TOR for Consultancy to Develop Urban Disaster Response Programming Tools
Background
World Vision has engaged in urban interventions in fewer than half of the 21 major urban disasters of
the past decade; however, the escalating exposure and vulnerability of a growing urban population
means that urban disaster risks are increasing dramatically around the globe and that World Vision
will be responding more and more to urban disasters. A review of our past urban disaster responses
reveals technical and capacity gaps that should be filled in order to prepare for this future. Our
present approaches and expertize need to adjust to the considerable difference between urban
contexts and the typical rural context to which we are accustomed.
The review of urban disaster responses points to specific knowledge gaps in World Vision, such as
with respect to supporting recovery of urban livelihoods, land tenure and rights, health and WASH
systems, and raises important questions to be considered further: how well do existing tools for
improving accountability to affected people work in urban settings, how well do existing community
representation and targeting systems (such as relief committees and community based targeting)
work in urban contexts, how should relief interventions be adapted such that livelihoods are built
back better and more resilient to future shocks, how useful/relevant are SPHERE guidelines and
indicators in urban disasters, how should existing disaster response programming models be adapted
for future urban contexts, how can urban development programming incorporating disaster risk
reduction be connected coherently with disaster response?
World Vision is seeking to answer these questions and address its knowledge gaps to prepare itself
for an urban future. These terms of reference are for a consultancy to develop guidance for staff in
responding to future urban disasters.
Consultancy
World Vision will hire a consultant to develop two strands of programming guidance for urban
emergency contexts: specific programming guidance for supporting urban livelihood recovery and
broader programming guidance across the range of sectors and interventions in which World Vision
will engage in urban disaster response. The tangible outputs of the consultancy will be various forms
of communication and training tools designed to assist staff to use the guidance in their various roles
in urban emergency responses.
The urban livelihood recovery work will produce specific programming guidance on how to analyse
and understand the risks associated with urban livelihoods in post-disaster recovery contexts and to
apply such knowledge to the selection, design, and implementation of specific interventions. Such
guidance needs to recommend what tools are most useful and what types of programming are best
suited to meeting livelihood recovery needs. It also needs to provide guidance on how to link such
post-disaster programming with previous urban disaster-risk reduction and community resilience
strategies and programming that World Vision may have been engaged in within the same urban
context prior to a disaster. In addition it would also be important to develop approaches that reduce
future disaster risk and enhance the resilience of vulnerable urban populations
The broader guidance for programming across various other sectors will highlight key challenges and
lessons learnt in urban responses and provide guidance and examples of how these can be overcome
by staff. The guidance will emphasise the how to integrate response work in various sectors to
complement and support recovery and risk reduction. The work will involve reviewing the latest
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learning, innovations and tools and develop practical materials for capacity building and pre-response
training and preparation for staff that will use case studies, stories, and examples to help guide staff
implementing response programmes in urban contexts. The output will be in forms that can be used
with e-learning training courses and include short technically focused (sectors) materials in those
areas with particularly critical lessons and differences that need to be applied in urban contexts. An
'urban response' primer for general management staff should also be developed for integration with a
pre-response/startup preparation seminar ahead of an imminent disaster response.
Purpose
1. Urban livelihood recovery programme model:
Provide a programme model for staff to apply to designing and implementing resilient
livelihood recovery programmes within urban or peri-urban post-disaster contexts. It is a
resource to enable local partners and WV programme and response staff to develop
appropriate interventions within their context. The model incorporates the learning and
experience from learning, adapting practices from inside as well as outside World Vision
(WV).
2. Urban disaster response lessons and good practice:
Provide tools for use in capacity building, training, and preparedness ahead of urban disaster
response to help staff apply lessons learnt from past urban responses.
Objectives
1. Urban livelihood recovery programme model:

Understand the specific context of an urban environment and the impact of disasters on
people’s livelihoods.

Develop post disaster livelihood programme interventions that link to pre-existing urban
DRR programmes.

Incorporate disaster risk reduction practices (e.g. early warning and preparedness planning)
into livelihood recovery programmes after a disaster has taken place

Design livelihood recovery programmes that focus on all aspects of building long term
resilience (i.e. 1) building up livelihood capitals, 2) mitigating the impact of the risk context on
livelihoods and 3) strengthening the enabling environment for sustainable livelihoods)

Capture and analyse learning, innovation and best practice of current and past operations in
urban and peri-urban settings with a specific focus on tools and useful approaches to support
recovery.
2. Urban disaster response lessons and good practice:

Provide the basic information that programme staff need to design and implement response
and recovery programmes in the variety of disaster contexts where World Vision responds.

To provide examples from a range of response contexts and disaster types of good practice
in responding to urban disasters.

To build the capacity of and prepare Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs response staff who
face or will face urban responses.
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
Connect with the best practice of other actors working on improving humanitarian response
and recovery programming in urban settings, in order to learn from what others are doing
and be an active member in current discussions.

