Consultancy Service, organize training on Local humanitarian Leadership

Job Description

Terms of reference to organize training on Local humanitarian Leadershi.

1. Introduction

SOS Children’s Villages International (SOS CVI) is a non-governmental and non-denominational organization working with communities, partners, and states to ensure that the rights of all children are fulfilled in every society. SOS CVI is a global federation working to protect and care for children who have lost parental care, or who are at risk of losing it. We respect all religions and cultures and work with trusted partners in places where we can contribute to social development. Everything we do is made possible through the generous support of sponsors and donors, institutional and corporate partners, and loyal friends worldwide. We envision that every child belongs to a family and grows up with love, respect, and security. We exist to build families for children in need; we help them shape their own futures, and we share in the development of their communities. Everything we do is guided by the firm belief that no child should grow up alone and that we need to improve care for children who are at risk, enabling them to overcome precarious conditions and to succeed in life. Our core values guiding who we are and what we do include courage to take action, commitment to keep our promises, trust to believe in each other, and accountability to be reliable partners.

Our work is primarily guided by international human rights frameworks, humanitarian law and global development agendas pertaining to children and their communities.

Globally, the level of humanitarian emergencies and rate of occurrence of disasters are increasing at an alarming rate. In 2023 alone, over 339 million people have been affected by different natural and human-made disasters, and are left dependent on external assistance for survival.  Following such unprecedented scale of humanitarian crisis, SOSCVI (SOS Children’s Villages International) have developed an emergency policy and ratified it in 2016 to be implemented in alignment with existing program structures led by the Global Emergency Response department. Since then, SOSCVI recognizes the increasing trend of disasters, which frequently affected many Member Associations (MAs) and has made program participants more vulnerable and has challenged the resilience capacity of affected people. To overcome such a challenge, SOSCVI committed budget as part of action for federation initiative to build the disaster preparedness and response capacity of Member Associations in disaster-prone countries.

In response to this unprecedented and historic humanitarian crisis, SOS Children’s Villages in the ESAF region has been trying to contribute towards lifesaving and livelihood sustenance of the people in need across the most affected countries. All these efforts have been done in a sporadic manner with a limited human resource and leadership support.

Compared to the complex, acute and protracted nature of the crisis, SOSCVI believes that the existing level of effort is not sufficient to address such huge unmet needs across the MAs. There is a need for SOSCVI to systematically organize itself and focus strategically on preventing family separation by strengthening families through family and community empowerment initiatives and looking different care options. As a result, Global Emergency Response (GER) department initiated and developed various important guidelines and manuals to aid the ongoing HRP implementations across the federation. Humanitarian strategy, humanitarian mandate, Humanitarian program framework and companion for child protection in humanitarian action handbooks are among the developed key documents. Currently, all this documents are endorsed by the Senate and ready for rollout across the federation.

In addition to this, there has been tremendous effort exerted by GER to build the capacity of all ER coordinators across the federation through organizing various need-based trainings. This effort has been done in an intermittent manner which is not satisfying the strategic needs of all MAs..

With all this effort, GER believes that there are still some gaps in leadership in our humanitarian programs. Consequently, GER has outlined in its humanitarian strategy that a significant level of investment is required to build the humanitarian leadership capacity of PDs across the federation. Since, Program Directors are the one who will drive the humanitarian response program agendas in their respective MA and to simultaneously play a pivotal role in spearheading the development and implementation of DPREP agenda during their respective MA’s annual planning time.

SOS Children’s Villages East and Southern Africa (ESAF) region, headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, provides support to 26 member associations in all work areas including programme implementation, advocacy, fundraising, and governance.

SOS Children’s Villages East and Southern Africa believe that the successful achievement of its purpose, vision, and mission depends on the competence and commitment of its staff.

Keeping this in mind, SOS Children’s Villages International would like to organize training on local humanitarian leadership for its programme directors and professionals in Nairobi Kenya and is looking for a competent consultant to conduct a four-days training.

2. Background

SOS Children’s Villages International (SOS CVI) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit and non-denominational international umbrella organization that has been active in the field of children’s rights and has committed itself to address children’s needs and concerns. It is one of the oldest (since 1949) and largest organizations working with vulnerable children, which operates in 138 countries and territories around the world.

