Appendix A. Terms of Reference for Consultancy Services

Appendix A. Terms of Reference for Consultancy Services

Tender, Liberia Youth Mapping and Profiling Study

Consultancy Title: Youth Mapping and Profiling Study in Liberia, Short-Term Consultancy

Project Location(s): Different counties of Liberia

Duration of assignment:55working days estimated

1.Background

With a rank of 174 out of 187 on the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) in 2012, Liberia is one of the least developed nations. By mid-2013, the projected population of Liberia was 3,926,692[1] with a life expectancy of 53.9 years[2], an annual growth rate of 2.1[3] and a doubling time of 40 years[4]. Three-quarters of Liberia’s population is classified as youth (nationally defined as persons below 35 years of age), 63 per cent is less than 25 years old, about 42 per cent is under 15 years of age and 32.8 per cent is 10-24 years old[5]. The youth face formidable challenges, including lack of formal education, limited access to employment and stable sources of income, and the need for sexual and reproductive health information and services. There is a threat of the spread of HIV/AIDS and those bearing the brunt of the situation are adolescents aged 15-24.

Liberia has made significant gains in terms of substantial political, economic and social progress since the war ended in 2003.During 2007-2012, GDP growth rate averaged over 8 per cent. Yet, a 2010 Labour Force Survey (LFS) found that 68 per cent of the labour force is involved in the informal economy and 77.9 per cent in ‘vulnerable employment’[6]. More than half of the vulnerable employees are youths without any form of education; they are self-employed and live in rural areas. The percentage of people in wage employment is 16.5 and that in non-wage employment is 83.5.

The National Vision 2030[7] foresees a nation that develops systems to become a middle income and prosperous economy by 2030, “… supportive of social capital development” and with a clear strategy that includes (among others): developing policy measures to address issues of youth education, responsibility and empowerment, and strengthening rights, including gender-based rights, human and child rights. But the population characteristics present huge challenges to the nation’s development aspirations. This makes Liberia’s vision of being among the middle income countries by 2030 to be closely intertwined with the development of its human capital.

Having a youthful population presents opportunities in terms of having an abundant potential labor force with energy and creative potential. It implies the need to engage in growth that generates jobs on a large scale, investing in areas that can absorb young people in order to take full advantage of, or harness, the demographic dividend and translate it into socio-economic development. Though the working population would double by 2038 and put additional pressure on the job market while that of women in childbearing years would shoot up by about 86 per cent, Liberia could start benefiting from a demographic bonus before its 2008 population doubles in 2048 if the right investments are made in education, healthcare, the economy and good governance. With the right opportunities, skills, social networks, technology and finance, youth have an enormous potential to be a driving force for economic growth and social progress.

As a result of the civil conflict, however, the capacity to provide basic social services was seriously undermined and the life of a whole generation of young people seriously dislocated. The country’s youthful population is still reeling from the effects of the 14 years of domestic strife that destroyed productive capacities, basic infrastructure and eroded its institutions. Many young people missed out on educational gains and opportunities whilst some suffered from disabilities due to their direct involvement in the armed conflict. This cohort of youth in the nation includes orphans, heads of households, teen mothers, youth in conflict with the law, drug addicts, youth living with HIV/AIDS, sex workers, MSM, youth with disabilities, street children/youth, criminal gangs and prisoners, etc.

These youth, which are variously termed ‘vulnerable’, ‘marginalized’, ‘high risk’, ‘NEET’ (not in education, employment or training), ‘volatile’, and so on, are considered problematic because the lack of opportunities to engage in productive economic life, or channels and forums to voice their concerns and interests creates frustration and anger, and leaves them vulnerable to manipulation towards political violence, social unrest, and criminal behavior. As a result of these, youth are often considered as a problem to be contained and a threat to peace and security.

Even in the absence of large scale revolts or uprisings, youth unemployment and marginalization represents an enormous cost to society and to the nation in terms of lost potential economic growth and social stability. This makes it compelling to devise strategies to harness the demographic dividend because it is a window of opportunity that does not last forever.

2.Objectives of the consultancy

With reference to the above background context, a collaborative initiative comprising the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mercy Corps Liberia, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will carry out a youth mapping and profiling study with the following objectives: a) To identify and mapexisting youth services and programs; and b) To assessthe effectiveness of such services and initiatives in meeting the needs of youth, particularly of the most vulnerable. The study further aims to generate key findings and recommendations that will inform investments in youth development through policy, enhanced coordination and implementation of youth programs by the government of Liberia and other stakeholders.

