental institutions, limited efficiency of decentralization and weak accountability  mechanisms for the delivery and fair distribution of public goods and services. Poor  coordination and communication between the government, local authorities, civil society, and media outletsfurther contributes to limited or poor-quality information and  weak social accountability mechanisms. It is within this context that misinformation,  hate speech and inflammatory content has been allowed to flourish and thrive.

As demonstrated by the ‘explosion of violence’ which took place during citizen-led  protests across the country on August 10, 2022, the situation in Sierra Leone has the  potential to rapid destabilize. Fueled by growing frustration with the cost of living and  rising inflation, the protests quickly became violent. Social media platforms proved  instrumental in organizing the protest, and sharing information and updates related to protest, police, and government activities. Alleged government disruption of internet  and phone services amid the protests further underlines the integral role that  information will have in our democracy.

The project’s theory believes that if women and youth have access to accurate, trusted information and increased peacebuilding, economic, and political capacity to act as  powerholdersin Sierra Leone; then they will have greater access to opportunities and be  able to control and contribute to social, economic, and political decision making. The  benefits accruing for women and youth will also benefit their families and communities,  ultimately strengthening local civil society. A strengthened civil society and empowered  women and youth will help create an enhanced enabling environment for peace,  improving overall resilience to withstand external shocks, such as politically motivated  violence.

Underpinning the theory is the assumption that if women and youth have increased  capacity to work towards their social, economic, and political capacity safely, they will  be able to effectivelywork individually and collectively to influence relevant stakeholders  at all levels to tackle instability and violence. Strategies to engage powerholders and call  them to account, through training of service providers and other stakeholders and  support to citizen-led advocacy initiatives further underpin this logic. Together with  stronger networks and strengthened civil society, empowered women and youth will

1

enhance communities’ peace infrastructure and ultimately contribute to positive peace in Sierra Leone.

2. Objectives of assignment: Support and accompany religious leaders and faith networks,  production of audio and video peace messages from Inter-Religious leaders and faith-based  networks. 

Outcome two of this project seeks to ensure that citizens have improved access to  accurate information and are better equipped to exercise their civic rights and  responsibilities.

In doing so, it is expected that the project intervention will create and build mutual  understanding, trust, and empathy by breaking down stereotypes and disseminating  accurate information through “connector” events, peace education, interactive social  media/TV series, and media campaigns.

One of the activities under this outcome therefore is to support and accompany religious  leaders and faith networks, like the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone, to integrate  peace messaging into their religious gatherings, sermons, and events. To achieve this,  Trócaire will support religious leaders and faith networks, such as the Inter-Religious  Council of Sierra Leone, to design and disseminate religious sermons and social media  content which incorporates peace and conflict sensitivity messaging. The project will  target networks, rather than individual religious leaders to ensure that messaging  reaches the largest audience possible.

Trocaire is therefore seeking a reputable media organization to harvest conflict  sensitivity peace messages from these inter-religious and faith-based networks to  through capturing audio and video messages on the following themes: 

1. National Cohesion-peace and reconciliation messages putting Sierra Leone first  above everything else.
2. The role of the Youth in building peace – what does the two religions (Christian  and Muslim) say about the YOUTH as leaders and peace builders. How can we  make them SEEDS OF PEACE. What role should they do to enhance sustainable  peace in Sierra Leone. 
3. Women Inclusion and Empowerment– What does the two religions (Christian  and Muslim) say about WOMEN? How can they be supported to become agents  of peace and leaders in Sierra Leone?

3. Methodology  

• Initial meeting with Trocaire team to discuss TOR and Contract before signing.
•  The consultant is responsible for the collection of raw audio and video materials from the  participants (Christian, Muslim and women leaders’ leaders) on the above themes.
• The consultant will further edit the audio and video clips bearing conflict sensitivity peace  messages done by Muslims and Christian clerics and should also include audio and video  messages from renown women in the target districts.
• Consultant will engage Trocaire staff and screen the draft audio and video clips for  feedback purposes before developing final copies.
• Consultant should ensure proper branding and marking rules of the donor are well  adhered to in all the clips.
• Final constancy report submitted with high quality infomercials.

4. Activities Envisaged

5. Key Deliverables:  

The consultant will produce the following deliverables:  

• Inception report
• Final consultancy report with high quality audio and video peace messages done by  Muslim and Christian clerics and renown women

6. Profile of the Consultant  

The consultant should have the following profile:  

• A strong background in communication studies/Development Communication/Social  Sciences or any relevant field of study.
• At least 5 years’ experience working in the media sector, producing documentary and or  infomercials
• Solid understanding and knowledge of the political and social context of the youth and  women and or development work in Sierra Leone
• Commitment to safeguarding of programme participants, as demonstrated by signing  Trócaire’s Safeguarding Programme Participants Policy.

