CRS Indonesia is Looking an Individual Consultant for the revision Humanitarian Shelter Guideline

BACKGROUND

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is a US–based voluntary organization working in more than 80 countries around the world to assist people victims of disasters, people in need and the disadvantaged regardless of race, belief or nationality. CRS has been operating in Indonesia since 1957 under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Social Affairs to support local communities struggling to alleviate human suffering, eradicate poverty, and become self-reliant through the implementation of mother and child health and nutrition programs, agricultural livelihoods, and disaster risk reduction. CRS is also a major player in humanitarian and disaster response intervention in Indonesia. CRS implements its programs in collaboration with local non – government organizations operating in CRS’s geographical target areas. 

In 2018, the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) of Republic of Indonesia together with Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) issued a Guideline for Humanitarian Shelter. The guideline is intended as a reference for humanitarian actors and policy makers to make decisions on the provision of shelters to families affected by disasters and ensure access to safe and dignified solutions.

The guideline also encourages a new shift paradigm of “shelter as a process, and not a product”. Sheltering experiences and practices in the past has focused more on physical construction and building materials, including upgrades and the use of existing materials. Within the new paradigm, the guidelines consider aspects of safety and protection, feasibility, access to basic services, suitability to the local context and appropriateness of facilities so that shelter assistance can be deemed to meet minimum standards and the community can survive and recover in stable conditions with dignity. In addition, the guideline provides information about different design and modalities for shelter programs.

Substantially, the contents of the guideline provide users with key definitions, principles, standards, and concepts of humanitarian shelters, as well as information on the determination of needs, program design considerations, implementation options and monitoring efficiency and effectiveness.

Since the issuance of the guideline, Indonesia has experienced a number of large-scale disasters that have also ushered in new developments in the shelter sector. In 2018, two major disasters caused widespread damage and loss in West Nusa Tenggara and Central Sulawesi. While the government was quick to announce its support to rebuilding damaged and lost homes, the urgency of providing viable, safe and dignified shelters in emergency and recovery phases was again underscored. While coordination carried out by the sub shelter cluster enabled a more effective shelter response, actors in the shelter sector tended to fall back on using conventional approaches such as communal shelters and direct-build options, rather than considering alternatives such as market and cash-based solutions or rental assistance. The experiences in Central Sulawesi and Lombok laid bare the lack of unified shelter policy, creating confusion as to types and shelter requirements, which were often not situated in the overall context of journey from emergency shelter to durable solutions. The focus on permanent housing and physical construction rather than the process, also left more to desire in terms of integrating community-driven approaches.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention has also shifted to the need for shelter programming to prepare for and respond to indirect effects of the global health crisis. While shelters and homes are not directly affected, the physical and social conditions in which people live can affect the spread or containment of the disease and the effectiveness with which families can protect themselves. The January 2021 earthquake in West Sulawesi has raised concerns over the overcrowded nature of emergency shelters, where emergency facilities make it extremely difficult to maintain physical distancing and practice containment measures. The Government of Indonesia is increasingly aware that multiple hazard or risk scenarios persist simultaneously, which need to inform shelter programming. More technical and programmatic guidance for shelter actors are needed so that anticipatory actions and measures to protect vulnerable populations can be taken.

These recent experiences have led to an ask from shelter practitioners and government actors to review and revise the existing guidelines to incorporate lessons and expand the range of options. In addition, humanitarian practitioners have noted that the existing guidelines are not easy operationalized. Such a review process should seek input and new insights from stakeholders and practitioners so that good practices are incorporated and recognized by all actors.

While the current form of the guideline promotes voluntary application of recommendations and options contained within it, the Ministry of Social Affairs has also indicated a need to find suitable policy frameworks to ensure standards and principles are adhered to in the future so as to ensure dignified and safer options in future disasters.

