ToR: Ethiopian Joint Response (EJR) – Dutch Relief Alliance Lessons Learned, Best Practices, and Case Story Documentation and Documentary Video Production

Background of Ethiopian Joint Response Project(EJR)

This TOR is developed by SOS Children’s Villages to document Lessons Learned, Best Practices, and Case Story Documentation and Documentary Video Production of Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) – Ethiopia Joint Response (EJR) Program financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The Ministry through Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) granted €18.5 million to Ethiopia joint response to address protracted crisis with a duration of three years started on the January 2024 until the 31st of December 2026.

Led by SOS Children`s Villages, Ethiopian Joint Response (EJR) program has been implementing a multi-sectorial and complementary humanitarian and recovery response. Since January 2024, EJR project has been responding to the need of conflict and drought affected peoples of Oromia (East Hararghe – Midhega Tola and Borana- Dubluk Woredas) and Amhara (North Wollo – Gidan and Wag Himra – Ziquala Woredas).

Now, Ethiopia Joint Response (EJR) project is at its final stage, looking to document key lessons/learning to be scaled up, good practices to be replicated, success stories to be shared and documentary video to witness the project achievements. As such, SOS Children’s Villages seeks well-organized and sound independent consultants to produce a 30-min long documentary highlighting project milestones, achievements and impact and a magazine covering programmatic and strategic pillars. This necessitates well organized and sound independent consultants having practical expertise in facilitating the entire process or cycle of lesson learning, identifying tailored good practices applicable in various crises context, developing human touching stories, and producing quality audio visual documentaries and developing three-year impact stories. Moreover, the external consultant will capture lessons/learned, good practices, success stories and documentary video witnessing:

• The contribution of the EJR deliverables to saving life, livelihood diversification, economic restoration, social protection, crises resilience, improved wellbeing, etc.
• The support and contribution of the EJR to the local protection system strengthening, health system restoration and improvement, improved social and economic instructress, and local governances’ system improvement.
• The benefits, impacts and challenges of translating the DRA priorities boldly: Accountability, Localization, Collaboration and Innovation principles into practices during the project implementation.

Purpose

The exercise will be conducted to capture lessons, document good practices, develop success stories, and produce audiovisual documentaries. This will inform the EJR project’s deliverables, implementation approaches, delivery modalities, partnership dynamics, collaboration platforms, localization efforts, and the consortium’s nature, as well as its potential for scaling up to other locations and partners engaged in the future humanitarian programs.

The EJR partners operate in Gidan Woreda of North Wollo Zone, Ziquala Woreda of Wag Himra Zone of Amhara region, Midega Tola Woreda of East Hararghe Zone and Dubluk Woreda of Borana zone Oromia region. The sectors addressed are Food Security & Livelihoods, MPC, Health, Protection and WASH. Protection is an important element, and partners are expected to achieve protection mainstreaming throughout the entire implementation. The project interventions target IDPs, returnees and vulnerable host communities. In addition, the response carries out activities in the areas of Localization, Collaboration, Innovation/learning and Accountability (these are strategic objectives defined by the DRA) The specific objectives of the assignment are:

• Document best practices, lessons learned, case stories, and high-quality videos and photos that highlight the EJR project’s impact, success, challenges, and contributions to community lifesaving efforts, livelihood diversification, economic restoration, social protection, crisis resilience, and improved wellbeing.
• Demonstrate the project’s results and contributions toward improving local protection, health and nutrition systems, social and economic infrastructure, and local governance, utilizing case stories, audiovisual documentaries, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Publish practical evidence and documents including lessons learned, best practices, case studies, and audiovisual materials that showcase the benefits, impacts, and challenges of joint efforts. This includes joint need assessment, joint targeting, harmonized tools, joint coordination meeting, joint project agreement, joint office, joint complaint and feedback system, etc

Scope of the work

The scope of work outlines the major focus areas that the consulting firm should emphasize and prioritize.

