Consultant: Social Behavior Change Advisor - USAID Laos Counter Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) Project - Winrock International

USAID Laos Counter Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) Project

TITLE: Social Behavior Change Advisor

REPORTS TO: Chief of Party

STARTING DATE: November 1, 2024

EXPECTED DAYS: 40

1. Background:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Laos Counter-Trafficking in Persons (Laos CTIP) Activity works closely with the Government of Lao People's Democratic Republic (GOL), civil society organizations (CSO), and private sector to reduce the instances of trafficking in persons (TIP) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). The Activity contributes to GOL's national response to TIP, especially in the areas of prevention and protection.

During a three-year extension from October 2024 – September 2027, the project will build on its strengths and lessons learned from the first seven years of implementation to sustainably reduce the risk of trafficking and unsafe migration and ensure increased access to protection services. Laos CTIP will implement activities in five target provinces: Bokeo, Luangnamtha, Oudomxay, Salavanh, and Vientiane.

While the Activity worked to increase awareness and knowledge about TIP and unsafe migration during its first seven years, people continue migrating unsafely. Therefore, Laos CTIP will specifically focus during the extension on changing the attitudes and behaviors related to unsafe migration, TIP, and stigmatization of individuals at-risk of trafficking, their parents, caregivers, communities, businesses, and government officials. While the Activity will have standalone social and behavior change (SBC) activities, they will also be integrated throughout its components. Specifically, Laos CTIP plans to use SBC activities to:

1. Promote gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) among target audiences (government, employers, and communities).
2. Shift public perception of trafficked individuals, especially those coerced into criminal activities.
3. Equip people at-risk of trafficking with the knowledge to make safe migration choices.
4. Help communities better understand survivors of trafficking, migration, local risk-factors, and issues associated with each.
5. Reduce push factors within households for unsafe migration.
6. Expand the effectiveness and reach of the Activity's existing information and education communication (IEC) materials.

Laos CTIP will conduct formative research, likely through a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice behaviors (KAPb) study, to inform its SBC strategy. The study will identify drivers of change, characteristics of target audiences, intended changes for diverse groups of people, and associated interventions that can influence attitudes and behaviors at the individual, household, community, and national level. Following the completion of the study, the consultant will draft the SBC strategy in consultation with the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist. Thereafter, Laos CTIP will hold an SBC workshop for staff and partners with two objectives: (1) to present the KAPb study completed by the research firm to informpartners on the findings and give them the opportunity to provide comments; and (2) to train partners about SBC and its importance to changing behaviors, as well as to discuss the strategy including entry points, strategies, objectives, best media formats or platforms to reach different types of audiences, etc. Depending on the availability of GOL stakeholders, the SBC workshop maybe split into two workshops to cover the two objectives separately. Finally, Laos CTIP will use the findings of the formative research and SBC strategy to launch campaigns at the national, community, and individual levels.

2. Scope of Work:

Winrock International seeks a Social and Behavior Change Advisor to provide technical direction and guidance to Laos CTIP for the design and implementation of its SBC activities, build the capacity of project staff on SBC, and support the team to further build the capacity of stakeholder and partner staff on SBC. The SBC Advisor will help integrate knowledge of evidence-based best international practices in SCB into the TIP/safe migration/and Laos contexts.

During this assignment, the SBC Advisor will work closely with and provide technical support, guidance, and mentorship to the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist. The SBC Advisor will also work with other members of the Laos CTIP staff as well as Home Office support staff, as necessary.

Specifically, the SBC Advisor will:

1. Support the Laos CTIP team to finalize priority behaviors identified to be the focus of this work, map out existing and missing information.
2. Help Laos CTIP finalize the terms of reference (TOR) for a request for proposals (RFP) for research firms to conduct the KAPb study. The SBC Advisor will specifically ensure that the TOR includes best practices on formative research for SBC programs, that the study methodology is designed to elicit the necessary information, and ensure the proper inclusion of SBC principles.
3. Serve on the review panel for proposals to conduct the KAPb study and help Laos CTIP select a firm to conduct the study.
4. Using the KAPb study findings, lead the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist to develop and draft the SBC strategy that will guide all SBC activity implementation and will include objectives, target audiences, approaches, channels, and action plan including monitoring and evaluation.
5. Conduct a capacity building training for Laos CTIP staff to train them about behavior and what shapes it, the theories of how to change behavior, what SBC is, how SBC differs from awareness raising, how to design and implement SBC activities, etc.
6. Conduct an SBC workshop with the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist for Laos CTIP Program staff, and relevant partners and stakeholders. The workshop will cover: (1) Presentation of KAPb followed by Q&A and discussions with the participants to get their feedback; and (2) Training the participants about SBC and its importance to changing behaviors, and an overview of the SBC strategy include entry points, strategies, objectives, best media formats or platforms to reach different types of audiences.
7. Incorporate comments from the SBC Workshop as relevant into the SBC Strategy with the SBC Specialist and finalize the Strategy.
8. Provide technical guidance and support to the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist to design and launch SBC interventions at different levels. Potential activities include helping to revise existing IEC materials in line with SBC principles, tweaking existing training materials in line with SBC principles, supporting the development of a podcast or other type of media campaign, etc.
9. Build the capacity of the Laos CTIP SBC Specialist to be able to implement SBC activities independently.
10. Provide ongoing technical guidance, support, advice, and inputs as needed.

• Deliverables 

1. Provide inputs into the KAPb study TOR.
2. Provide written feedback on proposals received to conduct the KAPb study and discuss feedback with review team.
3. Submit final SBC Strategy that was drafted in partnership with Laos CTIP SBC Specialist and inputs from other team members.
4. Conduct SBC capacity building training for Laos CTIP staff.
5. Conduct an SBC workshop for Laos CTIP staff, GOL staff, and partner staff.
6. Provide short monthly report on work completed during the month, especially related to ongoing mentorship, guidance, activity design, etc

3. Timeframe 

The estimated timeframe for this consultancy is November 1, 2024 – March 31, 2026. The most intense period in terms of deliverables and workload are anticipated to be November 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025.

4. Minimum Requirements:

• A master's degree in social and behavioral science, psychology, sociology, applied behavior analysis, social anthropology, gender studies, development studies, communication, or a related field. Or a bachelor's degree plus an additional three years of work experience.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in SBC, applied behavior analysis, or similar fields, including experience developing SBC strategies and implementing SBC interventions.
• Experience working on democracy and governance and/or human rights-related issues such as trafficking in persons, gender-based violence, LGBTQIA+ issues, ethnic minorities, migration, civil society, citizen participation, etc, desirable.
• Strong communications skills
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Professionalism, teamwork, and ability to meet deadlines
• Previous experience working in international development is desirable.
• Knowledge of Southeast Asian context is desirable.

Please submit a resume below. 

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