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Household Economy Analysis (HEA) for
Freetown, Sierra Leone
TOR for External HEA expert
August 2013
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1. Background
1.1. Situation Analysis
Sierra Leone is recovering since 2002 from over ten years of a violent civil war, most of
the infrastructure and state mechanisms have been weakened in Sierra Leone and the
country is now struggling to achieve basic development criteria.
ACF is present since 1991 in Sierra Leone, and has helped the most vulnerable
populations in the country through nutrition, water and sanitation and food security
programs: (i) during the war, ACF supported internally displaced people in Bo and
Bombali districts with agricultural projects and food security assistance; (ii) after the war
(2002) ACF addressed the needs of returnees through food security and livelihood
interventions.
Today, ACF is supporting vulnerable populations in Freetown district through an
integrated approach linking food security, nutrition and water and sanitation. Leader in
the global humanitarian sector for improved approaches in food security and nutrition
networks, ACF is represented on the REACH Technical Committee, which is the network
to coordinate food security and nutrition-related interventions at the national policy
level, and has contributed to the formulation of the National Food Security and
Nutrition Security Implementation Plan. Moreover, ACF has been invited to participate
in the National EWS Task Force and has a long-standing working relationship with key
stakeholders, such as MAFFS and MOH.
ACF is also well regarded for its assessments, including nutritional causal analyses and
food security assessment. Recently, ACF has conducted assessments of CMAM coverage
in Moyamba and a “Moving Out Of Poverty” (MOOP) survey in Freetown.
With regards to Food Security, Sierra Leone was badly affected by the 2008 global food
price crisis. From January to July 2008, the price of Sierra Leone’s primary staple, rice,
increased by over 50%, resulting in an increase in acute malnutrition rates. Since 2008,
Sierra Leone has remained vulnerable to global food price fluctuations as it imports
approximately a third of its rice. In the first half of 2011, the price of rice again increased
by over 40%. Such price increases have had a severe impact on urban, peri-urban and
food-deficit rural households.1 In addition to the price volatility of rice, the cost of fresh
fruit and vegetables is very high in Sierra Leone, and in particular, Freetown. This has
been identified as a significant causal factor in low dietary diversity in Sierra Leone
where less than 10% of the population eats required fruit and vegetables each day 2,
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Stanley, Richard et al (2008). The Severe Impact of Rising Food Prices, A Situational Assessment of the
Food Crisis in Sierra Leone, WFP and FAO.
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Ibid above. STEPS conducted by MOHS and WHO in 2010.
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particularly as Sierra Leonean households already spend on average 63% of their
household expenditure on food3.
Whilst these actions will work towards improved food security in the longer term, there
is still a need to better understand the cost of food (in particular, a nutritious diet) for
poor households in Sierra Leone’s urban areas, to be put in perspective with the source
of revenue of these households. To date, there has been no data on the actual cost of a
healthy diet in Freetown, and no description of the livelihood and income source of the
different wealth groups.
The area of the survey was selected as its urban residents are highly dependent on the
market for food and since ACF will develop a Food Security program in the targeted
area, using the result of the survey to better adapt its intervention.
1. 2 Objectives and expected results of the survey
Purpose: To build a strong evidence base for the development of Action Against
Hunger’s food security and livelihood reduction strategy in East Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The specific objectives are: to analyse Households Economy of families living in the
livelihood zone of Freetown, Sierra Leone
a) To define a map of Freetown livelihood zones. The mapping will specially focus in
identifying, for each livelihood zone:
 Mapping of the villages / towns
 Mapping of the markets
 Mapping of the health facilities
 Mapping of the services facilities
 Mapping of water points / water sources
b) To produce robust evidence on Household Economic Patterns using HEA approach
and the already existing MOOP Report. The following outputs can be expected :
 Description of the population by wealth groups: assets, main sources of income,
main livelihood and feeding patterns
 Understanding the specific drivers of food insecurity of households in relation to
their livelihood opportunities
 Understanding of food sources at household level:
– What are the specific drivers of food insecurity of households in relation to
their livelihood opportunities (by wealth groups)
– What are the specific food security and nutrition issues for infants and young
children
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WFP 2010, Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment
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–
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What are the intra-household issues that can contribute to hunger and
under-nutrition
Understand the economic patterns of the HHs by wealth groups:
– Description of annual (i) cash income and (ii) non-food expenditure;
– Highlight the economic barriers to access essential services (health,
education, WASH)
To understand the seasonality (using seasonal calendar tool for instance) in terms
of livelihoods / agricultural production and corresponding incomes / food intakes by
season: Understanding how different wealth groups may be affected by shocks and
seasonal fluctuations differently
Highlight the key motivations and influences behind the expenditure decisions of
HHs, as well as, understand who makes these decisions in the HH.
