CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Danish Refugee Council
Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 30 Oct 2014

Background

The Danish Refugee Council has been in South Sudan since 2004 mainly working with returning refugees and internally displaced persons returning home after a long civil war. In 2012, DRC opened its operations in Upper Nile State (Maban County) to respond to the large influx of refugees coming from Blue Nile State in Sudan. In early 2013 DRC expanded its operations to Unity State, by setting up a new refugee camp, Ajuong Thok, to welcome refugees relocated from Yida as well as new arrivals from South Kordofan. Apart from building the new camp, DRC is responsible in Ajuong Thok for: Camp Management, Shelter, NFI distributions and Community Services. DRC is also implementing small infrastructure upgrading activities for the host community.

In 2012 DRC in South Sudan merged with the Danish Demining Group bringing together DRC’s protection activities and DDG’s AVR (armed violence reduction) activities as well as humanitarian mine action.

DRC’s main donors in Unity State are UNHCR and Danida. The Head of Office will be leading a team of 6 international staff and over 70 national staff.

DRC is a rights-based organisation and a member of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) and therefore committed to documenting our accountability to the beneficiary population and the impact of our activities. DRC adopts a community-based approach, where beneficiaries and local authorities are included in the prioritising, planning and implementation of activities as an important measure of rehabilitation and capacity building.

Purpose of the assessment

Several agencies are or have until recently been involved in the provision of food security and livelihood activities (FSL) in both the refugee and host community. As activities move from emergency into a care and maintenance phase there is a real need to consider durable solutions for the refugee population. At the same time there is a need to consider the needs of the host community and to build stronger and peaceful relationships between the refugee and host communities.

UNHCR and partner agencies wish to develop an FSL strategy for Maban. This strategy would inform FSL activities for 2015 and beyond. In order to develop this strategy there is a need to gain a better understanding of past and present FSL activities.

Scope of work

The consultancy will be carried out approximately from 17^th November 2014 and will be undertaken in primarily in 31 days.

Key tasks

The consultant is expected to

· Provide an overview of what FSL activities have been conducted by different agencies in Maban county (both in the host community as well as in the four refugee camps) since 2012;

· Conduct an assessment of youth vocational skills in both the host and refugee community;

· Build on the work conducted in previous assessments;

· Provide recommendations on which current FSL activities should continue in 2015, which activities should cease, and which new FSL activities should be considered for introduction in 2015;

Key Deliverables

· Review recent assessments and other pertinent documentation on FSL activities in Maban;

· Meet with all key stakeholders in Maban (UNHCR, partner agencies, local authorities, refugee community leaders, payam and other local administrators);

· Provide a detailed and comprehensive written report which should;

· Outline all FSL activities (including income-generating activities, vocational training) conducted in Maban in the past 12-18 months;

· Provide a list of recommendations (including a clear rationale for each) on which FSL activities (including income-generating activities and vocational trainings) should continue, which activities should cease and which new activities should be introduced in 2015;

· Present key findings to the Maban FSL Working Group towards the end of the consultancy period.

Time Frame

Availability: Mid November 2014

Duty station: Maban – Upper Nile, South Sudan

Contract Length:31 days

Consultant profile

Essential:

· Degree in Development Studies or qualification in social sciences or related subjects;

· At least 5 years demonstrable NGO field experience in the FSL sector;

· Experience of working in fragile and insecure environments;

· Experience of working with refugee and host communities a distinct advantage;

· Excellent writing and presentation skills;

Desirable:

· Prior experience in South Sudan is a distinct advantage;

· Knowledge of Arabic and any local language (Maban, Uduk) is a distinct advantage.

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, irrespective of nationality, race, gender or age.

Assessment and award of consultancy

DRC will evaluate the proposals and award the assignment based on technical and financial feasibility. DRC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal received without giving reasons and is not bound to accept the lowest or the highest bidder. Only those shortlisted will be contacted. Any subcontracting of the consultancy will not be accepted.

Commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework.

Further information

You are welcome to contact our Team leader for Maban, Mike Ahern at team.leader.maban@drc-ssudan.org

About DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more than twenty five countries throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.

The protection and assistance to conflict affected population is provided within a long-term, regional and rights-based approach in order to constitute a coherent and effective response to the challenges posed by today’s conflicts. Assistance consists of relief and other humanitarian aid, rehabilitation, support to return and repatriation as well as promotion of long-term solutions to displacement and its causes. In addition, support and capacity building of local and national authorities and NGOs form an integral part of DRC’s work.

