Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania /
Design Monitoring & Evaluation – Africa - Central & East /
Consultant - Local
Search for Common Ground (Search) is seeking a consultant or team of consultants who can analyze
the evolution and dynamics of conflicts in five districts on the
mainland of Tanzania (Tarime, Mtwara, Tandahimba, Rufiji, Kibiti) and
two regions on Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba) with a particular focus on
the type of conflicts, the actors involved and their level of influence,
communication channels and narratives, and existing response mechanism
and level of collaboration among different stakeholders. In light of our
30-month program, we are primarily interested in planning and/or
adapting our project activities based on the specificities of the
context and changing dynamics and assuring our approach is conflict
sensitive and respects Do no Harm. We also want to explore how recent
conflict dynamics
affect collaboration among different stakeholders, existing
communication channels and community perception as well as identify
possible areas of common ground and ensure a thorough understanding of
key project targets groups’ concerns.
1. Context
Search for Common Ground.
Search
for Common Ground (Search) is an international conflict transformation
NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments and
companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and
towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA,
and Brussels, Belgium, with field offices in 35 countries, Search
designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate and
conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including
media and training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge and
determine a positive shift in behaviors.
The Project
Search
for Common Ground (Search), in partnership with the Legal Human Rights
Centre (LHRC) and the Zanzibar Legal Services Centre (ZLSC) is
implementing a project to support peaceful conflict resolution, open
dialogue, and inclusive democracy in Tanzania over a period of 30 months
targeting five districts on the mainland (Tarime, Mtwara, Tandahimba,
Rufiji, Kibiti) and two regions on Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba).
The theory of change underpinning the action’s objectives is: “if
a diverse coalition of civil society groups has the skills and space to
collaborate in a non-adversarial manner around key sensitive issues and
has opportunities to engage with government champions to constructively
address them and if Tanzanian
citizens have access to balanced and credible information that promotes
peaceful approaches and collaboration among different actors and across
various divides then a
variety of key stakeholders, including civil society, will work
together to promote a culture of peace, conflict prevention and
inclusive democracy because civil
society, government actors, and citizens will understand the advantages
brought by working together to solve shared problems.”
The overall objective of
this action is to increase civil society organisations’ (CSOs')
contribution toward a culture of peace, conflict prevention and
inclusive democracy in Tanzania.
The overall objective is supported by the following two specific objectives and corresponding expected results outlined below, each supported by a set of activities:
SO1. Increase collaboration among and between CSOs, media and government stakeholders to advance peaceful conflict resolution;
ER1.1 Platforms to share information and dialogue on critical issues are created or strengthened;
ER2.2
CSOs, media, and government work together to identify and implement
constructive solutions that directly address sensitive issues;
A1.1 CGA Training for CSOs
A1.2 CGA Training for Government
A1.3 Coalition building forum
A1.4 Civil society - Government forums
A1.5 Support to Joint initiatives
SO2. Promote narratives of peace at the local, regional, and national levels;
ER2.1
Increased access to stories of collaboration across divides,
challenging prevailing stereotypes and transforming mutual negative
perceptions.
A2.1 CGA trainings for media
A2.2 Peace Media Campaign
The main target group of
this action includes the diverse CSOs operating in Zanzibar, North
Mara, Mtwara, and Pwani, from a diverse range of missions, backgrounds,
and constituencies, pairing development organisations with more human
rights-focused ones as the first step in bridging community divisions
and bringing people together. By first training CSOs in non-adversarial
engagement, conflict sensitivity, and leadership, and then providing
them with opportunities to work together, this action builds
relationships and support among them. These coalitions serve to
transform current negative perceptions of engagement, encourage unity
and understanding among organisations, and offer a degree of protection
through membership in a diverse coalition. This action also targets
local government representatives in North Mara, Zanzibar, Mtwara, and
Pwani who are capable of making change in their communities and who are
perceived as approachable by local civil society. Local Government
champions are identified through a consultative process with the
implementation team and local CSOs. In addition, media actors are
targeted by this action. This action increases journalists skills in
conflict sensitive reporting and develops a broader range of tools,
formats, and approaches among media actors that they can then apply in
their efforts to inform the population, enabling the media and the
community to better navigate an increasingly sensitive environment
peacefully. By the end of the action, CSOs and the media will have
better relationships with the government and more credibility with their
constituencies due to delivering concrete action to community concerns
and reliably producing articles and stories showcasing this effort.
