Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
The Asia region is comprised of Afghanistan, Georgia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Uzbekistan. Programming in these countries focuses on humanitarian response, economic and market systems development, resilience, financial inclusion, food security, nutrition, sustainable energy, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), among others. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors. Our locally led approach emphasizes the need to consider and integrate community voices and our partners who are on the frontlines to direct our technical approach and work together.
Mercy Corpsโ Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARMs) provide multiple channels for all community members to provide feedback, suggestions, complaints, and concerns in a manner that is safe, confidential, transparent, and accessible, enabling Mercy Corps to respond and make any necessary programmatic or safeguarding adaptations and to ensure the safety, security, and empowerment of program participants. Safeguarding is an umbrella term that refers to the prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse, human trafficking and exploitation, internal sexual misconduct and child abuse, neglect and exploitation. We define Safeguarding as our responsibility to ensure team members, operations and programs do not cause any harm to the people and communities we work with, including our team members, and that we respond in an appropriate, survivor-centered way.
Background
Global data show that under-reporting of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment and human trafficking is chronic. In recent years, Mercy Corps made significant investment and progress with the introduction of our CARM and Safeguarding core standards policies and operational commitments. These policies include a set of mandatory minimum standards and guidance related to ensuring our reporting systems are trusted, operational, accessible and communicated.
In FY24, Mercy Corps received 190 reports that alleged safeguarding concerns against Mercy Corps team members, partners or vendors. However, in recent years, Asia remains the region with the lowest levels of reporting on Safeguarding concerns. Moreover, reporting Safeguarding concerns through CARM channels remains limited. Low reporting trends might be driven by multiple factors, such as fear of losing assistance; fear of stigma; fear of retaliation; lack of knowledge about what and how to report; reporting channels not being trusted or known, or appropriate for different community groups; and lack of trust that complaint would receive an adequate response. Other factors may include cultural sensitivities and contextual factors.
Global evidence shows that for community feedback mechanisms to be effective in capturing safeguarding concerns, consistent engagement with communities is required, particularly with women and girls. Both Mercy Corpsโ CARM and Safeguarding policies articulate requirements for community sensitization: the Safeguarding Policy (Core Standard 7) requires teams to sensitize communities about prohibited behaviors, that all aid is free, the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and how to safely make a report; the CARM Policy (Minimum Standard 4) requires that inclusive community sensitization relay key messages about the purpose of CARM, availability of individual feedback channels, and how the CARM works as a whole.
While CARM and Safeguarding community sensitization efforts are intrinsically linked, currently they are often addressed separately across MC Asia countries, with messages being delivered via separate mediums and/or at separate times. Safeguarding messages are often designed by the Safeguarding Focal Point using Safeguarding sensitization guidance and CARM messages are designed by the CARM Focal Point using CARM sensitization guidance. There is thus a need to support country teams, including safeguarding and CARM focal points, to design and deliver an integrated plan for community sensitization that builds trust in and use of community reporting mechanisms (CARM).
Related challenges are that:
Current community sensitization approaches in MC Asia are predominantly focused on the provision of IEC materials (posters, slides), but lack practical guidance to community-facing staff (be they MC or partner team members) on how to apply other face-to-face strategies such as community consultations and dialogue, with a specific focus on reaching women and other at-risk groups.
Teams in Asia have expressed a desire to ensure that communication materials and other methods account for cultural norms and include contextualized ways to describe harm, exploitation, and abuse.
Objectives of the Consultancy
The primary objective of the consultancy is to develop a community dialogue and information-sharing toolkit, providing practical guidance and tools on (a) communicating integrated CARM + Safeguarding messages to communities, and (b) adapting these messages/tools to different contexts. This will include the development of one country-specific set of tools.
The assignment will involve reviewing existing internal and external practices, documents, and guidelines, and developing a harmonized set of adaptive tools and guidance. The toolkit containing such tools and guidance will support country-level CARM and Safeguarding teamsโas well as program teams and partnersโas they work to ensure that community members understand MCโs commitment to accountability, feel comfortable with the idea of sharing their feedback, and develop trust in the system. Key messages should include (i) harmonized messages related to the overall purpose of CARM, as well as their right to be free from exploitation and abuse; (ii) the expectations we hold of anyone who works on our behalf; (iii) the channels available to share Safeguarding concerns; and (iv) how Mercy Corps manages such reports.