The study seeks to occupy a ‘middle ground’ between audit/descriptive analysis and advocacy/normative analysis. The descriptive analysis involves a mapping of what services and programs are available to youth. The normative analysis seeks to understand the extent to which the services and programseffectively meet youth needs, aspirations and vulnerabilities. Importantly, this does not involve an ‘evaluation’ of each specific service provider. Rather, the study will investigate which types of service providers (e.g. youth structures, NGOs, church organizations etc.) are delivering what types of services and with what level of effectiveness.

The above research objectives will be achieved through answering the following key questions:

A. Descriptive component (mapping of existing youth services and programs)

1. What kind of services, programs, initiatives, and youth organizations exist which target, address or advocate for young people’s needs, aspirations, and interests?

• Which kind of providers? (For example, which services are offered through youth structures, NGOs, church organizations, etc.?)
• What kind of services do these providers implement? (For example, employment, awareness on reproductive and sexual health, teenage pregnancy, drug use, violence and other criminal behaviors, civic participation, etc.?).
• Where do these services exist (by county)?

B. Normative component (analysis of effectiveness of existing programs)

1. How effective are these services, programs and initiatives?
2. To what extent do youth services respond to the major issues and needs faced by young people (nationally and by county)?
3. What is their capacity/scale?
4. How do youth engage with different service providers?
5. To what extent is uptake/usability of these services affected by ‘structural issues (perceptions of quality, awareness, etc.)?
6. To what extent is uptake/usability of these services affected by ‘internal’ issues (psychosocial/motivational factors, etc.)?

1. Based on analysis of youth need and access to youth service provision, what characteristics make youth vulnerable?

1. In order to effectively meet the needs of all categories of youth, starting with the most vulnerable, what needs to be done differently, and by whom?

Based on the above objectives and key questions, the proposed analytical approach of the study is summarized in the table below. As is displayed, the scope of the study will focus on the following sectors:

• Education;
• Health (including sexual reproductive health, mental and psychosocial wellbeing);
• Employment and livelihood (including agriculture);
• Civic participation.

Analysis will further be disaggregated to highlight the differences between the female and male youth.

Table 1 - Proposed Analytical Framework

Research Process / Sectors
Descriptive mapping / Identifying current programs and services / Civic Participation, Peacebuilding, Leadership / Employment, and livelihoods (including agriculture) / Health (including sexual health, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing) / Education
Assessment of effectiveness of programs and services / Analysis of youth needs
Analysis of capacity/scale of services
Impact of ‘structural’ factors (perceived quality, awareness etc.) on youth engagement with providers/uptake of services
Impact of motivational/personal factors on youth engagement with providers/uptake of services
Assessment of vulnerability / ‘vulnerability index’
Conclusions / Outputs / Recommended services/programs
Vulnerability indicators

3.Methodology

The assessment will employ research methodologies with sufficient rigor to generate actionable answers to the research questions within the resources and timeframe available for this effort. The assessment should actively engage youth as participants throughout the research design, data gathering, and analysis. Engagement of youth is a key objective of the assessment, and both qualitative and quantitative youth engagement approaches are required.

The following methodsare proposed, although the consultant(s) is encouraged to approach the study with a creative mind-set:

1. Desk-review:

• A review of a wealth of information, generated from previous studies and surveys on youth that will provide insight on the various aspects that this survey seeks information on.

1. Population-based survey:

• A quantitative population-basedsurvey of youth in Liberia.
• The survey will address: availability and access to services, categorisations of vulnerability, relevance of available services to need, and quality/uptake of existing services.
• The survey should be implemented across the county. Note that the survey should be representative at the regional level (e.g. it is not necessary that it is representative at the county level). The consultant is responsible for developing an appropriate and cost-effective sampling plan.
• Please note that should the consultant opt to use mobile data collection technology, Mercy Corps will supply tablets/smartphones.
• The consultant will be responsible for contracting, training and supervising an enumeration team.

1. Qualitative methods:

• The consultant(s) is encouraged to develop a qualitative research strategy to complement the quantitative survey. In particular, it is important that this includes participatory methodologies. Qualitative methods may include:
• Ayouth-led participatory mapping component, for example engaging youth-led organizations.
• Interviews with youth leaders, government officials, UN and NGOs representatives toconsolidate definitions of various youth categorisations and identify key areas, activities and challenges faced by youth in Liberia.Selected youth may also be identified for in-depth interviews, either representative or extreme exemplifications of the category/subcategories, in order to obtain a more holistic understanding of life experiences, aspirations, limitations and access to socio-economic services.
• Focus group discussions with identified groups of youth, covering issues related to community and society; education, health especially sexual reproductive health, training and employment; governance and leadership experiences; gender disparities and youth categorisations.