To monetize indirect and direct health and WASH expenses for HHs for instance (i)
time spent collecting water and how this translates into lost incomes (ii) sick days
from work and its income-equivalent (iii) medical bills
c) To build the capacity of staff and stakeholders to carry out HEA assessments and use
the analysis to inform programmatic and policy interventions.
 Staff training on tools and methodology
 Restitution workshop for the presentation of the findings to the stakeholder
d) To provide essential information for a subsequent Cost of Diet analysis.
 Typical household composition (not just size)
 Wild foods (which are consumed, how much can be collected, season, description or
photograph, where they are collected from etc.)
 What does a household consume as their typical diet? (By wealth group) Staple
foods and taboos
 Strengthen expenditure information. E.g. expenditure on food in detail,
expenditure on health, who makes decisions on spend, what perceived areas of
‘savings’ are i.e. with more money what would the expenditure changes be?
e) To guide the development of specific interventions in the area of food security,
livelihood and, nutrition, particularly in relation with the newly granted Irish Aid
funds.
2. Overview of methods
In order to achieve the objectives listed above, research will involve HEA method
developed by Save the Children UK. The analysis will be completed by a CoD survey
immediately after the HEA has been completed.
HEA and Cost of Diet are interlinked and complementary. The UNICEF framework for
malnutrition clearly points to the relationship between malnutrition and the underlying
causes of inadequate access to food and inadequate care. By analysis of food security
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and livelihood strategies alongside issues of affordability of a nutritious diet, dietary
quality and likely nutritional deficiencies we can better provide policy makers and
practitioners with a more complete picture.
A team of practitioners will be trained in HEA data collection methods over a five day
period.
Data collection will consist of a field trial and field work which will be agreed between
the consultant’s proposal and ACF technical experts. The HEA consultant will oversee
practitioners in data collection which will consist of focus group discussions in agreed
number of villages.
The team will conduct a day-long baseline analysis workshop to discuss findings. An
additional day will be given to analyse baseline HEA data. HEA report will be completed
by early November for review.
For more detailed information on the HEA and COD methodology see Annex 1.
3. Roles and responsibilities
3.1 The HEA consultant
Using existing good practice principles to work with the Food Security and Livelihoods
team the consultant will develop instruments and processes for conducting HEA
training, field work and analysing HEA information. They will;
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Develop, facilitate and administer HEA training for ACF staff. This will include
ensuring that staff are able to use HEA to evaluate appropriateness and impact of
the different types of food security interventions and interventions on household
livelihoods
Adapt data collection tools for use in Sierra Leone
Participate in field work for data collection
Supervise the field assessments (including checking data quality and analysis)
Lead the HEA analysis, reporting and presentation of findings including
recommendations
Be responsible for the tasks specified and for making sure quality of work is done
in the agreed time frame
Present and discuss the findings with ACF team in Sierra Leone and incorporate
comments and inputs from the team. This will include technical support to help
develop the capacity of local staff to analyse long-term development plans and
appropriate interventions relevant to the Sierra Leone context (protection,
recovery and/ poverty reduction, resettlement and reintegration).
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Produce a final report that can be used for programme and advocacy purposes
with relevant models that can feed into recommendations/guidance for future
programming
Provide information to the CoD consultant as requested
Where possible incorporate information requests from other sectors in the data
collection and report (see annex)
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5.2 The assessment team will:
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Consist of data collectors and a translator, hired by ACF in Sierra Leone upon
completion of a maths test
Comprise staff from and working in the geographical area from the participating
organisations
Be responsible for data collection, supervised by the cost of diet consultant
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5.3 ACF in Sierra Leone will:
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Facilitate the work as per the specified activity providing transport and other
logistical support.
Provide human resources by seconding staff and also provide a facilitatory role
as necessary to achieve the assigned tasks as per terms of reference.
Conduct a secondary literature review of relevant nutrition and food security
and livelihoods information
4. Expected outputs
4.1 The HEA expert will be expected to deliver:
a. Adapted HEA survey instruments to Sierra Leone Context (training tools, field
guide, questionnaires)
b. A clean database of the detailed HEA findings
c. A Power Point presentation of the main findings.
In addition a detailed HEA report will be produced. The report should at least describe
the following:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Food Economy Zones and its characteristics
Wealth groups and how different households live, what are the risks they
are vulnerable to and how they cope within the “reference” year and during
shocks.
Household access to food, cash income, expenditure and other basic
services (put in perspective with annual seasonality)
Potential coping strategies and problems specification
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v.
vi.
vii.
