Background:
Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation. With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs. As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps’ strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment, and local conflict management.
The Northeast Conflict Management and Stabilization (NE-CMS) Program is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) mechanism to reduce violence and insecurity in Borno State. The program is an expansion from a pilot phase implemented by a consortium from August 2016 to March 2017; and is currently being implemented by a consortium with multiple partners both international and national with Mercy Corps being the lead. The program will run until March 2019.
The NE-CMS program seeks to contribute to:
- Improved trust in the state to address community needs
- Reduced youth vulnerability to involvement in violence
- Improved prevention of violence and peaceful coexistence within and between communities.
Consultant Objectives:
As part of Outcome 1 to improve trust in the state to address community needs, Mercy Corps has identified that advocacy is an essential tool for ensuring that community interests are brought to the table and that government stakeholders are held accountable for addressing those needs and concerns. As such, Mercy Corps intends to provide support to its Good Governance Committees to understand the principles and approaches of advocacy and to develop their own advocacy strategies.
The Advocacy Consultant will contribute to this programming by developing and preparing implementing partners to utilize a set of contextualized materials to train Good Governance Committees and guide them through a facilitated strategic planning process.
Consultant Activities:
- Consult with the NE-CMS team in order to gain a strong understanding of the objectives of the advocacy programming and intended activities
- Develop an Advocacy Training Manual and Workshop Handbook to serve the particular objectives of the NE-CMS program and the context in Borno State
- Deliver a 2-day Training-of-Trainers in Maiduguri to build the capacity of Mercy Corps staff and local implementing partners to deliver advocacy trainings and facilitate advocacy workshops with members of the local Good Governance Committees
- Prepare a Training Report detailing the content, outcomes, and assessment of the ToT
Deliverables and Timeframe:
- Advocacy Training Manual
- Advocacy Workshop Handbook
- Advocacy Training of Trainings (scheduled for the last week of November in Maiduguri)
- Training Report
Deadlines to be confirmed upon contracting.
Total Level of Effort:
6 days
Required Experience & Skills:
The ideal consultant will have the following experience and skills:
- 10+ years of experience designing and facilitating trainings for INGOs, utilizing participatory learning methodologies
- Demonstrated expertise in people-centered advocacy as an integrated component of conflict management, governance, or civil society programming
- Experience trainings and mentoring local organizations in a range of community-focused approaches, including dialogue and mediation, community consultation and action planning, and other community engagement processes
- Knowledge of the northeast Nigerian context preferred
- English fluency required
The Consultant will report to:
Program Manager, NE-CMS
The Consultant will work closely with:
Conflict Management Advisor
Submission of Applications:
The candidate must include in the application package:
- CV, detailing previous training experience and highlighting trainings related to advocacy
- Cover letter describing 3 previous training experiences related to the relevant themes; please also include the expected daily consultancy rate and availability
More Information
- Job City Maiduguri
