Consultancy - Market Survey for 'Advancing the rights and protection of conflict-affected older South Sudanese migrants' at Help Age International

Project Background

The project entitled: ‘Advancing the rights and protection of conflict-affected older South Sudanese migrants in Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan’ is a three-year, EU-funded project being implemented by HelpAge International targeting three countries: Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to rights fulfillment and protection of older migrants in Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan. The expected outcome of the project is strengthened operational and institutional capacities of duty bearers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Older People’s Associations (OPAs) to implement effectively the international and regional instruments regulating the rights and protection of South Sudanese migrant older populations. The project is also planned to contribute towards improving the livelihood situation of older men and women migrants of South Sudanese origin in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda. The project takes a rights-based approach and seeks to address the rights and protection gaps experienced by older South Sudanese migrants in the target countries.

The project targets to reach a total of 15,000 (5,000 per country) older women and men who will benefit from awareness-raising efforts, and 1,500 (500 per country) that will receive support in exercising their rights through legal aid service provisions. The project is being implemented in collaboration with local partner organizations: The Uganda Reach the Aged Association (URAA), The Ethiopia Elderly and Pensioner’s Association (EEPNA), and South Sudan’ Older People’s Organization (SSOPO) are the implementing partners that are lead agencies in promoting the rights and protection of older people in the targeted countries.

One of the key activities of the project is to promote livelihood opportunities for older men and women South Sudanese refugees and IDPs in order to enable them generate sustainable income. The lack of livelihood opportunities in camps and IDP sites has further exacerbated poverty and food insecurity among older migrants leading to lower coping mechanisms and increased level of vulnerability. In order to achieve the protection objectives of this action, the project will introduce viable livelihood opportunities for older men and women refugees and IDPs. To inform livelihoods support activities, a market survey is planned to be conducted in all camps and IDP settlement areas targeted under this action to inform the most suitable livelihoods options appropriate to their age and the market.

HelpAge would like to hire a consultant to undertake the market analysis and develop a comprehensive report with recommendations that would be taken forward for livelihood promotion of older men and women migrants.

2. Purpose

The purpose of the market survey is to identify the most viable livelihood scheme suitable for older men and women refugees and IDPs. The local market environment will determine the type of livelihood activities relevant and appropriate for older migrants and offer recommendations for livelihood diversification, income generation based on the observed flow of goods and services. The survey, therefore, includes food availability assessment, price volatility assessment, assessment of older men and women refugees and IDPs access to essential goods and services, and older people’s capacity to participate in trading activities. The specific objectives of the survey include:

• Assess capacities of older men and women refugees and IDPs to engage in business or livelihood opportunities
• Identify business opportunities suitable for older women and men refugees and IDPs that are in line with their capacities, interests, and needs
• Identify most profitable business schemes for older men and women refugees and IDPS
• Identify feasible ways of running/managing/operationalising identified business schemes (i.e. running businesses individually or in groups)

3. Methodology

The methodology involves review of secondary data particularly data from WFP or other agencies market assessment reports on areas of food availability and price volatility. Primary data will be collected regarding the capacity of refugees and IDPs to access essential goods and services, older people’s capacity to participate in trading activities, identification of most profitable business schemes for older men and women refugees and IDPs and in which trading activities older men and women refer to participate. Data will be therefore be collected using key informant interviews (KIIs) with identified traders in refugee camps as well as host communities to collect information on profitability of different business schemes, access to supply of goods, the level of demand of identified goods and services provided by traders, and the preference of customers on identified goods and services. A quantitative survey will be targeting older men and women refugees and IDPs to identify their capacity to engage in business as well as the types of business opportunities older men and women prefer to engage in.

4. Responsibilities of HelpAge International

HelpAge International has developed market assessment tool in line with the project focus and intended outcomes. In line with this, a key informant interview (KII) tool and survey questionnaire has been developed. The KII tool targets traders residing in and outside of the settlements while the survey questionnaire targets older men and women migrants. Country offices are responsible for facilitating the data collection, logistics arrangement, and reporting of the data collected to the regional protection & inclusion program manager and evidence & learning program manager who will be liaising with the consultant. Implementing partners will fully engage in the whole process.

The following are the responsibilities of HelpAge:

• Develop and share the research tools to the consultant for review and feedback;
• Organise and lead an orientation meeting with the consultant;
• Select participants or the location of the research;
• Conduct data collection using mobile tablets (SurveyCTO) for the quantitative data and KIIs for the qualitative data;
• Share raw qualitative and quantitative raw data with the consultant for analysis
• Review draft reports submitted by the consultant
• Make the payment to the consultant upon satisfactory completion of the assignment and approval of the report.

5. Responsibilities of the consultant

The following are the responsibilities of the consultant:

• Review KII and survey tools developed by HelpAge and make adjustments as required
• Review documents, particularly market assessments conducted by other agencies such as WFP
• Conduct market analysis based on the raw qualitative and quantitative data to be provided by HelpAge
• Produce and submit a first draft report outlining the clear and practical set of strategies/ interventions and recommendations based on research findings to HelpAge for comments and revisions.
• Produce and submit a final quality comprehensive report responding to assessment

6. Timeline

The consultancy will be done between 19th and 31st December 2017