Terms of Reference (ToR) to conduct feasibility study focusing on MHPSS, livelihood development, gender and youth empowerment in Mekelle and its surrounding areas.

Background

SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit Hermann-Gmeiner Fonds Deutschland (HGFD) and SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia Mekle programme location (SOS CVE) agreed upon the development of a joint application to the German Federal Ministry for economic cooperation and Development (BMZ) for public funding of a project with a focus on children, women and young people problems. The proposed project target groups are war-affected children, women and young people.The proposed project’s final beneficiaries will be war-affected children, women and young people in Mekelle and its surrounding areas.

SOS Children’s Village Program Mekelle started providing services to children who lost their parental care and at risk of losing their parental care since 1974. The location provides the service until children/young people became self-reliant and able to contribute to and benefit from any development program implemented around their surroundings.

SOS Children’s Village Program Mekelle currently provides care, health and education services to children and young people in the Alternative Child Care Program and Direct Family Empowerment (Kinship program).  Family strengthening programme provides different training, livelihood, and psychological support to care givers thereby creating protective environment to children and improve the quality of service deliver to children.

The proposed project by SOS CVE and HGFD to be presented to BMZ for funding aims at providing evidence-based information and ensure all problems of the target group (children, women and young people) are identified, designed alternative solutions and proposed possible interventions are appraised, and the preferred solution and intervention meet the defined criteria. The feasibility study findings will also provide SOS and HGFD with sufficient information to justify acceptance, modification or rejection of the proposed project interventions for further formulation with estimated budget of  1.173.796,77 Euro from July 1, 2025-Dec 31, 2028. Based on the feasibility study findings SOS and HGFD will make decision on what type of interventions, services and activities are feasible within the planned project, in the best interest of the target group.

SOS-CVE Mekelel programme location will target war-affected women, children and young people. The feasibility study will contribute to identify major problems on target groups, identify potential interventions for target groups, potentials of success, areas of improvements, expected bottlenecks and sustaining results.

Study Objective

A feasibility study is to be carried out in SOS Children’s Villages Mekele programme location to provide SOS CVE with a basis for decision making on what type of interventions, services and activities are feasible within the planned project, in the best interest of the target group. The purpose of a feasibility study is to provide a sound basis for developing a project concept, by identifying project preconditions, opportunities and risks. This entails in particular an assessment of the feasibility of a project and a systematic review of the extent to which the project approach can plausibly achieve the planned changes under the existing conditions. This enhances project effectiveness and helps avoid bad investment decisions from the start.

The study will provide SOS CVE and HGFD with sufficient information to justify acceptance, modification or rejection of the proposed intervention for further formulation.

The overall objective of the study is to analyse the feasibility of the proposed project and recommend the relevant type of interventions, services and activities to address the problems of to the most war affected groups efectively, efficiently and sustainably through gender transformative approach.

 

Specific objectives are:

• To assess the general means and challenges related to socio-economic/livelihoods of targeted groups, families and local communities and recommend relevant, feasible, viable, acceptable and gender responsive livelihood solutions and interventions
• Analyze market situation in the intervention areas from both demand side (job seekers) and supplies side (employers), identify skill gaps of young people and recommend feasible business types for youth and young women.
• Assess impact and implication of the war to the youth migration both internal and abroadIdentify employable (including sustainable self-employment) skill training areas that would contribute to sustainable income for young persons in Mekele and surrounding areas.
• Access and analyze the existing gaps in prevention and response action to violation of children’s rights
• Assess the situation of post war mental health and psychosocial problems in general and that happened on to women, children and youth in particular because of the war
• Identify institutions that can provide support for gender-based violence survivals and identify capacity gaps in those institutions
• Assess and analyze sustainability and exit strategy for the proposed action including potential risks.
• To assess the indicator matrix in concept, note or proposed project and establish baseline situations for the proposed project

Furthermore,the feasibility study will make:

