- Background
Implementing organization. The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and - whenever possible - for the fulfillment of the wish to return home. The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956 and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced. All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty, and transparency.
DRC Afghanistan is highly committed to providing inclusive assistance to people affected by conflict and displacement. Our programmatic strategy rests on three main pillars:
1) Responding to emergencies;
2) Addressing protracted displacement and identifying durable solutions; and
3) Identifying and addressing the root causes of displacement.
Project description In order to contribute to durable solutions for returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by conflict and displacement, DRC launched a project entitled Supporting Undocumented Afghan Refugee Returnees' in March 2017 to support the target populations with their transition from relief to rehabilitation. The project is implemented in the Nangarhar and Kandahar
provinces of Afghanistan and is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
The project expects to achieve the following outcomes:
Outcome 1: Increased access to humanitarian assistance (food, shelter, lost assets) for vulnerable displacement affected men and women in Nangarhar and Kandahar
- Outcome 2: Improved protection outcomes (documentation, access to justice, psychosocial support) for vulnerable displacement affected men and women in Nangarhar, and Kandahar.
- Outcome 3: Increased options for sustainable income generation, including options that are culturally appropriate for women, for vulnerable displacement affected communities in Nangarhar and Kandahar
Outcome 3 is structured to assist returnees, IDPs in the transition towards stability while also supporting host community members excluded from the labor market. Activities supporting building skills, and business development knowledge are provided to guide participants in establishing and managing sustainable and profitable businesses. The process includes support in business development skills, designing feasible business plans, awarding, and management of business grants, and providing mentoring. In addition, DRC is exploring various complimentary support services that can be useful to boost women's participation.
300 women and 300 men are provided with support in their micro-enterprises in each of the two target provinces. The enterprise modalities that are envisaged include:
- businesses run by individual women or men;
- group businesses established by a group of women or men;
- businesses formed by couples (woman and man from the same household), where a meaningful involvement of women must be negotiated with a male household member to allow a female entrepreneur to contribute to economic objectives while improving her economic and social empowerment.
To support Outcome 3, DRC has reviewed its approach to business development support with the objective to adopt a more innovative approach towards sustainable and inclusive livelihoods. This required building technical expertise of the DRC team, in particular in conducting market assessments and providing tailored mentoring to individual beneficiaries. This approach also aims to analyze specific challenges that low-income women face with regards to engaging in economic activities, taking into consideration livelihood strategies at the household level as well as cultural, social, safety, and economic aspects.
- Consultancy assignment
Purpose of the consultancy
In order to consolidate lessons learned from the used approach and further improve the technical quality of the implementation, DRC intends to hire an independent micro/small enterprise development expert. The purpose of this consultancy is to further build theoretical knowledge and practical capacity of the DRC teams and project participants in micro/small enterprise development and management and contribute to improving the quality of the project implementation and future DRC programming. In addition to providing training of DRC officers on enterprise development, the consultant will also provide direct field support to the implementation team (training, mentoring) and project participants (coaching).
Methodology
The Consultant is expected to assess knowledge, practical skills, and expertise of the project teams with respect to DRC's approach to livelihoods and economic recovery, revise the existing micro-enterprise standard operating procedures and related training materials incorporating the lessons learned, and deliver context-specific training and mentoring to project officers. In addition, the Consultant will provide hands-on support to market assessments, approaches to designing business plans, and providing mobile coaching services to receivers of grants (beneficiaries).
The guiding principles of this assignment should be inclusiveness, gender sensitivity, and innovation. The deliverables of this assignment should recognize the existing abilities and assets of the displaced population that can be developed further in innovative ways. The consultant should also recognize returnees, IDPs, and host communities as a heterogeneous group of individuals with different backgrounds, diverse skills, and experience as well as education levels. The training must be delivered in line with international best practices, considering the local context, and must be geared towards sustainable results.
Tentative time-frame
The tentative timeframe is December 2020 - January 2021.