In recent years, SOS CV has been increasingly engaged in emergency preparedness and response activities to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation and minimize the negative effects that natural disaster and war could have on children and their families. The Global Emergency Response unit drives and manages the emergency preparedness and response activities of SOS CVI and supports member associations to fulfil the urgent humanitarian needs of children. As of now, SOSCVI is operating over 50 humanitarian action projects in 26 countries in the world and reaching over 1.2 million vulnerable people through providing an integrated life saving services, such as WASH, Health, and nutrition, FSL, MHPSS and protection.

In ESAF region alone, over 20 humanitarian action projects have been implemented in 11 disaster prone member associations with annual turn over of 25 million EUR.

Recently SOS CV has launched a humanitarian appeal in response to the unfolding drought crisis in the horn of Africa targeting four SOS Member Associations namely Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Kenya and waiting budget commitment from the Promoting and Supporting Associations (PSAs). Ensuring quality and accountability is pre-requisite of humanitarian action project and this can be ensured by investing time and resource on staff to enhance their knowledge and skills on humanitarian action programming. One of the best way to enhance staff capacity is to facilitate local humanitarian leadership training for the program directors and exposed them in different leadership techniques. In this regard, we want the training to focus on the following areas: 1) humanitarian leadership in context, 2) putting humanitarian principles in to practice, 3) how to lead effective team and 4) how to influence and judge critically.

IOR ESAF programmes include providing quality alternative care for children, preventing family separation, youth empowerment, and emergency response.

Locally relevant, quality alternative care

To strengthen and scale up the positive impact of our programmes as well as to address the prevailing gaps and challenges, IOR ESAF prioritized quality and relevance of alternative care services by putting each child’s individual needs and best interests first to provide a nurturing and stable family environment.

Prevention of family separation

In ESAF, our family strengthening programmes (FSPs) focus on the empowerment of communities through the development of their skills, knowledge, confidence and access to resources required to support families to effectively protect and care for children. The programmes empower communities, strengthen child protection structures and support community based organizations with capacity building and skills training, infrastructure development, and access to resources for economic empowerment.

Empowering young people

The ESAF youth development programmes facilitate access to education, training, and mentorship to help develop their knowledge, confidence, and resilience. In struggling African economies, unemployment is a huge risk for young people leaving care. IOR ESAF made significant progress in youth development programs through collaboration with various partners, contextualization, capacity building, an integrated approach, and improved technical assistance.

Emergency Response

When children are exposed to emergencies, be it because of armed conflict or natural disaster, we take action to bring them as quickly as possible from the emergency into a caring family environment where their development as individuals is supported, and we prevent family separation during all phases of an emergency. We achieve this by:

• First, ensuring that unaccompanied and separated children are safe protected and cared for during the emergency.
• Making every effort to reunify them with family members.
• Identifying suitable alternative care placement in the best interests of the children when reunification is not possible.
• Supporting families and communities with children who are at risk of losing parental care.

Thus, it has become imperative for programme directors, advisers and implementing partners to understand, get acquainted with, and be well equipped with the requisite information, skills, and techniques to enable them effectively and efficiently make use of local humanitarian leadership approach tools and apply leadership techniques to provide responsible life saving response to the people in need.

3. Purpose

The purpose of the training is to further build the capacities of SOS Children’s Villages staff on the concept of local humanitarian leadership in emergency setting; and deepen participant’s practical understanding on humanitarian action concepts at local, national and international levels, as well as enhance their ability to advance humanitarian action agenda in their respective MAs and ensuring that all MAs are put in place a minimum and advanced level of preparedness actions in all program locations.

4. Objectives

The objectives of the training are to:

• Understand and explain the global disaster trends, humanitarian needs overview and funding structure and recurrent challenges.
• Understand and exposed to the International Humanitarian Architecture and ecosystem
• Understand and practice the humanitarian access negotiation skill sets.
• Understand and apply international Humanitarian Law and refugee law.
• Understand and apply Gender Leadership in Humanitarian Action and Challenges in Humanitarian Security
• Understand and practice Leadership and Management in Humanitarian Crises, in the field.
• Understand and behave Adaptive Leadership for Humanitarians-how to adapt and thrive the challenging humanitarian situation.
• Deepen participant understanding on putting humanitarian principles in to practice and how to lead effective team.

