Consultant, Study on the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Multidimensional Child Poverty in Brazil, remote, Brazil

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UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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BR Home-based; Brasilia (Brazil)

Application deadline 2 years ago: Monday 28 Mar 2022 at 02:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Background & Rationale

Child poverty entails more than the lack of monetary means. Although measures such as household income are important, they provide only a partial view of the plight of children living in poverty. Therefore, to understand the full extent of poverty in childhood, including the impact that COVID-19 has on child poverty, one must look beyond monetary poverty and include children’s access to health, education, nutrition, water, sanitation, and housing services.

According to a joint analysis of UNICEF and Save the Children in 2020, approximately 150 million additional children were living in multidimensional poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data on access to education, healthcare, housing, nutrition, sanitation and water from more than 70 countries, the analysis found that around 45 per cent of children were severely deprived of at least one of these critical needs before the coronavirus pandemic even hit. While existing data already illustrate a dire reality for the many children around the world that live in multidimensional poverty, this situation is likely to worsen unless urgent actions are implemented in a timely fashion.

Although official statistics are available on poverty levels and trends in Brazil, there has been limited attention to children and poverty. Monetary poverty measures are calculated at the household level, however child poverty rates often tend to be higher than the population-based poverty rate because of the tendency of a higher number of children in the poorest households. Regular child poverty measurement and reporting are currently not institutionalized in Brazil.

Focused attention on child poverty is essential because children’s experience of poverty differs from that of adults. Children are going through important developmental stages both physically and mentally, and the experience of a household shock may have severe, long-term impacts on them. Deprivation of rights to food, health and education in early years can have irreversible consequences. Household-coping mechanisms in the event of a shock such as loss of income due to illness, unemployment, a natural emergency, or a pandemic - as in the case of the COVID-19 crises - may bring implications such as absence from school, food insecurity or child labour. For adolescents, poverty can threaten the safe transition to adulthood, interrupt education, and increase vulnerability to risks such as early pregnancy and exposure to HIV infection.

Purpose

COVID-19 has brought about a systemic shock on Brazilian households and the latest results of the household survey demonstrate a clear impact on children and adolescents in many aspects of their lives, such as reduced access to education during the pandemic. To provide a further and more detailed understanding of this impact, the purpose of this consultancy is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the specific impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on multidimensional child poverty in Brazil, considering children and adolescents from 0 to 17.

Methodology

The study will be undertaken by using a quantitative methodology with data from the most recent Brazilian household surveys (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua - PNAD C). The analysis will build upon a previous UNICEF study on multiple child deprivations in Brazil, carried out in 2018 under the title Well Being and Multiple Deprivations in Childhood and Adolescence in Brazil[1]. Based on data from the former version of the Brazilian household survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios - PNAD Annual), this study established a baseline on multidimensional poverty for 2015.

The consultancy will also be informed by an internal UNICEF exercise conducted with 2016/2017/2018 PNAD C. This exercise demonstrates the adaptability of the methodology used in the above-mentioned study to the current Brazilian household survey, given that the latest household survey has almost the same dimensions as those analyzed in 2018 using the Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios -PNAD Annual However, some degree of methodological adaptation will be required as the Brazilian Household survey went through significant changes during this period.

Following these methodological adjustments, a new time series will be calculated using data from 2016 to the most recent available (probably 2021, if made available in time by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica - IBGE).

While other effects will be difficult to isolate, this consultancy will consider in its narrative that possible impacts over data trends over the period can be directly correlated to the effects of the Pandemic, such as school closures, malnutrition, food insecurity- and unemployment increase.

The development of the methodology and the analysis will be closely accompanied and reviewed by UNICEF and partners.

Observations

All code developed for the analysis, including tables and graphs, should be in R, Stata, SPSS or Python, properly commented and will be open sourced with the publication of the final report. All code developed for the reports will be reviewed alongside the reports (for each deliverable).

Deliverables:

1.1. First preliminary report containing the updated and adjusted methodology and a Multidimensional Brazilian Child Poverty index for 2016 to 2019 (as baselines), considering different levels of disaggregation defined with UNICEF, alongside the code used for all indexes, graphs and tables;

1.2. Duration: 30 days

1.3. Deadline: 1 month from start of the consultancy

1.4. Payment: 30%

2.1. Second report containing Multidimensional Child Poverty Index and Analysis for 2016 to 2019, along with the index and analysis for 2020 and 2021 (where data available) with the disaggregation agreed upon with UNICEF, alongside the code used for all indexes, graphs and tables;

2.3. Duration: 45 days

2.4. Deadline: 2.5 months from the start of the consultancy

2.5. Payment: 20%

3.1. Presentation of findings with key messages and recommendations for policy-makers, and;

Final report containing the full narrative and quantitative analysis on COVID 19 pandemic impacts on Multidimensional Child Poverty with findings and key messages and recommendations for policy-makers with disaggregation agreed upon with UNICEF alongside the code used for all indexes, graphs and tables.

2.3. Duration: 45 days

2.4. Deadline: 4 months from the start of the consultancy

2.5. Payment: 30%

4.1. Report with post launch adjustments. Including graphs, maps and any newly developed analysis and code.

2.3. Duration: 105 days

2.4. Deadline: 7.5 months from the start of the consultancy

2.5. Payment: 20%

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • Timely deliverable of reports.
  • Useful and accurate analysis and narrative.
  • Organized and well commented code.

Technical background, and experience required

Required:

  • Advanced degree in social sciences, statistics, economics or related fields.
  • 5 years of relevant experience in poverty studies, multidimensional poverty and/or deprivation analysis.
  • Proven experience conducting quantitative and qualitative research related to child rights.
  • Proven experience with statistical software and programming languages for research.
  • Experience working with the Brazilian Household Survey (PNAD Annual and Contínua).
  • Fluency in English and Portuguese.

Desirable:

  • PhD in social sciences, statistics, economics or related fields.
  • Previous work writing studies, assessments, or evaluation reports for UN agencies.
  • Previous work with governmental research institutes.

Key competences

Builds and maintains partnerships; Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness; Drive to achieve results for impact; Innovates and embraces change; Manages ambiguity and complexity; Thinks and acts strategically; Works collaboratively with others.

Core Values

  1. Care
  2. Respect
  3. Integrity
  4. Trust
  5. Accountability

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

  • Consultant will work from home using own equipment and stationery. UNICEF will provide office space for consultative meetings when needed.
  • Expenses related to travels, if any, will be covered by UNICEF and paid to the Consultant as per UNICEF travel rules and regulations.
  • No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or Individual Contractor
  • No Consultant may travel without a signed travel authorization prior to the commencement of the journey to the duty station for international consultant (for international consultancy)
  • Consultants/ICs will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
  • The consultant will work remote under a full-time basis and prior authorization and/or clearance from UNICEF to engage in external activities is required.

Financial Proposal

  • Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
  • A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants and individual contractors are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.
  • The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Insurance and health coverage

  • The contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expenses, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of the contract as he or she considers appropriate.
  • The contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

Restrictions

  • Consultants and individual contractors may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF. Notwithstanding, consultants and individual contracts must complete the applicable mandatory trainings.
  • In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF's policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

[1] https://www.unicef.org/brazil/media/4541/file/Well-being-and-multiple-deprivations-in-childhood-and-adolescence-in-brazil.pdf.pdf

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org