• Analysis of the socio-economic situation of the target group(s) in IN SOS Children’s Villages Mekele programme location and its surrounding areas including collection of relevant baseline data
• Analysis of the context at micro, meso and macro levels of war-affected cwomen, children and young people
• Analysis of gaps in current response and implementation gaps of current policy framework, standards, guidelines
• Identification of synergies with similar projects, interventions and initiatives on a local, national or regional level
• Assessment of the proposal project and the possible interventions against DAC Criteria
• Risks and risks mitigation analysis

Issues to be studied

The study will assess the following issues/majore questions. and provide information on and analysis of the relevance, feasibility and sustainability of the proposed project.

1. What does the status of unemployment and livelihood situations look like in target areas of Mekele its surrounding areas? To what extent women and youth have access to employments, resources, business opportunities and feasible livelihoods options that empower them in the intervention towns?
2. What types of support are needed to respond to war-affected women, children and young people to recover from their mental health and psychosocial problems?
3. What are the impacts and implications of the war to youth migration both internal and abroad identify employable (including sustainable self-employment) skill training areas that would contribute to sustainable income for young persons in Mekelle and surrounding areas.
4. What does the situation of community capacity, structure, awareness and gaps in relation to the protection of women and children’s rights looks like
5. What does the situation of gender approach look like?

The feasibility analysis will also be carried out based on the OECD DAC critera Relevance, Coherence, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, and Sustainability. The project purpose and results should be measurable by objectively verifiable indicators, and project activities should be quantified wherever possible. Furthermore, relevant baseline data for target indicators should be collected. The following elements should be reflected in the assessment report.

The relevance of the project intervention and its compliance and consistency with the overall national/regional development objectives specified in the laws/bylaws and government programs on this issues; and the compatibility and complementarity of this project with other relevant projects.

The consultant will study:

• The nature, number and type of (in)direct beneficiaries the proposed project potentially affects; incl. self-help efforts and coping mechanisms of the target group (if applicable).
• Assessment on how the proposed project responds to the demands as expressed by the relevant stakeholders and the target group;
• The legislation covering women, children and young people rigts protection (national and international standards/procedures, as well as a brief analysis of implementation/ enforcement) as well as existing national or local strategies to target war affected women, children and youg people
• Assessment on how the proposed project is coherent with the overall framework of national development objectives and the development policies of the relevant ministries of the Government of Ethiopia.
• All organisations and agencies affected by or involved in the proposed project and the intended improvement of the situation, incl. an assessment of their capacities, including current local response and services provided to address the needs of the target group (with best practices if applicable).
• Identification of the best placed stakeholder as implementing partner (include stakeholder analysis).
• Interaction with other interventions of ministries, agencies and donors that may affect or be affected by the proposed project (incl. identification of challenges, potential for cooperation and use of synergies).
• Risks with regards to the proposed project (economic, political, environmental, cultural, etc.) incl. mitigating measures to reduce the effect/likelihood of these risks.

Effectiveness: To degree the proposed project and its interventions will be effective in achieving the desired objectives and outcomes. How does the planned project constitute to the strategies and programmes of state or other actors presented in the context analysis? How does it distinguish itself from them?

Efficiency: To what degree the proposed project and its interventions will be efficient in resource utilizations (budget, input and human resources?) What financial, institutional and human resources will be needed?

To what extent will it be possible to implement the planned measures be implemented within the allocated time and resources?

Impact: To what extent the proposed project interventions will have impact, change in the lives of target groups, intended and unintended?

Coherence:  Coherence – How well does the intervention fit?

How coherent are the planned activities with human rights principles (inclusion, participation), conventions and relevant standards/guidelines?

To what extent are there synergies and links between the planned project and other interventions by the same actor (organisation) and other actors?

Sustainability of the project results after completion as determined by an assessment of the key sustainability factors: ownership by beneficiaries, policy support, potential for adoption by government bodies, economic and financial factors, socio-cultural aspects, gender, appropriate technology, environmental aspects, and institutional and management capacity.

