Country: Syrian Arab Republic
Closing date: 09 Aug 2019
The situation in the North-eastern areas of Syria (NES) has been evolving dramatically since 2017 when the operation of the liberation of Raqqa began. There was large displacement and influx towards the Hassakeh governorate where many camps have been established in Areesha, Mabrouka and Ain Issa in order to accommodate the IDPs. The complexity of NES areas where some locations are under the government control and other under the Kurdish self- administration makes it an exceptionally difficult area to provide an effective and timely humanitarian response.
In late 2018 and beginning of 2019, along with the military operation in Deir Alzoir governorate to liberate Al Baghouz and Hijin areas from ISIL Hassakeh governorate is again hosting the IDPs displaced from Deir ez-Zor in Al Hole camp which was initially the camp for Iraqi refugees. As per the OCHA report on 1st May, the total population of Al Hol camp is 73,477 and the vast majority of the camp population is women and children, with around 67% under the age of 18. UNFPA with other partners continue scaling up their response. Although population influxes have stabilized, needs remain critical across all sectors including protection. IDPs have been under the control of ISIS for the past 8 years and are made up of mostly women and girls who strongly believe in ISIS. They were often married to ISIS fighters or ISIS affiliations. It has been observed that child marriage is the most prominent type of GBV occurring in Deir Alzoir.
Most of the IDPs have suffered from poor health and life threatening conditions when they reached the camp. UNFPA has been integrating reproductive health as an entry point to GBV services. UNFPA also began providing PFA services and referrals to available services through GBV mobile teams. Now UNFPA has established emergency Women Girls Spaces (WGSS) in terms of a tent aiming to integrate health and nutrition services. That being said, this situation in the camp is a very challenging environment for GBV service providers to respond effectively to this humanitarian crisis. Despite this, there is a limited skilled, qualified staff working on GBV prevention and response, thus why an additional GBV Specialist is critical.
Profile Description (Objectives):
Within the above described context and humanitarian response in North-East Syria, the GBV Specialist will work to solidify essential required capacity and service delivery methodology with the aim to empower UNFPA field team and implementing partners to deliver services in an appropriate and qualitative manner, meeting context requirements as well as international best practices, thus enabling augmented impact to happen among beneficiaries.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Rapid and Field Assessments
● Conduct a rapid assessment of GBV capacity in place and potentially available, as well as of GBV methodology vis-à-vis context /beneficiaries’ requirements – the assessment shall look at main actors actually (and potentially) delivering GBV services; it shall identify the main opportunities and challenges to deliver quality, customized GBV services, and it shall provide recommendations on how to increase quality and appropriateness of the services while taking into account their feasibility and potential development on the medium and long term.
● Conduct a rapid assessment of the shelter for survivors of GBV supported through UNFPA Programme (Family Protection Unit)
● Shape an assessment report based on the outcome and findings of the field assessment process.
Programmatic Advice
● Within the context of North East Syria and the specific context of Al Hol camp, shape a concise and viable GBV programme implementation strategy highlighting priority needs, pinpointing appropriate capacity resources that can be empowered and/or further mobilized, as well as methodological approaches that can be adopted to magnify impact and feasibility. The strategy shall also identify and suggest feasible and relevant pathways that can be pursued for GBV protection.
● Sensitize relevant management staff and partners to needed GBV directions and programme approach to realize magnified impact.
● Provide advice and directions on how to best integrate GBV goals and approach into SRH service delivery (and other medical services) while empowering the SRH team and partners – health in general and SRH in particular, represent privileged entry points for the realization GBV protection goals.
● Provide advice and directions, as relevant, on how to address boys for GBV protection.
● Deliver a short report (at the end of the assignment) containing further GBV programmatic directions as stemming from feedback and outcome gathered during the assignment.
● Provide programmatic advice for the support to the shelter for survivors of GBV (Family Protection Unit) based on international standards and best practices.
● Liaise with other sectors mainly health and protection sectors and reinforcing GBV mainstreaming.
Capacity Development
● Deliver UNFPA capacity development package for GBV case management to selected groups of GBV case managers, SRH staff, programme managers and other relevant staff.
● Deliver a set of GBV on-the job and coaching sessions targeting case managers, social workers and psychosocial counsellors, and twinning future coaches and supervisors, in order to: 1) strengthen most urgent skills and knowledge required by cases; 2) establish a supervision practice and approach which is effective and feasible in the given context.
● Deliver case management training as feasible considering workload of case managers and social workers.
● Conduct technical supervision of case managers and social workers; provide technical supervision reports and develop a tool for technical supervision to be utilised by UNFPA technical staff.
● Draft concise and customized GBV case management supervision guidelines to be used as a reference for local supervisors to continue providing supervision sessions and on-going support to case managers. These guidelines will also include some staff well-being tools and suggestions which will help staff members to be and remain empowered, prevent cumulative stress and deliver effectively to beneficiaries.
● Draft a checklist for quality standards of case management and PSS services.
DELIVERABLES:
- Assessment Report
- GBV Programme Implementation Strategy
- Delivery of GBV case management training (two groups)
- Delivery of coaching sessions (minimum 12 sessions)
- GBV Supervision Guidelines and tool
- Report with further Key Programmatic Directions
- Checklist for quality standards of case management and PSS.
Qualifications and Skills Required:
- Advanced degree in public health, health sciences, political or social science, demography, statistics or other relevant field (or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related area.)
- Minimum 7 years of experience working on gender equality, GBV, humanitarian protection, both at field and policy level, including at international level.
- Proven extensive experience in GBV case management and supervision.
- Solid understanding of the UN system.
- Demonstrated analytical and reporting skills.
- Proficiency in English and in other official languages or the UN required/desirable.
How to apply:
All interested candidates must send their CV's and a motivational letter (optional) to hfcb.office@unfpa.org. Please use the subject line: Relief Web Consultancy/ GBV Specialist / Syria.
Applicants who have already applied, need not to reapply.