South Sudan: TOR – COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT ON THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN MABAN – UPPER NILE, SOUTH SUDAN

TOR – COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT ON THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN MABAN – UPPER NILE, SOUTH SUDAN

****1.0 Background****

The Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service (LWF-DWS) South Sudan Program has been operational in the country since 2004. LWF/DWS has experience working in different localities in South Sudan. Its competence in response to emergencies and development has both local, regional and international experience as demonstrated by the regional response to the recent South Sudan crises. In South Sudan, It was the first agency to respond to South Sudanese refugees regionally in Burundi, Uganda Kenya and Ethiopia. In South Sudan LWF-DWS works in three states of Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei in collaboration with local authorities and community organs and has endeared it well in the local setting. In Upper Nile and Unity States, LWF-DWS since September 2012 has been responding to the needs of an influx of refugees who fled fighting in mainly Blue Nile and South Kordofan states of the Sudan to take refuge in the two states through:- child protection; and education for children and young people with support among other donors UNHCR. Following the major crisis that hit the country in December 2013, the contraction of humanitarian and protection space retrogressed progress so far made with the refugee programme in Upper Nile and Unity State calling for the need to maintain humanitarian presence in order to minimize the risks among the refugees. LWF/DWS education and child protection programs have therefore remained critical for the protection and longer term wellbeing of the refugees.

****1.1 Introduction to the Assessment on the Situation of Children****

LWF has been implementing education and child protection activities in Maban County since 2012 in 3 refugee camps and surrounding host communities. According UNHCR, the total population in the 3 camps i.e. Kaya, Yusuf Batil and Gendrassa where LWF operates is 81470 (41587 Female, 39883 Male) as of September 30, 2015. Children constitute 59% of the total population.

Some progress has been made in prevention and response to violation of children’s rights over the past years. For example, a total of 1363 unaccompanied and separated children have been identified, supported and 929 of them have already been placed in foster care arrangement, 1929 children at risk have been identified and given psychosocial services and material support. Eighty percent (80%) of these children have also been enrolled in primary school and Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres. Community based mechanism/structures such Child Protection Committees (CPCs), Child Rights Clubs (CRCs), Case workers, Foster Care Parents, Women and Youth Groups etc are engaged in a wide range of child protection activities in creation of awareness about importance of providing safe environment for unaccompanied/separated children, protection of children from abuse, and encouragement of parents to send their children to school to include addressing forced/early marriage and child labor. In spite of all these efforts that have been made in the refugee camps, some children remain unreached with the available child protection services in the refugee camps and the surrounding host communities. The rights of many children continue to be abused and violated and many children find themselves working in markets and hotels to raise income to support families, are presumably being sexually exploited and abused particularly girls. Early and or forced marriages of girls as young as age of 12 is still common in camps and host communities including gender based sexual violence against young women. There are also reported incidences of forceful recruited of children in armed groups and juvenile delinquents are common in the camps. Other vulnerable groups of children - orphan, child headed households and disabled children do not always have access to services necessary to improve quality of their lives. It is against this background that LWF-DWS South Sudan is commissioning this assessment

****2.0 Objectives of the Assessment****

This assessment aims at generating updated data to inform LWF-DWS future refugee programme interventions in Maban refugee camps and the surrounding host communities and particularly in improvement of child protection services and creation of a protective environment for the conflict affected refugee, IDPs and host community children supported by LWF-DWS in Maban. The assessment will also generate child safe guarding and protection best practices from other agencies that can be scaled up towards improvement of LWF-DWS child protection and safeguarding work. LWF –DWS anticipates the findings of the study to inform programming needs of other agencies collaborating with LWF-DWS in the refugee camps in Maban. Specifically, the assessment will

Analyze the context in which LWF is providing education and child protection services in the refugee camps and host communities with a focus on child safeguarding

