Burundi: Data analysis and report writing consultancy to support Burundi Peacebuilding, Education and advocacy Programme (PBEA) on Early Childhood Development

1. Background and rationale

Overall background: Running from 2012-2016 and funded by the Government of the Netherlands, the Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy programme (PBEA) in Burundi focuses on reducing the intergenerational transmission of violence. While many of the peace consolidation activities of other partners focus on macro drivers of conflict, UNICEF applies a child- and agent-centred approach that seeks to better understand how children experience and begin to reproduce violence throughout the different stages of their life (early childhood, primary school age, adolescence), and to design interventions that strengthen individual resilience to violence and thus reduce its reproduction in society.

Through a research symposium held in early June 2013, UNICEF and its prospective partners have outlined an ambitious and ground-breaking research agenda, which (a) explored the links between caring practices, resilience, and violence at the household level, (b) analysed the most effective means of addressing structural and direct violence through the school system, and (c) profiled the existing resilience strategies of adolescents and out-of-school children in order to support others to replicate success.

Research, notably on intergenerational transmission of violence in relation to caring and parenting practices at the household level, and on violence in the school environment, including structural aspects of equity in education, was carried out in partnership with research institutions and practitioners identified in the framework of a call for partnership proposals preceding the abovementioned PBEA research symposium.

In the above context, UNICEF plans to follow up with on peacebuilding/education research and programmatic interventions that will leave a footprint extending well beyond the life of the PBEA programme, through their mainstreaming in integrated early childhood development policies and programmes. The present consultancy is thus inscribed in a dynamic of sustainability and synergy with the overarching country priorities, envisaged to afford reciprocal integration and reinforcement from the perspective of the following four domains:

(i) Peace Building: Further integration of education andpeacebuilding/conflict reduction policies, analysis and implementation by profiling early childhood development as both an integral and potentially high-impact domain of long-term peacebuilding and a crucial peace dividend;

(ii) Peace Education: Consistent and holistic translation of conflict sensitive and peace education and child protection approaches, by adopting an innovative focus on the early childhood years;

(iii) Nutrition: Adoption of a contextualised nutrition-sensitive approach to peacebuilding, with ECD interventions fostering resilience and capacitiesto prevent, reduce and cope with conflict and promote peace of children from a young age, as well as of educators and communities at large;

(iv) Social protection: Burundi having recently adopted a social protection strategy, it is crucial to use this strategic opportunity to ensure that it is child-sensitive and precisely inscribe/integrate ECD and nutrition interventions via two strategic axes : i) improving living standards of poor and vulnerable populations and ii) improving access to basic services and investment in human capital, thus sustainably positioning thePeacebuilding-ECD dimension in a severely resources constrained context.

Specific background:In virtue of its mandate and considerations of sustainability and effectiveness of cross-programmatic synergies, UNICEF Burundi has identified the early childhood years as priority focus of research and programming. Within this Early Childhood and Peacebuilding component of the PBEA Burundi research, UNICEF seeks to understand the nexus between early childhood development and peacebuilding, with a particular focus on the relationship between caring practices, violence, and intolerance.

UNICEF works with two institutional research partners on this component, namely the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Institute for Social Sciences Research of the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam). A draft report Caregiving Knowledge, Practices and Attitudes in Burundi, has been produced by Giani M., Mercier M., Munoz-Mora J.-C., Ngenzebuke R.L., Verwimp P. for UNICEF.

The report presents the results of a national representative household survey on parental knowledge, attitudes and practices on child caregiving, administered in Burundi in October and November 2014. The draft report combines insights from a standard household questionnaire module and a Knowledge-Attitude-Practices (KAP) module focused on caregiving and violence. In the report, specific attention is paid to sources of information, the status and discrepancies between caregiving knowledge, attitudes and practices (regarding nutrition, health and education) and the experiences of violence in household and community. Analyses reveal complex and sometimes surprising patterns in caregiving, depending on economic status of the household (extreme poor/ poor/ non-poor), gender of caregiver and/or child, children’s age, as well as household composition.

