Endline Survey Project “RVO Tackling Child Labor In Coffee Supply Chains In Vietnam”
TERM OF REFERENCE
CONDUCTING ENDLINE SURVEY PROJECT
“RVO Tackling child labor in coffee supply chains in Vietnam”
BACKGROUND
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working in more than 70 countries at the intersection of business, agriculture and forests. The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. By bringing farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together it addresses some of the most pressing social and environmental challenges of today.
From 2021 to 2024, Rainforest Alliance has been conducting the project “RVO Tackling child labor in coffee supply chains in Vietnam”, funded by Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), JDE and Lavazza with the aim to reduce the child labour in coffee supply chain in Vietnam.
This project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving the livelihoods and social inclusion of vulnerable populations, particularly ethnic minorities and migrants, through four main pillars. The first pillar focuses on enhancing families' livelihoods by providing technical training in sustainable coffee production and offering resources for alternative income-generating activities. This approach aims to diversify local economies, reducing dependency on coffee production while increasing economic resilience in communities.
The second pillar targets increasing school attendance and preventing school drop-out, with a particular focus on ethnic minority children. By ensuring these children remain in school, the project promotes equitable access to education, contributing to long-term opportunities and social mobility.
The third pillar centers on working with local and international coffee companies to improve their sustainability practices. By guiding these companies to adopt better policies and sharing successful strategies, the project encourages industry-wide improvements in sustainability, which directly benefit communities involved in coffee production.
The fourth pillar promotes the inclusion of ethnic minorities in government policies related to poverty reduction, education for all, and the elimination of child labor. Through collaborative strategies and policy advocacy, this pillar aims to secure legal recognition and support for ethnic minorities, ensuring that their needs are addressed in national frameworks.
A key aspect of this project is its focus on vulnerable groups, with particular attention given to migrants. Migrants are prioritized through targeted interventions that address their specific needs and challenges, including the monitoring of child labor occurrences. The project’s child protection committees and the Assess and Address (A&A) committee are crucial in this regard, as they track and respond to instances of child labor within the communities. These committees help ensure that migrant children are protected from exploitation and provided with necessary resources and support to access education and health services. By working closely with local communities, companies, and government stakeholders, the project creates a coordinated approach to improving the social and economic well-being of vulnerable groups. Overall, this project is designed to promote sustainable development, enhance educational opportunities, and support the inclusion of marginalized populations in both economic and policy processes, ultimately contributing to greater social equity and reducing poverty in targeted regions.
Rainforest Alliance is seeking a consultant to conduct an endline survey for project evaluation. The surveys will provide data on how the project impacts target beneficiaries.
SCOPE
Sample size and location
Sample selection
For survey coffee households, the survey farms will be randomly selected and must follow the following requirements:
Samples must equally represent the growing area, in other words, they are evenly distributed across the entire growing area, rather than concentrated in a specific area.
Geographical data (GPS points) of surveyed farms must be recorded
The consultant is encouraged to consult the company agronomist team during farm selection.
Survey questionnaires
There are nine (9) different questionnaires. The questionnaires will be provided by RA. The consultant IS NOT required to prepare the questionnaires. At the beginning of each survey, Rainforest Alliance will provide survey training and sampling guidance to the technical team.
DELIVERABLES
The consultant is required to provide the following deliverables:
Timeline
The consultants will begin in February 2025 and be available at least until Q1 2025. Expectation is this role is part-time and that the RA team will coordinate the logistics of the activities, including reaching out to meeting participants and making use of existing contacts with local authorities.
QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates should be an organization who have knowledge and experience in agronomy, plant protection, good agricultural practices, and regenerative agriculture especially specializing in coffee in the Highlands of Vietnam (Gia Lai and Daklak provinces).
In addition, the candidate must have experience and expertise in social areas such as working with children, organizing the child club, and having good relationships with local communities. Good experiences and skills in farm surveys, farmer interviews, and expertise in GIS are preferred.
They must be fluent in Vietnamese (optional knowledge of other languages spoken in Vietnam) and have good English speaking skills as all reports will have to be produced in both English and Vietnamese.
They must be available to travel to the Highlands with the Rainforest Alliance Vietnam team.
PROPOSAL PROCESS AND FORMAT:
Prospective candidates should send the following documents to Mr. Thiet Nguyen (Tnguyen@ra.org), and Mrs Doan Tran Thu Thuy (dthuy@ra.org).
Short technical proposal
List of previous engagements that address the above experience desired
Current CV of the technical team
Financial proposal: the completed proposal to cover consultant fees and other expenses (if any).
Any clarifications can be obtained from Mr. Thiet Nguyen (Tnguyen@ra.org), and
Mrs Doan Tran Thu Thuy (dthuy@ra.org).
Due to the large amounts of applications, it is noted that ONLY SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS will be contacted.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: February 14, 2025