ToR for conducting Yabelo Sustainable Future project market and livelihood assessment

SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia Arba Minch programme location:

SOS Children’s Village Arba Minch Programme is the newest program under SOS CV Ethiopia, established on August 19, 2025, to help realize the strategic objectives for 2030. We act for children as an independent, non-governmental social development organization. Currently, six projects are being implemented by the Programme Location (PL), categorized under three major areas: family strengthening and humanitarian action programs. The projects include Arbaminch FCS. Under humanitarian projects, Moyale Triple Nexus, Yabello HRP, and Geze Gofa rehabilitation projects are actively implemented in the South Ethiopia Regional State and Oromia Regional State.

The Programme Location MEAL team regularly monitors, assesses, evaluates, and provides supportive supervisions for all the above-mentioned program units and projects. Therefore, this ToR is prepared to conduct capacity gap assessment in Yabelo Together for Sustainable Future (T4SF) project in January, 2026.

Geographic location and project targets for the market and livelihoods assessment:

SOS Children’s Village Arba Minch programme locations have started implementing ‘Together for Sustainable Future (T4SF)’ project in Yabelo district in August 2025.The project is being implemented in Yabelo district in different local actors—including government bodies, community-based organizations (CBOs), SACCOs, Schools, and families with a project period ranging from August 2025 to March 2026. The total number of participants is 3300 (600 caregivers & 2500 children & 200 young people).

Rational for the market and livelihood assessment:

There are a lot of vulnerable children in Yabelo district. According to the need assessment findings in the intervention areas of Yabelo, many children and young people are growing up without receiving the required care and protection because they are separated from their families, abandoned, neglected, or made to live in abusive environments. There are also several single mothers whose husbands are left for unknown reasons related to business and others. Vulnerable young women, including young women at risk or survivors of GBV (Gender Based Violence) lack skills for generating sustainable income. As a result, girls and boys are at risk of losing parental care.

Widows who earn income as domestic workers make the most of those single adult caregivers. Moreover, different vulnerability factors including socioeconomic problems, lack of access to quality services, and problem of enforcement of laws are major ones severely affecting the proper development of vulnerable children and young people in the study areas. Furthermore, there are no sustainable alternative green livelihoods and sustainable income generating activities (IGAs) in Yabelo district that specifically address the needs of disadvantaged program participants

Although most stakeholders, including duty bearers and NGOs have positive attitudes and interest in addressing the community needs in the intervention areas, they lack the required power, functional and financial capacity to address the identified needs. Hence, the Yabelo Sustainable Future project market and livelihood assessment is expected to identify green, sustainable alternative livelihood and feasible market options. The study needs to critically assess environmentally friendly business practices and experiences that could be managed by adolescent girls and destitute women with very reasonable amount of start-up capital.

Overall objective:

The overall objective of the market and livelihood assessment of Yabelo Sustainable Future project is to analyze skill requirements in the labor market, skill gaps employers face when hiring new staff, viable business areas for self-employment, job opportunities for wage employment and feasible, sustainable, women responsive livelihood interventions:

Specific objectives are:

• Identify feasible business types for caregivers and analyze business market situation in the intervention areas (Yabelo district) from both demand (job seekers) and supplies side (employers)
• Identify self-employment and wage employment opportunities for women and girls to improve their green livelihood opportunities.
• To find appropriate, feasible, viable, sustainable and inclusive livelihood strategies, solutions, or options for the target caregivers considering various value chain actors and private sectors.
• Identify well organized partner CBOs (Community Based Organizations) and SACCOs that would be a sustainable finance source for care givers and young people.
• Identify the possible and sustainable business opportunities and options which are inclusive, and environmentally sustainable for the project target families

Scope of the assignment

Geographically, the assessment will be limited to the project participant children, youth, families, and key implementation partners (CBOs) in Yabelo district intervention kebeles). The assessment will be undertaken based on the project proposal document, Family Strengthening Programme Guidelines, SOS Children’s Villages Programme Policy, and relevant government policies. Thematically, it covers environmentally friendly IGAs opportunities and practices considering gender and persons with disabilities.