Provide practical guidance on how each step of disaster recovery may need to be adapted to
work effectively in the specific context.
Country Focus
Focus countries will be selected according to where recent urban emergencies have occurred and to
complement a separate Urban DRR research initiative led by the Asia Pacific Regional Office.
Haiti: Since much of the response staff from the Haiti earthquake have left the location, the case
study will have to be based on written materials and interviews. This study will focus on the
characteristics of rapid onset disaster in a context with a weak and dysfunctional government and
challenges for waste management, camps and security.
Gaza: Documentation is sparse so a case study will require a visit to the office. The general focus of
this study will be characterized by the context of slow-onset, man-made disaster with little
cooperation from the government or spill-over crises in the form of IDP issues from bordering
countries, and challenges of addressing protection needs.
China, Philippines, Indonesia, may be possible study countries.
Deliverables
1. Inception report inception report with a final, detailed workplan
Urban livelihood recovery programme model:
2. Literature review
3. Documented case studies of promising livelihood recovery practices
4. Project model written up and formatted as per WV Project Model template outlining the
main following components:
a. What is the project model about
b. What are the context considerations
c. Who would be the target group and beneficiaries of this model
d. How does the project model work
e. Project DM&E issues
f.
Protection and equity considerations
g. Project management considerations
h. Any necessary tools
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i.
Linkages and integration
5. To develop dissemination and communication guidance notes for practitioners
Urban disaster response lessons and good practice:
6. Documented best practice from each of the field locations/case studies
7. Handbook written up that complements the above project model and the existing Urban
development programming guidance notes and includes:
a. Essential background information and knowledge for those directly working in urban
responses environments
b. Key concepts and principles for working in urban contexts
c. The ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of urban response
8. Develop plan for roll-out through capacity building director
9. 'Urban Response' primer for general management staff for integration with a preresponse/startup preparation seminar ahead of an imminent disaster response
Audience

National level operations management and project implementation staff

Second phase disaster response teams in large scale partnership responses

Key support office staff involved in funding urban livelihood recovery programmes
Methods
Desk review of internal and external documentation
Case studies of urban responses, drawing on interviews with World Vision international response
staff and national office staff.
Key sources would include:
External:

Research institutes, INGOs and UN organisations (especially UNISDR and Resilient
Cities Campaign), UNDP - Early recovery cluster coordinators etc

World Bank - PDNA processes and integrated recovery framework planning.

Donor agencies involved in resourcing urban livelihood planning
Internal (WV):

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Regional and national disaster management (HEA) leaders

Country and Operations Directors in countries with high incidence of urban
emergencies

Programme managers from affected countries
The general urban response learning will build upon the 2011 internal review of World Vision
urban response, highlighting the major findings from it through real-life examples of lessons and
good practice experienced and applied by World Vision staff in emergency responses:
1. ADP Managers and field staff of NOs that have responded to urban disaster,
2. National Office Operations / Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs management of DRR pilot
countries
3. Regional DRR technical advisors / project managers
4. R-HEADs
5. Selected humanitarian or DRR staff from other National Offices within the regions
Activities
1. Develop workplan and inception report
2. Literature review:
a. building resilience through urban livelihood recovery programming practices from
other organisations
b. Review existing sector programme guidance within WV to establish if this can be
applied to urban post disaster recovery programming.
c. Review WV’s current urban programming guidance
3. Research, and write up case studies of urban post disaster livelihood recovery initiatives
4. Writing programming guidance documentation
5. Develop and write training, learning, capacity building and preparedness tools from urban
lessons and good practice
6. Dissemination through various workshops, seminars.
7. Design, document, and execute a plan for field testing of the programme model
Management
The consultant will consult closely with the three regional location leads as well as with the Director
of DRR and the Humanitarian Research Director. It is particularly important that the review reflects
recommendations in line with current Partnership priorities and therefore consultations with lines of
ministry are imperative. This review will make use of external collaboration with a partner NGO if
and when possible.
Budget and Resources
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It is estimated that the work could require up to 120 days, which could be split between two people,
and which has been budgeted for separately to a budget for travel expenses to case-study countries
and costs of developing tools (publishing, seminars, web-design or other forms).
Work should start by the end of May or early June and must be complete 30 December 2012.
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Schedule
Ma
y
Jun
x
x
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oc
t
Nov
General
Orientation to materials, planning, inception report
Conduct literature Review of internal and external materials (two weeks)
x
Organize field visits; Confirm with project owners and key people to finalize schedule identifying people in the regional
offices (over three weeks)
Write inception report with finalized workplan (one week)
x
x
Handbook
Literature review: (for the purposes author’s understanding and brief summary for outputs)
-
Review of Urban Ready document and interview transcripts
-
Review of external literature, in particular Alnap’s paper
x
Draft handbook outline and work with publishing representative to approve printing project
x
Draft case study interview format, data collection and schedule
x
Gaza Visit to collect good case study details (3 weeks)
Asia visit to collect good case study details (3 weeks)
Write up good case study handbook working with capacity builder
x
x
x
Develop plan for roll-out through capacity building director
Assist with webinar
Develop 'Urban Response' primer for integration with a pre-response/startup preparation seminar ahead of an
imminent disaster response
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x
x
x
x
Dec
Ma
y
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oc
t
Nov
Dec
Project Model Schedule
Literature Review:
-
Review of current best urban recovery programming practices from other organisations
-
Review of existing sector programme guidance within WV to establish if this can be applied to urban post
disaster recovery programming
-
Review of current WV urban programming guidance
Drafting of project model in WV format
Field testing of model and collection of good practice case study of urban post disaster livelihood recovery initiatives in
Gaza (3 weeks)
Field testing of programme model and collection of good practice case study of urban post disaster livelihood recovery
initiatives in Asia (3 weeks)
Document learnings from field test and write up into good practice format; revise project model document
x
x
x
x
x
Develop dissemination and communication guidance notes for practitioners
x
Develop plan for roll-out through DRR director
x
To bid for the position, email your CV, outline of how you would propose to carry out the consultancy, and your estimated consultancy fees to
Kevin_Savage@wvi.org and Noelle_Soi@wvi.org by May 21, 2012. A small team of two consultants will be considered as well given the timeframe
and workload.
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