How to apply:

Application Interested applicants who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit their Expression of Interest by clicking on the apply button. All applicants must include the following documents in their application:

· CV(s) with details of qualifications and experience indicating documentation of relevant assignments undertaken, and including full contact details of three professional referees.

· Brief (not more than 2 pages) technical proposal that summarizes understanding of the TOR including the proposed methodology.

· Financial proposal providing cost estimates of daily consultancy fees.

· The foreseen work plan.

Only qualified and motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the selection criteria sent together with a CV will be considered. Please provide references, but do not attach any written recommendations until requested to do so.

Please submit your application and CV in English and marked “Food Security and Livelihoods (market assessment) Consultant– South Sudan” no later than30th October 2014.

CV-only applications will not be considered. Please note that applications are not to be sent directly to Mike Ahem. We only accept applications sent via our online recruitment system onwww.drc.dk.

Problems with on-line application?

Please inform us via job@drc.dk, if you have questions to the application process or experience problems with your on-line application.

Organization: UN Human Settlements Program
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 18 Sep 2014

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CONSULTANT(s) VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Issued on: 04.09.2014

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION: UN-HABITAT

DUTY STATION: Home-based with availability to travel

FUNCTIONAL TITLE: Housing Market Expert, ConsultancyHousing Market Dynamics in Africa

DURATION: 01^st October 2014 – 31st April 2015

CLOSING DATE: 18^th September 2014

BACKGROUND

Although the housing sector varies across different countries and regions, the common reality among urban developing markets has been a surge in demand for housing, effectively driving up housing prices and pushing quality housing out of reach of the majority of those who are in need, especially poor and middleclass households.

The unprecedented proliferation of slums and other informal settlements in African cities is the physical manifestation of a chronic lack of adequate and affordable housing resulting from, inadequate policies and failure of markets. With the exception of a few successful stories, there is an urgent need to revisit housing provision and affordability in the context of present-days realities and future challenges posed by up-coming urbanization in Africa.

This consultancy is part of a project developed by the African Development Bank and UN-Habitat to carry out a study on “Housing Market Dynamics in Africa”. It responds to the urgent need for a critical assessment of Africa’s housing market dynamics, opportunities and challenges, as well as the role that the private sector and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) can play in designing and implementing policies to improve access to affordable housing products.

In order to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges of satisfying Africa’s housing needs and offer useful policy recommendations, the objective of this consultancy is two-faceted: First, it aims to shed more light on the continent’s housing market in order to better understand its main driving forces as well as the main constraints to its development, particularly, the constraints preventing external stakeholders such as the private sector from catering for low and middle income populations. Secondly, it aims to come up with good practices and approaches that have proved successful in other emerging markets that may be adaptable to the circumstances encountered in the African housing market. Specific objectives include:

• To better understand and measure dynamics in the housing sector in African cities and bridge the knowledge gap.

• To undertake a stakeholder analysis, which will provide a better understanding of the main actors, including DFIs, in the market and their interactions.

• To provide concrete policy recommendations to encourage private sector involvement in increasing access to adequate housing at an affordable cost by leveraging both African and other emerging market experiences.

• Using lessons learned from other emerging countries, to explore possible (and alternative) solutions to the challenge low-income housing provision of in Africa, especially from the private sector, and the appropriate conditions under which this can be achieved. The role of DFIs should be examined, emphasizing the lessons learnt by similar institutions in Asia and Latin America.

• To propose feasible financing solutions, operations and policy options that can be adopted and implemented to leverage the role of external stakeholders such as the private sector in the provision of affordable housing for the poor majority.

Four main thematic areas

The analysis of housing markets in Africa will be structures along four main thematic areas, namely a) Financing affordable housing demand and supply; b) Unlocking land supply and providing infrastructure; c) Solving the construction cost and productivity conundrum; and d) Housing alternatives for the most poor and slum upgrading. Four housing experts will be recruited under this vacancy announcement to elaborate an analysis on one of the thematic areas listed above. While applying, the candidate must indicate her/his interest area.