1. Study and highlight the underlying prevalent traditional/cultural practices among refugees and host communities that impede and or that enhance child protection in refugee camps.
2. child protection.
3. Asses and analyzethe magnitude of existing vulnerabilities and abuse to children in the camps and surrounding host communities especially forced/early marriages, sexual abuse, child labour, children employment/work in the markets/hotels, children livestock herding rolesamong others.
4. Ascertain the reasons behind frequent and poor attendance of children in schools
5. Establish the existence of best practices among other institutions engaged in child safe guarding and protection of children in the refugee camps and surrounding host communities in Maban that LWF can scale up to improve its work
6. Provide recommendations to LWF on best programming strategies that should be employed to address the identified vulnerabilities and abuse to children; ensure these also focus on communityroles and responsibilities

3.0 Methodsof Data collection

The consultant will develop methods and data collection tools for discussion and approval by LWF-DWS Programme Technical Team. LWF recommends these to include among others:- Review of LWF-DWs Child protection and child safeguarding policies, Global and Maban context specific draft complaints response mechanism (CRM) policy; LWF-DWS Code of coduct; LWF-DWS varied child protection project documents/progress reports/evaluation; LWF/DWS 2016 to 2021 country strategy, GRSS Child Act 2008, United Nations Convention on the right of the child and other related national and international instruments of relevance to South Sudan. The overall approach should be participatory employing rapid assessment tools with community members, children, women, youth (Boys and Girls) men, Community leaders and elders, school administrators and Teachers, existing community structures (PTAs, CRCs, CPCs etc) LWF-DWS Refugee programme staff and Technical teams in Juba and Maban, key stakeholders (child protection sub-cluster coordinators in Juba and child protection working group lead agency (UNHCR-community services department and lead agency), local authorities, Refugee Implementing Partners (IPCs) in Maban Refugee camps. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are proposed to ensure data generated serves subsequent design and monitoring needs of LWF/DWS future interventions. Ultimately, LWF-DWS anticipates a study methodology and approach that ensures confidentiality on the information generated from the subjects of the study. Six Key deliverables are anticipated from this assessment namely:

1. A Technical proposal that encompass among others:-
2. The study methodology prior to the selection of the consultant (Technical Proposal).
3. Study Work Plan and Budget based on the estimated period detailed below under section 5.0
4. Tools for Data collection (To be developed after contractual agreement and reviewed by LWF-DWS and approved before commencement of the study)
5. A 4-5 pages inception report on the proposed assessment one week into the assessment at field level
6. A power point debriefing on study findings and recommendations in Maban and Juba
7. Draft and final report (LWF will provide inputs in the draft report)
8. Final Report (To be approved by LWF)

Consultant experience

Open towards qualified individuals and consultancy companies, the consultants should meet the following criteria:

• Five years of experience in monitoring, evaluation and or research on child protection/safeguarding in emergency, transition and development contexts
• Proven experience and understanding of international standards relating to Childrens Rights; protection legislation and policy analysis
• Proven ability in research/ investigations on the main gaps in child protection and child safeguarding in the given context to inform a holistic response for children.
• Experience and Knowledge with agencies working towards vulnerable children such as the unaccompanied and separated children, children living with disability, orphans, child headed household, and community participation & accountability
• Excellent communication skills with a high level of written and spoken English
• Politically and culturally sensitive and skilled in management of confidentiality
• Extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles LWF-DWS; humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct; CHS and related child conventions and other instruments
• Experience undertaking similar assignments in South Sudan and spoken Arabic are an added advantage.

5.0 Timeline

The assignment is expected to begin in the fourth week of October for a period of 20 Days starting strictly on October 26^th 2015 with the final report submitted November 16th 2015.

1. A Technical proposal that encompass among others:-
2. The study methodology prior to the selection of the consultant (Technical Proposal).
3. Study Work Plan and Budget based on the estimated period detailed below under section 5.0
4. email address to HR.lwfss@yahoo.com