Links to the market
Calculating the response to and final impact of potential shocks
Recommendations on most appropriate interventions in the short and longterm with focus on policy and programming options
The report should highlight issues of gender and child rights.
5. Person specification/competencies/expertise required
5.1 HEA consultant
o Lead Analyst in HEA with at least 3 practical experiences in leading HEA, including
training, data collection, analysis and presentation.
o Knowledge of current child protection issues
o Must have worked with SCUK and demonstrated good outputs in HEA
o High level of facilitation skills and participatory training
o Good documentation and report writing skills
o Skills in teamwork
6. Work plan and timing
The HEA is expected to take place in November 2013 (~ 3-4 weeks consultancy).
The consultant is expected to provide a detailed work plan and timing for its
consultancy.
7. Reporting/Management/Feedback
At project level, the support will be provided by ACF Technical Specialist
8. Budget/fee/payment (and administrative details)
To be agreed after reviewing the quotes from the consultants. Quotes should include HR
and logistic cost needed for the implementation of the survey.
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Annex 1: Overview of methods
a) Background to the HEA
The Household Economy Approach is a livelihoods-based framework for analysing the
way people obtain access to the things they need to survive and prosper. It helps
determine people’s food and non-food needs and identify appropriate means of
assistance, whether short-term emergency assistance or longer term development
programmes or policy changes. It is based on the principle that an understanding of how
people make ends meet is essential for assessing how livelihoods will be affected by
wider economic or ecological change and for planning interventions that will support,
rather than undermine, their existing survival strategies.
A number of different information collection methods can be used at various points (see
Table 1). The primary information needed for HEA baselines has been gathered largely
through the use of rapid rural appraisal methods – mainly semi-structured interviewing
of focus groups. This is because experience has shown that these non-survey methods
are the most effective and efficient way of gathering and piecing together the many bits
of information required to build up the baseline pictures. The flexibility and crosschecking facility of rapid appraisal methods has been essential for ensuring high-quality
analyses of how local economic systems work.
The conceptual framework used in HEA is:
Baseline + Hazard + Coping = Outcome
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The baseline presents a picture of the ‘typical’ household economy: of household
assets; the strategies employed to derive food and income and the relationships
between households and with the wider economy; and how households use that
income to meet their basic needs, for investment or for social obligations. One
important point to make here is that the quantities represented are a percentage of
minimum food energy requirements. In other words, all food and income sources have
been converted into their calorific equivalencies and then compared to the
internationally accepted standard of 2100 kilocalories per person per day. This has the
advantage of allowing for like-to-like comparisons, and also of ensuring that a rigorous
cross-checking can take place.
b) Background to the Cost of diet study
The ‘Cost of the Diet’ (CoD), is a method developed by Save the Children UK to calculate
the minimum amount of money a household will have to spend to meet their energy,
protein, fat and micronutrient requirements using locally available foods. The CoD adds
a nutrition lens to the HEA (which provides information on the cost of a diet that meets
only energy requirements), in recognition that a diet can only be considered sufficient if
it meets both the micro and macronutrient requirements of an individual.
The CoD uses a mathematical approach known as linear programming to work out the
cheapest combination of foods that will enable a family to meet their nutrient
requirements whilst adhering to a set of constraints on the combination and quantities
of foods that can be included in the lowest cost nutritious diet. The CoD technique
originates from the linear programming work done by the World Health Organization to
develop and cost out nutritionally appropriate complementary diets. However, this
method has proven to be ground-breaking because it is the only tool currently available
that can:
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Calculate the minimum cost of a diet for an individual child and the whole
household
 Take into account seasonal variations in food price and availability when costing
the diet
 Provide region-specific data on dietary costs and food availability
The Cost of Diet involves collecting market price data on the cost of foods items from
sites across a livelihood zone that are representative of where the poorest households
purchase their food. The lowest cost of a nutritious diet will be determined using SC’s
CoD software. When compared to income data from the HEA, this will give an
understanding of the affordability of the diet for households. The effect of interventions
on the cost of a diet can also be modelled using the software, generating ideas on how a
nutritious diet may be made more affordable for households.
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Focus group discussions will also be conducted as part of the Cost of Diet to gather
information on dietary preferences and consumption patterns. Using this information,
the cost of a culturally acceptable nutritious diet can be determined. This is an
important step in understanding the cost of a diet that could realistically be consumed
based on local consumption habits. The information gathered can be triangulated with
the feeding and caring practices survey in order to gain a comprehensive understanding
of consumption patterns.
Please send all tenders to:
Chloe Milloz: [email protected]
Closing date: 10 October 2013
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