Assessment of Methodology

The consultant is expected to develop relevant and standard quantitative and qualitative methodologies that can generate the highest quality and most credible evidence. The commissioned consultant should use a mixed method approaches (quantitative and qualitative methods) to answer the market and livelihood assessment questions. As far as possible, the consultant should disaggregate data by sex, age, disability, geographic location while collecting and analysing data. The consultant should also clearly explain which questions will be answered using which methods. Data collection methods proposed by the consultant should be linked to the specific target group question(s). In addition to collecting primary data, the consultant should refer relevant unemployment data, research findings on unemployment in Yabelo district. Moreover, the consultant is expected to explain the design and process of data collection tools, data collection plans and data analysis instrument. The consultant is also expected to use tools including Green Market analysis, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) analysis, and Solution Trees (to identify major physical, material, social and human capitals available.

The Consultant should also ensure qualitative methods (such as focus group discussion (FGD), key informant interview (KII) and group discussion) participants are representative of the project’s target groups and key stakeholders (Children, youth, women, elders, CBOs, SACCOs, women leaders, employers, company owners, training centres, Schools, or key staff within local government authorities).

Sample

The Commissioned consultant is expected to use appropriate sampling techniques and set acceptable sample size for both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Based on the project objectives, results, the market and livelihood assessment equations and the Edu Care project result framework, the consultant should produce best sampling methods and ensure representativeness of the sampled households or respondents, and the sampling frame is from target youth of the project.

Major market and livelihood assessment questions (the consultant will add more relevant questions.

• What does looks like the status of unemployment and livelihood situations in target towns of the project relevant to target population selected by the project)?
• What is the level of capacities of the local partners in target town of the project to promote caregiver’s empowerment and employment?
• To what extent local partners have network with relevant actors (government, private sector, non-governmental organisations, networks/forums, microenterprises, and training centres (TVET centres, universities, and colleges)?
• To what extent caregivers have access to resources, business opportunities and feasible livelihoods options that empower them in the intervention towns?
• What is the level of confidence and attitude of caregivers to get employed or to begin their own enterprise in Yabelo district before the project starts?
• What are the main challenges caregivers face in starting a business/IGA?
• Are selected participants generating any income and if yes, how, and how much per month in average?
• In which environmentally sustainable livelihoods are caregivers currently engaging in?
• Do these environmentally sustainable livelihoods yield profits? or are there any issues?
• Do these environmentally sustainable livelihoods pose risks to women and girls? Are there any other disadvantages?

Work plan and expected deliveries:

Work plan/timetable:

The winner consultancy firm is expected to finalize the task within 30 days after the contractual agreement is signed.

The consultant is expected to develop her/his detail work plan based on the following table.

Deliverables:

The commissioned external consultancy firm must deliver the task within 30 days of the contract signing. Based on the work plan, SOS Children’s Villages of Arba Minch programmer location, the national MEAL and family strengthening teams expect the following deliverables:

• An inception report of 8 pages on the market and livelihood assessment design, methodology, sampling frame, sampling technique, sample size, assessment tools and work plan
• Draft market and livelihood assessment report includes lists of market opportunities and feasible IGAs of a maximum of 20 pages.
• Final market and livelihood assessment report – The findings of the market and livelihood assessment report including an executive summary and data collection tools in both electronic and hardcopy formats should be submitted, and the report presented online to the relevant national office program staff-MEAL Team, Arba Minch programme location and donor team.
• Raw data, which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and recorded audio material), should be submitted with the report. SOS CVE will have sole ownership of all final data, and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of SOS Children’s Village Ethiopia.

Report criteria

The reporting criteria for the market and livelihood assessment shall be in line with the SOS Children’s Village Ethiopia result based management (RBM) reporting template and should be shared with the winner consultant along with the data review process and/or for the preparation of the inception report. Interested consultants should submit their offers within ten days after the assessment is advertised.

