Country: Afghanistan
Closing date: 25 Jun 2017
1 Background Information
The Central Highlands Rural Development Programme (CHP) has as an overall objective to increase living standards and quality of life of rural mountainous populations by promoting balanced rural development and the preservation of natural resources. This programme is 3.5 years in duration and is comprised of four components implemented by a consortium of three NGOs: Solidarities International (SI), Madera and GERES.
The specific objective of Component II (implemented by GERES) is to improve energy resilience of households and their living conditions in winter while limiting the depletion of natural capital. In order to do this, GERES, develops and promotes Energy Saving Solutions (ESS) through an integrated value chain, by training craftsmen on these technologies and supporting the dissemination process through financial incentives and promotional activities.
While fuel saving impacts are the primary focus of the ESS technologies it has been recognized an additional motivating factors for uptake of various ESSs, (particularly of the cooking technologies) within the local market/ communities are the perceived health benefits these ESS provide to households. These benefits include the reduction of smoke in kitchens through the introduction of Improved Digdans and Tandoor Caps (adaptations of local cooking/ baking techniques); and the general improvement in indoor temperatures created through the passive solar and insulation ESSs (verandas, double glazed windows, roof insulations, etc.) minimizing the risks of colds, pneumonia and other illnesses in cold winter months.
In order to further build on the energy reduction and livelihood achievement of the CHP and other local GERES projects, GERES Afghanistan (GAF) seeks to quantify the health benefits (respiratory, eye-health, living conditions, hygiene, etc.) achieved through the CHP. This information will support the implementation of future Energy Savings and livelihood programs to include ‘health’ as tangible supplementary benefits of these interventions.
2 Purpose & Objectives
The purpose of this study is to provide GERES Afghanistan with quantitative health impacts from the ESS’s developed and disseminated in the CHP, including:
Identification of the different health benefits resulting from and side effects caused by the current range of ESS (respiratory, hygiene, eye health, etc.);
Quantification of the specific impacts these ESSs have on the health of households (considering household gender composition and differing impacts on Women, Girls, Boys and Men);
Recommendations for a health aspect in future project implementation and provision of an appropriate framework to monitor health impacts of specific ESS activities/ disseminations with a gender segregated data management plan;
Behavior change observations/ recommendations considering gender aspects that can be promoted at the households level to increase health impacts in combination with ESS technologies;
Identification of health stakeholders (organizations, institutions, NGOs, etc) to support the promotion of the recognized health benefits in order to sustain the overall uptake of ESS in the marketplace.
3 Intended Users & Uses
· Trained craftsmen; to promote benefits as marketing material,
· Local and national stakeholders (organisations, institutions, NGOs, etc); to support then engagement as potential partners
· CHP team: GERES and partners (SI and MADERA); for future project development
· GERES Afghanistan; for future project development
· AFD (donor); for future project development
4 Principle & Approach
The study will be conducted with the primary goal of identifying and quantifying the health impacts of the current range of ESS in the CHP programme following a gender sensitive methodology.
Participative approaches are integral to the gathering of information and facilitation of this study. GAF management and project/field staff will be key sources of information for the consultant and will support the facilitation of necessary primary qualitative data collection (organizing focus groups, interviews, etc).
A range of documentations already exists on the Primary Quantitative data from previous energy efficiency and fuel consumption tests undertaken in the validation of ESS that will support the consultancy work. Additional tests on air quality, humidity, particle measurements, etc. will need to be conducted to collect more information to support the study.
Similarly, Secondary data from existing and previous projects will be provided by GERES team and any other relevant reports/ documents that help inform the central highland context and challenges.
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5 Methodology
The methodology should be set up in order to achieve the gathering of as much information as possible regarding health impact of ESS currently being disseminated in the CHP programme. Recommendations on possible methodology include;
· The undertaking of a comprehensive literature review and secondary data analysis on:
GERES CHP programme approach and results from previous projects in Afghanistan.
Identification of various additional factors that impact health outcomes in the target area. This includes specific and gender segregated health indicators, demographics and household makeup, types of houses and rooms used in the central highland region and any other relevant details on the current program and context, including gendered socioeconomics information,.
Identification of organizations, institutions, NGOs, etc. working on health, gender and livelihoods who can support future program in Afghanistan and the region.
· Development of a methodology to collect primary quantitative and qualitative data in the field/ intervention area, including:
Creation of any necessary gender sensitive surveys, focus group questions, etc. that will be implemented in the field/ intervention area
Development of new/ adaptation of existing testing protocols for specific gender segregated data collection methodologies to gather health, air quality, toxicity, or other necessary data from within households with and without GERES ESS.
Coordination with project teams to organize primary data collection activities, (training of staff where required, including on gender sensitization) involving craftsmen, authorities, project staff households and any other identified stakeholders.