The survey data provides rich and detailed information about household vulnerabilities, experiences with violence, and caregiving trends. Generated evidence is especially important for the understanding and design of above-mentioned Early Childhood Development interventions that can integrate nutrition, cognitive stimulation and peacebuilding aspects. The existing draft report is written by a team of development economists and presents data factually.

UNICEF Burundi is looking for a data analysis and report editing and writing consultant, with expertise and ideally a practitioner’s experience in both Peacebuilding and Early Childhood Development, to bring out these interlinkages, policy messages and actionable results in a more accessible way for policy makers and non-specialist development practitioners/programme planners in relevant fields.

2. Tasks and deliverables of the Consultant

Under the supervision of the Chief of Health and Nutrition Peacebuilding Specialist and in conjunction with BCO institutional research partners ULB and AISSR, BCO ECD and Peacebuilding specialists, PBEA research coordinator, PBEA taskforce and ECD taskforce and Planning & Monitoring and Social Policy, Advocacy and Evaluation sections, the consultant shall conduct the following main activities:

Tasks

(i) Analyse the original quantitative and qualitative data collected on caregiving knowledge, practices and attitudes in Burundi in liaison with the University of Brussels team and taking account of the primary analysis draft report.

(ii) Writing successive drafts and preparing for publication a final report (45 to 60 pages max. w/o data annexes) including notably the formulation of enhanced policy and programming recommendations for peacebuilding through ECD and development cooperation broadly in Burundi.

Deliverable

Final publication-ready report on Caregiving Knowledge, Practices and Attitudes in Burundi including policy and programming recommendations for peacebuilding through ECD.

3. Deadlines and working arrangements

The consultancy will commence as soon as possible and tasks and activities shall be concluded upon satisfactory receipt by UNICEF of the deliverable, but not later than 31.12.2015.

The work will be entirely home-based and conducted under the direct supervision of the Peace Building Specialist a.i. and of the Chief of Health and Nutrition.

Work will be executed in liaison with ULB team, where and as appropriate, including the possibility of requesting additional data manipulations.

4. Qualifications and key competencies

The consultant will have relevant qualifications and experience with demonstrated skills that meet the following requirements:

Qualifications

1. At least a graduate degree in social science and/or other relevant field such as public health, education, psychology;
2. At least 7 years relevant work experience as a researcher and/or practitioner with a track record of writing in the field of (I)ECD and preferably with experience in developing and/or implementing conflict sensitive/peacebuilding programmes;
3. Track record of practical data analysis and use of statistical software such as STATA, SPSS, etc. a strongly desired asset.
4. Broad knowledge and practical working expertise on maternal and early child care and development policies and programmes at global level.
5. Strong background in policy and programme design, as well as research methodologies, data collection and working in multidisciplinary teams;
6. Understanding of and rich experience in conceptualization, programme planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation as well as systems development desired.
7. Knowledge of the Great Lake Region is an asset

Competencies

1. Strong analytical and writing skills, able to analyze and integrate potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources ;
2. Set high standards for quality of work and consistently achieve set goals ;
3. Demonstrate and share detailed technical knowledge and expertise ;
4. Analytical, negotiating, communication, presentation and advocacy skills ;

5. Consultancy fee

The workload, consultancy fee and payment schedule will be negotiated by UNICEF Burundi Human Resources. In the case of unsatisfactory performance or a significant delay in delivering the outputs, UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment of the fee normally due upon completion of work.

Applications must include motivation letter, an updated CV, and a completed UN Personal History Form (P-11) available at http://unicef.org/about/employ/index_apply.html. UNICEF and UN candidates must also include two recent Performance Evaluation Reports.

Please send your application quoting the title as" Data Analyst Consultant" on the subject line of your application by e-mail to: burundijobs@unicef.org cc: nkaze@unicef.org, cc: srapold@unicef.org. The Deadline of application is 23 October 2015 at 12:00

Applications, which do not meet the specified minimum requirements or those that will be received after the closing date will not be entertained.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

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