Background
More
than 56,000 refugees originating mainly from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) are currently being assisted by UNHCR in Rwanda. The majority of
these refugees live in camps – Kiziba Camp in Karongi District – Western
province; Gihembe camp in Gicumbi District – Northern Province, and Nyabiheke
camp in Gatsibo – Eastern Province – while a small number reside in the
capital, Kigali. The majority of refugees have been displaced by armed conflict
and violence in the DRC which occurred during 1996-1998. The prospect for their
return depends on the improvement of the security situation in the DRC, which
has remained unstable for many areas. In early 2012, Intermittent fighting
between DRC government forces and the M23 insurgents resulted in mass internal
displacements within North Kivu and significant population movements into
neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda. New arrivals were registered and provided with
basic assistance at the Nkamira Transit Centre pending relocation to Kigeme
camp.
60%
of the total populations of refugees hosted in the protracted camps are
children and they remain the most vulnerable groups in the camps. Some of the
main factors that contribute to children’s vulnerability include poor parenting
practices mainly rooted in cultural practices and beliefs, a lack of awareness
of key protection issues, sexual abuse and exploitation of girls, high levels
of poverty often leading to child labour and limited community support and
mechanisms to address abuse. AVSI ‘The Association of Volunteers in
International Service’ has been working in the refugees camps to assist
children since October 2010.
The
key objectives of the KAP Survey are:
- To
gather selected baseline information on the knowledge, attitudes and
behaviours of children and duty bearers with regards to child protection
in AVSI’s areas of operation in refugee camps in Rwanda. - Drawing
on the analysis of children and duty bearers’ knowledge, attitudes , and
behaviours with regards to children’s right to protection, identify
barriers or enabling factors that may contribute to violations of
children’s right to protection and children’s access and willingness to
use prevention and response services.
The
findings from the KAP survey are expected to be a useful guide for decision
makers in AVSI, UNICEF, UNHCR, MIDIMAR, other donors and local partners for
future child protection programmes in refugee settings in Rwanda and will be
shared with all key stakeholders.
The
findings of the survey will be used to:
Assess
local levels of knowledge, awareness and practice with regard to child
protection in the refugee camps; Analyze and establish the barriers and
enabling factors to accessing child protection prevention and response services
in the target areas; Assist in identifying areas of greatest need in terms of
prevalence of child protection violations, lack of awareness and access to
prevention and response services for program planning; Inform the development
of a community-level information education campaign on child protection issues;
Identify additional local child protection service providers, community based
mechanisms and NGOs offering services to the target communities; Provide a
baseline against which to measure achievements of the project after a certain
period;
The
KAP survey will cover the following operational areas: Nyabiheke, Gihembe and
Kiziba camps.
A
previous evaluation of AVSI programmes in 2012 (Phase I of the ongoing project)
indicated that there were still a limited amount of data on vulnerable children
to guide and inform programming at all levels as well as a need for
strengthened individual case management systems.
Since
July 2012, AVSI has been conducting a 1-year programme (Phase II) with to
enhance protection systems for refugee children with UNICEF support. The
project aims to address the causes of violence and abuse against refugee
children and facilitate an appropriate response to immediate protection
concerns. Further, it intends to improve the protection environment for
children in the camps. The project therefore focuses on promoting the concept
of children as rights-bearers, improving referral mechanisms to ensure access
to appropriate services for children who are survivors of violence,
exploitation and/or abuse. It also seeks to support vulnerable in taking better
care for their children as well as working with community leaders, education
and health authorities to improve their understanding of child protection and
increase their accountability as agents of protection and advocates for the
rights of children.
In
order to better inform the interventions of the project, AVSI is commissioning
a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey to look at the current
perceptions and practices relevant to child rights and child protection in
refugee camps in Rwanda. This will inform the design of information and
communication strategies meant to improve community understanding of protection
issues for children and improve practice. The findings of the survey will
further help to guide interventions of UNHCR and other service providers in the
refugee camp. The survey findings will also be used as a baseline for
evaluating the achievements of the project, particularly in relation to changes
in public understanding and behaviour.
How
to apply:
The
assignment will be for 2 months with effect from the time of signing of the
contract. The draft and final reports will be shared with and validated by key
stakeholders including AVSI, UNICEF and UNHCR as well as relevant service
providers within the camp.
The
Consultant is expected to submit a technical and financial proposal for the
work. Local transport costs in Rwanda and flight costs to Rwanda if required
will be covered by AVSI. Costs of the local team members and all costs related
to data collection, translation, meetings, workshops and printing will also be
covered by AVSI as well as the cost for Consultant.
Qualifications:
- A
consulting firm/research institution or an individual expert, with a
minimum of 7 years of demonstrable experience in qualitative research,
data analysis and reporting with a focus on social and child protection
issues in developing countries, preferably in Africa Demonstrable
experience in the conduct of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices surveys,
developing qualitative research tools and implementing such research and
experience in the conduct of Household Surveys, Demographic and Health
Surveys, especially in developing countries - Extensive
experience in survey design including sampling and other quantitative and
qualitative research methods - Ability
to use key data analysis software e.g. STATA, SPSS, CSPro, SAS, etc - Proven
training and facilitation skills - Excellent
communication skills; ability to explain complex concepts in a simple
manner; and experience in coordinating diverse teams - Strong
analytical, presentation and writing skills in English. - Knowledge
of French and/or Kinyarwanda an asset
application should be sent by email to kigali@avsi.org not later than 2nd
October at 3.00 pm, including:
- The
object: «Application for Consultancy to lead Child Protection Knowledge
Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey »; - An
application stating their interest in and qualifications for the position
(in English); - The
price offered (in USD) indicating the daily fee.
