Jordan: Communications Consultant

Objective: To produce a visual report and short videos for ACT Jordan, Syria, Lebanon (JSL) Forum Members and their ongoing humanitarian response in the region

Preferred applicants based in Jordan or Lebanon, international applicants[1]* are welcome to apply.*

About the JSL Forum

The Jordan Syria Lebanon ACT Forum (JSL) was established in November 2012 and currently brings together faith-based organizations from the ACT Alliance. JSL exists primarily to serve the needs of its members and to act in their interest for the betterment of serving beneficiaries. The main objectives include information sharing/communication; coordination; policy development and advocacy, and external representation of the ACT community. ACT Alliance is a coalition of around 140 churches and faith-based organizations working together in over 100 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalized people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality, in keeping with the highest international codes and standards. ACT Alliance is supported by 25,000 staff from member organizations and is deeply rooted in the communities it serves. It has earned the trust and respect of local people long before large international interventions scale up, and remains steadfast in its grassroots commitments for many years after world attention has shifted elsewhere.

The forum is supported by the JSL Coordinator based in Amman and is guided by its Memorandum of Understanding, it’s elected Steering Committee and ultimately by the Country Directors and member organizations.

Since 2012, members from the JSL Forum have been responding to the Syria Crisis through the ACT Humanitarian Response Mechanism.

Context

The Syrian crisis is a multifaceted armed conflict that has been ongoing since March 2011. The severity of the humanitarian disaster has been outlined by the UN and many international organizations. The Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR) has found that altogether 45% of the prewar population has been forced to move — including 6.36 million displaced within Syria and more than 4 million who have fled the country to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and Kuwait.

Overall, it is one of the largest refugee exoduses in recent history and neighboring countries have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis, with Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey struggling to accommodate new arrivals and provide ongoing assistance to those who have been displaced for up to six years. In some countries where refugees have found safety, they still face difficulties in accessing services, impacting their ability to provide food, housing, health and trauma care, and other basic needs for their families. They are increasingly exhausting their savings and resources and are falling further into poverty. Host governments and communities continue to bear the burden of the political, economic, social, and security spillovers of the conflict. The large increase in population since the Syria crisis began is putting public institutions under extreme pressure to deliver basic services to an increasingly high number of vulnerable people. In a context of shrinking national resources, this is testing the limits of infrastructure and public services that were already fragile before the crisis.

In March 2017, Syria entered its sixth year of an on-going humanitarian crisis. The crisis has brought death and destruction, millions of people have been forced from their homes or have fled the country. Many of them are children. Around 6.3 million people are displaced inside Syria, 5 million people live in besieged cities and hard-to-reach areas, and 4.8 million refugees live in the neighboring countries and beyond.

ACT requesting members (RMs) in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, through their Syria Humanitarian Appeal, are aiming to assist in reducing the vulnerability and alleviating the suffering of people who are affected by the conflict in Syria. The four ACT JSL requesting members[2] are working across key sectors (food security, health and nutrition, basic needs, shelter, WASH, education, protection, livelihoods and community resilience) where the needs have been identified as the greatest in order to support the most vulnerable populations impacted by the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Purpose of Consultancy

The main purpose of this consultancy to develop communications material and resources for the ACT Forum to be presented to current and potential donors, constituencies, and relevant stakeholders. Specifically, this assignment has two parts:

1) To produce a high quality visual report about the JSL forum and its progress since 2012, capturing the vision and highlighting the contributions and collaborations of the members within the forum.

The report will serve as an important publication to showcase the programmatic interventions and significant achievements of the ACT Forum to stakeholders. The aim of the report is to be used as a calling card for outreach and advocacy purposes regarding the unmet needs of the vulnerable and affected people, and to provide information and visibility on the Forum’s vision, role and joint activities. The results and impact should reflect program or project activities, both completed and/or ongoing- special emphasis will be placed on illustrating the Forum’s added value in the region. This report will be used for interactions with partners, including national governments, donors and civil society representatives.

2) To document the plight of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities, while also highlighting the collective and individual activities of the four requesting members through ACT SYR171 Appeal.

