Terms of Reference: Consultancy on Community Development Projects Identification and Feasibility Study

1. BACKGROUND

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been advocating for the adoption of sustainability-oriented reintegration policies that respond to the economic, social and psychosocial needs of returning migrants while also benefiting communities of origin and addressing structural challenges to reintegration. With the aim to support sustainable reintegration of returnees who continue to come back to Lesotho affected by COVID-19, as well as host communities in migration affected areas, the Government of Japan has provided financial support to International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the project called ‘’Socio-Economic Reintegration of Returnees and other vulnerable members in migration affected areas severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.’’ The project will be implemented from March 2021 for 12 months.

In this project, IOM intends to apply part of the reintegration assistance modality which proved to be effective and productive based on the global IOM Reintegration project which will be modified and tailored to the Lesotho context and the urgent needs of returnees pressured by continuous challenges of COVID-19.

The project has three outcomes. Outcome 1: GoL has improved its ability to successfully implement reintegration programmes; Outcome 2: Vulnerable Basotho returnees impacted by COVID-19 have enhanced their livelihoods through restoring their dignity, income generating opportunities and enhanced their living conditions in the district of origin; and Outcome 3: GoL (Local Government) has improved its ability to enhance social unity / cohesion through community development initiative.

These activities are designed to improve beneficiaries’ livelihoods through maximizing income-generating opportunities and enhancing their living conditions while addressing the returnees’ immediate needs to restore their livelihoods and ensure their safety from being infected/affected by COVID-19. This project will be implemented in close collaboration with Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), local government in target districts/community, among others.

In this project, IOM will target five migration affected community in Mafeteng, Mohales Hoek, Quthing, Qacha’s Nek and Leribe district to provide support in the form of community development / income generating activities. As the first step, IOM is looking for a local consultant who will conduct field assessment to the target five districts / community and identify the feasible community development project which will benefit the community as a whole.

2. OBJECTIVE:

The specific objectives of the assignment are as follows:

1. Assess priority needs in terms of small-scale community development projects or income generating activities (i.e. community infrastructure rehabilitation, saving and loan group formulation, agricultural processing, livestock project).

2. Identify and select priority areas of intervention and target beneficiaries within the communities