https://soscv-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/hassan_ibrahim_sos-somaliland_org/IQBChbvwoPRRSLrKdEUVK46AAYTUgqCV2zepk-pNx_lGiFY?e=vRCchE
1. Context
SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit Hermann-Gmeiner Fonds Deutschland (CVW) and SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland (SOS SX) agreed upon the development of a joint application to the German Federal Ministry for economic cooperation and development (BMZ) for public funding of a project aimed at improving the well-being, protection, resilience, and socio-economic inclusion of vulnerable youth in Somaliland, particularly young people with care experience and youth living in IDP settings.
According to the BMZ funding guidelines, local implementing organizations that are part of an international NGO network (such as SOS Somaliland) should not act as exclusive implementing partners of the German NGO (CVW). This means that, in addition to the planned cooperation with SOS Somaliland the project should involve an additional local organisation thereby establishing an equal partnership.
The proposed project target groups are young people with care experience and youth living in IDP settings in Somaliland, with particular attention to highly vulnerable young people facing psychosocial, protection, social, and economic vulnerabilities. The project will also engage local authorities, local and national NGOs (LNGOs), and community structures as key actors in strengthening protection systems, referral pathways, and the sustainability of youth support services.
The project responds to a context in which vulnerable youth face multiple and interconnected barriers to their well-being, protection, and socio-economic inclusion, including limited access to appropriate MHPSS services, exposure to GBV and harmful practices such as FGM, harmful social norms, and limited access to life skills, employability, TVET, mentorship, and socio-economic opportunities. These challenges are particularly significant for young people with care experience and those living in IDP settings.
- Rationale
The project final participants are 1,220 vulnerable youth (50% female) with care experience and youth living in IDP settings in Somaliland, as principal beneficiaries. Of these, 300 highly vulnerable youth will receive tailored Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services to strengthen emotional resilience, coping skills, and overall psychosocial well-being. In addition, 840 youth will benefit from life skills, employability skills, TVET skills, and mentorship opportunities aimed at strengthening their pathways towards socio-economic inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship, and greater self-reliance.
The project will also address protection risks affecting vulnerable youth, including GBV and FGM, through prevention, awareness-raising, community engagement, and referral support for survivors. Community engagement activities will seek to challenge harmful social norms and promote positive attitudes towards youth rights, protection, participation, and inclusion.
In addition, 80 members of local authorities, LNGOs, and community structures will be engaged as secondary/indirect beneficiaries and key stakeholders. Their involvement will contribute to strengthening local capacities, referral mechanisms, coordination, and the sustainability of services available to vulnerable youth.
The proposed project by SOS CV Somaliland and CVW to be presented to BMZ for funding aims at improving the well-being, protection, resilience, and socio-economic inclusion of vulnerable youth in Somaliland through a holistic, protection-centred approach. The intervention seeks to strengthen young people's psychosocial resilience and coping capacities, reduce their exposure to protection risks, increase their access to life skills, employability and TVET opportunities, and strengthen the systems and community structures that support their transition towards greater social and economic empowerment.
The feasibility study will therefore assess the relevance, feasibility, sustainability, partnership arrangements, institutional capacities, and potential added value of the proposed intervention, as well as the extent to which the proposed approach responds to existing service gaps and priorities within the current humanitarian and development landscape in Somaliland.
- Study objectives
The overall objective of the study is to assess the feasibility, relevance, coherence, sustainability, and potential effectiveness of the proposed project for improving the well-being, protection, resilience, and socio-economic inclusion of 1,220 vulnerable youth with care experience and youth living in IDP settings in Somaliland, and to provide evidence-based recommendations for the design, partnership arrangements, implementation modalities, and potential submission of the project to BMZ for funding.
The purpose of a feasibility study is to provide a sound basis for developing a project concept, by identifying project preconditions, opportunities and risks. This entailsin particular an assessment of the feasibility of a project and a systematic review of the extent to which the project approach can plausibly achieve the planned changes under the existing conditions.This enhances project effectiveness and helps avoid bad investment decisions from the start.
A feasibility study is to be carried out in Burao and Hargeisa locations to provide SOS CV Somaliland with a basis for decision making on what type of interventions, services and activities are feasible within the planned project, in the best interest of the target group.
The study will provide SOS CV Somaliland and CVW with sufficient information to justify acceptance, modification or rejection of the proposed intervention for further formulation.
Specific objectives
- Analyse the socio-economic situation of the target groups in Hargeisa and Burao, including collection and validation of relevant baseline data.
- Analyse the macro, meso and micro context affecting vulnerable youth, including youth unemployment, poverty, displacement/IDP conditions, protection risks, gender inequality, disability inclusion, psychosocial well-being and irregular migration drivers.