The ACT Forum is seeking a communications consultant with significant filmmaking knowledge and skills to be able to produce a high-quality, 10-15 minute video showcasing the collective ACT appeal activities in the region. The short film is aimed at an external audience and should therefore serve as a summary of the Appeal activities and to showcase the impact of ACT humanitarian response. The Consultant will also be required, using the same footage, to produce (4) 5-6 minute videos based on the individual requesting member response in the region.

Expected Deliverables/Outputs:

In cooperation with the JSL Forum Coordinator, the consultant will:

a) Develop a high quality report on the JSL Forum

b) Produce a 10-15 minute film on the collective ACT Appeal response

c) Produce (4) 5-6 minute videos capturing individual requesting members humanitarian response

d) Create short 1-2 minute video links for social media

e) Submission of final videos in HD, AVI and MP4 formats as well as raw footages captured in project areas

f) Provide at-least 50 pictures of ACT Appeal activities/beneficiaries with name of subject in picture, brief description of activity, location, and the date picture is captured.

g) Lead a training/workshop for ACT Member’s program staff in an area of Consultant’s expertise e.g. storytelling, photography, photo essays, technical training on specific software etc.

Duration and Location of the Assignment:

The Consultant will be required to visit project areas in both Lebanon and Jordan. Not all projects in all areas will be visited. It is anticipated that the Consultant will be in field visits in Jordan and Lebanon for 10-15 working days.

The Consultant will have to complete all assigned tasks before December 10 2017. It is up to the consultant to provide the JSL Forum with a proposed plan, schedule and budget.

Responsibilities of Consultant

The Consultant should work closely with JSL Coordinator and requesting members for the accomplishment of following tasks:

· To prepare final report on JSL Forum- specific content related input will be provided by members and the JSL Coordinator

· To capture video footage as agreed by members

· To record narration and prepare background music for the videos

· To translate into English/ Arabic subtitles as necessary

· To prepare draft videos documentaries and submit it to Forum for final feedback before the deadline of the contract.

· To manage all necessary tools and equipment needed for this assignment

Responsibility of the JSL Forum

· Organize preparatory meetings with Forum members to provide more background and direction of the assignment

· Provide content and input into the development of the JSL Forum Report

· Assist the consultant to coordinate the field activities through its field staff and beneficiaries

· Provide feedback when and where necessary

Eligibility:

The consultant should have at least Bachelor degree in communications/journalism/media or equivalent having ample experiences on audio-visual production, recording, editing, and media production. Clear understanding of the technical aspects of video making process and understanding of humanitarian field is required along with experiences on using different tools and techniques in developing appropriate and quality audio-visual products.

· Extensive experience in producing development-related documentaries for national or international organizations with the aim of reaching both local and international audiences

· Knowledge of the Syrian refugee context or previous experience working in Jordan or the Middle East

· Experience working with faith based organizations.

· Fluency in English, both written and verbal, with strong writing and editing skills.

· Arabic skills preferred

· Excellent technical capacities (state-of-the-art filming equipment, preferably High Definition) to ensure smooth and high quality production

· Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

· Excellent organizational and time management skills

· Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.

· Track record of successful materials filmed in the region and/or on similar topics would be an asset

Interested Applicants (DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 3rd)

Please email the following to: act.jsl.coordinator@gmail.com

a) Copy of CV with cover letter including budget details and timeframe for the completion of the assignment. All costs must be included in the budget proposal other then internal flights between Lebanon and Jordan for purposes of the consultancy to be paid by the JSL forum.

b) At least three links to work samples demonstrating most relevant previous productions for quality check

c) Three references (with contact information) from previous clients

d) Detailed list with technical information of the equipment intended for use, including camera, editing software etc.

e) Brief description of the workshop/training

[1] International Applicants travel to the region will not be covered by this consultancy. It will be at the expense of the Consultant. However, flights within the region for the purposes of the consultancy will be covered.

Interested candidate should submit their resumes to : act.jsl.coordinator@gmail.com

Mentioning the vacant tittle on the subject.