RESPONSIBILITIES and DELIVERABLES

In order to respond to the objectives, a project team with 4 housing experts led by the AfDB’s housing team and UN-Habitat will carry out the following activities:

Scoping Missions

The team of consultants will embark on scoping missions in 6 countries covering the continent’s five regions. The objective of these missions is to gather data and evidence, which will then feed into thematic papers on four different key themes (as listed above). More specifically, the scoping missions will seek to take stock of the housing market’s dynamics within the African regions, highlighting the key issues and opportunities for both public and private sector engagement. The methodology will include initial desk reviews, case studies where applicable, data collection, focal groups, experience interviews as well as selected site visits. At the end of each scoping mission, it is expected that the housing experts hired for this consultancy with guidance and input from the AfDB and UN-Habitat will deliver the following outputs:

a. A draft consolidated list of key stakeholders relevant to the study;

b. The consultants will propose a detailed methodology and analytical framework related to their thematic area to AfDB and UN-Habitat.

c. A brief report summarizing the findings of the scoping mission including the potential areas to be further investigated and discussed in the thematic papers to be prepared by the thematic experts.

d. A first draft of a policy brief and case study highlighting regional best practices or interesting and innovative housing market features, where applicable. The AfDB and UN-Habitat will use this as background materials and finalize as appropriate for the benefits of their management and operations. Annotated outlines for the thematic papers. This will be the basis for the production of fully-fledged thematic papers and the final study on housing market dynamics in Africa. Thorough desk reviews on the housing market dynamics in North Africa and Southern Africa should also be conducted, including on countries not visited under the scoping missions. These desk reviews should be supplemented with key stakeholder interviews where necessary in order to gather missing data and information.

Thematic Papers

The consultant(s), depending on his/her expertise and interest will elaborate a paper on one of the thematic areas listed below:

I. Financing affordable housing demand and supply: This section will discuss access to finance by consumers, developers and financial intermediaries along the housing delivery value chain. The discussion should include a description of the housing markets and provide a landscape of actors and institutions involved, as well as the main driving forces, features and characteristics.

II. Unlocking land supply and providing infrastructure – reforming or establishing legal and regulatory frameworks and land governance to improve land supply. Potential topics to be considered include: land regulation and taxation; tenure security and regularization; municipal governance, admiration and permitting processes; zoning-laws, land-use plans, building permits and their impact on land costs and supply; densification vs. urban sprawl; public vs. private land; customary land regimes; physical constraints in land acquisition and servicing; trunk infrastructure planning, costs and up-scaling, etc.

III. Solving the construction cost and productivity conundrum – explore ways to reduce the time, cost of housing and scale-up production without compromising sustainability and quality. Potential topics to be considered include: innovative building technologies, materials and professional services; fragmentation of the construction sector/ industry; consumer preferences; the role academia in developing innovative solutions; sustainability and green housing; improve productivity and accelerate construction; push the boundaries on construction cost without compromising quality and deliver; labour costs and conditions; unpredictable prices of commodities and import substitution; industrialization of the construction sector vs. employment generation; support to small-scale companies; build capacity and training; investments in capital equipment; building time and procurement of building services and inputs; improving construction sector capacity;

IV. Housing alternatives for the most poor and slum upgrading – the challenge of access to affordable housing remains a major issue among the poor majority. This topic should explore how to leverage the participation of external stakeholders, especially the private sector in housing provision of for the low-income sector. Likely issues to be examined include trends and good examples, review the principal instruments, innovations and policies in housing provision for the most poor from specialized housing institutions to community-based initiatives; from mainstream to non-conventional provision mechanisms; from subsidies to reimbursable loans; from homeownership to social and rental housing; from self-build to cooperative approaches; from slum-upgrading vs. new housing provision; from the formal to the informal sector. In addition, look at lessons from emerging markets, experiences with private sector involvement in the sector and public private partnerships.

WHEN APPLYING, PLEASE INDICATE THE THEMATIC AREA OF INTEREST

An analysis of the political economy of housing as it relates to each of the themes listed above will feature prominently in the paper. These analyses will attempt to shed more light on the role of government as an intervening stakeholder in shaping housing markets. It will further examine the extent to which governments act as enablers or obstacles in the efficient functioning of housing markets. This is particularly important as the capacity of the private sector to respond to the housing needs of the most poor could either be enhanced or curtailed by institutional protection or prohibitions by the State.

