Terms of Reference

1. SUMMARY:

2. BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT:

As per pre project analysis report, 56.5% person without disabilities are involved various income generating activities. And Only 3.5% persons with disabilities are involved with income generating activities which is very poor. Though People with disabilities are seeking employment opportunities but due to lack of skill which is mentioned by 94.2% are not employed. Not only so but also un-interest of employers (94.8%), long distance of employment opportunity (59.8%), lack of accessible transport system (80.5%) rendered employment opportunities for person with disabilities. People with disabilities need capacity building opportunities on different alternative income generating activities such as climate resilient farming, salinity tolerant farming, off-farm and non-farm activities, vocational training and waste management, climate smart value chain or some other interventions can be undertaken at home based small scale. Only 5.8% persons with disability (out of the 151 interviewees) have mentioned that they have skills in other income-generating activities including handicrafts, computer but due to lack of finance, they don’t have the opportunity to undertake income-generating activities and 0.4% of the total person with disability in the analysis area have received training from government and non-government organizations on income-generating activities. To better include people with disabilities in society, they need to build capacity for income-generating activities through their willingness, abilities and access to finance.

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The study aims to:

• find out available feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood options, access to climate resilient livelihood options, existing livelihood practices, associated factors to determine climate viable options, and support systems required for the persons with disabilities and at- risk members of community for improving the livelihood of person with disabilities and a-risk groups.
• Assess the market system and value chain analysis to identified climate resilient livelihood options, barriers for person with disabilities and suggesting potential enablers for person with disabilities and at -risk members relevant for the area of intervention.

4. SCOPE OF THE WORK:

This study to generate evidence on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihoods opportunities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups will be conducted in Shyamnagar project catchment areas in line with parameters of expected outcomes. This study will provide contextual examples and will provide an explicit idea about the climate resilient livelihood opportunities. The consultancy firm/consultant will gather information by surveying person with disabilities, representatives of OPDs, caregivers of persons with severe disabilities, at-risk groups, input retailors, local market actors, government officials, and local entrepreneurs.  

The study shall be conducted in forms of key informant interview and focus group discussions.  The information will be collected, analyzed and a profile of climate resilient livelihood opportunities will be generated both in English and Bangla version which will be shared to partners and CBMG for consultation before it is finalized.

Selected Firm/ individual consultant will be carrying out following activities in      the study:

• Conduct a thorough literature review on the intersection of climate change, disabilities, and vulnerabilities in the context of livelihoods.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, Caregivers, representatives of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), community leaders, local government officials, input retailors, market actors, and service providers in working location.
• Explore the locally appropriate & potential climate resilient livelihood options for persons with disabilities in communities, as well as market demands.
• Identify the factors that are needed to enable persons with disability to engage climate resilient livelihoods, including capital, knowledge/training, reasonable accommodation, social inclusion aspects.
• Identification of gaps in existing livelihood services and opportunities for persons with disabilities in project location.
• Collection of data on the current socioeconomic status (Household profile) of the project participants.
• Find factors of conflict & vulnerability in VSLA groups to promote group-based livelihood.
• Consideration of climate change, cultural, social, and economic factors affecting the accessibility of livelihood services for persons with disabilities in project location.
• Opportunities and barriers of market access of identified livelihood options and potential enablers for persons with disabilities.
• Develop an actors map for climate resilient livelihood options and market system in the working location and their roles in the livelihood sectors. 
• Recommendations for filling the identified gaps and improving access to climate resilient livelihood through the leadership of OPDs and VSLA group.
• Develop an inception report with a set of questionnaires and shared with Nabolok, Access Bangladesh and CBMG. After feedback, the questionnaire will be finalized.  
• Designing the tools and techniques to generate evidence on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities.
• Develop a comprehensive disability inclusive livelihood assessment report with in-depth findings, analysis, and actionable recommendations in an accessible format
• Designing the IGA profile of each climate-resilient livelihood option for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. 
• Incorporate feedback of CBMG on the report and finalize the report.

After submitting draft deliverables, project team will review and provide necessary feedback. The consultancy firm/consultant team will share the final deliverables addressing the feedback and will adhere to the proposed timeline and budget for a seamless project completion.

In a nut shell, the project expects from the consultant to deliver all the climate resilient livelihoods opportunities which “persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups” usually practice. S/he can explain the success rate of those different livelihood opportunities also.
This study will contribute to select and finalize climate resilient livelihood options for the project beneficiaries later. This study findings will also be presented in country and abroad.  

