1. Summary
1.1. Purpose: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) seeks to identify, analyse, and disseminate the lessons learned from the Americas Population Movement Emergency Appeal (MDR42004), implemented from September 2018 to March 2021.
1.2. Audience: These lessons will be the basis for Argentina Red Cross (ARC), Brazilian Red Cross (BRC), Chilean Red Cross (CRC), Ecuadorian Red Cross (ERC), Guyana Red Cross (GRC), Panama Red Cross (PRC), Peruvian Red Cross (PeRC), Trinidad & Tobago Red Cross (TTRC) and Uruguayan Red Cross (URC), ICRC, IFRC and Partner National Societies (PNS) to inform future planning and response preparedness for similar operations in the future but also movement partners.
1.3. Commissioners: This evaluation is being commissioned by IFRC Regional Office for the Americas jointly with the National Societies involved in the operation.
1.4. Reports to: The consultant(s) in charge of this process will report to the IFRC Regional Office focal point for this process.
1.5. Duration: The timeframe of the process is 2 weeks (including briefings, information gathering, data collection, analysis, report writing, presentation, and follow-up), with 10 days covered by consultancy fees.
1.6. Timeframe: 15 June – 30 June 2021
1.7. Methodology summary: A transmedia process and report are preferred. The methodology may include secondary and literature review, virtual interactions with stakeholders across different levels, video recording, video sharing, analysis of the evaluation findings, and online tools for discussion and dissemination.
1.8. Location: Remote. No fieldwork is included.
2. Background
Since 2015, the Americas region has experienced a surge in migration, particularly from Venezuela. As of November 2020, there are 5.4 million Venezuelan migrants in the world, with 4.6 million in Latin America and the Caribbean alone. In addition to the unprecedented number of migrants from Venezuela settling throughout the region, countries in the Americas receive significant numbers of extra-regional migrants from the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Some of these migrants have settled permanently in the region, but many others choose to travel north, crossing from Colombia into Panama through the Darien Gap on their way to North America.[1]
The first COVID-19 cases appeared in Latin America in February 2020 and the virus subsequently spread to nearly every country in the Americas by late March. Though the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic on the migration context in the Americas remains to be seen, the spread of the virus is likely to exacerbate the migrant populations’ already vulnerable position in the region. Refugees and migrants in the Americas are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and other diseases due to high geographic mobility, instability, informal or precarious income, overcrowding, lack of sanitation, language barriers and lack of access to decent health care or vaccination programmes, among others.[2]
Moreover, migrants have been especially affected by the border closure measures that many countries are taking to prevent the outbreak of the virus. Despite these tightened restrictions, the flow of migration in the Americas has not ceased, indicating that many are choosing to migrate irregularly and face the associated difficulties, risks and protection issues highlighted in the EA document. Also, many express the will to return to their countries of origin and some have already done so.
Given the significant impact that the pandemic has had on migrants’ livelihoods, groups of Venezuelan nationals have formally requested to return to their country, (it is estimated that from March to September 2020 there were 135,300 entries to Venezuela), a situation that had not been registered before the COVID-19 outbreak. This recent influx of returnees has added further complexity to the already diverse range of migration flows in the region, necessitating an adjusted humanitarian response.
Migrants in the region have experienced difficulties and vulnerabilities in host countries, where existing feelings of xenophobia and discrimination towards people under situations of human mobility (migrants and refugees) have become exacerbated with the spread of the virus. Indeed, refugees and migrants are often the first to be stigmatized and, eventually, unfairly blamed for the spread of diseases. In this changing context, it is important that, while heeding public health, security and protection measures, people in vulnerable situations continue being supported, so as to ensure their rights and protect their dignity.
According to IFRC’s report “Least protected, most affected,” the pandemic has compounded risks already directly affecting migrant populations, including: 1) Formal barriers or exposure to smuggling, especially for migrants with irregular status; 2) The loss of social support due to quarantine and/or border closures inhibits movement and prevents connection with family members; 3) Specific protection concerns such as human trafficking with aims of labour and/or sexual exploitation are being exacerbated. In addition, gender-based violence is increasing and is evident through manifestations such as domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and psychological violence.
The initial EPoA was built upon the country-level plans and budgets of Red Cross National Societies. As part of the current Appeal revision, each of the National Societies involved in the operation developed a detailed plan of action and budget based on an updated analysis of the situation. Considering the current migration context, the Americas Regional Office has formed a Migration Coordination Cell composed of experts from the IFRC whose mission is to support the implementation of active emergency operations in the region related to population movement.
Please refer to this link for reports on the Emergency Appeal operation: https://www.ifrc.org/en/publications-and-reports/appeals/?ac=MDR42004&at=0&c=&co=&dt=1&f=&re=&t=&ti=&zo=
The transition process for the population movement operation in the Americas has been developed since mid-year of 2019 with the support of the HeOps assigned for this operation, the Migration team, the different Country Cluster offices (CCST), and the National Societies involved. The transition process has begun with the revision of the regional call and the 2021 planning. In this regard, each National Society, in coordination with the CCSTs, has reviewed the strategic migration framework, action plan, and budget in order to improve the transition. From the Regional Office, it is expected that this transition can begin in the first half of 2021, considering the capacity of each National Society, available resources, the capacity of each CCST and CO as well as the integrity with other types of programs and operations.
[1] The term “migrants” is deliberately broad and includes refugees, asylum seekers, and/or stateless persons entitled to special protection under international law.
[2] For more information about the impact of COVID-19 on the migration context in the region, see the COVID updates published by the Regional Appeal in GO. Update 1 Update 2 Update 3
3. Lessons Learned Purpose & Scope
The lessons learned process aims to identify, document, analyse, store, and retrieve the key learning opportunities from the operation. This process can be summarized into two main parts: 1) capturing and applying lessons learned (identity and document) and 2) applying lessons learned (analyse, store, and retrieve). The two parts are key not only to learn from what was implemented but to use those learnings in future projects.
