TERMS OF REFRENCE FOR CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP A POLICY FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE ECD SECTOR
Type: Consultancy
Duration: estimated 20 days
Duty station: Virtual
Context
Recent emergencies including droughts, floods, Cyclones and the current COVID 19 pandemic affecting millions of people, have highlighted the importance of prioritizing Disaster Risk and Resiliency Management (DRRM). The energy for advancing (DRRM) in the Education Sector and specifically the early childhood development (ECD) in the region is at an all-time high. This is mainly due to the fact that education, specifically Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), has not been spared as the aforementioned disasters like COVID have disrupted learning in all aspects for the past two years. Learning has been adversely affected as children have spent the greater part of the pandemic away from school.
Emerging evidence from 17 countries, demonstrates that the Covid-19 pandemic and associated closures of schools have been correlated with substantial loss in learning. 1ECD children who should be in school at such an early stage for a more hands-on approach have been denied this crucial time due to the effects of the pandemic. This has ultimately exposed a gap in the education system where issues to do with learning continuity in emergencies have not been addressed properly through the institution of DRRM specific policies to cater for children’s learning in such situations.
Investing in DRRM before the onset of an emergency ensures that the education sector, education personnel, school communities and children will be ready and able to anticipate, prepare for and respond to
emergencies accordingly. This will save lives and ensure children’s continued access to quality education is not hindered and will also ensure that children and school communities feel safe and protected from the impact of emergencies.
To this end, Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA) in partnership with Network of Early Childhood Development Coalition of Lesotho (NECDOL), and the Early Childhood Development Coalition of Malawi are seeking the services of a consultant to develop a policy framework document on DRRM strategies for ECDE covering, covering 6 countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and Mozambique) to contribute in building the resilience of the education system in the region at all levels.
- Purpose
Developing a policy framework document on DRRM strategies for ECDE covering, covering 6 countries. - Objectives of the research
1 Salman, A, Ravinder G & Archit S (2022): Learning loss from Covid in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Malawi
I. To produce an ECDE DRRM policy framework document guiding on how to prevent, respond to and manage the effect of disasters on ECD which can be adapted by SADC countries.
II. Produce a well-articulated summary of the national situations on the ground in terms of ECD DRRM preparedness for presentation to policy makers in the SADC region.
III. Mapping of the enabling framework (for example, regulations, policy)
IV. To produce a DRRM Plan for the ECDE sector with relevant thematic areas
- Expected deliverables
I. Inception report and work plan. The inception report will demonstrate a clear understanding of the task at hand with clear methodology, sampling, data collection methods, analysis tools, findings and reporting.
II. A draft ECD DRRM policy framework
III. A validation workshop and report
IV. A final ECD DRRM transnational policy framework.
V. A DRRM Plan is also a key deliverable - Scope of Work
Under the direct supervision of the ZINECDA management team, the consultant will design, conduct the research, and produce 6 national and an inter-country report targeting 6 countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia and Eswatini) in the consortium - Methodology
The consultant will propose specific methodology which will be used as criteria for selection. - Management and supervision of the assignment
The assignment will be constantly monitored by the TRANAC Lead through the Regional Management Unit team and MEAL Lead basing on milestones derived from the stated deliverables and the objectives. The regional management team will be in constant communication with the consultant to track progress made on each stage, until the completion of the task. Furthermore, the methods and tools for collecting data will be constantly reviewed in order to give room to refinement and adjustment if necessary. - Equipment/ Support
The consultant should state the equipment and support needed from the organization in the application. Limitations in the procurement and use of equipment and services will be discussed with the winning team. - Timelines
The research is expected to take a maximum of 20 days. - Application Process
We invite interested researchers or companies to submit the following application documents:
I. An expression of interest of no more than 10 pages, briefly addressing track record relevant to the assessment and the degree to which the consultant(s) meet(s) the selection criteria. If a team of consultants is proposed, outline the anticipated roles of each team member.
II. Technical proposal for the evaluation study including proposed methodology and activities schedule/work plan, with timeframe. The proposal must also clearly outline how the
TRANAC project partners will be involved in the process.
III. CV(s) of applicant(s)
IV. Financial proposal (separating consultant day rates and anticipated data collection costs)
V. Example(s) of previous similar works
VI. Reference from previous employer and/or client - Qualifications
The desired candidate(s) should have at least a postgraduate qualification in, Development studies, Social Sciences or Education for Sustainable Development with ECD an added advantage. S/He should also have at least 10 years of working experience in emergencies or
education projects including research and data management responsibilities. Experience of working in SADC countries will an added advantage.
Application submission address and deadline
All applications should be sent to the Procurement team by the 21st of July 2022 on the following email address: [email protected]