• Introduction

Ayuda en Acción (AeA) is an international organization working in development and humanitarian work, side by side with local partners. AeA has been present in Uganda since 1996 providing project support to local organizations. AeA globally operates in 21 countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe with HQ in Madrid Spain.  With the Uganda National office in Kampala, and field office in Adjumani we partner with 06 different locally based organizations to among others promote climate smart crop and animal value chains, enhance employment and entrepreneurship as well as establish or strengthen community-based child protection systems.  We operate in West Nile (Adjumani, Moyo/Obongi, Terego/Madi Okollo) and Northern Uganda (Lamwo district).

Our vision, mission, and values

We aspire to a world with equal rights and opportunities for every individual. A world where people help each other and can develop their capacities, fully enjoy a dignified life, and participate through democratic channels in the decisions that affect their lives to be the protagonists of their own development.

Our mission is to promote the solidarity of people in a global world to encourage children, their families and populations suffering from poverty, exclusion, and inequality, to develop their capacities to achieve their aspirations for a dignified life, in a sustainable way.

Our Values include Commitment: to Human Rights and the dignity of people; we want all people to have the same opportunities to decide their future and to achieve individual and collective well-being. Independence: from any political group, religious belief or economic interest that carries out its mission respecting the freedom of all the people we work with. Transparency: we are accountable to the people and institutions we work with and for, to those who support us and to society in general, always seeking in our way of acting the greatest effectiveness and efficiency in the use of our resources. Collective effort: we work from the co-responsibility of people to common interests, alongside others and their organizations, through networks and alliances committed to our vision of the world.

• Our motive

Within the process of expanding our services to different population and geographical groups and consolidation of the national program, AeA is interested in carrying out a detailed Child Protection Needs Assessment in Adjumani district with the focus on strengthening systems of protection and response to situation of violence, abuse, and exploitation within the targeted project areas.

We also wish to generate a detailed analysis of other actors or networks operating in the targeted locations (sub-counties/refugee settlements) including Local NGOs, International NGOs, and associations or groups working on child protection related issues.

• Approach

To achieve our motive, AeA intends to engage a consultant to carry out the child protection needs assessment in Adjumani District.

• Objective of the study

The overall objective of the assessment is to document the child protection needs in Adjumani district including recommendations for best approaches of intervention as well as detailed information on the actors within the protection space in Adjumani district.

• Minimum outputs expected from the study:

1. Description of child protection needs in Adjumani district ranked in order of priority. The needs may extend to as far as analysis of approaches, methodologies, structures, issues in the communities, schools, health facilities etc. that link to child protection.
2. Clear recommendations of how best to address the protection needs in the district.
3. Analysis of the existing government community-based protection systems in place, the gaps and areas that require intervention/support. Similarly, an analysis of the current protection system in Adjumani district needs to be done.
4. Analysis of the child protection referral pathways being followed both within the host community and refugee settlements, their strengths, gaps, and how best to respond to the gaps.
5. Names and addresses/phone numbers and email addresses of key actors involved in protection by category, i.e., Local NGOs, International NGOs, donors, inter-governmental agencies, UN, Social enterprises, government/district departments, also including a note of what exactly each named actor/agency is doing within the protection system.
6. Names and addresses/phone and email contacts of key government departments responsible for strengthening the protection system within Adjumani district.
7. Description of how to collaborate with the different actors and what considerations/issues need to be in mind.
8. A profile and map of the district showing the sampled locations for the assessment.

• Key Deliverables:

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following:

1. A full proposal describing how you would provide the consultancy service.
2. Upon acceptance, an inception report is expected and to be discussed with AeA team. The inception report will cover the proposed methodologies and initial work plan (tasks, time schedule and milestones).
3. Bi-weekly written update that describes progress of work and initial findings, which will also be discussed, and recommendations given by AeA team.
4. Draft written report and presentation of findings, to which feedback will be given for improvement/adjustment.
5. Written final report, elaborating all the intended outputs within the selected objective: This will include an annex of all the research and data analysis tools, all comments to the draft report fully incorporated; digital and 2 hard copies of the report delivered to Ayuda en Accion Uganda.

• Methodology

The following approaches may be used to conduct the study.

Desk study and literature review

This will involve reviewing of the different secondary data and examination of available information and earlier studies carried out before.

Data Collection and analysis

Field data will be collected and analysed using relevant approaches that the consultant may recommend which may be qualitative and quantitative techniques as necessary with qualitative approaches preferred for proper description of the outputs expected within the targeted objective. Qualitative methods such as FGDs, KII, observations, and review of relevant literature may be used for data collection.

Sample structure

The selected consultant will be required to propose appropriate sample suitable for the study.

Study area

The study targets Adjumani district, the consultant is expected to propose a representative sample provided the current areas of AeA operation including the sub-counites of Itirikwa, Pachara, Adropi and selected refugee settlements are included.

Population under study

The study needs to target selected relevant government/ district department heads, local NGOs, International NGOs, Sub- County leaders, children, and parents. The selected consultant needs to design an assessment that ensures inclusion of all categories of people including male and female as required.

Recommendations

One of the key results of this study will be to provide recommendations on how AeA will intervene within the child protection sector in Adjumani district. The recommendations therefore need to be clear and give concrete direction for decision making within AeA.

Ideas on the development of tools

The consultant is expected to formulate, and design appropriate tools to capture different forms of violence against children (physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence, and child labour concerns and provide a thorough analysis of the issues that prevent children from enjoying the privileges of their rights.

Provide mechanisms for capturing other forms of abuse occurrences in the communities, such as denial of resources especially the men selling off the food to buy alcohol hence denying the family food and other important resources for wellbeing of the children.

Generate tools to capture time and place of occurrence of abuse to children in the communities. For example, whether during the night or the day times and if homes, schools, health centers, roads trading centers, water sources and disco places are dark spots for violation of children’s rights such that appropriate awareness mechanisms can be put in place.

Prepare appropriate questions to focus on the perpetrators of the violence or abuse against children in the communities. It is important to understand if such evil acts are done by men, women, local leaders, fellow children, parents, care givers, teachers, health personnel, lunatics and or other relatives.

Design and assess areas of access to basic needs or services by children and the ability by parents/caregivers, communities, and government to provide these services to the population. And assess if boys and girls are accessing these services equally. And probe if there are other factors contributing or constraining them, and other factors contributing to this.