National Impact Assessment Consultant (SBCC)

Job Description

Nature of the consultancy

To conduct a post-implementation impact assessment for the Social and Behavioural Communication (SBCC) programme, identify existing harmful beliefs and attitudes regarding the appropriate roles and behaviours of vulnerable women in migration and support NGOs in implementing SBCC campaigns with methodological materials and guidelines. The post-implementation assessment will guide the refinement of SBCC strategies, materials, and approaches to ensure a greater impact on vulnerable women in migration. By equipping NGOs with the necessary tools and methodologies, the programme can foster long-term behavioural and societal changes.

Objectives

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of interventions implemented to change behavior and strengthen positive attitudes towards women in each community. Determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures implemented and propose recommendations for further action.

The five countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – are closely linked in terms of history and culture. Issues of migration management in these countries are therefore also linked and share strong commonalities. The latest migration trends in Central Asia have placed the issue of migration high on the regional agenda. Migration, as a cross-cutting issue, influences all aspects of life of all countries, including national security, social and economic development, health and education, labour and employment, environment and gender.  Some Central Asian countries recognize migrants’ contribution to economic development and poverty reduction, yet migrants are the most unprotected and vulnerable group of the population in Central Asia.  Women in migration face specific severe risks due to being both a woman and a migrant or a remittance-dependent household. The dynamic migration landscape in the region, calls also for increased attention of all stakeholders to ensure that migrant vulnerabilities are identified, and that migrants, especially women, are being protected throughout their migratory experience.  This certainly requires concerted efforts at the national level but also a greater regional cooperation. The need for strengthened cooperation and response has become even more pressing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

The regional project aims to contribute to the protection of migrants and increase the resilience of vulnerable migrants, especially women, in Central Asia, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

The project will achieve this overall objective by accomplishing the following three outcomes at the individual and at the household/family level, at the community and at the structural levels: 

• Outcome 1: Women in the context of migration are empowered to participate in the labour market in countries of origin and destination (at the individual, household/family levels) 
• Outcome 2: Target communities in Central Asia adopt gender equitable attitudes and behaviours towards women in the context of migration (at the community level) 
• Outcome 3: Strengthened national response to migrants’ vulnerabilities through consolidated coordination platforms, and cooperation among all relevant actors, also in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (at the structural level) 

Outcome 2: Target communities in Central Asia adopt gender equitable attitudes and behaviours towards vulnerable women in the context of migration (at the community level) 

To achieve Outcome 2, IOM will use the Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) programming using a phased-based approach, which includes analysis and problem definition, strategy design, development and testing, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.  In each participating country, IOM will identify country-specific harmful community beliefs and attitudes about the appropriate roles and behaviours of women in migration that contribute to vulnerability in a gendered way and will propose SBCC campaigns to challenge and change these behaviours and practices, and the beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that underlie them. The country-specific campaigns will be rolled out at community level and will use a combination of channels such as interpersonal communication, community/folk media, mass/mid-media, digital and social media – applying the most appropriate method of communication for the community. This shall further result in an increased propension of community members to show knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that support gender equality and the respect of the rights of migrant women.