• Targeting and Verification Process: Produce documentary video on how individual beneficiaries and project participants progressed through various targeting steps. This includes the methods and timeframe used to identify the most affected populations, the systems in place to minimize inclusion and exclusion errors, and the strategies used to include vulnerable groups (such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, children, and women) in the EJR project.
• Need Identification and Context Analysis: Publish good practices and lessons learned on how the EJR team conducted the needs assessments, how community needs were identified, and how evolving needs were addressed. This also covers how context analysis was conducted, and how unmet needs were referred to and reported to both internal and external EJR partners.
• Reduced child protection risks and improved child protection system: Develop case stories indicating how case management process (case follow up, case referral and case closure) contributed to targeting the right target. Documents on the results and contribution of individual protection assistance, dignity kits provision, team up session to reduce school dropout, school absenteeism, school enrolment, early marriage, child abuse, mental stress, trauma. Furthermore, it clearly shows how protection interventions has been supported to strengthen the system.
• Health and nutrition system strengthened: Develop cases stores and lesson learning documents indicating how the routine drugs provision, medical equipment and supplies assistance, annual health insurance support, MHPSS training, nutrition surveillance support, Health system data base installed contributed to the health and nutrition system establishment.
• Livelihood restored, income diversified and enhanced resilience: Document results and lessons learned indicating how the seed money support, BDS training, crop, tools, fertilizers and seed support, small ruminant support, livestock management training, VSLA support, vet drugs support contributed to restoration of livelihood, income diversification and enhanced communities’ resilience efforts.
• Improved access to safe and adequate water supply: Publish case stories and good practcies indicating spring developed, pupeline extended, water point constructed, roaf water harvested, water quality toolkits priovided, water schemes rehablitated, spare parts support constributed to imporved acces to safe water , reduce cost of accessing water, reduced exposure to various protection risk.
• Resource shared, Knowedgle transferred and improved service quality: Document learnings highlighting how the joint need assessment, joint targeting, joint verification, joint distribution,joint office, joint CFM system, joint agreement, harmonized PDM tools, harmonized targeting criteria, coordination meeting contributed to resources sharing, knowedge transferr, strong partnership, imporved program quality.
• Collaborative impact : Highlighting how the coordinaiton and collaboration efforts has been maximized and added value on EJR collective effort.
• Advancing localization and equitbale partnetrship: Highlighting how the EJR’s localization efforts has been realized in the course of the project.
• Accountability (partcipation revolution): Clearly underline and document the lessons leaned and success stories/journies on ensuring collaetive accountabilityl at EJR level.
• Innovation and learning: Documnet and clearly showcase joint learnings and innovative projects
• Capacity strengthening : Documnet and clearly showcase the contribution and change of 5% capacity strengthening efforts of local organizations.

Porposed Methodlogy

• Document Review: The consulting firm should refer to project proposals, reports, terminal evaluation report, case stores, PDM assessment, RTR reports, other essential documents so that the consultant will understand the nature of EJR project, partnership dynamics, sector composition, project achievements and success factors. These documents will be shared with the consulting firms upon signing the agreement and data protection policy.
• Interview with project participants: The project participants receiving various assistance will be interviewed with interview guides prepared as per the various assistance. The consultant should design interview guide, test the question and translate it into the local language. The participants for the interview session will be voluntarily.
• Interview with government stakeholders: The government stakeholders who are supporting the implementation of the EJR project will be selected based on their level of engagement, participation, understanding level of the project implementation, contribution they made to the EJR project achievements. The consulting firm should prepare guiding questions tailored to each of the stakeholders, engagement, participation and contribution.
• Interview with staff of the EJR Partners and members: The EJR partners and members staff will be selected for the interview based on their implementing sectors, their roles in EJR project, and experience with the EJR project. The consulting firm should prepare guiding questions tailored to each partner and members staff’ roles, implementing sectors and years of experience in implementing the EJR project.
• Observation: The consulting firm should first understand the context in the targeted location, target communities, and target participants. The targeted communities’ dynamics involve various targeted participants from IDPS, returnees, vulnerable host communities. Observing the local community’s culture, practices, social infrastructures (health facilities, schools and water schemes), that have been impacted because of the EJR intervention is essential to document learnings, goods practices and producing documentary videos.
• Document picture and record sound: Pictures witnessing the EJR project achievements and success will be taken from the interviewees where the EJR project implemented. The participants interview will be recorded to prepare documentary video indicating the EJR contribution and achievements. The consent will be received from each of the participants before any act of recording and taking pictures.
• There will be a possibility of using Writeshop approach if the situation doesn’t allow.

The team in each organization must identify specific topics and write up best practices and processes, limited to 3-5 pages on the following topics/sectors.

Proposed Standards of the Assignment

In compliance with the partners’ communications & branding policy, the following standards are expected to be fulfilled:

1. Aspect ratio should be 16:9 whereas exceptions could be tolerable in case-by-case situations based on the type of archive data to be inserted and/or based on the compatibility needs of the website/social media through which the good practice will be shared.
2. Video quality (Documentary video)

• Video resolution produced should be recorded at a minimum of and exported at 1920×1080 HD quality
• No footage should be below 720p other than archival data
• The framerate of the video should be compatible with the current social media needs (24fps is recommendable)
• When possible, all video footage should be at the best bitrate. This will allow with better color and video quality
• It is part of documentary video production

Audio quality (Documentary video)

• Avoid any background sound including Mic frequency
• In case of sound effects, use clean and professional low bass sounds (consult SOS-CVE communication department)
• It is part of documentary video production

Magazine quality (Good practice and Lesson learned)

