Consultant

Terms of Reference for

Case Study of the Canadian Red Cross partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society

RATIONALE

Rationale for this case study

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is committed to improving its partnership approach globally. Therefore, it is important to identify key lessons from the various partnership modalities used in the context of recovery in Nepal. It will also help to document evidence of CRC’s partnership approach in various contexts and identify their strengths and drawbacks. In addition, the exercise will capture perspective of NRCS about the partnership between NRCS and CRC.

An important dimension of this partnership approach is about the evolution of partnerships from emergency to longer-term programming. Before the April 2015 earthquake and the deployment of its Health Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the CRC had no programming, no presence in Nepal and had no commitments with the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS). With the Earthquake Appeal, the CRC raised over $27M CAD in public funding. The funds were initially used for the deployment of the ERU but proved sufficient to continue with recovery and longer-term programming.   

Objectives

• To document lessons learned from CRC’s partnership approach both within the Red Cross Movement and with other organizations in Nepal;
• To identify specific examples of what CRC did, and what CRC continues to do, both well and not so well in its partnership approach with NRCS; and
• To analyze CRC’s partnership approach across the emergency, recovery, and longer-term phases of programming that contribute to consistency and quality of programming.

Estimated dates

December 2017 to January 2018 (approx. 1.5 months)

Location of consultancy

The interviews with key informants in Canada, including staff based in Ottawa and delegates who were deployed to Nepal. Also in Nepal with NRCS, including Kathmandu and remote rural locations, such as Dhunche in Rasuwa District.

All preparatory work and the writing of the final report can be done remotely. 

Background

On the morning of 25 April 2015, an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude struck an area between Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal. The epicentre was in Barpak, Gorkha district, 80 km northwest of Kathmandu, the capital city. The initial earthquake and its successive aftershocks, killed nearly 9,000 people, injured close to 18,000 and left eight million people homeless. The Government of Nepal declared a state of emergency and called for international humanitarian assistance.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s response to the request included the deployment of a number of its global tools, including four health-focused ERUs. The CRC was requested to deploy a basic health care ERU with surgical capacity and with the ability to provide comprehensive obstetric care for a period of up to four months. On arrival in Nepal, and at the request of the Nepal Ministry of Health (MoH) and NRCS, this Canadian ERU was sent to the remote mountain district of Rasuwa in the town of Dhunche, some 150 kms north of Kathmandu.

A total of 112 delegates were deployed to Nepal: 104 for ERU (including CRC delegates and delegates from Partner National Societies) and 8 non-ERU delegates. Close to 5,000 outpatients and 244 in-patients were treated at the CRC field hospital, including 31 deliveries. The ERU was handed over to the NRCS and MoH on 20 August 2015, and a small support team was positioned to manage a post-ERU training program.

More than two years now after the April 2015 earthquake, the CRC continues to work in Nepal in recovery and longer-term development. By working closely with the NRCS and MoH as local committed partners, CRC will focus on insuring that affected people continue to receive the support and assistance needed to cope with the longer-term impact of this massive earthquake.

Scope of this review

• Partners
• Nepal Red Cross Society staff and senior management team members
• Canadian Red Cross staff in the field and at National Office
• CRC delegates deployed with the ERU and post-ERU phase
• Partner National Societies working in Nepal and the IFRC (to triangulate information)
• Centre for Global Surgery of the McGill University Health Centre 

Time-frame

From the arrival of the CRC Health ERU following the earthquake of April 2015 until the present.

Review Methodology and Process

This Term of Reference uses a Grounded Theory Approach:

“Grounded Theory is an inductive methodology.  It is the systematic generation of theory from systematic research.  It is a set of rigorous research procedures leading to the emergence of conceptual categories.  These concepts/categories are related to each other as a theoretical explanation of the action(s) that continually resolves the main concern of the participants in a substantive area.” (Grounded Theory Institute)

The methodology shall include triangulation between different types of respondents, to the extent possible, including those involved in the CRC ERU deployment during the emergency phase, those who participated in the initial discussions of a longer-term partnership between NRCS and CRC, and those who continue to engage in this partnership until this day.

Case Study Deliverables

An inception report will be prepared to clarify methodology, workplan, data collection tools and list of respondents. 

The final report shall outline:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Methods
• Findings:

1. Document the partnership approaches and funding modalities (Bilateral, multilateral and consortium) taken by CRC in relation to its programming in Nepal and their effectiveness in building strong humanitarian partnerships.
2. Document the evolution of the identified partnership approaches from CRC’s involvement in the emergency phase until the present (strengths and gaps).

• Recommendations in relation of which aspects of the partnership approached should be replicated
• Annex: to include a list of respondents 

Roles and Responsibilities   

• The overall consultancy will be managed and supervised by a Review Committee consisting of a designated staff person from NRCS, CRC Asia Program Manager, CRC Nepal Country Representative and a CRC QALI Advisor
• In country, the consultant will work under the supervision and oversight of the CRC Country Representative in Kathmandu 

QUALIFICATIONS

Language

• Excellent written and spoken English
• Nepali speaking highly desirable 

Education

• Minimum requirement of a Master’s degree in Social Science or equivalent 

Skills and Knowledge

• Demonstrated evidence in conducting high quality qualitative research
• Previous experience in using Grounded Theory Approach for data collection
• Understanding and experience in partnership research
• Significant experience in conducting interviews
• Strong understanding of the disaster management cycle: emergencies, recovery and development
• Previous experience in conducting studies or evaluations on partnerships among humanitarian organizations is an asset

Application Procedures

Interested candidates should submit their application materials by December 4, 2017 before 1700 hrs to the following email: Abhinav.SHARMA@ifrc.org. Application material is non-returnable, and we thank you in advance for understanding that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next step in the application process. Kindly mention CONSULTANCY SERVICE FOR CASE STUDY in subject heading. 

Application materials should include:

• A proposal, maximum of 3 pages, outlining key questions that would be asked and the proposed methodology to answer the relevant questions;
• Curricula Vitae (CV);
• Cover letter clearly summarizing your experience as it pertains to this assignment, your daily rate, and three professional references;
• At least one example of a similar report.
• All proposal submissions contain a financial proposal for all costs related to the consultancy.