Health, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment (HOPE) Project. Full Time NEW

Terms of Reference for local consultant

1. Background information

1.1. Introduction ZOA, in partnership with Refugee Law Project a local organization, is implementing the Health, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment (HOPE) project in Kiryandongo refugee settlement. The overarching goal of the project is to ensure communities have hope and live peaceful dignified lives. The team implements a multi-sectoral and integrated intervention to meet the most pressing needs of refugee and host communities in and around Kiryandongo. The project is being implemented using the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach, integrated with a land security intervention. The PIP approach facilitates the self-motivation, resilience, and stewardship of people and nature. All sectoral interventions will be layered and integrated into the same communities through livelihoods, WASH, land security and mental health outcomes.

1.2. The key principles and approaches.

1.2.1 Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach the bottom-up PIP approach drives sustainable transformation by empowering smallholder households and communities to take ownership of their development, starting from their current situation and strengths. The approach builds a solid foundation for sustainable change, working towards sustainable farming systems, thriving communities, and healthy landscapes. The approach fosters mindset change that translates into action and measurable impact, without the provision of handouts. Through a six-month participatory process, households assess their current situation, envision their desired future, and co-create practical plans to achieve it. Smallholder farming households start this process on household level. Over time, PIP farmers start developing and implementing plans together at community level to achieve common goals focusing on long-term restoration and sustainability. Using tools such as the family tree, families analyze assets, income streams, labor distribution, and responsibilities—strengthening cohesion and joint decisionmaking. Trained PIP innovators catalyze peer-to-peer learning, enabling rapid and cost-effective scale-up across communities. Once critical mass is reached, communities collectively refine their shared vision and coordinate community actions for broader impact. The approach aims to deliver tangible results: improved household planning and productivity, stronger community cooperation, enhanced adoption of climatesmart and sustainable land management practices, and increased resilience to (climate related) shocks. Continuous mentorship and demand-driven technical 2 support ensure that changes are not only adopted but sustained over time— building self-reliant, future-oriented communities.

1.2.2 Locally led HOPE adopts a localisation approach which aspires to build strong civil societies, communities and actors, and promote locally led recovery programmes. ZOA will work hand in hand with the local government and settlement leadership structures. These structures will be engaged in the design, implementation, and monitoring of the project to build their capacity and secure buy-in. Acknowledging the importance of strengthening local civil society, ZOA will work with and through local partners to deliver the water, sanitation, and MHPSS components of HOPE. In doing so, ZOA will intentionally seek to build the capacity of these local partners and ensure equitable partnerships when it comes to resource allocation, representation, and decision making. ZOA will adopt community-led approaches to ensure we are implementing a bottom-up approach, driven by local practices and preferences.

1.2.3 Women at the centre HOPE adopts a gender transformative approach. This means the design of the project will put women at the centre and seek to address fundamental barriers to their empowerment. This will be achieved through household participatory planning where decision making about resources and assets will no longer be left to men alone. This starts with the family tree which facilitates dialogue within the family about the functioning of the household (role of men and women), the activities that take place and the expenses that are made. The exercise helps families reflect on gender dynamics, build mutual understanding, reduce inequality, and commit to joint actions for positive change through participatory household planning. Certificates of customary ownership offer tenure security for women and their children, since all family members can be included on the land registration title. MHPSS services will be tailored to meet the specific needs of women, by creating safe spaces for women and girls to come together. Water and sanitation service provision will relieve the time burden on women and girls to collect water and care for family members who fall sick from water borne diseases. Male role models will be identified in target communities to champion positive change and tackle barriers to women’s empowerment.

1.2.4 Private sector engagement Uganda benefits from a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, linked to upstream value chain actors. ZOA integrates its interventions in the local market systems, and establishes linkages to these businesses so that they may extend their goods or services to ZOA’s target communities. Similarly, with increased agricultural production, there may be opportunities to link smallholder farmers to companies to purchase their produce for fair prices. Linkages and collaborations can stimulate investment in local value chain actors, improving the quality and standards of their products. ZOA is currently partnering with Fiber Foods on the oysternut value chain, Holland Greentech on vegetable value chains and others to identify relevant market system actors and increase income and profitability for target households in Westnile.