7. Working Modalities  

The entire consultancy is expected to last for 21 days from the date of signing of the contract  to the agreed completion date. The consultant is responsible for her/his own internal travels  and medical insurance while performing this function.

8. Consultancy Management  

The USAID Trocaire Chief of Party (CoP) in collaboration with the Project Officer (PO) will have  oversight responsibility for the consultancy management. They will be supported by the Country Director who will ensure quality production and validation of audio and video  materials is adhered at all levels.

9. Safeguarding  

All consultants who work for Trócaire will be required to sign and abide by Trócaire’s  Safeguarding and Data Protection principles. Any instances of breach of Trócaire’s  safeguarding and data protection policy by the consultant and his or her team members will  result into the immediate cancellation of the contract between Trócaire and the consultant.  In addition, any pictures taken of the participants by the consultant should be only after the  consent of the project participant and signing of the Consent Form.

10. Submission Guidelines  

Requirements: 

• Technical Proposal – outlining your understanding of the TOR, the methodology that  will be used in undertaking the assignment, work plan, and team composition,  including CVs and 3 references for similar assignments.
• Financial proposal (maximum 1 page) outlining all relevant costs, including consultant  fees.
• At least 2-3 samples of previous audio and video peace messaging produced in Sierra  Leone.

APPLICATION 

For expression of interest to undertake the consultancy should be submitted to; Please submit all application and expression of interest to: [email protected]  

Deadline for Submitting the Expressions of Interest is by Friday 29th November 2024.  (Only shortlisted consultants will be contacted for an interview).

2.) Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Consultant

A Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Consultant to Conduct an Impact Assessment on the PROSSAN Project Implemented in Freetown Urban and Rural Districts

Project title: 

Improving the health of vulnerable communities, especially women, children, and adolescents, through enhanced access to quality essential health services in Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone

Duration of the Activity:

December – February 2024 

Background

Strengthen the quality and access to health services with active participation of communities to support vulnerable populations including pregnant women, children under-fives, women of childbearing age, Adolescents, and marginalised populations remains a key priority to achieve in ACF work in Sierra Leone as implemented in one of its health and nutrition PROSSAN projects.

ACF PROSSAN project is implemented in Freetown’s Urban and Rural districts where 10 health facilities (5 in urban and 5 in rural) are supported in collaboration with DHMT to strengthen its reproductive, maternal, under-five, and adolescent health system. The project is a multi-country project including Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. The project is led by Action Against Hunger which collaborates with three other partners. (SOLTHIS, CAWEC and CAPS)

PROSSAN project has been implemented in phases, where phase 1 (PROSSAN 1) started in 2019 and ended in 2022, phase 2 (PROSSAN 2) started in 2022 and will run through April 2025.  PROSSAN has been improving health outcomes in Freetown’s urban and rural where it focuses on promoting health and well-being through community-based initiatives, including Capacity building of health care professionals, School Health Club activities, Adolescents’ engagement in health-friendly spaces, and Village Savings and Loan (VSL) activities for mothers’ support groups. The project had focus to foster behavioral change, enhance access to health services, and improve the socio-economic resilience of the communities. To quantify these gains made had paid way for an impact assessment to be conducted specifically on the four community base initiatives; Capacity building of health care professionals School, school Health Club activities, Adolescents’ engagement in health-friendly spaces, and Village Savings and Loan (VSL) activities for mothers’ support groups.

Objectives of the Impact Assessment

The objective of the assessment is to assess the impact of the PROSSAN project in four specific areas:

1. Access the impact of Capacity building of health care professionals on service delivery in PHUs  ( Training, joint mentorship program with DHMTs, ACF Capacity building Midwife the job mentorship) to ensure sustainable improvement in quality service delivery and identify lessons learned, successes, challenges and recommendations
2. Access the impact achieved on School Health Club activities in 6 schools, where evidence-based impact will be assessed and reported
3. Activities involving adolescents in 4 friendly spaces within health facilities and their catchment communities would be assessed to identify learning, lessons learned, successes, challenges, and recommendations achieved during implementation.
4. Village Savings and Loan activities implemented among 10 mothers’ support groups, FMC in Freetown rural and urban communities would be reviewed to bring out learning on the activity.
5. Production of 3 capitalization sheets on Mother Support Group, Adolescent Friendly Space and School Health Club activities (MSGs, AFS & SHC), including testimonials, success stories, and learnings on activities

3. Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Review Project Documents:
   • Analyze project documentation, including reports, baseline data, implementation strategies, activity records, etc.
2. Design Assessment Methodology:

With a clear overview of the assessment given by ACF technical lead in a meeting, with the Tor designed to guide the assessment, the consultant will develop a clear methodology for conducting the impact assessment, including data collection methods, tools, sampling strategies, and data analysis approaches and reporting. The methodology should involve both qualitative and quantitative data collection.