Child Safeguarding and ethical issues:

SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring that all research, evaluation and data collection processes (i.e. evidence-generating activities) undertaken by SOS Children’s Villages and its partners are ethical and respect child safeguarding policy and procedure.

The consultant must respect the rights, dignity and protection of children and other vulnerable population groups and should ensure special protection for children and other vulnerable groups during any data-generating activities to minimize any potential risks. Any research, evaluation and data collection SOS Children’s Villages is directly carried out or is involved in as a partner.

Ethical practices need to be ensured in the following circumstances:

• Any research, assessment, baseline, midterm or final evaluations and data collection SOS Children’s Villages has commissioned for ethical oversight of these processes.
• Any research, evaluation and data collection carried out by researchers/consultants on SOS Children’s Villages programmes and participants.

Hence, relevant project coordinator and location MEAL coordinator in Addis Ababa and Harar programme locations will ensure that any researchers, evaluators and data collectors should receive awareness training on, sign and adhere to SOS Children’s Villages core policies:

Obtaining consent from research participants is central to the research relationship and signals respect for the research participant’s dignity, their capability to express their views and their right to have these heard in matters that affect them. Informed consent is an explicit agreement which requires participants to be informed about and understand the research/assessment. This must be given voluntarily and be renegotiable, so that participants may withdraw at any stage of the research process.

Logistical arrangements

The awarded consultant shall show feasible logistical arrangements for the assignment as part of the technical proposal.

Duration of the contract and terms of payment:

The contract of the assignment will stay for 30 days from the signing of the agreement and the following terms of payment will be applicable as follow:

1. 30% initial payment with the approval of the inception report
2. 30% while the draft report is submitted, reviewed and feedback is given by the SOS Children’s Villages teams.
3. 40% while the final reports of the market and livelihood assignment is delivered.

Notice of delay

The incumbent consultant is expected to report the delay in any part of the assignment 10 days before the agreed days of the timetable. If the consultant fails to complete the work within the time limit prescribed under contract agreement, he/she shall pay 0.5% (0.5 percent) of the contract price as liquidated damage for each day of delay until the Client unilaterally terminates the contract for non-performance. The Client shall have the right to decide whether there is a convincing reason for the delay or not.

Copyright and other proprietary rights

The market and livelihood assessment result shall be the sole property of SOS-CVE and shall not be copied or modified for other purposes without the formal consent/approval of the national director.

Termination

The termination of the service agreement for the assignment will be in accordance with the contractual agreement to be included at the formal agreement’s actual signing.

Qualification of the researcher / research team

• The applicant consultant shall have at least a master’s degree in a relevant field of study such Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Law, development studies, Economics, GDI, Project Management (Development or Humanitarian), Monitoring & Evaluation and other related fields per the required assignment
• At least 5 years’ work experience & proven competency in market and livelihoods assessment, monitoring, and evaluation, including baseline assessments or organizational/program evaluation (baseline, midterm, and final evaluations). The incumbent shall attach at least one sample market and livelihood assessment report produced by the candidate on a similar topic.
• A good understanding of women empowerment, market and livelihoods and development programme work.
• The consultant should have Gender expertise, at least one gender expert among the consultant team members.
• A good understanding of child/youth rights/safeguarding & other issues affecting vulnerable children in the Ethiopian context.
• Proven experience in participatory processes and data collection methods
• Strong skills in coordination, analytical and conceptual skills on market and livelihood assessment
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• Ability to transfer complex concepts and ideas into practical and simple language.
• Experience in organizing research processes with/for child focused development organizations.
• Experience and credibility in providing market and livelihood assessments for external communication and organizational purposes.
• Experience in managing market and livelihood assignments in respect of the participating communities’ culture, social norms, values, and behavior; and maintain appropriate relationships with participants of this evaluation.
• Legally registered firms with renewed license, VAT registration and TIN number

Note that the consultants whose names appear in the technical and financial proposal must also be the ones to conduct the assignment.