Thus, the final beneficiaries of this action are the community-at-large
in North Mara, Mtwara, Zanzibar, and Pwani. As relationships improve
between CSOs, the media actors, and the local government, communities
will benefit from a stronger civil society, more receptive government
officials and accurate reporting. In addition, communities will have
their concerns addressed peacefully and will benefit a greater culture
of peace that supports dialogue across social dividing lines.
2. Goal and Objectives of Study
The
main objective of the scan is to understand the evolution and dynamics
of conflicts in the five districts on the mainland (Tarime, Mtwara,
Tandahimba, Rufiji, Kibiti) and two regions on Zanzibar (Unguja and
Pemba).
The three
specific objectives of the conflict scan is to collect and share data in
a readable and accessible format that will allow Search to:
Objective
1: Plan or adapt program/project activities (of Search and partners)
based on the specificities of the context and changing dynamics as well
as draw lessons from the implementation to date;
Objective
2: Draw recommendations for programming to ensure conflict sensitivity
and Do No Harm is respected by Search and its partners LHRC and ZLSC
and/or other actors do no harm;
Objective
3: To assess the impact of the conflict(s) on collaboration and
communication among different key stakeholders and community
perceptions.
Objective
4: To identify possible areas of common ground and ensure a thorough
understanding of key project targets groups’ concerns that will be used
to inform the action’s implementation and deepen the understanding of
the implementing team.
This
is the first conflict scan to be done in the Jenga Amani Yetu project.
Building on the baseline and initial conflict assessment conducted in
2020, this conflict scan will directly build on past findings,
reevaluate and track changes in the existing conflict dynamics, with a
particular focus on the type of conflicts, the actors involved and their
level of influence, communication channels and narratives, and existing
response mechanism and level of collaboration among different
stakeholders.
3. Key Questions of the Study
The proposed lines of inquiry are indicative and can be revised according to the proposed methodology.
Objective 1 - Evolution and dynamics of conflicts
Under
this objective, recent developments and evolutions in the conflict(s)
are assessed & specific examples of how the conflict(s) manifested
itself within local communities should be provided. Special
consideration should be given to varying conflict dynamics between the
different target locations. This section will directly build on the
initial findings of the conflict assessment conducted in 2020.
-What major conflicts currently exist in the target communities?
-Among the conflicts identified, which are the main conflicts between CSOs, government, media?
-Which of those conflicts are likely to be exacerbated and how?
-Has the recent change in the regime affected the conflict dynamics?
-What are the factors of attraction and repulsion to these conflicts?
-Who are the key players involved in those conflicts? What is their role and their level of influence and/or collaboration?
-What key programmatic lessons do we draw from implementation to-date?
-Based
on the assessment of conflict dynamics and of programmatic lessons: Are
there any concrete recommendations for program adaptation?
-What could be the possible risk in mitigating these conflicts?
-What are the key lessons learned from implementation to date?
Objective 2 - Conflict sensitivity and DnH
This section will directly build on the initial findings of the baseline and conflict assessment conducted in 2020.
-Did project activities have unintended consequences (both positive and negative)?
-What
considerations should be taken into account to ensure that project
activities do not exacerbate existing tensions(i.e. are conflict
sensitive and do no harm)?
-Are there changes to the activity design that participants would recommend?
-Based
on the initial risk assessment conducted in the baseline: are there any
updates to the contextual and project-related risk that require
monitoring?
Objective 3 - Impact of the conflict(s) on collaboration, communication and community perceptions
Under
this objective, the impact of recent developments and evolutions in the
conflict(s) on collaboration among different stakeholders, existing
communication channels and community perceptions is assessed. This
section will directly build on the initial findings of the conflict
assessment conducted in 2020.
-How do communities react to these conflicts?
-What
are the attitudes and perceptions of communities and other key actors
towards these violent conflicts?-How do these conflicts affect
collaboration among different stakeholders?
-How
do these conflicts affect the existing communication channels and
networks used to trigger and to manage/transform/prevent conflicts?
-How has collaboration between CSOs/media/Gov evolved? And what factors played in?
-Which media companies the communities prefer and trust their information?
-Who are the dividers and connectors in the targeted communities?
Objective 4 - Areas of common ground and understanding of key target groups’ concerns
Under
this objective, possible areas of common ground and key community
concerns are assessed. This section will directly build on the initial
findings of the conflict assessment conducted in 2020.
-What are the issues that are most likely to result in conflict in society?
-What are potential areas of common ground?
4. Geographic Locations
The
conflict scan will target five districts on the mainland (Tarime,
Mtwara, Tandahimba, Rufiji, Kibiti) and two regions on Zanzibar (Unguja
and Pemba).