• The magazine consists of various good practices, success stories and pictures.
• High quality JPEG images with a 3000pxl are recommendable on the longest side resolution
• Use the default RGB colour space for colour images and use whatever is the default colour space for grayscale images.
• For case/success stories, try to take pictures of live moments (actions) of project participants.
• Use art paper to print the booklet 100gram with cover page of 250gram coated or hard back cover
• The printing of the booklet shall be only with digital print with layout design and illustrations.
• Brand alignment with the SOS Children’s Villages brand should be added in the magazine requirements

1. Other technical specs to export

• Container: MP4 or MOV
• Audio code: AAC-LC
• Sample rate: 48khz
• Video Code: H.264

1. Comply with the organizations` child safeguarding & other beneficiaries protection policies and brand alignment
2. Roles and Responsibility
3. SOS Children’s Villages and partners

• Will select the locations and facilitate all the personal contacts including interviewees and government officials and implementing project team to brief on the project approach.
• Will give general orientation and resource documents so that the consulting firm will have better understanding of the context EJR project implemented, the target people reached and the result achieved.
• Final acceptance of the good practices’ documentary video, lesson learned and case stories by EJR partners against the standard quality agreed by the terms of the agreement

Consulting firm

• Will prepare detail work plan and submit it for discussions and joint agreement. This should include a written description of the methodology, costs of the production (professional fee, expenses for shooting/new footages, studio facilities, production cost and other related costs) as well as the list and profiles of the most important members of the production team (including the script writer, the narrator and director). The consultant shall also prepare and submit a detailed timetable of activities.
• Will thoroughly review all documents given by the SOS Children’s Villages and its partners for this assignment.
• Will prepare the script, present face to face presentation on how to implement the script and get approval from SOS Children’s Villages and partners
• Shall use the feedback given by EJR partners to further improve the quality of the work. Following the comments, the company shall polish and prepare the final work accommodating the feedback
• Shall deliver the final documentary video in soft copy (compatible to social media, USB, CD/DVD, FTP, Dropbox and emailing) while that case stories and good practices will be shared with us in hard copy as per the quality standards mentioned above.
• Displays the best resolution in the order of DRA logo, SOS Children’s Villages logo and respective EJR partners logo & branding in all sessions of the production
• Abide by the SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia and partners child and youth safeguarding policy and branding
• The consultants should use their own HD quality video camera and professional editing software for recording and editing.

Deliverables

• A master copy of the 30 minutes video for knowledge management but 5 – 7 minutes video for sharing with stakeholders with the standards mentioned in this ToR from 4 Woredas (Gidan, Ziquala, Dubluk and Midhega tola)
• The narration text or the full script used for the production with still pictures extracted from the footage
• Three 2-min cut down versions for social media promotion
• A copy of the video in the formats explained in the TOR
• Versions provided should be compatible for internet and TV screening (compatible with social media, USB, CD/DVD, FTP, Dropbox and emailing)
• 20-both sides page digital printed Magazine having the contents of cases stories, good practice and lessons learned with 100 copies.

Tentative budget

All costs will be covered by DRA lead budget. The lead has allocated 5500 EURO for both video production and documents preparation.

Intelectual property

All outputs produced in this action remain the property of SOS Children’s Villages and its partners who shall have exclusive rights over their use.

Safeguarding Notice

The selected production agency is expected to fully adhere to SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia’s safeguarding standards throughout the documentary process. The following principles must be observed:

Respect and Protection: All filming and interviews must uphold the dignity, privacy, and safety of children, young people, and families. No content should portray individuals in a way that is exploitative, stigmatizing, or harmful.

Informed Consent: The production team must ensure that clear, age-appropriate informed consent is obtained in writing from all participants or legal guardians in the case of minors prior to any filming or use of identifiable images or stories. Consent forms will be provided by the national office.

Safe Conduct: Any form of inappropriate behavior, coercion, or boundary-crossing is strictly prohibited.

Incident Reporting: Any safeguarding concern or potential incident observed or disclosed during production must be reported within 24 hours through the official SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia safeguarding reporting channel; misconduct@sos-ethiopia.org.

Term of payment

Payment will be made only upon SOS Children’s Villages’ acceptance of the work performed in accordance with the above-described deliverables. Payment will be affected by bank transfer in the currency of birr.

Funding and Payment: The consultancy firm will be paid by SOS Children’s Villages as follows:

• 40% up on submission and approval of the inception report/Technical Proposal.
• 60% up on submission of the final lesson learned, good practice and cases stories in both soft copies and hard copies

Duration of the assignmnet

The contract is effective from the moment it was signed until the acceptance of work by the SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia. The assignment shall be completed with a maximum of one month.

Qualification and Experience

• At least 3 years’ relevant experience in the production of best practice videos and publications in the development/humanitarian sectors.
• Competent and skilled staff or team members experience with the video recording, documentation & production in the development/humanitarian sector
• Legally registered & licensed in all aspects of the Ethiopian government requirement