Somalia: Consultancy for Feasibility study in preparation for ‘Milk Matters Pilot Project’

SCOPE OF WORK

UNICEF/Save the Children Consultancy for Feasibility study in preparation for ‘Milk Matters Pilot Project’

1.Introduction

In collaboration with UNICEF, Save the Children is aiming to pilot a ‘**Milk Matters** ‘project which will be implemented in Hiraan, South Central Somalia (provisionally) by early 2016 in co-ordination with partners from consortia including SNS, BRCiS, SomRep and the Joint FAO-UNICEF-WFP Resilience Strategy. The scale and timeframe of the pilot is to be determined by the programme components selected based on this locally oriented feasibility study. The communities in the selected pilot area are key actors and play critical role in ensuring the approach is acceptable and effective in supporting sustained coping and wellbeing. Implementation will be direct with collaborating partners. The pilot will be designed and implemented based on the result of the study finding.

1. Background

Milk Matters was developed by Tufts/Feinstein and Save the Children in Ethiopia to improve: a) availability, b) accessibility, and c) use by children, of household milk. Animal milk (not replacing breastfeeding for children under 2) is critical to child nutrition and health. Milk Matters pilot seeks to help communities and households improve their children’s health and nutrition – and maintain it during drought, dry seasons, conflict and mobility.

To be determined by this detailed feasibility study, it is expected that the intervention (**Milk Matters**) will provide animal health, fodder and water inputs combined with nutrition education. Success will be gauged as improved and sustained nutritional status of children. The approach could apply to pastoralist as well as non-pastoralist zones, in areas where households keep milking animals. For both agencies the potential reach of this approach, given a successful pilot and robust documentation of lessons learned, is significant.

The overall goal of the pilot is to improve child nutritional status even in times of shock through increasing availability, access and utilization of household milk. The pilot’s objectives are: (1) households gain the capacity to improve household milk production by rolling out a community-based animal health and production network, to improve knowledge attitudes and practices on animal production (particularly local solutions for increased fodder production), to improve sanitary milk collection, preparation and storage; (2) to increase child milk intake by improving knowledge attitudes and practices in households and communities relating to child nutrition (including breastfeeding, dietary diversity and hygiene) through locally-recruited and supported community-based nutrition and health workers.

3.Objective

The objective of the study is to explore the feasibility of the Milk Matters (MM) Pilot Project along the following theme (detailed feasibility questions to be shared after consultant selection)

· Compatibility with local nutrition vulnerability and variations in dietary intake of young children by season and periods of stress e.g. proportion of HHs with children 6-59 months registered with SAM in Outpatient Therapeutic Programme, or other criteria?

· Compatibility with local perceptions of malnutrition and nutritional status and waysof ensuring sustained child nutrition?

· Feasibility in terms of location access and security?

· Feasibility in terms of community relations and local government cooperation

· Feasibility in terms of linking with existing nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific interventions and partners?

· Scalability in terms of how location’s characteristics are shared with other areas?

· Feasibility in terms of fodder availability /production during dry seasons.

· Environmental impact

· Cultural and livelihood acceptability and project affordability.

· Understanding existing coping mechanism.

· what messages people are already receiving, how MM could overlap with existing resilience and/or nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific programming

consider the ‘context within the context’ meaning what happens during times of shocks and

Across the following overarching themes

· LIVESTOCK INPUTS

· MILK ACCESS AND UTILIZATION

· MILK MARKETING / ENTERPRISE

· MANAGEMENT, RISK, SUSTAINABILITY

· CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION

In general the feasibility study should provide answer to the following complementary issues critical to sustained success of the pilot study:

(1) Sustainable provision of fodder for milking animals (locally driven solutions may include - agricultural interventions, crop residues, market vouchers, or rangeland regeneration); possible provision of milking animals to households with none; using local systems to provide veterinary inputs for milking animals (vaccinations, mineral blocks); sustainable water inputs for milking animals; training needs (animal health, nutrition and productivity, milk collection, preparation, storage); social networks giving access to milk and food; existing coping practices such as lending milking animals etc.

(2) How is milk used in a household in a year of stress and how can we protect milk supply to children in that stress context (early warning/early action focus to ensure predisposition to protecting milk intake of young children); gender issues - who is influencing the milk and child nutrition decisions in the household and what are the inroads to address them; how may this dynamic change in a time of stress; what criteria should be used to target households for the programme; what is the preferred method that the women/other community members would like to get information on child nutrition (counselling, health care providers, religious leaders); what are the inroads culturally; wider variations in dietary intake and complementary feeding of young children by season and during time of stress.

4.Recipient:

Save the Children on behalf of UNICEF and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) as the principal funder of the programme.

5.Responsibilities will include**:**

· Developing a framework and tools for undertaking the feasibility study activities

· Coordination with Hiraan based local partners , SNS, BRCiS, SomRep and the Joint FAO-UNICEF-WFP in undertaking the feasibility study activities

· Form a team which includes the recruitment of a Somali National research co-lead , supervisors and data collectors

· Organize Pre-planning meeting

· Finalization of tools and Inception Report

· Take overall responsibly on training of Supervisors, Monitors and field workers

· Organizing Validation Workshop

· Organizing dissemination workshop and find presentation with PPT

· Provide final report with clear recommendation as scheduled

6.Skills required:

The Main consultant

· A Post Graduate Degree in a relevant field and/or equivalent and experience in the implementation of similar feasibility study.

· Strong background on Nutrition or Public Health or Agriculture or Food security and Livelihood

· Previous experience and knowledge of Somalia or at least five years’ work experience in a fragile and conflict affected state.

· Previous experience with similar feasibility study

· Excellent writing and presentation skills

· Fluency in spoken and written English

· Ability and willingness to travel to Somalia if necessary

· Desirables:** Knowledge of Somali

7.Methodology, Design and Scope

· Both qualitative and quantitative methods with cross-sectional study design will be used. The target population will be sampled from villages clustered along the 3 livelihood zones in Beletweyn and Mataban districts of Hiran region in Central Somalia.

8.Consultancy Cost and Logistics Support/Arrangements

· The lead consultant will be responsible for the recruitment and establishing his/her own team including the co-lead consultant who must be a Somali National

· The consultant will be responsible and must factor in the below in his/her proposal and budget;

o Health insurance and travel insurance in Nairobi

o Travel costs of the co-lead consultants to and fro and within Somalia.

o Application for entry visas to Nairobi/Somalia

o Equipment needed to do the job to a degree of quality.

Save the Children will be responsible for all the logistical arrangements when the consultant arrives in for the mission for the following:

· Local transport for all official movements

· Hotel accommodation in Nairobi/Somalia

· Communication costs

· Assist in the recruitment of field study team (data collectors and supervisors etc.)

9.Reporting:

The consultant will report to SCI Somalia/ Somaliland office based in Nairobi.

10.Timing:

· The work is be commissioned as soon as possible, with a total of 20 working days

· Total number of days allocated to finalize the study is approximately 45 days.

11.Deliverables:

The final report shall include the analysis, report and recommendations for the design of the pilot project

12.To Apply:

Please email technical proposal, CV and cover letter with daily rate to somalia.procurement@savethechildren.org

Deadline for submission on proposals is 04/01/2016

12.To Apply:

Please email technical proposal, CV and cover letter with daily rate to somalia.procurement@savethechildren.org

Deadline for submission on proposals is 04/01/2016