5. Methodology and Data Collection Tools
Proposals
should outline methods for data collection to be used and justification
for these methods related to the research questions. Proposals should
also include the sampling strategy and approach to analysis. In addition
to Do No Harm strategies, any proposed deliverables for sharing the
findings of the study should be included in this section of the
proposal.
Deliverables
Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget:
-An inception report detailing the methodology, data collection tools and timeline;
-Any necessary training of data collectors or set-up of systems for data collection;
-Supervision and participation in data collection;
-Oversight of data coding and analysis;
-All original data submitted to Search;
-A draft evaluation report in English for review by Search staff and partners;
-A
final report in English (15 pages max in length, excluding appendices)
consistent with Search branding and standards for evaluation. The
report:
-Uses the Search evaluation template unless otherwise agreed in the contract
-Provides a clear connection between the conflict assessment and
the intended results, articulate the project’s ToC, and include other
relevant project specifics
-Fully explains the objectives and research questions of the study, limitations and methods chosen for analysis,
-Findings respect Search’s evaluation standards, are structured
around the main objectives of the study, and are presented in relation
to the intended target groups.
-Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific,
accessible, and actionable. Appendices should include detailed research
instruments, list of interviewees, terms of references and evaluator(s)
brief biography.
-PowerPoint presentation of findings
-Restitution session (presentation of key results to staff and partners)
Logistical Support
Consultant(s)
will be responsible for organizing their own logistics for data
collection (vehicles, fuel, and drivers), and this must be budgeted into
the study. Search can provide support in arranging logistics as agreed
upon based on the consultant’s proposal. At least one Search staff
member may be available to support data collection and logistics.
In
addition, Search and partners will share the following elements with
the external consultant(s): Background materials including the project
proposal and log frame, M&E plan, baseline and conflict assessment, etc.
6. Ethical Considerations
The
consultant(s) proposal should outline key risks of conducting the study
and the steps to assure Do No Harm and Conflict Sensitivity and
inclusion principles (ie. gender, age, ethnicity, religion, etc.) are
respected. Steps taken to ensure informed consent is collected should
also be outlined.
7. Data Quality Assurance and Management
The
final methodology and tools will be approved by the Tanzania country
team and the global Institutional Learning Team (ILT) before data
collection begins. The country team, ILT and the regional team will
provide feedback on the report. The final report will be approved by the
country team and ILT.
8. Timeline
Search expects to finalize the recruitment of the consultant by the second week of July 2021.
-July 23Inception report (incl. methodology, tools, literature review & timeline)
-July 24- August 06Data collection
-August 20First draft report
-August 27Final draft report & restitution session
Final deadlines will be agreed by Search and the consultant upon finalization of the contract.
9. Budget
The total budget available for this study is 13,426 USD.
A detailed budget should be included in the technical proposal,
detailing daily rates for personnel, and costs related to data
collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection,
etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables.
10. Requirements of Consultant
The following skills and experience are expected by Search for our evaluator for this project:
Proficiency in English and Swahili (written and spoken);
More than 5 years of experience in research, including collecting data in interviews, surveys and focus groups;
Experience working with international organizations;
Experience conducting quantitative surveys and analysis;
Knowledge of Tanzania governance and its local civils society landscape is a comparative advantage;
Contextual knowledge of and experience working in East Africa,
experience in Tanzania and specifically in North Mara, Pwani, Mtwara
and/or Zanzibar is a comparative advantage.
In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:
-Comprehensive
and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing
information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the
review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He
or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately
and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and
critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of
the review and its results.
-Competence:
Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience
appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within
the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
Honesty
and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the
contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made
in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were
made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading
review information.
Respect
for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of
respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to
be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture,
religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.
Selection Criteria;
- Relevance of proposed methodology to the goal, objectives, and research questions for the project.
- Quality of proposed methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and quality control measures.
- Qualifications of the candidate(s).Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team.
- Timeline for proposed activities.
To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents:
- Curriculum vitae;
- A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the conflict scan together with a financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables and a short cover letter.
Note:
Only two documents can be submitted, so the technical and financial
proposals must be combined, along with the short cover letter.
Applications must be submitted to the following link on or before 10th July 2021.
For any related questions, kindly write to: smwakitalu@sfcg.org, with copy to hsengu@sfcg.org and jkimamo@sfcg.org.
As
job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be
required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the
above key responsibilities.
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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.
All
Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity -
Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search
enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on
Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child
Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest and Anti-fraud. Search is committed
to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth
and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its
programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth,
and vulnerable adults.
Search for Common Ground
does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin
(ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military
status, in any of its activities or operations.
 - Consultant for Conducting Conflict Scanning){kind=link}