Data Collection and Analysis:

The impact of the following activities will be assessed, therefore data collection will target to assess the impact on the key deliverable: 

• Capacity building of health facility staff: On top of knowledge improvement, access the concrete quantitative and qualitative sustainable impacts of Capacity building of health care professionals on service delivery in PHUs including, nutrition, SRH, HIV & Aids and Mental health and psychosocial support   through Formal Training as recommended by MoHS, joint mentorship program with DHMTs, ACF Capacity building Midwife on the job mentorship. The impacts will consider sustainable improvement in quality care delivering and identify lessons learned, successes, challenges and recommendations
• School Health Club Activities: Evaluate the impact of Sexual and Reproductive health education, mental health, psychosocial support, protection, and gender-based violence, activities conducted through School Health Clubs in 6 schools, focusing on changes in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors especially in dealing with adolescent health.
• Adolescents-Friendly Spaces: Assess the participation, outcomes, and perceived benefits of adolescent-friendly spaces implemented in 4 health facilities, looking at areas such as sexual and reproductive health awareness, mental health support, drug abuse, and service utilization, within their homes, communities, and peers. Emphasize how the transition to MoSW ownership was conducted, with structured supervision playing a central role in guiding this handover and promoting the ongoing sustainability of these spaces that are key for these vulnerable groups.
• Village Savings and Loan Activities: Review the economic and social impact of VSL activities on 10 mothers’ support groups, facility management committee, PHU staff  (5 in rural and 5 in urban districts in Freetown) including financial inclusion, income generation, and health-related expenditures. Show how this initiative has impacted the sustainability of the groups, supported their routine activities carried out by the groups to improve the health of vulnerable population

1. Stakeholder Consultations:
   • Engage with relevant stakeholders including project staff, District health management team, health facility staff, school authorities, community leaders, mothers’ support groups, Facility management committee members, and adolescents to collect insights and validate findings through a workshop.
2. Draft and Final Report:
   • Prepare a comprehensive draft report summarizing findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and submit it for review. Incorporate feedback and finalize the report.  A summary version of the report highlighting key findings and recommendations will be produced.
   • Apart from the assessment report, the consultant will prepare a capitalization sheet, on MSGs, AFS, SCH activities  reviewed,  portraying successes  stories  impact, and learning  on the activities

Deliverables: 

The consultant will deliver the following outputs:

• Inception Report outlining the methodology, work plan, and tools.
• Data Collection Tools for approval.
• Draft Impact Assessment Report with preliminary findings.
• A draft capitalization sheet detailing beneficiary stories on MSG, AFS, and SCH activities
• Presentation of findings to stakeholders during a validation workshop.
• A final  capitalization sheet detailing beneficiary stories on MSG, AFS, and SCH activities
• A final Impact Assessment Report with detailed findings, conclusions, and actionable recommendations, and a summary version.

5. Timeframe

The consultancy is expected to last for 50 working days, including preparation, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Beginning from the day the contract is signed between ACF and the consultant.

Proposed Work Plan

• Management of the assessment

Action Against Hunger will provide the list of targeted facilities, beneficiaries, stakeholders, and other relevant documents and information required in conducting the assessment. The consultant must be willing to work closely with our partners. The necessary supporting document would be provided for the consultant.

Required Qualifications:

The consultant should have:

• A postgraduate degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in conducting impact assessments or evaluations, particularly in health and Nutrition -related projects.
• Strong understanding of community health, adolescent health, and socio-economic empowerment programs.
• A strong proven ability to collect and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Excellent report-writing skills.
• Proof of concept in completing similar work completed in the past with international nongovernmental organization , UN agencies and GOSL

1.  Application Process

Qualified consultants should submit:

• A cover letter outlining relevant experience.
• A technical proposal detailing the ToR understanding, proposed approach, methodology, and work plan.
• A financial proposal (consistent with the budget estimate).
• A current updated CV.

• Mode of Application

Interested consultants are requested to send the above application requirement by hand in hard copy to our address: 10 Sall Drive, Cockle Bay, Off Aberdeen Road, Freetown. Latest 1st  December, 2024 at 5:30 PM. Action Against Hunger is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all competent person/consultant irrespective of gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities to apply and become part of the organization.

NOTE: ONLY consultancy Firms are to apply and NOT Individual Consultants!!!