If relevant, and as needed, recommend air quality tests that are relevant and feasible for this study, and point towards reasonably inexpensive equipment that could be procured for collection of such data.
· Compiling and consolidation of all results in order to: provide quantitative and qualitative gender segregated data on health impacts of ESS; provide recommendation on how GERES can promote and monitor these impacts in future projects and; identify stakeholders who can support the promotion of ESS in the targeted area based on known health and lifestyle impacts.
6 Roles
· The consultant (external) will design study methodology in detail, coordinate with project and field team to organize responsibilities and analyse results;
· Project Coordinator will provide all necessary information regarding existing tests and validation documents for current ESS plus any other relevant information on the CHP project or implementation area.
· Field Staff (under direction of the Field Manager) will support where necessary the facilitation of any primary data collection activities to be undertaken in the field.
7 Responsibilities
· The consultant will be in the direct line management of i) GERES AFGHANISTAN country director (in Kabul) and ii) The Programme Coordinator of the CHP, based in Bamyan.
· GERES is financially responsible for:
o Daily fees + per diem ( if required)
o Visa (to be arranged by the consultant)
o International transportation (to be arranged by the consultant)
o Local transportation
o Accommodation and cooking facilities (in GERES guesthouses and sub-bases)
o Office and printing facilities (at GERES Kabul, Bamyan and sub-base offices)
· The consultant is financially responsible for:
o Personal insurance cost
o Own laptop
8 Reporting Requirements
The study will be documented by:
· Inception Report: At the end of the first week of the mission in country an inception report (in .DOC format) will be submitted to GERES and also presented (in .ppt format) to Bamyan based staff.
· Final Report: A final report in .doc format, including an abstract of a maximum of 3 pages and technical annexes. This will include:
o Overview of the methodology and approach undertaken
o Literature review of current practices, health monitoring approaches and an understanding of the CHP context.
o Analysis of findings and results from the research from a gender lens perspective
o Recommendations for future project implementation including roadmap for how to accurately monitor health benefits during project implementation with a gender mainstreamed approach.
o Roadmap illustrating other stakeholders in the CHP region who could support GERES implementation based on the health benefits presented.
· A PowerPoint presentation debriefing GERES teams in Bamyan and/or Kabul prior to end of mission.
9 Expected Planning
Since the Central Highlands region is at a minimum altitude of 2500m, most districts have limited access between December and March, therefore the study will take place during the summer months.
The following tentative schedule outlines a time period that best fits with current CHP project activities.
Task
Days
Responsibility
Supported By:
Desk based research and preparatory study prior to departure
5 days
Consultant
PC to provide any relevant document
Briefing with GAF Kabul office and Country director, security focal point and other relevant Kabul based stakeholders
1 days
CD, SFP + program staff
CD, Security and Logistics FP, AFD, etc
Debriefing and project updates with Bamyan based staff
1 day
PC, PM, FM + Field staff
Consultant
Field work (implementation of all primary data collection at field level)
15 days
Consultant
External field teams + FM
Reporting, analysis and collation of findings into final report.
8 days
Consultant
PC
10 Expected schedule
Anticipated pre-Mission Secondary Data Research commencement
July, 9th, 2017
Anticipated start date (in Afghanistan)
July, 15th, 2017
Submission of Inception Report (In Afghanistan)
July21st, 2017
Anticipated end of field mission (In Afghanistan)
July 4th, 2017
Submission of draft report
August 11th, 2017
Submission of final report
August 30th, 2017
11 Profile expected
· Background and experience
o Educational background in public health, social sciences or related field;
o Previous experience in the identification and quantification of health outcomes;
o Previous experience in the design and analysis of projects focused on health impacts, rural energy, cooking-technologies or similar;
o Knowledge/ familiarity with gender issues;
o Experience in cold climates.
· Specific personal skills
o Able to work and travel in difficult geographical conditions;
o Comfortable and able to work in a high-risk country;
o Autonomous, rigorous and self-learner.
12 Confidentiality rights and obligations
· The ownership of the draft and final documentation belongs to GERES and the funding donor exclusively. The document, or publication related to it will not be shared with anybody other than GERES.
· GERES is to be the main addressee of this study and its results might impact on both operational and technical strategies. This being said, GERES is likely to share the results of the assessment with GERES partners in Afghanistan and the CHP stakeholders in Bamyan Province.
13 Selection criteria
The proposals will be scored on a total of 100 points following these criteria:
· Technical quality of the proposal in relation to the methodology and the work plan: 70 points
· Financial offer: 30 points
How to apply:
In order to apply, please submit the following:
· An up to date CV (max. 3 pages).
· A technical offer, including a detailed action plan and methodology.
· A financial offer, including a detailed budget including daily fees, per diem if any, number of work days.
The above mentioned documentation should be submitted to r.arcidiacono@geres.eu with a copy marked to afghanistan@geres.eu with the subject title “Health Impact Study” before June 25th 2017.