In addition, while the scoping mission will provide on-the-ground information about a few countries, the thematic papers should be continental in scope.

The consultants will propose a detailed methodology and analytical framework to the AfDB and UN-Habitat before scoping missions and desk reviews. However, for each thematic paper, methodological tools should include at least (i) a review of available literature on each of the themes; (ii) design a strong analytical framework, and (iii) data collection and analytic exercises including, where possible, structured interviews with relevant stakeholders (including DFIs, national housing associations and other identified partners). Each paper will also feature one or two relevant case studies of innovative approaches being employed in solving a thematic challenge: one case study either in Asia or Latin America and one case study in Africa. These case studies will seek to highlight best practice as well as interesting and innovative features in housing markets, which can be replicated across the African continent.

Validation workshops

The thematic papers will be used to facilitate discussions in 3 validation workshops to be held in 3 cities and gathering participants from the 5 regions of the continent. The validation workshops will have several working sessions organized around the main themes and focusing on housing sector issues most relevant to that specific region as the case may be. The workshops’ main objectives will include: (i) gathering stakeholders and experts from the region to discuss housing sector issues; (ii) validating the main findings of the background papers, including issues on housing dynamics, market challenges and opportunities, possibilities to go down market etc., (iii) Additional information gathering regarding local housing issues (iv) better defining main policy recommendations and getting buy-in from local stakeholders, and (v) performing a needs assessment in terms of capacities and skills to strengthen the sector.

The consultant(s) will review and finalize her/his thematic paper according to the inputs from the workshops. In addition, findings of the thematic papers will be reviewed both internally and externally through various committees of experts before it is finalized. The findings from the workshops and thematic papers will inform and guide the elaboration of the final report, to be coordinated by AfDB and UN-Habitat.

TIMEFRAME

The assignment will be undertaken during the period of October 01^st 2014 to April 31^st 2015.

COMPETENCIES

• Thorough understanding of the dynamics of housing finance and human settlements sector in developing countries, including the constraints posed to housing delivery and institutional requirements best applicable to the given context; knowledge of concepts and approaches relevant to housing finance, specifically in the areas of land, construction industry, low-income housing and related, as well as good understanding of housing markets and the challenges of affordability in developing countries.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to articulate complex ideas in a clear and accurate manner including the ability to present the content of the thematic area in a clear and concise manner.
• Planning and management skills: ability to co-ordinate output delivery, establish priorities and plan, coordinate own work plan and projects, use time efficiently and apply judgment in the context of competing deadlines.

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (masters or similar) in a field relevant to housing finance, housing and urban planning, public policy, social sciences, international development, political science, or similar.
• Demonstrated senior level experience in housing finance, land and infrastructure, construction industry, low income housing and slum upgrading, as well as previous consultancies in these areas.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Expert knowledge of the housing sector in developing countries;
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in research and policy development related to housing finance, land and infrastructure, construction industry, low income housing and slum upgrading in developing country contexts and within international organizations.
• Experience in housing markets in developing countries

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the consultancies advertised, excellent proficiency in spoken and written English is required. Strong working knowledge in spoken and/or written French and Portuguese will be regarded as a considerable advantage.

REMUNERATION

Proposed consultancy fees for the elaboration of thematic papers will be defined based on the experience of the consultant(s). Travel costs and daily allowance as per the UN rate are payable in addition to the consultancy fee.

How to apply:

Applications should include:

• Cover memo (maximum 1 page) indicating the thematic area of interest

• CV in the PHP format, accessible through the INSPIRA website (inspira.un.org) Please note, if using INSPIRA for the first time, you need to register in order to activate your account, which will allow you to log in and create a personal History Profile.

• The PHP should be attached to the application as a PDF file.

• Summary CV (maximum 2 pages), indicating the following information:

1. Educational Background (incl. dates)
2. Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)
3. Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)
4. Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments
5. Expectations regarding remuneration

• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)

Please also be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the

UN-HABITAT e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster

through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org

All applications should be submitted in electronic format (using MS Word) by email to Christophe.Lalande@unhabitat.org and Fernanda.Lonardoni@unhabitat.org – emails should include in the subject the thematic of area of interest (e.g. application housing market study_thematic area IV (or other)).

UN-HABITAT

P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya

Email:

Fax: + 254 20

Deadline for applications: 18 September 2014

UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org

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