CAFOD Call for Research Consultancy

Preamble

CAFOD is the official overseas development and humanitarian relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and is registered as a charity in the UK. CAFOD is a member of Caritas Internationalism and works in Zimbabwe under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC). CAFOD is working with local organizations, the Government of Zimbabwe and communities implementing an integrated livelihoods programme in order to increase resilience against climate induced hazards.

Background

CAFOD in partnership with Caritas Harare and Caritas Gokwe is implementing a UK-AID funded 3-year project (Match-Fund 6) aimed at building community resilience to climatic shocks through improving food security, caring practices for vulnerable groups, and sanitation and hygiene practices to enhance the nutritional status of communities in UMP and Gokwe North and South Districts. The project is more interested with those at higher risk of malnutrition- children under 5 years, pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, chronically ill/people living with HIV including those with disability.CAFOD has incorporated an applied research component into this project for learning to take place and to ensure quality and effectiveness of strategies being implemented.

Methodology

The goal of this applied research is to obtain information on conditions and behaviours in populations that are important for various decision-making activities, including: (1) identifying potential bottle-necks that are likely to affect the success of our interventions; and (2) designing and developing strategies and content informed by current practices and activities that are working and 3) identifying what communities themselves are doing to overcome these barriers outside external help.The analysis will use a process tracking approach which will link causalities in changes of factors from baseline up until the assignment ends. The researchers are expected to use an iterative process in which they will move back and forth between data collection and analysis ensuring that information on emerging data/themes are adequately collected and analysed, and making suggestions they pick up from analysis/observation and seeing how these are accepted/disapproved or implemented

The consultant(s) shall provide a detailed qualitative data collection method(s) which works or is/are proven to have worked in rural communities such as Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe and Gokwe (North and South). Attention to contextual specificities in the design of methods will be an added advantage. The methods must be participatory with a strong bias towards pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, PLWHA and people living with various inabilities.Expected OutcomeThe aim of this research is to obtain information from communities in UMP, Gokwe North and Gokwe South on conditions and behaviours falling within the project’s 3 outputs- food security; caring practices; and sanitation and hygiene practices that are important for various decision-making activities, including: (1) identifying potential bottle-necks that are likely to affect the success and sustainability of our interventions; and (2) designing and developing strategies and content informed by current practices and activities that are working and 3) identifying what communities themselves are doing to overcome these barriers outside external help Time frameWe expect to conduct the research over the period January 2019 – June 2020 and will involve a cycle of the below:1.

An initial qualitative baseline focussed on identifying and understanding barriers to positive nutrition/health for vulnerable groups and current good practices as well as recommended communication/social strategies informed by findings for the project to implement.2. Project will be given a period to implement recommendations within the broader timelines3. Researchers are expected to shuttle between fieldwork conducting observations /monitoring/data gathering on effectiveness of recommendations implemented. Along the way they will modify and/or make new recommendations for the project. What we WantWe are looking for a team of researchers with strong experience in nutrition and social/behavioural science; good community engagement and qualitative research skills; and the ability to achieve the expected outcome(s). Experience in previous ethnographic researches will be a preferred added advantage.

Please send through your expression of interest and detailed proposals to [email protected] CC [email protected] ; [email protected] ; and [email protected] by the 5th of January 2019, 4.30 COB.