ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
Adeso is a humanitarian and development organization that is changing the way people think about and deliver aid in Africa. We are an NGO in Africa working in a very different way than most. We believe that development must come from within, not outside African communities. That it is Africans themselves who must determine Africa’s future, and that while international aid has provided much-needed support, it often falls short of enabling lasting change at grassroots level. One of our projects in Kenya is the Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands-Improving Resilience (REGAL-IR).
REGAL-IR is a 5-year, $45m project to reduce hunger and poverty among pastoral communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Implemented by Adeso and its five consortium partners, the program will strengthen social, economic and environmental resilience for some 558,000 people (93,000 households) in Isiolo, Garissa, Marsabit, Turkana and Wajir counties. These counties have the highest percentage of households in need of food assistance across Kenya and therefore offer the greatest potential for reducing food assistance in the arid lands. Recently, recurrent droughts and other shocks have made local populations in northern Kenya more vulnerable and dependent on food aid and emergency relief than ever before. From 2008-2011, drought decimated herds leaving nearly four million people in desperate need of assistance. Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands was designed to decrease vulnerabilities, build resilience, and stimulate growth in selected ASAL areas. In the context of newly devolved political and administrative institutions, REGAL-IR will cooperate with the Government of Kenya, county governments and communities to reduce hunger and poverty, increase social stability, and build strong foundations for economic growth and environmental resilience among pastoral and transitional peoples.
STRATEGY
The project “does business differently.” REGAL-IR empowers individuals, households and communities to improve their social, economic, and environmental resilience. REGAL-IR embraces a people-centered approach that strengthens local institutions and builds local capacity, emphasizes self-reliance, and favors community-led, driven and owned market-oriented solutions for sustainable outcomes. The project HQ and satellite offices are not located in Nairobi – they are situated close to the people in the project counties.
SCOPE OF WORK
The USAID funded REGAL-IR project implemented by Adeso and its partners is seeking the services of a photographer to visually document the current resilience activities in the program’s areas of operation, showing how we are supporting communities to build resilience to drought and other emergencies, how we are supporting their alternative livelihoods activities and the impact that is having on their lives, how the natural resource management, NRM initiatives are working, how we are improving nutrition for children under two in the arid northern Kenya and our activities around peace in the counties. The pictures will be used to create awareness about the project generally, used in print and online publications and posters and possibly exhibitions.
The consultant will be expected to travel to the five counties; Turkana, Marsabit, Garissa, Isiolo and Wajir and take pictures of;
a. Alternative livelihoods: Alternative livelihoods project and people involved in them. Key activities to be captured include but not limited to poultry production, crop farming – fruits, vegetables, maize, rice etc, livestock trade, wholesale trade, groceries and petty trade and pictures of community and project staff in action.
b. Disaster risk reduction activities: This includes drought ambassadors clubs for schools, early warning using flags and support to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
c. Nutrition: Families recruited for behavior change communication and improved nutrition for children under two, photos of families (fathers, mothers and children under two doing various activities like playing, cooking and eating), and families that have kitchen gardens and gardens in a sack.
d. Natural Resource Management: Community grazing reserves for dry and wet seasons, community meetings for mapping their land use.
e. Peace: Different actors involved in peace activities, pictures that depict cultural diversity, pictures of people with diverse cultural identities together and separately
f. Value chain: Pictures of people and their livestock (goats, sheep, cattle, camels) livestock markets, groups engaging in milk value addition and marketing and sale of milk, livestock inputs, drugs and super service centers.
CONSULTANCY PERIOD
The consultancy will entail 20 days, with an average of four days per county days of work, with field travel from 15 March 2015. The 20 days include days required for preparation, reporting, and editing. Travel days will not be remunerated. All travel, accommodation and meal expenses will be covered by the project.
DELIVERABLES
1) 500 high-quality and high-resolution, captioned, and edited. Pictures delivered on CD or through PICASA Web Album.
POINT TO NOTE ON REGAL-IR PHOTOGRAPHY
Whereas the arid northern Kenya has experienced lots of challenges as a result of drought and other emergencies, we believe that with our input and community actions, there is positive change taking place. As a result, we want to project positivity, hope and initiative, despite the challenges that still exist. Photos should project honesty and openness while at the same time show respect for the communities. The subjects within the image should appear natural, relaxed and images should not be overly posed.
QUALIFICATIONS:
1) Outstanding photography skills;
2) Outstanding photo and photo editing skills;
3) Five years’ experience working in the East African region;
4) Experience working in remote areas
5) Proven ability to work in multicultural environment.
6) Basic understanding of the cultures of the communities in the Northern Kenya.
7) Patience and respect for the communities and the people.
COPYRIGHTAND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
In consideration of the fees paid, the Consultant expressly assigns copyright to Adeso and USAID. All images (whether used for online or print purposes) will however bear the consultant’s photo credit, as specified by international intellectual property rights. The consultant may not use, reproduce or otherwise disseminate or authorize others to use, reproduce or disseminate such works without prior consent from REGAL-IR.
HOW TO APPLY:
All applications should be sent to consultancy@adesoafrica.org by the25th February 2015, with “Safe Water Project Environmental Impact Assessment” on the subject line. The selection panel will review all applications as they arrive. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above, and those who do not meet these requirements will not be considered.
Each application package should include the following:
· An application letter addressing the selection criteria including how the consultant’s previous experience matches the consultancy objectives as well as the interest for the position. It should also indicate the candidate’s availability and consultancy rates. The letter should be no longer than two pages;
· A sample of recent work;
· Updated CV including relevant work experience and qualifications;
· Contact details of 3 references.
Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed.