Consultant (Pilot Study on Perception and Practices on Mental Illness) at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are inviting applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant (Pilot Study on Perception and Practices on Mental Illness)

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Contract
Time Frame: March – June 2022 
Report to: The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of Senior Psychosocial Specialist and the RESILAC Project Manager 

About the RESILAC Project

• The overall objective of the RESILAC project is to contribute to the economic recovery and to the strengthening of the resilience and the social cohesion of the territories of the Lake Chad basin most impacted by the Lake Chad crisis and climate change.

About the RESILAC Project

• The overall objective of the RESILAC project is to contribute to the economic recovery and to the strengthening of the resilience and the social cohesion of the territories of the Lake Chad basin most impacted by the Lake Chad crisis and the climate change.

The Specific Objectives of the Project are: 

• Strengthening human capital, social cohesion and collective and sustainable management of natural resources in targeted territories;
• Promoting economic recovery in targeted areas and the resilience of the most vulnerable populations, especially young people and women, through access to employment and agro-sylvo-pastoral production systems intensified and adapted to climate change;
• Valuing and consolidating the actors of the targeted territories by encouraging dialogue and commitment, and reinforcing their capacities according to the skills and roles of each one; and
• Producing useful knowledge for the quality of project activities in a crisis context and for decision-making by local actors.

Purpose of the Consultancy

• During program implementation, it has been identified that communities often refer to religious leaders and traditional healers, as trustworthy interlocutors, when facing psychological issues, while they do not necessarily have the skills to handle this.  
• Search is organizing a series of Psychological First Aid training, Trauma awareness and Do No Harm, and information on referral pathways for these trusted leaders at community level, as well as connecting them to (Psychological First Aid) PFA committees.
• PFAs committees are part of the regional exit strategy of the RESILAC project, which aims at contributing to the empowerment of communities in the management of psychological needs in case of crisis.
• This is all in a bit to improve the services community members receive from the religious leaders and traditional healers. 
• In order to promote sustainability of the project outcomes and increased impact, there is a need to engage more stakeholders and practitioners towards building a body of knowledge on sustainable practices for intervening on Youth Engagement, Trauma and psychosocial support at the North East and National levels.
• There is a need to respond to the acknowledged gap within the aid community as well as amongst donors and implementers availability of a credible body of knowledge on sustainable practices for intervening on MHPSS specifically on the perceptions and practices of traditional healers and religious leaders regarding mental illness.
• Search for Common Ground is seeking to hire a consultant to lead a pilot study on the perceptions and practices of traditional healers and religious leaders regarding mental illness in their communities.
• The outcome of the study will be used to advance knowledge and could be used for further programming.
• The consultant will be responsible for conducting desk reviews and primary data collection using various data collection methods to elicit response from relevant stakeholders , analyze the information and produce a final report/study on the theme.
• The consultant is expected to handle all logistics and related costs associated with this study. More specifically, the Consultant will have the following roles and responsibilities:

Deliverables

• Conduct a desk review of the already existing information on the perceptions and practices of traditional healers and religious leaders regarding mental illness in Borno State.
• Collect primary data using various data collection methods on the theme.
• The consultant will be required to produce an inception report immediately after signing the contract.
• The inception report will be expected to include; Preliminary desk reviews, data collection and sampling techniques to be used, sample size, data collection tools and guide to the final report.
• Produce a draft report for review before the final report
• Produce a final report taking into consideration all recommendations and inputs to the draft report.
• The consultant is expected to share all files containing raw data, recordings and transcriptions of qualitative data to Search.

Requirments
Education:

• A Degree or equivalent in Communications, Psychology, Social Sciences, or related fields. A Master’s degree is an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience working on MHPSS and/or related fields in a leadership/managerial position 
• At least 5 years of experience in research, development studies and assessments
• Experience engaging and working with people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds;
• Demonstrated experience working on conflict issues and in fragile environments; 
• Excellent knowledge of the North-East conflict dynamics
• Relevant experience supporting and engaging traditional and religious leaders
• The Consultant must be familiar with the context of the region and experience in community engagement, planning and execution of programs in Peacebuilding and Humanitarian sectors

Other Relevant Requirements:

• The consultant must be familiar with the context of Northeast Nigeria.
• Excellent facilitation skills and high capacity to plan at short notice 
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills in English
• Basic computer skills is in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel among other skills
• Fluency in Hausa and/or Kanuri and knowledge of other languages indigenous to Northeastern Nigeria will be an added advantage.
• Motivation and self-discipline to work without supervision
• Budget and Terms of Engagement
• Payments will be made in three installments; 30% after submission of inception report, 30% after completing data collection and submission of Draft Report, raw data, recordings and transcriptions; and 40% on submission of the final report.
• Search Will deduct withholding tax at source from the total cost of the consultancy fee
• All logistics arrangements should be included in the proposed budget.

The Consultant is Required to Respect the Following Ethical Principles:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.