Specific Objectives and Deliverables of the Consultancy:
Activity 1: Develop an integrated Community Accountability + Safeguarding toolkit
Task 1.1: Analyze results of recent survey and then carry out or facilitate follow-up, qualitative โpause & reflectโ conversations to determine way forward.
In order to inform the design and content of the toolkit, and also to measure impact/improvement over time, an initial assessment will be conducted by Mercy Corps (MC) to evaluate whether communities, partners, and staff are aware of their rights and prohibited Safeguarding behaviors, whether they feel safe and have the confidence and knowledge to report misconduct and what are the potential barriers for reporting. The assessment will consist of an anonymous survey, key informant interviews and, where possible, FGDs. Community members, MC staff and partners will be encouraged to take part with honest and candid responses. Key areas will include participantsโ level of knowledge of their rights/prohibited behaviors, participantsโ knowledge and trust in the efficacy and safety of reporting channels, and participantsโ views on barriers for reporting sexual exploitation abuse, harassment or trafficking.
The Consultant will be tasked to analyze the data using standard quantitative and qualitative analytical methods, designed to compare information about men and women and where relevant other categories (e.g., ethnicity). The data will be further categorized per target group (community members, staff, partners) exploring trends such as potential correlation of staff and partner trust levels with trust level among communities they serve. The Consultant will share the analysis with key regional focal points and facilitate conversations to help interpret the findings and determine how they can inform the development of CARM + Safeguarding community sensitization strategies.
Task 1.2: Review existing internal and external CARM and Safeguarding IEC materials and community sensitization efforts
The Consultant will review all IEC materials and current practices in use in the pilot country program/s (by MC teams and partners) for communicating CARM and/or safeguarding with communities. The exercise will seek to understand, through conversations and document review, what Safeguarding information is currently included in community sensitization content, how is it communicated, and what are some challenges and successes encountered in any attempts undertaken to-date. This task will also seek to understand successful strategies that teams use to deliver CARM messages more broadly. Additionally, relevant materials will be collected from MCโs global repository more broadly, as well as from external sources, with a focus on identifying best practices. This task may include communicating and/or meeting with key stakeholders (program/ country/regional teams) to better understand existing practices to complement the documentation.
Task 1.3: Put together/update a workplan for the development of the toolkit
Based on the analysis and discussion following the survey findings, the Consultant will be expected to produce an updated workplan. It is understood that the findings from Tasks 1.1-1.2 may result in a slight shift in the focus of activities 1.4-1.6.
Task 1.4: Develop draft version of integrated CARM+Safeguarding toolkit and share for feedback
Assessment results and the materials and sensitization review exercise will be used to inform the development of a master toolkit, including at minimum: (1) a โmaster IEC CARM+Safeguarding materials templateโ; (2) a CARM+Safeguarding integrated community dialogue guide; and (3) guidance on context-specific refinement and adaptation of the tools. Other community engagement tools will be included as deemed appropriate. The toolkit will be developed in consultation with MCโs Regional Safeguarding and Community Accountability teams, as well as MCโs global behavior change expert, and will be graphically designed by a graphic designer to ensure they are context-appropriate, making use of the various forms of communication tools deployed by program/country teams (e.g., training slides, FGD guides posters). The MC Global Brand team will also be engaged to ensure materials comply with organizational guidance and translators will also be engaged, as needed.
