Learning research project ‘Resilience enhancing programming in conflict settings’

Expression of interest specifications

Christian Aid (CA) is seeking an experienced consultant for a learning research project aimed at improving programme approachesto enhanceresilience in fragile contexts. The research will have a specific focus on understanding the relationship between CA and its partners and the engagement between partners and community. This is so as to identify best practices, lessons learnt and innovative ways of building these relationships into a framework toenhanceresilience in complex contexts.

Theproject,of which this research forms a part, will provide recommendations as to how CA specifically, and the humanitarian sector more broadly, can best support partners working with communities in fragile contextsto implement resilience enhancing programming.

Additionally, the learning will be used to inform and influence policy makers and practitioners across a range of donor and sector agencies.

Background

Between 2011 and 2015, Christian Aid has been developing and testing its Thriving, Resilient Livelihoods (TRL) approach along with a range of tools to integrate risk management into country programmes. Pilot projects were conducted in DRC, OPT, Iraq, Kenya, Honduras, and Burkina Faso to test this approach in different conflict contexts. Learning has been captured from these pilots and published in several papers. CA’s approach has a strong focus on accountability, through HAP principles, and partnership (Value for People, 2015). Both have proven fundamental in building community cohesion, trust, collective analysis and action, and are key to addressing intra-community conflict. From CA’s perspective putting the community at the centre of their own development is fundamental to building resilience and benefits of this approach have been evidenced in several multi-agency papers (Missed opportunity, 2013).

Evidence form the filed has helped us learn that Resilience programming requires changing the ways we work, both in terms of tools and mentality of the teams, partners,and stakeholders involved, but also in terms of the quality of relationship with partners, communities and stakeholders (CA CHJ PPA annual reviews, 2015). In contexts affected by social phenomena, such as political instability and armed conflict, the TRL approach requires dynamic programmatic adaptation to deal with the ever-changing context. As a consequence relationships and community engagement needs to follow this changing environment. In these contexts our experience leads us to believe that transformational partnerships, rather than ‘transactional partnerships’, are the cornerstone of community resilience strengthening. However, there is little evidence or practical guidance on this in existing literature.

Research questions

This research project will explore the following specific questions:

  • How does CA manage the portfolio and relationships with partners working in conflict contexts? How can we improve?
  • How do CA partners’ engage with communities in resilience strengthening programmes/projects, what are the best practices, and what can we learn from their experience?

In this research ‘community engagement’ refers to the process by which community, benefitting organizations and individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision for the benefit of a community.

The focus countries selected for this learning project are:

-DRC and OPT, in relation to which comprehensive desk based document reviews will be combined with skype/phone interviews with key actors (CA staff and partners)

-Afghanistan, Honduras and Iraq where desk reviews and field visits will be combined to collect primary data from CA staff, partners and communities

Research objectives:

This research project will provide an impactevidence and good practice guidance report which demonstrates lessons learnt and makes recommendations for programmes working on strengthening community resilience in conflict contexts. The research project will:

  • Support organisational learning on resilience programming in DRC, Iraq, OPT, Honduras and Afghanistan by increasing understanding of the interrelated nature of conflict, resilience enhancing partnerships and community engagement
  • Facilitate cross-organisation learning on resilience programming in other CA programmes working in conflict contexts / fragile states
  • Support learning with the broader resilience sector – i.e. donors, practitioners/INGOs, policy institutes / academics etc.
  • Strengthen relationships between CA and partners, and between partners and communities, through the identification of best practices which can be applied in future

The expected minimum outputs of this research proposal are:

  • 2 Literature reviews covering ‘partnership in conflict contexts’ and ‘community based development in conflict contexts’
  • A briefing paper for each country, including recommendations
  • One workshop at the end of each of the three field visits, to discuss findings and provide recommendation to country teams and partners on improving programming
  • One report bringing together good practices, recommendations and lesson learnt from all countries
  • 4-5 case studies to demonstrate the evidence on which the research findings are based
  • A presentation of the general findings during a public event held at CA (London)

Duration: the consultancy will be carried out over a period of5 months (November 2015 – March2016) with field trips to Afghanistan (November), Iraq (January) and Honduras (February). Field trips will be accompanied by one CA staff to strengthen internal and cross programme learning

How to apply:

Interested consultants should apply submitting their CV and a proposed methodology(max 6 pages) inclusive of detailed budget(as annex) for the research, based on the following CA papers:

-Improving Impact: Do accountability mechanisms deliver results?(CA, HAP and Save the Children, 2013)

- Value for the people,On the added value of Christian Aid’s partnership approach (CA, 2015)

-Building resilience and managing risks in fragile and conflict contexts (CA, 2014)

On the basis of the submission interviews will be held and once selected, the consultant will present a detailed methodology, in an inception report, covering an in depth-research methodology and a research plan for discussion and review with an internal (CA) research steering committee.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 14th of October and submissions – or requests for further information – should be emailed to (Simone Di Vicenz, Resilient Advisor, Christian Aid). We aim to hold interviews with short listed candidates in the w/c 19th October.