Terms of Reference for Relief International (RI) Rapid Needs Assessment in Gaza

Position Title: Rapid Needs Assessment Consultant

Location: Gaza City (North), Deir A-Balah (Middle Area) and Khan Yunis and Rafah (South)

Duration: Maximum of 25 working days

Reports to: Program Manager

Based: In Country based // Gaza

1. BACKGROUND

Gaza’s healthcare system was already fragile before October 7, 2023, due to the Israeli occupation, a long-standing blockade, and socio-economic challenges. Since then, over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, 100,000 injured, and healthcare infrastructure severely damaged, leaving the system unable to cope with overwhelming trauma cases and shortages of staff and supplies. By September 2024, the conflict’s third phase has brought daily airstrikes, ground offensives, and worsening humanitarian conditions. Relief International’s SALAM project supports existing healthcare services with emergency care, nutrition, and protection despite escalating challenges. Most hospitals are non-functional due to fuel shortages, and overcrowded shelters heighten disease risks and strain services. Attacks on medical personnel and facilities and worsening mental health, particularly among children, underscore the urgent need for humanitarian intervention.

2**. OBJECTIVES OF THE MULTI SECTOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT**

2.1 Overall Objective

Provide strong, evidence-based information on multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of affected populations in Gaza City, Deir El Balah and Khan Yunis Governorates. Rafah governorate would also be considered should safe access be restored, to inform multi-sector humanitarian programming for 2025 focusing on secondary health, nutrition, WASH in heath and integrated protection services.

2.2 Sectoral Objectives

• Secondary Health Services

  • Mapping of existing secondary health care facilities in Gaza City, Deir El Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah including type (i.e. government owned, INGO/NGO supported, etc.) as well as specific services provided.

  • Provide detailed information on the assessed health facilities capacities focusing on those that are INGO/NGO support in terms of: staffing (including specialized medical staff), availability of supplies, (including medicine and medical equipment) emergency preparedness for mass casualty including number of beds, existing intensive care units (ICUs), number of operating rooms

  • Evaluate the accessibility of secondary health services especially for emergency care, surgical procedures and treatment of communicable diseases (average distance from the nearest treatment point, average waiting time).

  • Provide detailed information of existing referral systems from primary to secondary health care, nutrition and protection services, identify challenges such as transportation, security constraints and delays in receiving care.

    MHPSS:

  • Availability and coverage of mental health services, including counselling, psychiatric care, and community-based psychosocial support programs vs. Identified needs

  • Water supply access: identify gaps in accessing safe drinking water/safe water source at health facilities targeted level. This includes type of infrastructures available, distribution networks, storages, handwashing basins, distance, quality, serving and local capacity to maintain. Availability, quality and contamination risks to be considered. This includes information on the existence of waterborne diseases (e.g. cholera, dysentery).

  • Sanitation: assess the accessibility and condition of toilets, bathing areas, and drainage systems, within the targeted health facilities, noting that these services are often strained by limited resources.

  • Solid Waste Management Systems: Assess solid waste management practices within healthcare facilities and surrounding communities, including presence of drainage systems. Identify gaps in waste collection, segregation, and disposal processes, and assess the impact of waste management on environmental and public health.

  WASH in Health:

• Nutrition:

• Assess needs linked to malnutrition (e.g. access to food, diet, prices etc)in the targeted areas, particularly among children under 5, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly.

• Mapping of existing nutrition interventions, such as food assistance, therapeutic feeding (for acute malnutrition), and public health programs (e.g., micronutrient supplementation, IYCF) and identify partners involve in these programs (e.g., NGOs, UN agencies like WFP, UNICEF, WHO), including existing referral systems (cf. Health).

• Assess the reach and effectiveness of current interventions, identify any gaps in service delivery, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant and lactating women, people with disabilities and elderly.

• Integrated Protection:

  • Mapping of protection services available in the catchment areas of secondary heath facilities/hospitals
  • Understand the protection needs in the catchment area of the secondary health facilities (i.e. child protection, GBV/IPV, etc.)
  • Propose recommendations to better integrate protection services within secondary health facilities

3**. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY**

The assessment must consider the context through the desk review and initial discussions with Relief International team members, prior to developing the inception report. The consultant and the RI team will collaborate on finalizing the methodology. The feasibility of the following must be considered:

• Collecting primary quantitative data through individuals and/or households
• Focus group discussions with potential recipients of RI services that represent gender, age or other relevant categories.
• Key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders in facilities, communities, authority levels, donors and/or partners.
• Health facility staff and/or management

The consultant shall identify the respondents who are relevant to obtaining the responses for each of the requirements under sectoral objectives and align with the number of days provided and the contextual limitations/feasibility to propose a methodology and accompanying sampling framework with justifications that would suit the purpose of this rapid needs assessment. This will be finalized with RI team.