1.2.5 Targeted project participants • HOPE will target refugees living in Kiryandongo refugee settlement and selected host communities in Kiryandongo District (Kichwabugingo, Kyankende and Kiryandongo) . The majority of this population are women and children. The project will target 50% host community members and 50% refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, Burundi, and Ugandan IDPs living in the settlement.

❖ Local partner organisations will be served by the project through capacity building initiatives

❖ Government institutions including District Land Board, Area Land Committees, Local Physical Planning Committees, and Water User Committees Total people to be served: 10,380 households (51,900 persons) in 90 communities 1.4 Overall project objective: Communities have hope and live peaceful dignified lives 1.5 Project outcome

❖ Outcome 1: Vulnerable households are food secure.

❖ Outcome 2: Refugee and host community households have improved land tenure security.

❖ Outcome 3: Households access safe and sufficient water, sanitation and hygiene services.

❖ Outcome 4: Vulnerable refugees and host community members improve their mental wellbeing.

2. OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE BASELINE STUDY

To establish an evidence-based starting point for the HOPE project that will guide the design and implementation of integrated interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being, resilience, and peaceful coexistence of refugee and host communities in Kiryandongo District. Specifically, the baseline will generate comprehensive data and insights across key thematic areas including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Land Rights, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for both host and refugee populations. All required baseline indicators on outcome and output level for this project need to be determined. The findings will serve as benchmarks for measuring project impact and effectiveness over time.

2.1 Scope of Work The consultant will be responsible for:

1. Desk review and context analysis.

• Review existing literature, project documents, and relevant data on the socio-economic and humanitarian context in Kiryandongo District.

• Map ongoing interventions related to WASH, livelihoods, land rights, and MHPSS.

2. Baseline design and methodology.

• Develop a robust, mixed-methods baseline design incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

• Define clear indicators aligned with the HOPE Project’s logical framework and results matrix.

• Establish data collection tools and sampling strategies to ensure representativeness across both refugee and host communities.

1. Data collection and analysis.

• Conduct field data collection using participatory and gender-sensitive approaches in Kiryandongo settlement.

• Analyze data to identify current status, needs, gaps, and opportunities within each thematic area.

• Disaggregate findings by gender, age, disability and community type (refugee vs. host).

1. Reporting and validation.

• Produce a concise baseline report outlining key findings, conclusions, and recommendations for project design and implementation (max 40 pages).

• Facilitate a validation workshop with stakeholders to review and refine findings.

1. Deliverables.

• Inception report (including detailed methodology and work plan).

• Data collection tools.

• Draft and final baseline reports including stakeholder mapping (maximum 40 pages).

• Presentation of findings to project stakeholders.

• Provide soft and hard copy of the presentation and final report.

3. TIMEFRAME AND DELIVERABLES

The consultant will summarize the capacity needs assessment work plan using the table below. The duration of the assignment is 30 working days. The baseline study will begin on 8th December 2025.

1. Inception and Preparatory Phase – (5 days).

2. Data Collection Phase – (12 days).

3. Data Analysis Phase – (4 days).

4. Validation Phase – (6 days).

1. Report Writing – (3 days).

4. BUDGET All costs related to the baseline study will be submitted to ZOA Uganda by the consultant in form of a financial proposal in response to this ToR. Payment will be issued in instalments and final payment to the consultant will be made after the all deliverables have been approved by ZOA Uganda. The budget should cover all costs including professional fees, related taxes (e.g. VAT), travel costs, costs related to field operations (e.g. data collection, data analysis), among others. The consultant will be paid 30% upon approval of inception report and 70% upon completion of the assignment and approval of final report.

5. DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Roles and responsibilities of the consultant/consulting firm .

• Submit the technical (Max 10 pages) and financial proposal with clear proposed study methodologies and structure.

• Review documents and submit inception report (Max 7 pages) with detailed survey methodology and design and separate data collection tools (Interview, FGD, KII, and Observation).

• Develop a SMART field workplan.

• Review and improve existing data collection tools on Kobo toolbox and using own mobile equipment as required.

• Hire, train, and manage research assistants for data collection.

• Arrange and conduct all fieldwork.

• Administer and supervise data collection, data entry and analysis of the assessment.

