National Workshop Facilitator/Moderator

Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HFHV)

Consultancy Terms of Reference

BACKGROUND OF THE FLAGSHIP EVENT PLATFORM

Habitat Vietnam has been implementing several projects serving ethnic minority (EM) communities, most notably in northern Vietnam (Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, and Lao Cai provinces). Among the support we provide is direct housing interventions, including the construction of new houses and the renovation of existing ones. The house construction designs currently used are standardized from Habitat Vietnam’s experience in the country and have a limited level of tailoring to the culture and needs of EM communities.

in February 2023, Vietnam’s Prime Minister issued the Decision No. 4/2023/QD-TTg detailing the level of support and supporting mechanism for use of public investment capital for the implementation of some contents below Projects 1 and Sub-Projects 1, Project 4 of the National Target Programme on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas in 2021-2030 (NTP SEDEMA).

It is in Habitat Vietnam’s interest to explore appropriate financing schemes/models for housing and develop culturally appropriate housing designs specifically catered to EM communities for the following reasons:

- Programming Quality:

• For many years in the past, Habitat Vietnam served low income and vulnerable EMs through "housing finance". There have been cases of loan write-offs in the past that raised questions about the appropriateness of HF. Because the service/product was inappropriate, many families were put under financial stress. To design more effective financial products for EM communities, we need to study both our previous work as well as the current policy framework where more government funding has been made available
• With more house construction designs that are culturally appropriate, we will improve our programming effectiveness (i.e. EM households will be more likely to reside in the new houses than otherwise). Vietnam has many ethnicities with different customs, cultures and habits, so we will start with the major EM communities in our project locations and grow from there.

- Reputation: With input generated from the workshop, we will be able to develop deliverables and position ourselves in the niche market of supporting EM communities with appealing financial products and appropriate housing interventions, a space that is currently quite vacant in VN. We will also cultivate good relationships with local governments because we assist them in implementing Decision No. 4/2023/Q?-TTg [1] and contributing to the NTP (both of which include components related to housing for EM communities).

In addition, the aspect of culture in promoting social inclusion of ethnic minorities in the context of housing and human settlements has promising development opportunities. In line with the multidimensional, inclusive, and sustainable poverty reduction goal of the NTP, the workshop seeks to raise awareness among multi-stakeholders about the transformative impact of adequate, cultural inclusive and affordable housing for ethnic minorities. The aspects of culture and affordability as means of promoting social inclusion come in varying degrees and forms across different sectors and actors. This flagship event and platform is expected to be a joint effort between Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and relevant parties to assist the Vietnamese Government’s endeavor of promoting sustainable poverty reduction for all. It also seeks to consolidate experiences on the implementation of programs under the NTP and define recommendations to the policy.

Expected Outcomes of the Workshop

• Provided a neutral, objective venue and an opportunity for multi-stakeholder, multi-sector engagement through a platform for sharing Ethnic Minority cultural practices
• Identified areas for collaboration, research, development and possible action(s) on housing and related issues and strengthen partnerships within and across associated sectors and actors
• Showcased successful projects and approaches and provide support to motivate individuals, organizations and the private sector to improve culture-inclusive housing conditions, so more ethnic minorities have a decent and affordable place to live
• Identified issues and priorities to promote scalable ethnic and culture inclusive housing solutions for the Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam
• Encouraged discussions, debate and learning on ethnic and culture inclusive housing and  settlements with consideration of disaster resilient features in NTPs and relevant pro-poor housing programs
• Financial products to housing that are appropriate to EM to ensure they can take full advantage of the financing models to improve their housing conditions. We can include a roadmap to help both government and citizen mobilize funding from Decision No. 4/2023/Q?-TTg
• Adaptations/features recommended for house designs that suit EM communities, with the end goal of enabling EM families to settle in these houses. We will come up with the clear house designs for pilot later, this is more of a brainstorming/ideation workshop where we take all the input we can take.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

The primary objective of this consultancy is to provide support and facilitation services – lead sessions and prompt discussions based on the programme and topics – for a one-day National Workshop to review Cultural and Affordability and Disaster Barriers faced by Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam through a housing and settlements lens.

SCOPE OF WORK

It is planned that this multi-stakeholder event will include one day of presentations by key speakers and specific discussion groups.  The consultant will work closely with Habitat Vietnam

and likewise link with speakers involved in the event. The Consultant will be expected to do the following:

Preparatory activities

• With Habitat Vietnam, identify and liaise with presenters and speakers to discuss and prepare the case studies/ presentations.
• Be present in the specified location at the agreed timeframe to support and coordinate prior to the event and participate in relevant meetings.
• Identify any clarifications or additional information required from speakers/participants to ensure smooth and effective delivery, facilitation and documentation of the national workshop.
• Support in the building of coherence and facilitation of the national workshop.
• Provide added value/specific learning supporting/complementary to speakers and presenters.

Facilitation activities

• Be present throughout the national workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam, and work closely with Habitat Vietnam and other organizers and speakers to ensure effective and smooth execution of the workshop and be in close coordination with the project team including note takers.
• One-day quality facilitation showing an understanding of the country context, the theme on housing, and the NTP.
• Ensure presentations/discussions and program transitions are lively and generating quality learning and discourse in housing.
• Design and facilitate discussion throughout the learning event and emphasize the key learnings of group results, building linkage between speakers and facilitating discussions with participants.

Reporting activities

• Write a report building on all presentation made, tools, initiatives presented, including significant side discussions for each group workshop and plenary.
• Provide Habitat Vietnam with recommendations for continued engagement post-national workshop.

Will travel be covered and is it considered work time?

TIMELINE AND ACTIVITIES

DELIVERABLES

• Inputs in program and workshop process.
• A full report compiling key learnings of the workshop, review of tools and initiatives presented, discussions facilitated, including a summary.

CONSULTANT PROFILE

• The consultant should have proven experience in the development and/or government housing-related programs including the NTP.
• In-depth understanding of the Vietnamese context particularly in development, land, and housing.
• In-depth knowledge and experience in housing programs for low income, vulnerable groups, ethnic minority groups.
• Substantial knowledge and experience in application of approaches in driving ideas exchange
• Strong skills in facilitation, generating debate and engagement.
• Strong interactive facilitation skills and an adaptive, dynamic instructional approach to ensure the process remains tailored to evolving discussions and questions.
• Knowledge and work experience within and/or working with development and humanitarian NGOs, state actors, funding agencies, private sector actors, the youth, among others.
• Have the distinct ability to communicate technicalities in housing to people of varying knowledge and skills.

APPLICATIONS

The application package must include:

• The consultants/company’s profile/CVs and related track record
• 01 technical proposal, detailing how the consultants plan to achieve the overall objectives within the listed timeframe, including tentative work plan, team structure & role division
• 01 financial proposal that specifies number of working days required with consultancy rate and proposed budget for logistics, if any
• 01 sample summary report of a similar event performed by the consultant(s)
• 03 contacts for reference

How to Apply: Proposals should be submitted in English by email with the subject mentioning “National Workshop Facilitator/Moderator” to [email protected] [2]. The closing date for applications is 10 August 2023. We regret that only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.