EoI Cash Resource Consultant at INTERSOS

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian organization that assists the victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts and exclusion. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable people.

Terms of reference

Job Title: Expression of interest// Cash Resource Consultant

Code: SR-00-1950**

Duty station: Home based

Starting date: 01/07/2021

Contract duration: 1,5 month approx.

Reporting to: Director General of INTERSOS

Supervision of:

Dependents: Non-family Duty Station /non-accompanied

General context of the project

INTERSOS works in 19 crisis affected countries and is a leading provider of Protection services in many hard-to-reach areas affected by conflicts serving Refugees, IDPs and affected host communities. INTERSOS provides a holistic Protection response that incorporates restoration of dignity, enhancing well-being, as well as prevention and response to abuse, violence and exploitation of conflict affected populations. It has been noticed that direct prevention and response interventions are in some cases, not wholly sufficient, when the beneficiaries need to pay for the services they need. Internal analysis of our data showed that the lack of income to pay and access services to meet basic needs or mitigate protection risks led to beneficiaries not being able to protect themselves. INTERSOS introduced Cash for Protection as part of the Case Management process to mitigate and / or respond to Protection risks targeting survivors of GBV, Children and Women at risk and People with Specific Needs. This cash is sometimes used to cover Emergency Needs or as Multipurpose cash to cover basic needs or as cash support specifically targeted towards mitigating Protection risks. This is currently done in 12 countries and in 2020 about 13.000 individuals have been reached with individual cash for protection, with amounts between 35 USD to 150 USD per person.

Moreover, INTERSOS has been implementing CBI as part of its comprehensive approach to address beneficiary’s needs: basic needs (MPCA – Multi Purpose Cash Assistance), rent (RS), direct protection outcomes (CPA – cash for protection assistance), health (CHA – cash for health assistance). People in need of humanitarian assistance (refugees, IDPs and vulnerable host community members) have been supported by different modalities and approaches to ensure they get access to cash assistance.

For this research, a total of 8 countries will be selected (i.e) 2 countries from each operational region of INTERSOS, namely Jordan and Lebanon (Middle East region), Burkina Faso and Cameroon (West Africa region), South Sudan and DRC (East and Central Africa region) and Yemen and Afghanistan (Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya region). This will include CBI for refugees, Internally Displaced people and host communities in conflict and crisis affected countries. In 2020 INTERSOS has supported approximately 6500 individuals and families with Cash support across these 8 countries.

INTERSOS seeks to examine the best practices in Cash Based Interventions within the Organization, and whether and how CBI leads to Protection outcomes through this research.

General purpose of the position

Outcome:

Research paper (format with content categories to be developed).

The research will determine how Cash Based Intervention can be better designed to meet humanitarian needs and offer protection benefits to the most vulnerable persons.

Main responsibilities and tasks

The objective of the research study is to identify best practices, challenges and recommendations for CBI intervention within the organization and to establish the extent to which Protection outcomes can be achieved using CBI across different humanitarian contexts and conflict affected populations and groups, as well as identify scope for INTERSOS CBI in other humanitarian sectors.

To fulfil this objective, the research will answer the following questions:

1. What are the best and most effective ways and methods of disbursing Cash?
2. When does CBI work, when should it be in place, and how is it best implemented to achieve intended outcomes?
3. What type of risk analysis is required to anticipate and mitigate potentially negative and damaging impacts of CBI?
4. How does CBI contribute to the overall wellbeing of the beneficiary?
5. How protection mainstreaming principles are/can be embedded in CBI?
6. How CBI, and in particular Cash for Protection, can be formulated to be most impactful in achieving protection outcomes
7. How CBIs, and in particular Cash for Protection, can be better designed to set protection objectives with measurable indicators?
8. What is the added value,if any, of embedding CBIin the Protection Case Management Process?
9. What is the impact of CBI in meeting basic and emergency needs and accessing health?
10. What are the existing humanitarian gaps outside protection assistance that INTERSOS could address using CBI?

Tasks:

● Desk based review of internal documents and reports, as well as tools used by INTERSOS in delivering Cash Based Interventions;

● Analysis of the different modalities of Cash disbursement outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each modality in reference to the objective of Cash provision

● Interviews with key protection staff, health staff, and other teams involved in Cash Based Interventions and heads of missions in different contexts to better understand specific challenges related to Cash Based Interventions and ways to address them;

● Interviews with beneficiaries of Cash Based Interventions to evaluate how Cash has supported them and also to gain feedback on Disbursement methodologies

● Review of INTERSOS country-level guidelines on CBI and their relevance based on information collected from the field and in relation to global guidelines.

● Drafting of reports in line with the format and content agreed with INTERSOS key staff that captures learning, case studies, challenges and mitigation measures, as well as conclusions and recommendations.

● The desk review approach for this research will involve all of the 8 targeted countries operations, while depending on the pandemic situation at the time of the research, it is foreseen to visit two operational contexts in combination with Desk research.

Required profile and experience

Education

N/A

Professional Experience

● Proven technical expertise in Cash Based Interventions

● Proven record in research and analytical thinking, with good understanding of research methodologies (with examples of written research conducted)

● Strong writing skills in English

Professional Requirements

· Basic Computer Skills (Word, Excel, Internet)

· Excellent communication skills

· Excellent research and analytical skills

· A sample of a similar evaluation report elaborated in the past should be provided to INTERSOS as evidence

Languages

· English is compulsory. Professional knowledge of French and Italian is an asset**

Personal Requirements

• Highly Organized

  Available to provide a timely feedback