The consultant will also ensure that appropriate consent processes are ensured in any data collection activity, with the respondents.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES OF THE CONSULTANT

4.1 Responsibilities

• Undertake a comprehensive desk review of existing assessments, guidance documents of relevant clusters and other relevant literature, alongside any initial consultations with program staff in RI.
• Identify respondents for the survey, propose a realistic but credible sampling framework/method in agreement with RI team.
• Once agreed, develop a draft of questionnaires (against the backdrop of the desk review) and necessary tools to collect data, and incorporate them with the submission of the inception report (which must include draft findings of the desk review, respondent groups and list of respondents for the KIIs, specific timeline and field plan, finalized methodology and sample sizes, data quality and analysis plan, deliverables and other requirements)
• Upon approval of the inception report and finalization of the tools, recruit and train enumerators, organize the field and collect data.
• Conduct comprehensive mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) data collection in the mentioned locations.
• Analyse the data collected under the specific sectors and thematic objectives mentioned above with as much triangulation as possible, utilizing appropriate software. Ensure clear references to secondary data where primary data is unavailable, or if primary data collected contradicts/corresponds with any secondary data found. Undertake any validation sessions as required from RI team.
• Draft a high-quality report detailing the findings for each sector, areas of integration required, conclusions and recommendations in a concise and clear readable format. The report must include the following:
  • Executive summary
  • Purpose and objectives (as stated in this TOR)
  • Background to the context and profiles of governorates
  • Methodology with limitations and risk mitigations
  • Findings under each sectoral topic
  • Interoperability among sectors
  • Conclusions/discussions
  • Recommendations
  • References
  • Annexes: Workplan, Tools, Datasets and other deemed appropriate.
• Conduct a presentation and debriefing session with Relief International Senior Management team

4.2 Specific deliverables and timelines

• Inception report and draft tools: within 7 days of commencement
• 1st Draft report: within 20 days of commencement (Other drafts may follow)
• Final report and datasets: within 24 days of commencement
• Presentation of summarized assessment findings: within 24 days of commencement

4.3 Payments

Payments will be done in two instalments as follows:

30% at finalization of inception report

70% at finalization of the final assessment report.

Relief International has sole ownership of all the final data and any findings shall not be reproduced or shared without written permission from RI.

5**. CONSULTANT PROFILE**

The lead consultant is expected to meet the following criteria to be eligible for this work:

• Master’s degree in international development and/or Humanitarian Assistance, Project Management, or any other related field.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in conducting needs assessments in countries of conflict or post-conflict.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting rapid/needs assessments in Gaza. Previous experience in conducting similar type of assessment preferable.
• Strong analytical skills and research experience, with solid knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies
• Sound experience and knowledge of Humanitarian Accountability framework (HAF), evaluation of integrated projects/programs and drawing lesson learns/good practices.
• Excellent writing and document presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines. Fluent and excellent report writing skills in English.
• A demonstrated high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high pressure situations under pressure and tight deadlines.

6. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI):

Relief International invites individuals with the experience and skills described above to submit their application. The application should include: with a detailed technical and financial proposal (inclusive of all costs needed for the implementation of the RNA), and a workshop outlining how and when the various deliverables will be met. Individuals submitting against this EoI are also expected to share CVs of lead consultant and other individuals significantly involved in the process at senior level.

• Detailed technical proposal (including methodology that will be applied for the exercise), and workplan for the consultancy duration period of 20 working days.
• Financial proposal, in USD for 20 working days. The financial proposal should include all costs associated with the performance of the assignment.
• CV of lead consultant demonstrating relevant experience to the project, including three referees (with phone number and email address). CVs of other individuals who will support the RNA in senior capacities should also be shared
• One example of a report from previous needs assessments in a similar context.

RI Values

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

We value:

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability

EVALUATION AND AWARD OF CONSULTANCY

Relief International will evaluate the proposals and award the contract based on technical soundness and financial feasibility. Relief International reserves the right to accept or reject any proposals received.