4.Consultancy Timeline and Deliverables

The consultant(s) will finalize the scope and purpose of the research, design and test data collection tools, identify and acquire necessary secondary data sources, carry out the collection of data, analyze data, and draft findings and interpretations. The consultant(s) will have responsibility for ensuring quality and rigor of the research findings. The period of this consultancy is expected to be a maximum of fifty five (55) days, some of which will be performed remotely and some of which will be performed in Liberia.

The Consultant will engage in the following activities and others as required. The level of effort and timeframes are estimates and subject to change.

Activity / Deliverable / Proposed Level of Effort / Indicative Timeframe
Finalize research questions, methodology, workplan and budget. Identify and review secondary data sources / Inception Report / 4 days / August 2015
Design quantitative and qualitative tools / Suite of tools / 4 days / August 2015
Train local researchers / Training materials / 3 days / August 2015
Pilot and refine tools / Revised tool guide / 5 days / August 2015
Implement quantitative and qualitative data collection and clean data / Cleaned data set / 20 days / September 2015
Analyze data and draft report / Draft report (with findings, policy and program recommendations).
A three page summary of the report / 15 days / September 2015
Revise report / Final report / 2 days / September 2015
Present findings at dissemination workshops / Presentation of findings / 2 days / September 2015

5.Management and payment

• The consultant(s) will be contracted and supervised by Mercy Corps.
• The consultant(s) will be required to report regularly to Mercy Corps at agreed-upon junctures. Mercy Corps will provide feedback to the consultant(s) from the steering committee on technical aspects of the study, including all deliverables.
• Payment will be triggered by the submission of deliverables as per the following schedule.[8]

Signing of contract / 25 % of the contract value
Delivery of: Inception Report / 25% of the contract value
Delivery of: Suite of Tools; Training guide; Revised tools guide / 25% of the contract value
Delivery of: Clean data set; Final Report / 25% of the contract value

6.Submission guidelines

Interestedconsultancy firms and organisationsshould submit the following:

1. Technical proposal containing the following:

• Understanding of the objectives of the study;
• Proposed methodology;
• Implementation plan;
• Proposed final report structure;
• Team structure and CVs of team members;
• Details of proposed enumeration team;
• At least one example of similar past assignments.

2. Financial proposal containing the following:

• Detailed budget. Note that the budget should include all international and local travel and accommodation costs.

Please also submit firm registration document.

Proposals will be evaluated on both technical and financial criteria.

Please note that international consultants are welcome to apply, but will preferably bid in conjunction with a local partner/firm.

Please refer to website for further application instructions.

7.Consultancy specifications (Principal Investigator):

• Postgraduate degree or equivalent in international development; demography, statistics, development economics, public policy and management, public health or a closely related social science disciplines. Further concentration in employment and youth programme development planning and/or monitoring will be an asset;
• Minimum of five years’ experience in development, management and conducting of large-scale studies like DHS, MICS, KAP, KABPs, etc., at the national or international levels;
• Experience of West Africa/Liberia’s development context;
• Proven ability to manage large datasets and using statistical packages like CSPro, EXCEL, SPSS, STATA, EPI INFO, etc. in data management, processing and analysis for surveys;
• Experience in developing qualitative research methods and analysing qualitative data.
• Substantial knowledge in the technical fields of the survey (employment and youth development, policies and institutions for education, health peacebuilding and leadership) as pertaining to youth development and empowerment.)
• Experience in strategic planning and national development processes an added advantage.
• Thematic expertise in international development programs and assessing or evaluating youth development and employment; social welfare; governance, health and/or education programs. Combined expertise in managing or conducting evaluations; assessments, audits, research or review of development projects, programmes or thematic areas.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships with national partners.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.

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[1] Republic of Liberia (September 2011a) – 2008 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report on Population Projections, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Monrovia, Liberia: Table 4.1, (median variant), p.20.

[2] Ib. id.: Table 3.1, p.16.

[3] Republic of Liberia (September 2011b) – 2008 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report on Population Size and Composition, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Monrovia, Liberia: Fact Sheet, p. viii.

[4] Republic of Liberia (September 2011a), op. cit.: p.19.

[5] Republic of Liberia (September 2011c) – 2008 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report on Youths and Adolescents, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Monrovia, Liberia.

[6] Presidential Task Force on TVETs and Youth Employment (December 2013) – ‘Vision for TVET and Youth Employment Sectors 2014-2017’, Monrovia, Liberia: p.1

[7] National Vision 2013 – ‘Draft Vision Statement (Gbanga Declaration)’, Gbanga, Bong County, Liberia: 11th December 2012.

[8]Please note that Mercy Corps reserves the right to modify the terms of payment prior to entering into a contract with the successful consultant