PROPOSAL FOR GBV AND WASH HUMANITARIAN NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN SYRIA AND LEBANON

• Background information

NCA has been operating in Syria and Lebanon for the past 10 years, supporting local partners to implement the Gender Based Violence/Protection and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects. Interventions have focused mostly on the prevention, mitigation, and response of gender-based violence; WASH assistance; and COVID-19 prevention measures in response to the outbreak of pandemic in 2020. Based on NCA’s past experiences in WASH and GBV thematic areas, and in line with NCA plans of expansion in both countries, NCA will continue addressing the WASH and GBV needs of people in need in Syria and Lebanon in 2023 and beyond, ensuring that a solid country strategy and annual plan is developed based on specific context and needs assessment Accordingly, NCA Syria and Lebanon country offices will allocate resources in efficient and effective way to reach out to underserved geographical areas with greatest need. Aiming to align 2023 project plans with verified evidence of local community specific needs., Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), country specific Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP, ERP, LCRP) and UN Cluster/working group strategies, a Needs Assessment will be conducted by NCA with the following components:

1. Conduct primary research at the field level among NCA/ partners, communities in need, officials in relevant government departments, UN personnel, other INGOs and local NGOs to identify needs and gaps in response efforts,
2. Assess NCA and partners capacities and limitations, as determined by the impact of their current and previous work, current political and economic country context
3. Assess the current operational environment terms and conditions of relevant local authorities to safely provide relevant GBV and WASH services to the people in need.

Based on the Needs Assessment findings, the consultant’s final document will provide NCA with credible recommendations for GBV and WASH interventions by NCA and partners. It may also highlight other humanitarian needs as observed during the research.

• Contract purpose and expected results

Overall objective:

The overall objective is to review, enumerate, and document the scope of, and need for,

• Age, gender and disability sensitive GBV protection, prevention, and remedial services and activities as identified by affected communities and relevant actors in Syria and Lebanon.
• Lifesaving emergency response to current water crisis, capacity gaps, and prioritised needs of people in most vulnerable governorates of Syria.
• Emergency response to WASH prioritised needs in Lebanon.

Purpose:

The needs assessment is to be conducted at the field level, during which cross-cutting and other related factors, e.g., security and access must also be considered. The purpose of the assessment is to provide a comprehensive overview of the following:

Gender Based Violence (GBV)

• The needs of GBV survivors (women, girls, boys and men) as they identify them;
• The current protection concerns women and, girls, and vulnerable boys and men face;
• The current coping mechanism women and, girls, and boys and men vulnerable to GBV resort to address their needs, minimize risk, and their effectiveness;
• The existing services targeted specifically to GBV survivors (MHPSS, health, protection, etc.), including the locations and the organizations that are providing them;
• Specific gaps in services (Case-management capacity of GBV counselling and referral services, as well as capacity for age, gender, and disability sensitive GBV case management) for GBV survivors (specific locations);
• Challenges of survivors in accessing the existing GBV services
• Risks and exposure of vulnerable people, including persons with disabilities, to GBV; and challenges they face in accessing GBV services
• Age and gender specific risks, concerns and GBV trends adolescent girls face in the Syrian context, reflecting variation in urban and rural context, and challenges they meet in accessing the GBV services.
• Domestic violence and negative coping mechanism as an outcome of financial hardship, including the needs and accessibility of cash services for GBV survivors
• Identify the barriers of vulnerable groups, including GBV survivors, to practice safe and adequate hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, e.g. in terms of water availability, availability and access of related material, infrastructure and facilities and lack in knowledge on personal protection and prevention of the spread of the disease, including vaccination;
• Status of local health centers regarding their capacity to provide basic services related to GBV and MHPSS.
• Gaps and needs related to the safety and protection of the users of the shared WASH facilities (water collection points, distribution sites, latrines, showers, washing areas, etc.) in communities, camps and collective shelters (with added focus on disability);

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WASH

• Availability of water sources in communities and operation status regarding power source and water authority capacity
• Water quality will be included to have an overview on availability of drinking water and domestic usage water. Including any possibility of wastewater leakage to water sources or network
• Water network condition and limitation in water delivery to community members including public water storage
• Current gaps for water delivery to schools and health facilities within communities
• Water storage methods for HHs and capacity of community members to achieve healthy and sufficient water storage
• Availability of sufficient and secure location for possible solar system installation for water sources
• Knowledge and practices of community members for personal and domestic hygiene and water preservation methods. Including COVID-19 prevention
• Availability and affordability of WASH NFIs in local market
• Hygiene practices for students including MHM and incontinence and schools requirements to provide minimum hygiene standards
• Barriers in accessing complaints response mechanism, especially for reporting sensitive issues such as sexual abuse and exploitation
• Current level of usage and potential of expansion of usage of green energy and solar system for water pumping systems in the assessed communities
• Successful renewal energy and green, environmentally friendly WASH interventions and potential for expansion, opportunities, and challenges
• Need for solid waste management and potentials for linking waste management to livelihood and cash for work at the municipal and caza level, and how refugee communities in Lebanon can be engaged in these activities
• Linking water projects to livelihood such as water for agriculture as an example
• Legal framework related to solid waste, including composting

Applicant to include Assumptions and risk matrix with the application.

(Note: an assumption could be that the security situation permits the work to be completed or the Government is willing to cooperate. A risk could be limited access to the area, country etc.)

• Scope of the Services
• Focus on GBV and WASH
• Geographic coverage:

Syria – All Government of Syria controlled governorates focusing on areas affected by Water crisis and cholera outbreak

Lebanon; Beirut/Mount Lebanon, North/Akkar/T5, Bekaa, Baalbeck

GBV elements:

• GBV context: demographics, types of GBV, risk factors for GBV, survivor/perpetrator profiles, survivor needs and preferred ways of accessing support.
• Availability, accessibility, safety, and quality of services: Types of services available, key actors, and their technical capacities
• Disclosure, help-seeking, and referrals: Entry points to seek help, existence of referral pathways and systems, service provider knowledge and attitudes towards GBV, availability of community-based support.
• Community Profile: community knowledge and attitudes towards GBV, community perception of GBV within community, practices/beliefs, existence of community-based support/protection structures (including the female led ones).
• Intersectional analysis of population vulnerable to GBV: e.g., adolescent girls, women and girls with disability, female headed households
• Amplifying voices of women and girls: mapping the experiences and challenges as perceived by the vulnerable populations

WASH, and other elements:

• Water situation and current limitation for water delivery to HHs, schools, and health centers
• Community requirements: minimum required water quantity, domestic and public storage requirements, water quality, and delivery method
• Opportunities for solar system installation to provide more sustainable water sources and pumping
• Water authority capacity to perform O&M for water sources and pumping with required intervention for capacity building
• Required data to design awareness raising and provision of essential NFIs interventions including COVID-19 prevention and vaccination awareness
• Training/Capacity building needs for WASH personnel for mainstreaming GBV and PSHEA in WASH activities
• The need assessment in Lebanon needs to cover specific needs of Syrian refugees as per the WASH and GBV elements mentioned above.