5. Planned outcome

• Participants received four-days training sessions to enhance knowledge and skills on local humanitarian leadership;
• The training will equipe the participants to drive their respective MAs DPREP and HRP strategy development process. Bi-implication, ESAF region will have 40 well trained HRP directors and advisors where they can spearhead the Humanitarian mandate in the region.

6. Methodology

The consultant will propose the methodology. The consultant will work closely with the designated focal person in developing the relevant training materials and delivering the face-to-face training at Nairobi of Kenya.

7. Skills and Competencies

IOR ESAF is looking for an international/national consultant/ firm. Applicants will be shortlisted based upon their expression of interest, budget and CV.

The marking system will consider:

• a strong educational background in Humanitarian or development Aid (Masters or above)
• work experience with special focus on local humanitarian action capacity building (15 years or more)
• Must have facilitated similar training with INGO, NGOs or donors.
• Shall have previous experience in Eastern and Southern Africa region
• Have a good understanding of situations of vulnerable children in the region
• Have a good understanding of humanitarian crisis situation in the region

8. Timeframe and activities

A tentative schedule of activities is outlined below:

As we got space in the RRC on the week of 3^rd of December , we postponed the initial date by two weeks, and we believe that the additional time will help us to get more applicant and at the same time will give flexibility for the participant to prepare well ahead and get visa in good  time.

9. Specific Tasks and Deliverables

• Conduct a quick assessment, based on the profile of the participants – their roles, prior training, expectations, etc.
• Development/refinement of learning objectives, methods, and tools, based on a clear understanding of the ToR, participants’ assessment results, and additional inputs from the focal person(s);
• Prepare, submit and present a well-organized training material at least one week before the training date in soft copy;
• Develop training evaluation form, and conduct pre and post-training tests and submit the results;
• Develop the list of equipment and materials which are necessary to carry out the training;
• Provide clear instructions/directions for class exercises.

By the end of the training, the consultant is expected to provide:

• Certificate of completion for trainees;
• Training module;
• Training report.

10. Requirements

SOS Children’s Villages, ESAF is looking for an international/national consultant/firm who will be responsible for developing and delivering training on local humanitarian leadership for the programme development professionals.

Applicants will be shortlisted based upon their expression of interest, prior experience (CV) and budget. The marking system is as follows:

• Must have a strong background in humanitarian and development with a special focus on local humanitarian leadership
• Must have conducted similar training/workshop previously organized by an international organization,
• Shall have previous experience in Africa (advantageous if the experience is particularly in Easter and southern Africa context)

• Presentational and report writing skills and fluency in English both written and verbal communications.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills and the ability to work effectively as a team.

• Have certification as a trainer;

• Valid certificate of consultancy services;
• Valid Tax Registration Certificate (indicating TIN and VAT Number);
• Full and accurate physical, postal, telephone, and email addresses.

11. Submission Procedures

Interested and qualified consultants are invited to submit:

Technical Proposal containing

1. Company profile and consultant CV;
2. Training topics and methodology to be applied;
3. List of at least three main clients who received similar training (references may be requested later on);
4. Other information that is relevant.

Financial Proposal

1. Service Fee including applicable tax
2. Copies of licenses (professional and business licenses) issued by the respective government body;
3. Copies of tax registration (TIN, VAT registration number)

How to Apply

Your proposals should be marked as  “ local humanitarian leadership’’ SOS Children’s Villages East and Southern Africa (ESAF) and Applicants MUST copy all these email addresses in their application. ESAF.HROD@ssos-kd.org,  Azemeraw.bekele@sos-kd.org, deqa.dimbil@sos-kd.org, and Kifleyesus.Gezahegn@sos-kd.org

Application Deadline

All applications must be submitted by 27 October 2023, 6:00 pm East African Time.

“SOS Children´s Villages has zero-tolerance neither on sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse nor fraud and corruption, amongst other safeguarding aspects. We also provide equal employment opportunities to all employees & qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or class. SOS Children´s Villages complies with all applicable laws governing non-discrimination in employment.”

This position involves working with an INGO committed to children and human rights and is subject to strict safer recruitment checks. The successful candidate will be required to complete safer recruitment checks including police and reference checks to help verify their suitability to work for SOS CV. In addition to candidates’ ability to perform the duties of the post, in the selection process will be also explored the motivation and approach of the candidate to safeguarding.