CLOSING DATE: 21 – February – 2022
POST TITLE: International Consultant - Assessment for UNFPA Youth Interventions
NUMBER OF POSITION: 1 (One)
CATEGORY: Individual Consultant Contract (ICC)
DUTY STATION: Home based with travel Kabul Afghanistan
DURATION: Two months
Purpose of the Consultancy:
UNFPA provides lifesaving information and access to adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. This has been done through the establishment of Youth Health Corners, Youth Health Line, and Pre Marriage Counselling. The Youth Health Line (YHL) offers young people nationwide anonymous service to receive accurate and non-judgmental health information and advice, from health professionals. The Youth Health Corners (YHC) are integrated with existing health services that provide: Counselling and awareness sessions on family planning and provision of contraceptives, mental health issues, puberty, physical and psychosocial changes, pregnancy (including testing services) and reproductive health rights of young people etc. youth Health corners are established in Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar, Samangan, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, and Balkh. Pre Marriage Counselling is an intervention that was incorporated in YHC’s services.
The aim of this consultancy is to support evidence-based decision-making related to the UNFPA Afghanistan Youth Program with a focus on YHL, YHC, and Pre Marriage counselling. The consultant will conduct an assessment that aims to capture the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and possibly the impact of UNFPA Afghanistan Youth Interventions.
• Identify good practices, lessons learned and challenges in the course of program implementation.
• Identify key areas of improvement to enhance the quality and reach of the program, and key areas of amendment to meet the current humanitarian context.
• Determine relevance and efficiency of expanding the identified services with a provision of costing model for each Youth Health Corner, Youth Health Line, and Pre Marriage counselling..
• Determine the appropriateness of interventions in the project in relation to the needs of the adolescents and youth beneficiaries in the targeted locations in Afghanistan.
• Determine core programmatic elements to be kept in order to bring the most benefit to youth, whether these core elements are replicable in other geographical locations with different youth target groups including the mechanism to implement this.
• To provide actionable recommendations to be considered by UNFPA Afghanistan that are aligned with the humanitarian response plan.
Output:
The Consultant will have to develop and submit an assessment on the UNFPA Afghanistan Youth Program related to youth services components. The report should cover the following key assessment questions:
Relevance:
• To what extent are the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling. Relevant to the needs and priorities as defined by the consulted youth?
• What are the facilitators that make youth come to the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling, and what keeps them coming? Are these factors relevant under the current political environments?
• What are some of the challenges and barriers that prevent youth from accessing services in the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling and what would need to be done to overcome that from the service provider’s side?
• Is there differences in youth perception of the above determinants based on 1.Geographical locations 2. Gender, 3. Age 4. Disability
Effectiveness:
• To what extent were the expected outcomes and outputs achieved and how did UNFPA and IP respectively contribute towards these?
• What are the main elements that beneficiaries and key informants consider to make the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling special, useful and worth expansion?
• What are the main elements that youth and key informants feel are lacking and needed for YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling and why?
• To what extent was gender, equality and women and youth’s empowerment advanced as a result of the YHC?
• To what extent did youth beneficiaries make decisions based on knowledge/skills gained at the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling that positively impacted their lives, and how?
• To what extent have youth been empowered through the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling to exercise their rights and become change makers in their communities?
• How does the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling contribute to the development of youth and to social cohesion, peace and security?
• What were the unintended effects, if any, of the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling?
Efficiency:
• To what extent does the management structure of both YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling support efficiency for programme implementation?
• To what extent is the budget of the YHC, YHL and Pre Marriage counselling cost effective? In addition, how can it be improved upon? What is the trend analysis of the utilization of services by young people?
• To what extent is UNFPA’s implementing partner following UNFPA’s policies?
• What are safegurdianship procedures that were followed to protect youth beneficiaries? This includes data and information management
Impact:
• Since 2012 YHL was established, and 2017 the start of piloting YHC, what has been the main impact on the lives of the youth who attend it in terms of UNFPA’s mandate?
Sustainability:
• To what extent was capacity developed in order to ensure sustainability of efforts and benefits?
• What accountability and oversight systems were established?
• Was the project implemented in a manner that gives room for continuity of interventions when funding from current sources ceases? i.e. Can the YHC and YHL sustain itself?
