Data Collection consultant

International Alert is seeking a qualified lead researcher and a team of researchers for the data collection phase of a project implemented by International Alert. The data collection is scheduled to take place between June and August 2020 in the eight Governorates of Lebanon: Akkar, North, Baalbeck-Hermel, Bekaa, Mount Lebanon, Beirut, South, and Nabatieh.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is currently implementing a three-year project supporting women, women cooperatives, and women members of mixed cooperatives with an aim of creating an improved and enabling social and cultural environment for women’s economic empowerment. The project seeks to increase the participation of women cooperatives and women associations in local economies to establish and/or expand agro-food income generating enterprises. The expected result of the project is to establish 150 women cooperatives, or associations, integrated in the local value chains and conducting sustainable income generating activities.
Social and cultural norms are identified constraints to the growth of women groups and cooperatives. Women’s contribution to the family are still considered as secondary and supportive to men’s work due to the deep-rooted convictions on gender roles, whereby women are the “caretakers” and men are the main breadwinners of the household.
In part of this project, International Alert will seek to help communities understand and challenge the social and cultural norms, adopt a transformative gender approach, and develop new visions for relationship between men and women as equal human beings. Alert will identify and collect gender equality data (secondary and primary data collection), analyse constraints hindering and address opportunities for promoting gender equality and generate findings that would inform the gender equality awareness sessions and training educational material.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSESSMENT:
The overall objective of the consultancy is to collect primary data and perform initial data analysis that will inform a gender equality awareness curriculum that will be delivered to women, girls, men and boys of both Lebanese host and Syrian refugee communities.

DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES:
a) Develop tools for focused group discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) in accordance with Alert’s research protocols and in close coordination with Alert’s DMEL Manager.
b) Collect primary data through conducting 5 KIIs with relevant stakeholders, mainly among representatives from the main national authority responsible for gender issues, the Ministry of Agriculture, UN agencies, as well as relevant women’s rights groups and think tanks and women cooperatives.
c) Collect primary data through conducting 16 FGDs with a sample of 320 Lebanese and Syrian women (above 18 years old) across the 8 Mouhafazats in Lebanon. Each group will include 20 women (including women with special needs), at an average of 2 FGDs per Mouhafaza. The FGDs will aim to capture the below:
- Influencing individuals of the women groups, i.e. those individuals who can either support or prevent them from adopting change.
- Perceived self-efficacy skills.
- Perceived social norms and conditions under which family patters of gender role attitudes emerged.
- Perceived positive/negative) consequences as a result of adopting change in gender roles.
- Accessibility to resources and services (protection, legal, economic).
- Implication of gender inequality in the household, i.e. child attitudes, youth gender development, gender identities and roles among children.
- Socio-economic advantages and disadvantages of current split of gender roles.
- Implications of current gender roles on participation, empowerment, decision-making, and self-worth.
- Perceived cues to prompt action.
- Perceived role in conflict management and peacebuilding, at the household and community levels.
d) Collect primary data through conducting 24 FGDs with a sample of 480 individuals who are family members of the sampled women in sub-activity c (husbands, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, father- and mothers-in-law and other caretakers, in addition to elderly people and religious/community leaders when possible. An average of 2 FGD in each of the eight Mouhafazats across Lebanon will be conducted, including around 30 participants each. The two groups will be segregated by gender and age group.
The FGDs will aim to capture the below:
- Family patterns of gender role attitudes.
- Individual attitudes towards mother/wife/daughter employment.
- Conditions that influenced current pattern of family roles, i.e. socio-economic, traditions, religion, legislation.
- Implications of current pattern of family roles on family dynamics.
- Key intervention windows where critical awareness and advocacy initiatives are needed and can be most effective.
Administration of the primary data collection (FGDs and KIIs) will be tailored to the requirements of the gender equality awareness sessions. The FGDs and KIIs will cover the learning needs, expectations, existing level of knowledge and possible areas of special interest in relation to areas of work. To that end, Alert will use the KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices) approach which will allow for quantitative and qualitative measurements of the target groups’ knowledge of gender equality, their attitudes towards it, and how/if they practice and/or respond to it.
e) The findings of activities a) through e) will be analysed and will inform the development of the awareness curriculum and materials and in the design of the awareness sessions.
All data collected as part of this consultancy will be anonymised and under no circumstances be made available to individuals outside the Consulting Team and International Alert.
Deliverables and anticipated workplan
The Consultant will work closely with International Alert’s team. Alert will provide the consultant with the assessment methodology and advise on tools. The Consultant will be responsible for tool testing, data collection and report writing, following an agreed structure.

TASK 1: Identification of FGD and KII participants
Time: July 1 – 7, 2020

TASK 2: Development of assessment tools
Time: July 1 – 14, 2020

TASK3: Tool testing and data collection
Time: July 15 – September 13, 2020

TASK 4: Data collection report and FGD and KII transcripts
Time: September 14 – September 30, 2020

CONSULTANT PROFILE:
• University degree in social sciences or relevant fields
• At least three years of experience in interviewing vulnerable populations, familiar with standards of ethical conduct in research settings
• Strong inter-personal communication skills, including proven ability to communicate culturally sensitive and gender sensitive ways
• Excellent skills in research and data collection, including remote data collection, in Lebanon
• Excellent spoken Arabic skills, and excellent writing skills in English
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism, including following data protection guidelines and establishing and observing systems for managing data safely and securely
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Prior experience working in the field of gender, gender transformative roles
• Prior experience in peacebuilding and understanding conflict in Lebanon is a strong plus
Experience required: At least three years of experience in interviewing vulnerable populations, with familiarity for standards of ethical conduct in research settings
Education degree: Bachelor’s degree
Experience required: 3 to 5 years
Education degree: Bachelor’s degree
Field of education: University degree in social sciences or related
Languages - Arabic: Excellent English: Excellent
Period: A maximum of 45 full working days to be completed between June 1 – August 31, 2020
Compensation: Competitive price offers