The lessons learned process also aims to provide clear, concrete, and actionable information in agile, multimedia and user-friendly formats. Both parts of the process should use online/virtual platforms and tools to gather and disseminate the information. The identification and documentation activities should be highly interactive and collaborative
4. Objectives - Structure
4.1 Objectives
Objective 1: To manage the facilitation of the lesson learned workshop to identify and document the key learning opportunities (facts and recommendations) that the appeal and the final evaluation provides, including geographic criteria (learnings per country or regions) and thematic criteria (migration, PGI, finance, volunteer management, logistics, CEA, public communications, and PMER).
Objective 2: To analyse, store, and retrieve the key learning opportunities identified and documented, with particular emphasis on those related to health, migration, PGI, and CEA.
Objective 3: To develop the final report of the lessons learned workshop.
4.2 Structure
The following is a suggested structure by which this process might be conducted. This structure may be used as applicable for the consultant(s) to develop a proposal and work plan.
Capturing and applying lessons learned
Identification
- Compilation of learnings (facts and recommendations) by country or region
- Compilation of learnings (facts and recommendations) by thematic area
- Compilation of learnings (facts and recommendations) by focus area
- Compilation of the main failures across all categories above.
Documentation
- Video-based documentation, including video interviews with key stakeholders to gather their main uptakes. The detailed lessons learned should be noted in videos that all relevant actors can respond to and that can be used for future reference.
- Collaborative session to discuss the video-based documentation results, and to go deeper on some of them.
- A list of key archives/publications/examples related to the learnings is preferred.
Applying lessons learned
Analysis
- Learning or failure
- Reason for success or failure
- How to (not) repeat it
- Three top recommendations for future implementors
Storage
- Save the lessons learned reports on a shared folder or in a cloud solution so they are available to all project teams.
Retrieving
- A navigation guide to go through the compilations.
- A video summary per compilation.
- An infographic or similar product summarizing the main contents of each compilation.
5. Methodology
The lessons learned process is expected to develop a detailed methodology for this consultancy as part of the first set of deliverables the selected team should work on.
The methodology is expected to include the technical approach preferred by the team, the main gathering methods, the main methods of documentation and analysis, and the final products and formants in which the findings will be presented. This methodology should keep into account that this process aims to be an online, virtual, transmedia process. Some actions that should be considered include:
- Desk review: Conducting a desk review of documentation using the final evaluation report, including the Appeal, Plan of Action and revisions, operation updates, and Appeal final report.
- Key informant: Work with a core team to develop the workshop facilitation and methodology virtually, this core team is the one involved in the operation, to have a solid overview of the different learnings per category. Digital/online interviews might be arranged and recorded with the selected informants. Those recordings could be used to produce the videos as part of the workshop.
- Collaborative sessions: In order to discuss the video-documented and shared learnings, and to go deeper into some of the key elements behind the success or failure.
The hiring team will provide support in developing an arrangement in which primary data collection with people reached and/or community leaders can be feasible, involving the National Society’s capacities if possible. Potential solutions include building on National Society volunteer capacities for interpretation, establishing contact with people to be interviewed by the consultant(s), or conducting the primary data collection based on guidance from and questionnaire design developed by the evaluator.
The consultant(s)
The person or team consists of a DMEL/PMER and communications/audiovisual specialists. In case they are a team, one person should be designated to have the ultimate responsibility to lead the process, design the methodology and deliver the outputs as described below.
6. Deliverables (or Outputs)
Virtualization of the lessons learned workshop.
Methodology management
Workshop management
Final report of the lessons learned workshop.
7. Evaluation Quality & Ethical Standards
The consultants should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the process is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of people and the communities of which they are members, and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate, reliable, and legitimate, conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability. Therefore, the consultant(s) should adhere to the following standards:
Utility: The process must be useful and used.
Feasibility: It must be realistic, diplomatic, and managed in a sensible, cost-effective manner.
Ethics & Legality: It must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the evaluation.
Impartiality & Independence; The process should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders.
Transparency: It should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency.
Accuracy: It should be technically accurate, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined.
Participation: Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the evaluation process when feasible and appropriate.
Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the process improves its legitimacy and utility.
8. Qualifications
The consultant must have experience or significant knowledge of DMEL/PMER methodologies and should have developed similar processes in the recent past. The consultant(s) should be able to develop the whole process in a remote work scheme and to use/produce multimedia platforms and products.
Required:
· 7-10 years of demonstrable experience in DMEL/PMER projects.
· Previous experience in coordination, design, and implementation of learning processes.
· Experience in virtual/online collaborative processes.
· Knowledge of activities generally conducted by humanitarian organizations in the sectors of Migration and PGI and CEA, among other sectors.
· Experience in participatory approaches to learning.
· Experience in developing transmedia products.
· Excellent English and Spanish writing and presentation skills, with relevant writing samples of similar evaluation reports.
Desirable:
· Very good understanding of the RC/RC Movement and types of humanitarian response.
How to apply:
Interested Candidates, Please Apply Here: https://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/working-with-us/current-vacancies/job-description/?id=80057
The application should include:
Cover letter clearly summarizing experience as it pertains to this assignment, daily rate, and contact details of three professional referees.
Technical proposal, including budget: a technical proposal should accompany the application, detailing the consultant’s understanding of the ToR with a detailed budget to undertake the work. The proposal should explain how the challenges and constraints outlined in the ToR will be dealt with, and include a timeline of activities (specifying what part will be done remotely and in the field).
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Provide samples of previous work (reports of previous evaluations and reviews completed)