5. Key Stakeholders:

• Persons with disability (SHG/ VSLA member)
• Persons with disability (outside VSLA)
• Organizations of People with Disabilities (OPD)
• Marginalized people e.g., Indigenous peoples, Dalits, Transgender, etc.
• Government department/official (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Social service office, Youth Department, Cooperative Department etc.)
• Local government representatives
• Micro-finance organizations and Bank
• Market management committee (local buyer, middleman, input supplier)
• UDMC and WDMC members, CPP volunteer, DRR & climate-smart livelihoods practicing organizations
• Care giver (PRT, MI, ID, children with disability)
• Local elites/influential person

6. Target audience and intended use

The target audience of the feasibility study is Nabolok, Access Bangladesh, CBMG, OPD. At the same time, the findings of the study report will also be shared with GO, NGOs and other stakeholders working in the field of livelihood. The report will be used for measuring changes of stakeholders of the project.
Intended use:

• The findings from the study/survey will be important for Nabolok, Access Bangladesh, CBMG, OPD. identifying the gaps and keeping as feasibility and viable livelihood options to check/monitor milestones of the project.
• The study report (especially findings and recommendations) will support the project team to develop an effective livelihood plan for the project participants.
• The report will serve as a reference point for project execution and successful implementation.
• Contribute to the broader goal of improving climate resilient livelihoods options for persons with disability and at-risk members.

7. GENDER

This study to generate evidence on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihoods opportunities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups will ensure gender equality in assessing all types of climate resilient livelihood opportunities. The consultancy firm/consultant team will employ gender-sensitive methodologies to capture the unique perspectives and experiences of women and men and also different types of disabilities in the context of climate-resilient livelihoods. Besides, the consultancy firm will ensure participation of the women, particularly women with disabilities and caregivers of persons with severe disabilities in data collection and will give equal importance to the women while they are gathering information on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihoods opportunities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Specific areas of this study that need to be gender inclusive:

• Assessment of feasible and viable climate resilient livelihoods opportunities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
• Recommended livelihood opportunities must have to be gender inclusive.

8. TEAM QUALIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

The required qualifications and experience for firm/individual consultant are given below:
Minimum Eligibility and Qualifications of the firm or individual consultant

• At least seven years’of experience on conducting training, and assessing different livelihood opportunities for person with disabilities and other vulnerable groups with reputed organizations (INGOs, NGOs, UN, University and other humanitarian agencies)
• Firm or Individual consultant must have experience on disability inclusive climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
• Firm or Individual consultant must have experience on designing the IGA profile.
• For organization trade licenses, audit reports, and TINs are required; however, for individual consultants, just TINs are required.
• Experienced on disability inclusive development, mental health, DRR, and livelihood of persons with disability or related sectors
• Proven advanced computer skills, strong written, analytical skill
• Excellent communication skills for facilitations and training
• The firm/ the team should have a disability inclusion expert and sign language interpreter (for the field level correspondence) in the team.

Minimum Eligibility and Qualifications of the key personnel:

Team Leader
Postgraduate degree with at least 7 years of professional experience in research, disaster management and climate change adaptation with a specific experience in disability inclusive climate resilient livelihood assessment as well as in designing the IGA profile.

Facilitator
Graduate or equivalence degree with at least 7 years of professional experience in training facilitation, conducting FGDs, KII and questionnaire survey in the fields of disability, climate resilient livelihood, disaster management and climate change adaptation.

9. DELIVERABLES

Selected firm or consultant will provide following deliverables considering digital accessibility:

• Inception report on climate resilient livelihood opportunities including detail methodology, data and information collection plan and time framework;
• Give a presentation slide on data collection tools and process regarding the project areas both in Bengali and English.
• Interim report providing progress updates, initial findings, and any challenges encountered at the midway point of the consultancy.
• Draft recommendation report on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities, in soft copies in MS Word and PDF format;
• Draft IGA profile for each recommended feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities, in soft copies in MS Word and PDF format;
• Final recommendation report on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities for person with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
• Final IGA profile for each recommended feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities.

10. COSTS AND PAYMENTS

The assessment cost should include all professional fees and HR expenditures as well as travel and daily allowance charges, among other things. In accordance with the ToR, Nabolok Parishad will make payments by bank transfer to the consultant team's or consultancy firm's bank account. After the task is completed and the invoice is submitted, payment will be given based on deliverables.

• 1st Payment: 30% of the contract value will be paid based on the submission and acceptance of the inception report

• 2nd Payment: 70% of the contract value will be paid based on submission and acceptance of final recommendation report on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihood opportunities

VAT and tax will be deducted from the source as per the government’s NBR policies.

11. APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Interested firms or individual consultant should submit their expression of interest to nabolok.edrcs.focal@gmail.com by 21st December, 2023. In the subject line please mention “Conduct study to generate evidence on feasible and viable climate resilient livelihoods opportunities for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups”. Application should include:

• Technical Proposal which contains cover letter, firms or individual profile, previous experience, detail methodology, work plan, team profile including Curriculum Vitae etc.
• Financial Proposal which contains breakdown of all costs                

The end