- Analyse gaps in current response and implementation gaps of current policy framework, standards, guidelines
- Analyse of the planned project and the target group concerning cross-cutting issues like gender, MHPSS (Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support), ecology, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Identify synergies with similar projects, interventions and initiatives on local, national or regional level
- Assess the proposal project and the possible interventions against DAC Criteria
- Conduct risks and risks mitigation analysis
- Carry out Child Safeguarding Risks in the target locations
- Issues to be studied
The study will assess the following issues and provide information on and analysis of the relevance, feasibility, coherence, effectiveness, and sustainability and potential impact of the proposed project. The assessment will generate the evidence required to validate and, where necessary, refine the proposed project design, implementation arrangements, partnership model, resource requirements, and conditions for submission to BMZ.
a) The relevance
The study will assess the relevance of the project intervention to the needs, vulnerabilities, capacities, priorities, and aspirations of the target population, as well as its compliance and consistency with the overall national and regional development objectives specified in the laws/bylaws, policies, strategies, government programmes, and international commitments. It will also assess the compatibility, coherence, and complementarity of the proposed project with other relevant humanitarian and development interventions.
The consultant will study:
- The nature, number and type of (in)direct beneficiaries the proposed project potentially affects; incl. self-help efforts and coping mechanisms of the target group (if applicable).
- Relevant baseline information on the target population and key dimensions of the proposed intervention, including well-being, psychosocial resilience, protection, skills, employability, socio-economic inclusion, and access to services, where available.
- The extent to which the proposed project responds proposed project responds to the needs and priorities expressed by the relevant the target group, relevant stakeholders, and duty bearers
- The legislation covering target group problem situation (national and international standards/procedures, as well as a brief analysis of implementation/ enforcement) as well as existing national or local strategies to target problem situation
- Assessment on how the proposed project is coherent with the overall framework of national development objectives and the development policies of the relevant ministries of the Government of Somaliland.
- All organisations and agencies affected by or involved in the proposed project (SHAQADOON and NAFIS Networks) and the intended improvement of the situation, incl. an assessment of their capacities, including current local response and services provided to address the needs of the target group (with best practices if applicable).
- Possibilities how to include cross cutting issues like MHPSS (Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support), ecology, gender, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Conduct an assessment about the needs in the field of mental health and available support structures.
- Identification of the best placed stakeholder as implementing partner (include stakeholder analysis).
- Interaction with other interventions of ministries, agencies and donors that may affect or be affected by the proposed project (incl. identification of challenges, potential for cooperation and use of synergies).
- Risks with regards to the proposed project (economic, political, environmental, cultural, child safeguarding etc.) incl. mitigating measures to reduce the effect/likelihood of these risks.
- Information from previous studies and evaluations relevant to the proposed project
b) Crosscutting, protection, inclusion and safeguarding dimensions
The study will assess the extent to which the proposed project appropriately integrates cross-cutting issues and ensures a safe, inclusive, gender-responsive, and protection-centred approach.
The consultant will assess:
- The integration of gender equality and gender responsiveness, including the different roles, needs, vulnerabilities, barriers, and opportunities of girls, boys, young women, and young men.
- The specific needs and barriers faced by persons with disabilities and other potentially excluded or marginalized groups, and the extent to which the project is accessible and inclusive.
- The MHPSS needs of the target population and the availability, accessibility, quality, capacity, and sustainability of existing MHPSS support structures and referral pathways.
- The integration of GBV and FGM prevention, survivor-centred referral and response mechanisms, and measures to address harmful social norms.
- Child and youth safeguarding risks associated with the proposed project, including risks of abuse, exploitation, violence, inappropriate conduct, confidentiality breaches, unsafe referrals, and risks arising from interaction between staff, partners, communities, and vulnerable youth.
- Key factors driving youth migration and risks in project target locations.
- Youth participation and meaningful involvement of young people in project design, implementation, monitoring, feedback, and decision-making.
- The integration of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), conflict sensitivity, “do no harm,” and environmental sustainability/ecological considerations throughout the project cycle.
- The measures required to ensure that project services are safe, confidential, accessible, age-appropriate, gender-responsive, and adapted to the specific vulnerabilities of the target groups.
c) The feasibility of the proposed project consistent with the economic, social and institutional framework as well as political, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects. The consultant will prepare a recommendation for the project to be structured as follows:
Overall objective: Why is the project important to the target groupsand beneficiaries, the location and the government? What is the desired social development/impact which will be targeted in the project?
- Project objective: Why do the target groups and beneficiaries need theproject?
- Project results: What products and services will the project deliver tothe target groups and beneficiaries? What assumptions are required to achieve the project purpose?
- Project activities: What is the scope of activities to beundertaken and what are the associated assumptions for achieving the project results.
The feasibility analysis will be carried out based on the OECDDAC criteria Relevance, Coherence, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, Sustainability**.** The project purpose and results should be measurable by objectively verifiable indicators, and project activities should be quantified wherever possible. Furthermore, relevant baseline data for target indicators should be collected.
d) Institutional, partnership and implementation feasibility
The study will assess the institutional, technical, operational, organisational, and partnership capacity required to deliver the proposed results effectively.
The consultant will assess:
- The capacities of SOS Children’s Villages Somaliland and potential additional local implementing partners (SHAQADOON and NAFIS NETWORK), including technical expertise, human resources, programme management, financial management, procurement, safeguarding, M&E, and partnership management.
- The feasibility and added value of the proposed equal partnership arrangement between the relevant organisations, including clear roles and responsibilities.
- The capacity-strengthening requirements of implementing partners and other key stakeholders.
- The institutional arrangements required for effective implementation, coordination, accountability, safeguarding, monitoring, and decision-making.