Background

IFPRI is currently supporting the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Honduras in developing and testing a tool to indirectly estimate a household’s propensity to migrate, the Migration Propensity Index (MPI-Honduras). Originally developed for Guatemala, the central idea of the MPI is to identify and keep track of a small subset of household indicators and conditions that highly correlate with the (latent) decision to migrate internationally.

In 2022, the MPI-Honduras calibration was finalized. In 2023, the field-test phase began by implementing an in-person baseline survey among 1,209 households in 9 departments inquiring about a range of topics potentially related to the decision to migrate. In 2024, a follow-up survey is planned to determine actual migration rates and assess the effectiveness of the MPI-Honduras on its own and against other potential measures to predict migration. The same 1,209 households will be interviewed, representative of urban-rural strata across 9 departments of interest in Western Honduras. The 9 departments of interest are as follows: Ocotepeque, Copán, Santa Bárbara, Lempira, La Paz, Intibucá, Comayagua, Francisco Morazán, and Cortés.

IFPRI is seeking a qualified survey taker (Collaborator) for the implementation of the survey between February and March 2024. The survey will be implemented either in person or over the phone and each survey is expected to last between 15 and 20 minutes. The survey will be implemented in the main language of the household. All the data collection, including the survey training and mobilization across communities, is expected to be completed in about 6-8 weeks. Of particular importance will be to minimize attrition, by attempting to reach previously interviewed households through all means possible and, if the household cannot be ultimately found, inquire through neighbor households or community leaders on the reason for which this household cannot be reached, with particular interest in assessing whether this is due to the household having migrated either domestically or abroad.

Interested firms are requested to prepare a detailed budget and provide the resume/CV of the team leader.

Scope of work

The Collaborator will be responsible for the following specific activities:

• • Gather data, cartography, and obtain consent necessary to implement the household surveys in the selected communities in coordination with local leaders.
  • Provide feedback on the follow-up questionnaire and mode of data collection.
  • Program the survey instrument in CSPRO, Survey Solutions, or similar software based on the core questionnaire provided by IFPRI.
  • Recruit all the required fieldwork team, including a general coordinator, supervisors, and enumerators that will permit to complete the survey in 18-21 effective field days.
  • Provide adequate space, equipment, internet access, and printed materials to hold a training session for survey staff during 2 days, and the provision of food, transportation, and lodging to the survey takers and supervisors. The training will be followed by one additional day for conducting a pilot in a nearby community(ies), to test the programmed survey questionnaire as well as data transmission, extraction, and generation of field check table reports.
  • Deploy fieldwork, including mobilization and provision of lodging (when applicable) and food, to all survey takers and supervisors implementing the survey.
  • Minimize attrition, by attempting to reach previously interviewed households through an array of approaches (including phone calls to different numbers and at different times, visits to the household and its neighbors, inquiring with local leaders and other community representatives, among others). Prepare separate database for all baseline households that could not be reached for a follow-up interview, indicating the results from the above inquiries, with particular interest in assessing whether this is due to the household having migrated either domestically or abroad. Ultimately, all 1,209 households should either have a valid follow-up interview or be included in this tracking database.
  • Interview similar households in the same location as replacement households for the ones who were ultimately not found.
  • Develop COVID-19 safety protocols that are clear and shared with the community and staff participating in the activities.
  • Ensure interviews meet ethical requirements, including but not limited to informed consent and maintaining confidentiality of data.
  • Put in place quality control measures to ensure accurate data collection and provide weekly field reports to IFPRI.
  • Delivery of data to IFPRI. The bases must be organized by modules, in the specific order of the survey and duly labelled.
  • Prepare a technical note on the survey implementation, detailing any problems encountered during the fieldwork, special cases recorded, among others.

Required qualifications of the survey team leader

• • Demonstrated past performance in implementing at least three large-scale household surveys with sample sizes comparable to this survey (1,000 households) and resulting in good-quality data.
  • Team leaders should have experience in the realization of at least three survey studies in Honduras and include technicians with advanced knowledge of the survey programming software such as CSPRO, Survey Solutions, or similar software.
  • Previous experience hiring and supervising teams of enumerators.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred qualifications

• • Extensive field experience in conducting surveys on rural development, migration, agriculture, and/or food security in Honduras.

Application Deadline: January 24, 2024