• Analyse both qualitative and quantitative data and report in a clear and accessible format.

• Provide regular progress updates to the ZOA project team (including the MEAL team, project manager and livelihood/climate resilience advisor).

• Submit all deliverables (see above) including draft(s) and final baseline report to ZOA Uganda as per the agreed timeframe.

• The consultant will be required to adhere to ZOA policies and Code of Conduct Roles and Responsibilities of ZOA Uganda.

• To ensure that the consultant facilitates field research assistants.

• Guidance and provide technical support as required throughout the assessment.

• Coordinates all phases/stages of the assessment.

• Effect payments of the services as per the contract agreement.

• Review and approve inception reports, tools, and other relevant documents/requirements.

• Review the draft reports and provide feedback to the consultant / consultancy firm.

• Approve all final deliverables and disbursement of payment to the services as per the contract agreement.

1. QUALIFICATION OF THE CONSULTANT / CONSULTANCY FIRM Consultant qualifications and requirements:

• The consultant or firm must be reputable, with a proven track record in monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian and development projects.

Team composition:

• The consultancy team shall consist of a minimum of three (3) members.

• At least one (1) team member must be female.

• The team shall be led by a Team Leader responsible for technical quality, coordination, and timely delivery of outputs. Team Leader Qualifications.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Agri-Enterprise Development, Rural Development, Social Sciences, land and natural resource management field.

• Experience around land and conflict management structures.

• Strong project management skills, including planning, execution, oversight, and quality assurance.

• Proven expertise in data collection methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative.

• Demonstrated experience working with international NGOs or similar development and humanitarian organizations.

• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills, with experience producing inception, draft, and final reports Team Members’ Qualifications.

• Academic background in Social Sciences, Development Studies, or Management.

• Extensive experience in monitoring and evaluation, including the design and implementation of data collection tools (structured questionnaires, interview guides, and FGD frameworks) .

• Proven ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including refugees, women, youth, persons with disabilities (PWDs), local leaders, land actors, and community representatives.

• Demonstrated experience in conducting similar studies within refugee and host community contexts.

• Proficiency in English and relevant local languages spoken in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement to ensure effective communication and accurate data interpretation (e.g. Arabic).

7. Proposals evaluation criteria The technical and financial proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria;

a) Profile of the firm/ consultant in relation to the task (5%).

b) Composition and skillsets of the research team (10%).

c) Interpretation and understanding of the ToR (5%).

d) Technical proposal (understanding of the scope of work, comprehensiveness of the methodology/approach) (50%).

e) Financial proposal (20%).

f) Evidence of demonstrated relevance experience and skills with contactable references (report samples) (10%).

1. APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENT

The interested applicant(s) on the consultancy services should follow to the following application process and requirements:

• The Technical Proposal should not be more than 10 pages, excluding the supporting documents and annexes, and will have the following contents: –

The capacity statement describing how they meet required qualifications and competencies including summary of similar studies previously conducted.

– Expression of interest describing how they understood the consultancy assignment.

– Description of methodology, sampling strategy, approach to primary data collection and plan for data analysis.

– Workplan.

– Financial proposal that includes professional fees and all logistics expenses.

– Team composition with their qualifications and roles in the study (annex the CVs of key team members) – Minimum two samples of reports on studies conducted that have been produced by the applicant, in soft copies (this will be treated as confidential and only used for the purposes of quality assurance and verification) The technical and financial proposal shall be evaluated based on the following:

• Understanding of the assignment of the baseline study

• Quality of proposed methodology.

o A well-informed approach to the participation of survivors in the studyy.

o Approaches to conflict analysis, ethics and gender sensitivity.

o A proposed timeline for completing the assignment of 3 staff based on their experience and technical expertise.

o An indicative financial proposal including daily rates and any other expenses.

9. CONFIDENTIALITY

The consultant / consultancy firm shall protect the confidentiality of those participating in all stages of the study. All information and data acquired from documents during interviews and meetings are confidential. The assignment deliverables and all materials linked to the assignment, produced by the consultant / consultancy firm remains the property of ZOA Uganda and must not be shared with third parties without approval from ZOA Uganda.

Tagged as: Uganda, ZOA