Job Details
Terms of Reference – Baseline Study for Hand in Hand Eastern Africa IKEA
Foundation Programme “Creating rural opportunities for youth and women through climate resilient entrepreneurship in Kenya” Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (HiH EA) seeks the services of a team of qualified consultants to conduct a baseline study for the above 4-year program in Kenya. The baseline study is commissioned by HiH EA, in consultation with Hand International (HiHI), the Hand in Hand network’s coordination and support office based in London.
BACKGROUND
HiH EA is a registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Kenya. HiH EA is working for the economic and social empowerment of its poorest citizens to enable program participants to lift themselves out of poverty and vulnerability. HiH EA is part of the Hand in Hand (HiH) network that seeks to reduce poverty through job creation. HiHI supports HiH EA in implementing its programs through donor reporting, capacity building, technical assistance, strategic guidance and oversight.
HiH EA works with the marginalized, vulnerable poor rural and peri-urban smallholder farmers (80% women) to help them lift themselves out of poverty through the power of entrepreneurship. The IKEA Foundation funded project is implemented out of four branch offices located in the following counties of Kenya: Embu, Homabay, Busia and Bomet. It works in four key stages:
Step 1. Social mobilization and savings: Group formation is a crucial building block, creating mutual support. A total of 43,200 rural poor (of which 80% female; 40% youth) will be formed into groups of 10-20 members jointly trained on group dynamics, leadership, gender rights and savings. Youth, defined by the Kenyan government as 18-35, are placed in groups with older community members to reduce mobility and raise groups’ stability.
Step 2. Business and climate resilient training: Business and financial management training, complemented by needs-based vocational skills training, and gears members to establish/expand sustainable and resilient enterprises. Modules include the basics of business, bookkeeping, business registration, financial analysis and relevant skills training. Climate resilient training sensitizes on basic climate change science and scenarios, and promotes environmentally friendly practices at business and household levels, as well as the creation of green businesses. Individuals learn adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change. Adaptive measures include crop diversification; drought-resistant crops; irrigation and rain harvesting. Mitigation measures include economical use of resources; eco-friendly materials; tree planting to reduce soil erosion; facilitation of organic farming groups and cultivation; and promotion of renewable energy in cooking, lighting and other aspects of household and enterprise development.
Step 3. HiH EA facilitates linkages to government credit funds with formal partnership agreements. 50% of members will access HiH’s Enterprise Incubation Fund (EIF), which aims to expand members’ access to catalytic business capital. Micro-loans of up to US$100 are available at affordable rates of interest to eligible members (12-month loan term), after which they transition to MFIs or regular banks
Step 4. Linking entrepreneurs to markets: HiH EA supports members to improve the value, quality, competitiveness and resilience of products/services. HiH EA will create market linkages and community structures that remain beyond exit, such as the formation of associations and cooperatives to aggregate production, increase quality and improve access to investments, technology/inputs and markets.
Enterprise Club Component. As part of the project’s youth target, separate from the program described above, HiH EA will target 4,800 primary and secondary school students below 18 years of age. Students will be enrolled in extra-curricular entrepreneurship clubs that complement the Kenyan education curriculum with a forward-thinking, interactive and market-based teaching element. The clubs aim to encourage youth to think critically, explore new opportunities and consider the potential of rural self-employment and agricultural opportunities at a time when urban employment opportunities are few. Ultimately, the clubs aim to pave a productive way out of poverty for youth.
CONTENTS OF THE BASELINE
The baseline will consist firstly of a review of secondary sources to establish the prevailing state of agriculture, natural resources and climate change effects in the intervention areas, as well as a socio-economic profile relating to poverty, types of employment and the situation of youth. It will also include a review nature and quality of public and private service provision relevant to the project in the four project locations. A mapping of stakeholders working within the project coverage areas will be done for possible development of partnerships and synergies and avoid duplication of activities.
Secondly, the baseline will present results of a detailed survey of a representative sample of adult members and under 18 youth, against which it will be possible to measure the outputs, outcomes and impacts of the program when it ends in 2020. Outcomes indicators include household income, stability of agricultural productivity and women’s economic empowerment translating into other forms of empowerment. Impact indicators include health status and quality of education of school age children.
CONSULTANT(S) PROFILE
HiH EA is looking for a consultant or team of consultants with the following skills and experience:
The consultant should have a minimum of 8 years’ experience in field research.
Should demonstrate evidence of past relevant assignments in Kenya.
Capacities with electronic data collection will be favourably considered.
Experience of research/household survey work in Kenya and proven track record in analytical report writing.
Operational capacity in Kenya.
In-depth knowledge of enterprise development programs, involving the poor, rural entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers.
Experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects relating to agriculture, livestock, and climate change resilience.
Expertise on women’s and youth’s economic empowerment and barriers and challenges that women and young people face for full participation in household, economy and community.
Experience in measuring qualitative change at the level of under 18 youth.
