Consultant

The creation of health promotion videos are expected to be finalized by end of October 2023 - All details are clearly listed in the below sections.

The successful consultant/company is required to be based in Lebanon.

Technical Proposal:
- Provide understanding of tasks as indicated in the TOR.
- Share the documentation of previous work done as relates in recent 5 years.
- Tentative workplan with working days for main activities and dates for milestones.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal should include all costs necessary for the consultant (including direct fees and reimbursable costs for expenses incurred) to effectively complete the tasks as per the TOR. Financial proposal shall form part of the contract agreement signed by both the IFRC and the Consultant.

The below is as a guide for costs in USD: Please mention the Description of costs and the Unit Rate Amount when needed

1. Preparatory Costs
2. Actual Consultancy costs
3. Other Costs – specify

Purpose of Project and Background

The Agreement for the USAID/BHA Trust project was signed in December 2021 and current implementation period with a no-cost extension is from September 2021 to 29 March 2024. Currently the project is being implemented in the following countries: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Haiti, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Peru (TBC), Philippines and Sudan. In the MENA region, Iraq is the only country where the BHA trust project is being implemented.

The proposal for the Trust project is premised on the fact that vaccines are a critical tool in ending the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and that trust is a critical element for an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic especially in humanitarian settings. Without public trust in the COVID-19 public health response and approved COVID-19 vaccines, there is a risk that misinformation and misperceptions will continue to spread exponentially and that many communities and vulnerable groups will hesitate or refuse to participate in public health methods to reduce the spread of the virus or to be vaccinated.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Head of World Health Organization has declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency on 5th May 2023, therefore the focus of the BHA project is also expanded to accommodate other concurrent health emergencies such as Cholera, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Iraq to ensure its relevance and meaningful engagement of the communities in the project. The community health volunteers, trained in the risk communication and community engagement approach, have been actively engaged in the health awareness at the community level. However, it is important to equip the volunteers with some innovative and attractive audio-visual materials to reinforce these messages. A recent qualitative assessment conducted by American University of Beirut (AUB) in Jordan and Lebanon revealed that the community members have an easy access to social media platforms and prefer the videos and animated messages to improve their health and disaster knowledge and behaviours.

Therefore, the RCCE regional team is bent upon developing innovative, effective, and culturally appropriate health promotion materials i.e., videos and animations to reinforce the key health emergency and disaster preparedness behaviours in the target communities. Innovative and culturally appropriate videos and animations will be developed on key health and disaster emergencies including cholera, cold waves, heat waves, droughts, earthquakes, floods, sand and dust storms, and wildfires to improve the knowledge, preparedness and preventive behaviours of the communities.

Alignment to the IFRC’s objectives and strategy

The development of the educational videos and animations is aligned with the BHA Trust project, and IFRC’s objectives and strategy. The culturally appropriate and context specific videos on key messages on health and disaster preparedness will further build the trust, improve capacity, and enhance the resilience of the communities in the MENA region.

Project objectives

We are recruiting a consultant to develop innovative, informative, and engaging videos and animations for key health and disaster preparedness messages on up to 15 critical topics, including but not limited to, cholera, cold waves, heat waves, droughts, earthquakes, floods, sand and dust storms, wildfires, and others. These visual materials will be used to raise awareness, educate the community members, and promote disaster preparedness and prevention measures related to these health and disaster emergencies in the MENA region. Moreover, the hired consultant might work on supporting graphic design and layout of some materials based on IFRC standards.

Desired outcomes / deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following outcomes/deliverables:

1. Content development: Based on the key messages and background materials provided by the regional health team, the consultant will gather accurate information about targeted topics i.e., cholera, cold waves, heat waves, droughts, earthquakes, floods, sand and dust storms, and others including their current risks, causes, preventive and control measures and emergency preparedness and response measures to develop the contents of the videos.
2. Scriptwriting: The consultant will develop culturally appropriate, concise, and engaging scripts for the videos and animations, ensuring that the key messages are effectively communicated to the target audience through these videos
3. Animation and video production: The consultant will produce high quality animations and videos utilizing state-of-the-art softwares and techniques, incorporating graphics, illustrations, and appropriate visual effects. The consultant will also use attractive voiceover and integrate suitable and culturally appropriate background music and sound effects to enhance the attractiveness and comprehension of the key messages/behaviours.
4. Pre-test/ revisions: The consultant will pre-test the sample of videos and animations with the target communities in the MENA region via IFRC regional office health team to ensure cultural appropriateness and comprehension of the messages. The consultant will incorporate feedback from community members and IFRC regional staff and make necessary revisions to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the materials.
5. Final deliverables: The consultant will provide the completed videos and animations (up to 15 videos) in the appropriate formats and resolutions suitable for the Red Cross Red Crescent societies’ websites and social media platforms.

Timeline and method of delivery and reasons for selecting that method

The anticipated timeline for this consultancy is 3 months. The details of key deliverables with the suggested timeline as follows:

Contract: 31st July 2023

Content development and scriptwriting: 15th August 2023

Animation/ video production: 30th September 2023

Pre-test, review, and revisions: 15th October 2023

Final deliverables: 31st October2023

This timeline could be revised based on the pace of recruitments process and starting date of the contract.

Support to be provided to the consultant

The health and care regional team, under the supervision of Health and Care Thematic Lead, will provide the overall technical support to the consultant throughout the process.

Following technical support will be provided to the consultant:

Key messages will be provided on the priority health and disaster emergency issues

Continuous technical advice on the messages and video development

Review of the contents and video clips

Pre-test and feedback

Final approval of the deliverables

Schedule for payment of fees

Payments will be provided based on the following criteria:

25% consultation fee at the time contract signing

25% consultation fee after approval the fist sample video

50% consultation fee at the time of final approval of all deliverables

Time Allocation, for budget purposes

The consultant is expected to connect with IFRC focal points whenever needed during the contract period on delivery of the agreed upon materials. The health and care team at IFRC regional office will be supporting this process throughout the 3 months of contract and allocate time to review and respond to consultant inquiries and provide quality and timely feedback.

The budget for this task will be covered by the regional allocations under USAID BHA for RCCE project in Iraq.

Management of consultancy

The health and care regional team, under the supervision of Health and Care Thematic Lead, will be responsible for the management and overall technical support of the consultancy.

Experience

Selection criteria of the consultant

The health team and colleagues from comms team will be working closely to evaluate all submitted applications for this job. The consultant's proposal will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevant experience and expertise: Demonstrated experience in video production, animation, and visual storytelling, preferably with prior experience with an international NGO or humanitarian organization on health promotion or community awareness campaigns in MENA region.

Technical proficiency: Technical proficiency and relevant experience in health-related video and animations. Previous samples will be requested to evaluate the work

Creative approach: Innovative and creative ideas for effectively conveying technical health and disaster preparedness messages in an engaging and interesting manner to the community members with low literacy

Consultancy fee: Competitive consultancy fee for the scope of work outlined in this TOR.

Note:

The consultant will be contracted by the IFRC, and the standard contractual terms will apply.

Agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed at cost in accordance with in the IFRC’s relevant regulations.