Recognizing the need to enhance comprehensive shelter options and coordinated shelter response to, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shelter Subcluster have requested assistance from CRS to support the revision of the Humanitarian Shelter Guidelines. Under the pretext of CRS’ Home and Communities programme CRS will support this initiative in close coordination with the Shelter Subcluster and the Ministry.

The main objectives of this consultancy are:

1.         To convene and engage practitioners and experts in the development of revised guidelines

2.         To provide support to the Ministry of Social Affairs, to revise the Humanitarian Shelter Guidelines.

 

Scope of Work

Working with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shelter Subcluster, CRS will recruit a national consultant to provide technical assistance to revise the Humanitarian Shelter Guidelines. The selected consultant is expected to compile, review and update the existing guideline based on identified needs to strengthening shelter programming in Indonesia. With the Home and Communities project team, the consultant will organized/arrange and facilitate webinars and focus groups to collect the related inputs on the contents and format of the guidelines to be written into the revised guideline. This includes ensuring the revised guidelines receive adequate input from other sub-clusters/working groups, such as psychosocial support, disability, gender, WASH and others.

The above work will encompass:

1.         Preparation

a. Review existing guidelines for content and user application (ease of reference & use)

b. Review any national strategies that relate to shelter programming

2.         Technical Working Group Engagement and Participation

a. Facilitate workshops and thematic discussions for revision of the Guideline

b. Collect and compile all relevant inputs

3.         Guidelines write up

a. Present draft Guidelines to the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shelter Subcluster.

b. Incorporate all comments

c. Finalize and submit revised Guideline

 

The following is a summary of the expected outputs:

1.       Conduct a desk review of the existing guidelines and identify gaps

2.       Convene shelter practitioners and actors, including non-governmental actors, the Ministry of Social Affairs and BNPB through a series of thematic discussions to identify best practices (globally and locally) to be included in the guidelines

3.       Engage with key technical experts to revise the existing guideline

4.       Produce draft guidelines for presentation to the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shelter Subcluster

5.       Finalize and submit Revised Humanitarian Shelter Guidelines

Deliverables

Description	Estimated working days
1a. Brief report assessing key gaps and recommendations from desk review	2 days
2a. Moderation/facilitation of joint consultative meetings and thematic discussions with practitioners, actors and experts 2b. Submission of a brief report on key inputs and a recommended structure and outline of revised guideline	15 days
3a. First draft guideline to be presented for further input 3b. Incorporation of comments, inputs and concerns 3c. Second draft to be presented to smaller technical working group 3d. Finalization of the final guideline	13 days

Payment schedule

Deliverable	Description	Payment
1 & 2	Brief report on gap analysis, completion of consultative meetings and discussion, report summarizing inputs and a recommended structure and outline	30%
3	Final guideline	70%

Desired Qualifications

•     Master’s Degree in social sciences, humanities, disaster management or related field

•     Minimum 5 years of experience in emergency response, humanitarian work, DRR with specific/relevant experience in the shelter sector.

•     Experience in developing guidelines, standard operating procedures or policy documents

•     Sound technical competency, leadership skills and expertise in the shelter field

•     Ability to write clear and concise texts

•     Excellent organizational and administrative skills

•     Excellent analytical and strong communication skills both written and spoken

•     Ability to work in a complex environment

•     Ability to work in a team

•     Personal commitment, effectiveness and commitment to results

•     Ability to manage multiple tasks while meeting strict deadlines

•     English language skills are an asset

 

How to Apply

Prospective consultants should submit the following before the deadline:

1.       Financial proposal identifying professional fees and all operational costs to deliver the required products.

2.       Technical proposal with the following:

a.    CV of the consultant(s)/supplier

b.   Detailed work-plan for the assignment

 

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

 

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Applicants who fulfil the above requirements are requested to submit all required documents to Indonesia_HR@crs.org  by March 11^th , 2021. Please, indicate HSG Consultant in the subject. 

"Only short-listed candidates will be invited via e-mail/phone for Interview”