Task 1.5: Support the development of country-specific tools
To ensure country teams and partners are ready to effectively pilot and adapt the toolkit, the Asia Regional Safeguarding and Community Accountability teams will provide an orientation workshop to specific country team/sโs CARM, Safeguarding, program teams and partners (if appropriate). The content will include refresher sessions related to MC Safeguarding policies as well as guidance to teams around best practices. Most importantly, the workshop will also include an introduction to the draft master toolkit and discussions on how to apply the toolkit in their context. The workshop will thus give team members and partners (if appropriate) the opportunity to both: (a) provide feedback on the master toolkit; and (b) discuss and propose adaptations to the toolkit to inform the finalization of their own country-specific tools. The Consultant will support in preparing for the workshop by preparing slides or other toolkit sensitization materials. Following the workshop, they will support in the development of the country-specific version of the toolkit based on the outcomes of the workshop. The teams will then proceed to pilot their country-specific tools, which will also allow for feedback to be gathered from the communities.1
Task 1.6: Finalize toolkit incorporating feedback received from pilot and Mercy Corps key stakeholders
The Consultant will be expected to review and reflect on the feedback received through the workshop, the pilot, and broader feedback process and adjust the master toolkit and sample country-specific tools accordingly.
Timeframe / Schedule
The proposed activities/task and schedule for the consultancy are summarized in the table below. The number of days required for each activity/task is a best-guess estimate based on past consulting experience. The Consultant will charge Mercy Corps for the days used, not the estimated level of effort. Should the work require more time than the estimate, the Consultant will agree on priorities and confirm changes to the consultancy workplan in writing before exceeding the agreed-upon estimate. The anticipated completion dates are based on an expect commencement of the consultancy agreement on February 1, 2025 and ending on June 30, 2025. The total estimated LOE is 32 days.
Objective 1: Develop a combined Community Accountability + Safeguarding toolkit: - Total LOE โ 32 days
Task 1.1: Analyze results of recent survey and then carry out or facilitate follow-up, qualitative โpause & reflectโ conversations to determine way forward. โ 4 days
Task 1.2: Review existing internal and external CARM/Safeguarding IEC materials and community sensitization efforts โ 8 days
Task 1.3: Put together/update a workplan for the development of the toolkit - 0.5 days
Task 1.4: Develop draft version of integrated CARM+Safeguarding toolkit and share for feedback โ 10 days
Task 1.5: Support the development of country-specific tools โ 5 days
Task 1.6: Finalize toolkit incorporating feedback received from pilot and Mercy Corps key stakeholders โ 3 days
Administrative Tasks (planning calls, etc.) โ 1.5 days
Mercy Corps Responsibilities
Mercy Corps will provide the Consultant with the necessary support to undertake and implement the assignment and execute the objective of this SoW. Such responsibilities include:
Provide relevant documents and technical support to the Consultant.
Select pilot country program/s.
Develop and conduct the initial assessment referenced in Task 1.1.
Orient the Consultant on any relevant pilot country and institutional information.
Explain to the Consultant the rationale and vision of the toolkit.
Provide the Consultant with necessary documents.
Introduce Consultant to relevant program and country team members.
Include Consultant in relevant conversations.
Hire translators and graphic designers, as required.
Lead in gathering team members for workshops or other consultation processes.
Pilot tools and gather feedback from community members.
Monitor regularly, provide feedback, and ensure the effectiveness of the tasks and deliverables.
Disburse payment as per the agreed schedule in the Consulting Contract.
Skills and Knowledge Requirements
Minimum of five years of experience working on safeguarding and/or community accountability issues, ideally for humanitarian or development programs in a relevant context.
Bachelorโs degree or equivalent required in Social Work, Psychology, Behavior Science, Development Studies, Sociology, or other a related field. Masterโs degree preferred.
Specific experience and expertise in tool/curriculum development.
Experience in processing and analyzing qualitative data.
Excellent writing skills.
Ability to work effectively and collaboratively under tight deadlines in a variety of cultural contexts.
Required languages: English. Fluency in other relevant regional language a plus.
The consultant will report to:
Regional Technical Resources & Quality (TRaQ) Director โ Asia
The Consultant will work closely with:
The Regional Safeguarding Advisor, Regional Community Accountability Advisor, members of targeted program and country teams, as well as other members of regional SDI working group and global SDI team.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this opportunity, the consultant should provide the following documents:
CV
A cover letter describing their relevant experience, and a proposed daily rate.
Diversity, Equity and inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the worldโs most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members and consultants are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects. Consultants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times when performing work for Mercy Corps.