Responsibilities

• Assess the pre-existing harmful beliefs and attitudes toward vulnerable women in migration.
• Document the baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of target populations regarding gender equality and the rights of migrant women.
• Review the original objectives, scope, and intended outcomes of the SBCC program.
• Analyze the target group or groups, including the primary audience (the people whose behavior the project aimed to change), any secondary audiences (people who influenced the behavior of the target group, such as family, friends, colleagues) and any tertiary audiences (higher status people whose behavior and messages may reflect and support social norms, such as religious leaders and media representatives) in collaboration with NGOs in the two districts;
• Evaluate the program’s success in shifting harmful beliefs and promoting positive social norms regarding vulnerable women in migration.
• Measure changes in community awareness, attitudes, and behaviors using qualitative and quantitative metrics.
• • Assess the engagement and capacity-building outcomes for NGOs and their ability to implement SBCC campaigns effectively. Gather testimonials, case studies, and field reports to illustrate impact.
• Conduct interviews with relevant local NGOs, beneficiaries and target groups to determine achievements on the issue related to existing harmful behaviors, beliefs and attitudes towards migrant women.
• Identify new or persisting harmful beliefs and attitudes that need further intervention.
• Highlight shifts in institutional or community norms, policies, or practices affecting vulnerable women in migration.
• Review NGOs’ application of SBCC tools, materials, and guidelines post-project.
• Analyze the beliefs, values ​​and attitudes that shape the behavior of the target groups.
• Analyze communication tools and identify appropriate language that can be used to reach target groups in collaboration with NGOs:
• Analyze appropriate communication tools, considering the cost of different communication channels, the number of people in the target group reached by these channels and the types of messages appropriate for these channels.
• Analyze the availability of information and alternative communication channels (e.g. written materials are inaccessible to illiterate members of the target group and should be supplemented by audio-visual materials).
• Collaborate with two IOM NGO partners to conduct a needs assessment in two districts through email, telephone calls and in person.
• Review existing literature, evidence and data to learn from experiences of previous relevant projects.
• Conduct at least two field visits to each of the two districts:

- To interview beneficiaries, primary, secondary and tertiary target audiences.

- To analyze local communication tools and channels.

b. Strategy development

• Assess achievement of defined KPIs (key performance indicators).
• Assess available resources to conduct effective SBCC campaigns.

c. Design and testing

• Based on the assessment and as needed:
• Update the SBCC campaign methodology guide for NGO partners:
• Include analysis of harmful community beliefs and attitudes in two districts from the final report.
• Include developed strategies for segmented messages for each target group.
• Include analysis of appropriate communication channels for each message and target group.
• Supplement guidance on use of specific types of communication channels for specific target groups, considering technical features of the channels and local context.
• Supplement communication materials instructions, including structure of segmented messages for each target group and communication channel based on needs assessment results.
• Suggest recommendations for improving methodology and strategy for future activities and projects.

Tangible and measurable output of the work assignment

Consultancy Deliverables:

1. Assessment Report:
   • Comprehensive analysis of the SBCC programme’s pre- and post-implementation outcomes.
   • Documentation of identified gaps and areas needing further intervention.
2. Methodological Recommendations:
   • Refined SBCC materials and tools based on feedback and evidence collected.
   • Best practices and guidelines for NGOs to strengthen future SBCC campaigns.
3. Capacity-Building Strategy:
   • Framework for monitoring and evaluating the long-term impact of SBCC interventions.
4. Stakeholder Engagement Plan:
   • Recommendations for engaging community leaders, influencers, and policymakers in addressing harmful beliefs.
   • Strategies for fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to sustain behavioral change.

Approach and Methodology

• Conduct mixed-method research, including surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.
• Perform a desk review of existing SBCC materials, guidelines, and project reports.
• Utilize participatory approaches to engage NGOs, community stakeholders, and beneficiaries in the assessment process.
• Evaluation methodology developed, report outline and structure as part of the methodology.
• Questionnaires for interviews with beneficiaries, three types of target groups and relevant NGOs developed: 4 questionnaires for target groups and 1 questionnaire for NGOs.
• Interviews with NGOs, beneficiaries and target groups conducted.
• Methodological Guide updated (especially the part on communication materials instructions) based on the results of the evaluation of the achievements of the activities.
• Activity analysis report including quantitative and qualitative indicators.
• Detailed recommendations for improving the approaches and methodology.
• Presentation of key results to IOM and partners.
• The activities are expected to be organized and implemented within the period specified in the IOM project (15 February – 15 April 2025).

• Satisfactory completion of all tasks.
• Quality of the elaborated assessment, analysis, report, and methodological guide.
• Timely delivery of drafts, reports, and other materials indicated above.
• Delivery of any other tasks indicated above.

Qualifications

Required Skills

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