The feasibility of the proposed project consistent with the economic, social and institutional framework as well as political, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects. The consultant will prepare a recommendation for the project to be structured as follows:

• Overall objective: Why is the project important to the target groups and beneficiaries, the location and the government? What is the desired social development/impact which will be targeted in the project?
• Project objective: Why do the target groups and beneficiaries need the project?
• Project results: What products and services will the project deliver to the target groups and beneficiaries? What assumptions are required to achieve the project purpose?
• Project activities: What is the scope of activities to be undertaken and what are the associated assumptions for achieving the project results.

A preliminary indication of any conditions, an initial cost estimation and possible time schedule.

Workplan

On the basis of the proposed time schedule outlined in the Terms of Reference, the consultants will prepare a work plan for the study and include this in their offer, and report on the approach taken in the study. The work plan should set out the consultants’ approach to the following activities:

• Fact finding/data collection/surveys;
• Workshops, focus groups, consultations and other means of ensuring local participation;
• Identification of possible options for the proposed project;
• Consultation meetings with stakeholders and decision makers to identify the preferred option;
• Preparation of the draft and final feasibility study report

Methods for gathering the necessary information  

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 feasibility study questions and indicators or impact matrix in the proposed concept not or project. As far as possible, the consultant should disaggregate data by sex, age, disability 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 the data collection methodology, the consultant should refer relevant livelihood reports, child situation reports, unemployment data, research findings on unemployment in Mekele and surrounding areas. 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 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 review existing laws, policies, strategies, statistics and reports related to the situation of war affected women, children and young people in Mekele programme location.The consultant will hold interviews, focus group discussions and/or questionnaires with national/local authorities/institutions, public institutions, municipalities and mekele and its surroung areas dealing with the target group. As an input to the study, authorities should state their expectations towards SOS CVE Mekle programme location and outline potential modes of collaboration and public funding for a project. Interviews, focus groups, and/or questionnaires with representatives of main non-governmental organisations that are active in the field of Mekle programme location. The consultant is also expected to conduct focus group discussions with women, children and youg people groups.

Sample selection:

The Commissioned consultancy firm is expected to use appropriate sampling techniques and set acceptable sample size for both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Based on the project proposed project objectives and interventions, the consultant should produce best sampling methods and ensure representativeness of the sampled households or respondents, and the sampling frame is from proposed project targets (women, children and young people.)

Reporting

The study’s conclusions should be presented in the feasibility study report (min 25 pages, max. 30 pages) in the format specified below, with the underlying analysis included in the appendices. The final report will be in English. The timeline for e.g. methodology development, data collection and report submission is outlined in the below time schedule.

Time Schedule

Evaluation Phase	Tasks	Timeline/Deadline	Key Person(s)
1. Methodology and tool development	Agreement on the work plan		SOS CV/ Consultants
	Developing first draft of tools		Consultants
	Feedback on drafted tools		SOS CV
	Providing revised draft of tools		Consultants
2. Data collection	Fieldwork and data collection		Consultants
3.Feasibility study report	Developing first draft of report in English		Consultants
	Feedback on draft report		SOS CV
	Delivering final draft of report (min. 25, max. 30 pages, excluding annexes)		Consultants
	Submitting final report		Consultants

The consultants shall include the timetable in their offer, indicating whether and how they can adhere to or improve on it.

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 35 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 report of feasibility study is delivered.

Assistance to the consultants by the contracting authority

The Contracting Authority (SOS CVE) will make available the following information and facilities to the consultants’ staff:

• The underlying concept notes, all relevant reports, documents, maps, data (e.g. national strategy/policy papers, background papers, literature references, documents from previous projects, methodological guidelines if applicable, structuring points)
• where available, office space, furniture, and access to computers and communication facilities;
• where available, the use of vehicles and drivers;
• counterpart staff.

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, evaluation 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 manager in Jimma and Awassa 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.