Call for Consultant: Cyclone Freddy Loss & Damage Reportage

Consultant or journalist: 

Cyclone Freddy Loss & Damage Reportage

for

Danish Red Cross and CARE Denmark

The Danish Red Cross and CARE Denmark are seeking a consultant or journalist, or a team, to create a reportage on the losses and damages caused by cyclone Freddy which hit Malawi in 2023. 

1. Background and Introduction

Loss and damage refer to the negative impacts of climate change that cannot be reduced or avoided through mitigation and adaptation measures or where these are not implemented. These include physical damage to for example infrastructure and non-economic losses such as loss of livelihoods, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and adverse health impacts. Losses and damages are disproportionately experienced by low-income countries and people in vulnerable situations, such as people living in disaster prone areas, conflict affected contexts and displacement. The humanitarian consequences of losses and damages includes displacement of communities, increased food insecurity, and disruption of essential services. The humanitarian sector plays a crucial role in addressing loss and damage by providing emergency assistance and supporting long-term recovery efforts. 

In 2023, Danish Red Cross (DRC) and CARE Denmark published the Loss and Damage Policy Paper. The Paper was structured around 10 recent climate disasters in the global south and addressed the climate induced losses and damages that have been experienced. The Paper set forward key findings and policy recommendations, addressing the needs of vulnerable communities and how to support their efforts to cope with and recover from the consequences of climate change through financial support for loss and damage activities, including disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and sustainable livelihoods. 

To continue the contribution to the loss and damage agenda and the discussions on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, DRC and CARE will build on the Loss and Damage Policy Paper 2023, diving into Policy Recommendation 1: Finance needs to be increased significantly and many-fold and include the need for support of long-term resilient recovery. Furthermore, the partners will investigate how scaling up anticipatory and early action can minimize loss and damage with the notion, that to do so, new and innovative funding arrangement should be designed with flexibility to support and enhance pre-arranged funds in anticipation of disasters and support anticipatory action where appropriate.

Whereas the Loss and Damage Policy Paper published in 2023 included several disasters and deep dives of three disasters, the 2024 reportage will focus solely on the tropical cyclone Freddy affecting Malawi in 2023. The format will be that of a multi-media reportage, including both articles and short videos. The outcome will be used to engage policy makers in the loss and damage dialogue before, during and after COP29 in Azerbaijan in November 2024.

It has been decided to commission an external consultant to develop the material based on this ToR. The consultant will work closely with the Steering Group that includes the Danish Red Cross, CARE Denmark, Danish Red Cross Malawi, Malawi Red Cross Society and CARE Malawi and organise virtual consultations with the group throughout the process.

1. Purpose, Objectives, Scope and Methodology

Great efforts are needed to develop a robust evidence base and methodologies to assess losses and damages, to track and monitor risks, vulnerability and needs. Understanding this requires global as well as local community data, including capturing qualitative measures and lived experience. Non-economic losses and damages impact individuals, societies, and the environment upon which people depend. Current actions fall short on addressing non-economic loss and damage such as loss of life, cultural identity, health, displacement, and biodiversity. 

Policymakers need a better understanding of how loss and damage can be minimized, what measures that can be implemented and what requires to implement those. The purpose of this reportage is to contribute to a better common understanding, in Denmark, Malawi and internationally, of the loss and damage agenda and how anticipatory action, including the need for access to climate finance, can minimize climate-induced loss and damage. Furthermore, it is important to clarify to what extent the loss and damage burdens are borne by vulnerable people and their country, and to what extent the international community help. 

The objective of this reportage is to create an advocacy tool for the loss and damage discussion in Denmark, Malawi and globally. A reportage includes aspects of journalism such as eyewitness accounts of real-life events, facts, research, historical backgrounds, photojournalism, sources, quotes, and interviews. The objective of this reportage is to:

• promote more public attention to the climate crisis.
• seek policy attention to addressing the loss and damage agenda.
• contribute to the development of measures and solutions to assess losses and damages, to track and monitor risks, vulnerability, needs, and support.
• provide an overview of existing data and gaps for understanding the impact across economic and non-economic aspects, with examples of human-interest stories that can be used to engage media and policy makers through dialogue and media pieces. 
• provide relevant needs and solutions that can be used in advocacy activities leading up to COP29 taking place 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The material should furthermore be of relevance to the implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

The scope of this material will be to emphasize the need to act urgently to the climate crisis exemplified through a reportage on the tropical cyclone Freddy in Malawi, this includes how people impacted would like loss and damage responded to, with the aim to underline the importance of not only responding after a disaster, but as well to anticipate and adapt to a disaster.