• Provide a costing model for the YHC and YHL and for any future expansion of the model
Methodology:
• The consultant will conduct the analysis in Afghanistan using a mixed method approach. Specifically in the provinces that have YHCs and pre marriage counselling services in Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar, Samangan, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, and Balkh, while for the YHL that it is based in Kabul with nationwide coverage, a random sampling approach that covers different geographical locations will be used.
• The consultant will propose mixed data collection methods and agree with UNFPA. The consultant will elaborate on the final rationale for selection of methods and analysis approach, as well as elaborate strengths and limitations of selected methods and approaches;
Desk Review:
• Key informant interviews with service providers, local CSOs/partner organizations, youth groups, adolescent boys and girls etc. The interview is expected to be conducted depending on the selected locations.
• FGD and surveys. Adopting suitable approaches whether FGDs or paper surveys or online surveys for WhatsApp polls or other virtual modalities with community male and female leaders, adolescent girls religious leaders and youth/SRHR focused organizations.
• One-on-one semi-structured interviews with youth specialist/youth officer, Child Protection or GBV Specialist/ Gender Officer/ Humanitarian Officer in UNFPA country offices, as well as in identified CSO’s/INGO’s
• Other methods that encourage youth engagement and participation are encouraged.
• Dates for deliveries and missions shall be discussed and agreed with the Steering Committee at the actual start of the consultancy.
Monitoring and Progress Control:
• Write monthly reports documenting progress against work plan outputs;
• Prepare end of assignment report upon completion of the assignment
Supervisory Arrangements:
• Under overall guidance of UNFPA Deputy Representative and the Gender Specialist, the consultant will directly report to GBV SC Coordinator.
Duration, Working Schedule and Work Setting
• This assignment is for two months starting first week of March 2022 with an expected 40 working days
Place Where Services Are To Be Delivered:
• This assignment is home based with the requirement to travel to Afghanistan during fieldwork. UNFPA will coordinate the consultant's travel. The consultant will be working with 2 national consultants to ensure reach on the ground for data collection, and provide required translation
Consultant Profile:
Required Expertise, Qualifications and Competencies, Including Language Requirements:
Education:
• Advanced university degree or equivalent in social sciences, public health or other relevant field related to violence against children and women, especially in emergency context
Work Experience:
• Minimum 7 years of progressive assessments and evaluation related to social sciences and preferably youth, and ASRH/SRH
Technical Knowledge:
• Strong Knowledge in SRH, maternal health, gender, youth programming and services
• Experience working with conflict-affected communities, including with adolescents, youth and communities;
• Solid understanding of evaluation methodologies, and or a proven expertise of research, and assessment in social sciences relevant for the evaluation
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Proven experience in Evaluation work with sample work to be provided with the application stating clearly what the role of the consultant was in that process.
• Proven experience in designing qualitative methodologies and analyzing qualitative data
• Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking;
• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals;
• Able to work effectively in a multicultural environment;
• Demonstrates leadership or supervisory skills; coordinates group activities; experience in a leadership or supervisory role is an asset.
• Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives;
• Previous experience with online content development preferred;
• Previous experience with UNFPA or other UN agencies is preferred.
Language:
• Fluency in English required. Dari or Pashto is an asset.
Inputs / Services To Be Provided By UNFPA Or Implementing Partner (E.G. Support Services, Office Space, And Equipment), If Applicable:
• UNFPA will pay a consultancy fee commensurate with the assignment and level of experience of the consultant.
• UNFPA will provide the travel related costs such as airfare, and the applicable DSA at United Nations established rates and terminal expenses as per UN Official Travel Rules and Regulations when the consultant is required to travel by UNFPA
• UNFPA will provide office space and necessary office stationery and supplies during the mission to Afghanistan;
• UNFPA will arrange booking of a furnished and serviced accommodation in a secure UN compound during the mission to Afghanistan;
• UNFPA will provide transportation services by armored vehicle for physical movements outside the UN compound in Afghanistan for official business.
How To Apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:
• Cover letter/application.
• CV/P 11 form
• Examples of previous, relevant work with a focus on qualitative and quantitative research as applicable
• Short concept note including proposed methodology/approach to managing the project.
• At least 3 Referees
Late submissions, incomplete packets, or submissions with an incorrect email subject heading will not be considered.
All the above documents must be sent by e-mail to: recruitment.afg@unfpa.org
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