The reportage will provide an overview of the cyclone Freddy, looking at the impact and available data on economic and non-economic losses and damages, as well as the opportunity or challenges of international financial support. Furthermore, the reportage will provide a more in-depth understanding of the impact of the losses and damages and pre-existing vulnerabilities by giving voice to affected communities and the local actors that are working to address these.

The consultant is expected to deliver a structured reportage driven by data and learning. It is furthermore expected that work in process will be presented to the Steering Group with the scope of sharing a policy narrative to the loss and damage discussion that includes the gap in access to funding. The delivery should be presented in a kick-off workshop facilitated by the consultant for relevant partners and stakeholders. 

If deemed needed, the consultant can expect some travel activity in and around Malawi.

The consultant is expected to utilise the following, but not limited to, methods for data collection and analysis in the inception phase: 

• Desk review relying on secondary data such as existing assessments, studies, reports, and quantitative data sets (including data from existing disaster risk reduction, climate and meteorological systems) 
• Interviews with selected RCRC Climate Centre, Danish Red Cross and CARE DK staff.
• Key informant interviews (KIIs) with national / local authorities, community representatives, thematic experts and staff members from organisations present in Malawi, including Malawi Red Cross Society and CARE Malawi.
• Country visit, including field visits with CARE Malawi and Malawi Red Cross Society 

Qualifications of the consultant / journalist / team 

• Prior experience in producing similar multimedia reportages published by international media.
• Relevant background within climate policy and/or humanitarian development. 
• Sound knowledge of the loss and damage agenda. 
• Strong analytical skills and ability to digest and translate different information materials and data from interviews into clear and concise findings. 
• Excellent planning, communication and writing skills.
• Fluency in spoken and written English, and preferably Chewa and/or Danish.

Contract and Financial Provisions

The contract is expected to run from July to September 2024. Payments are made to the individual consultant/contractor. Consultancy fees cannot exceed 60-80.000 Danish Kroner (about 8-10.000 EUR). This amount has been established based on the understanding that it includes all the consultant’s costs (including transport, accommodation, insurance, per diem, telephone etc.) and profits as well as any tax obligation that may be imposed on the consultant. 

Deliverables & Schedule

The consultancy is expected to be completed no later than September 2024 with the following tentative timeline:

Consultancy inception phase 07/07-28/07/2024 

End of inception phase workshop 31/07/2024

Drafting of material and country visit 01/08-01/09/2024

Consultancy deliverable achievements 14/09/2024

Revisions of the work plan will be made in consultations with the consultant and the two partners. The reportage is expected to consist of:

• A briefing paper (around 4 pages text plus graphics, photos etc.)
• 3 pieces/articles for respectively international media, Malawian media, and if possible Danish media – all with text and photos
• 2-3 short videos fitted to social media platforms. 

The Consultancy assignment falls into two parts:

1. An in-depth data research on loss and damage in Malawi, the impact of having or not having anticipatory action measures in place and the availability of climate financing.
2. Production of the mentioned materials, some including “human storytelling” with personal stories for impact.

Deliverables                                                 Deadline

Workshop as end of inception phase        4th week of July 

Presentation of interviews                          2nd week of August 

First draft of reportage                                1st week of September 

Final reportage                                            2ndweek of September 

Application

Interested companies or independent consultant(s)/journalist(s) can apply. The application should include:

• A technical proposal not exceeding 2 pages 
• A Summarized firm profile (if any), CVs of the lead and (possibly) associate consultants/journalists
• Examples of previous reportages including information on media uptake.
• Financial proposal (detailed budget specifying daily fee and estimated number of days, possible travel expenses and other additional costs quoted in separate line items)

The application should be uploaded at the Danish Red Cross web page, no later than 7.07.2024. Interviews of pre-selected applicants will take place 10.07.2024.

For additional information regarding this consultancy, please contact Tanja Panadit Clausen, through email: tacla@rodekors.dk

We look forward hearing from you!