Result of Service

The ultimate result of this consultancy is a study on the situation of older persons care homes in Yemen.

Work Location

Sanaa

Expected duration

4 Months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: According to the latest population estimates and projections of the United Nations, there are 39.4 million persons living in Yemen today of which 4 percent are above 60 years and 2.5 percent are above 65 years. In the next 3 decades, these proportions are expected to reach 8.3 and 5.2 percent, respectively, and Yemen will start its ageing transition shortly before 2060 . While these percentages indicate that the population in Yemen is still predominately young, the increase in the absolute numbers of older persons during this period points to a different reality. The number of people aged 60+ will increase from 1.6 million to 5.9 million. Similarly, the number of older persons aged 65 and over will increase from 988 million to 3.7 million in 2050. The rise in old-age dependency in the same period (4.5 to 16.2 percent) indicates that families and society will have to withstand the brunt of social and economic pressure brought about ageing in Yemen. It is also alarming for a country that is already grappling with long-standing conflict, displacement, and poverty as it must deal with the specific needs and challenges of an increasingly older population. Today’s challenges compound the existing vulnerabilities of older persons in Yemen. After 10 years of armed conflict, Yemen remains one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Public health and social services remain at high risk of collapse, while conflict, large-scale population displacement, and deprivation, have left millions with little or no access to food, water, sanitation, care, and protection. In 2019, HelpAge reported that 32% of older people in Yemen do not have access to sufficient food; 65% have no income; 51% cannot access aid services and half of them cared for and supported on average six to seven dependents, including other older persons . If the current political and socioeconomic crisis in Yemen persists, more elderly could find themselves alone, or begging on the streets to buy food and medicines. This situation calls for concerted efforts by government and non-government actors in Yemen to safeguard the lives of older persons who have no family and community support and provide them with spaces to age in dignity. The Social Welfare or Social Care Act No. 31 of 1996 governs the provision of social care and social protection in Yemen to people in need including older persons and promotes social and intergenerational solidarity. In 2022 the government approved the National Strategy for Older Persons Care (2018-2022) and established a National Committee for Older Persons to guide its development and implementation. The Strategy aims to promote the health, social, and cultural well-being of older persons in Yemen and enhance their participation in their communities and society. The provision of quality care services to older persons is the first objective of the Strategy. The actions identified to realize this objective include the provision and development of integrated health care services; establishing and rehabilitating elderly care homes; and improving the skills of care service providers. The implementation of this strategy faces several obstacles, namely 1) the lack of appropriate financial resources; 2) the insufficient number of elder care homes available; and 3) the poor quality of care services. Reportedly, there are only 4 elderly care centers in Yemen hosting around 200 persons who have no one to support them. They are located in Aden, Taiz, Sanaa’ and Hodeida. However, war and threats from military groups caused 3 of these institutions to shut down. The remaining center in Aden is operating with little financial support from the government, some employers, and non-governmental organizations and is currently accommodating 60 persons. The closure of the 3 other elderly homes has worsened the situation of older persons who lack support and increased their vulnerability. Given the risk of deteriorating standards of care in the only available center, there is an urgent need to establish new centers in the areas where they are most needed, to restore the ones that shut down, and recondition the operational one. Duties and Responsibilities: The consultant will be responsible for: • Conducting desk research on the general situation of older persons in Yemen, and long-term care institutions as well as the legal and policy frameworks available on elderly care and care homes. • Carrying out primary data collection on available care homes through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with older persons in care homes and care providers using questionnaires specifically designed for these purposes. • Draft the case study using the findings from the desk and field research. • Propose a set of recommendations to guide the Ministry in reinvigorating, funding and supporting long-term care institutions in Yemen, using a set of minimum quality benchmarks. Proposed Outline The draft outline of the study is proposed below, noting that the final outline will be agreed upon between the ESCWA, the Ministry, and the Consultant: 1. Introduction (1 page) This section will explain the objective and justification of the study. It will also give a brief overview of the situation of older persons in Yemen, particularly those in vulnerable situations 2. Methodology of the Study (1 page) 3. Legal and institutional frameworks governing institution-based care in Yemen (2-3 pages). This section addresses the legislations, policies and programs supporting the work of older persons’ institutions and identifies the various stakeholders. 4. A quantitative and qualitative survey of available elderly care institutions in Yemen (7 pages) This section will survey the situation of long-term elderly care homes available. It will assess: • Geographic distribution • Date of establishment and operational status • Their current situation in terms of physical infrastructure • Hosting capacity • Equipment, furniture, accommodation, and facilities • Number and Type of staff • Care services provided, including health, social, cultural and recreational services. • Management and funding • Qualitative description of the difficulties and challenges faced by these institutions. 5. A quantitative and qualitative snapshot of older persons in care institutions (7 pages). This section provides a profile of older persons residing in care institutions including but not limited to: [including figures and tables is recommended]. • Socio-economic data: number, age, sex, level of education, income level, marital status; number of children alive, etc.. • Health status: mortality rate, the prevalence of disability by type and sex; and of chronic and non-communicable diseases. • Living arrangements (part vs full time); availability of kin; frequency of family visits • Qualitative analysis of the perceptions of older persons regarding care received and their actual needs. 6. Conclusion and Recommendations (5 pages). This part provides a set of practical recommendations that can guide the efforts of the Ministry and other actors to develop the care institutions system in Yemen and improve the services. The recommendations will focus on: • The areas where new centers can be established. • The technical requirements and estimated costs for rehabilitating and refurbishing the 3 centers that are out-of-service. • The requirements to improve service delivery in the operational one. • The minimum acceptable quality standards to improve service delivery in all care homes. • The political and financial support required. Methodology The final methodology will be agreed upon between the ESCWA, the Ministry, and the Consultant. Generally speaking, this study follows a mixed methods approach utilizing quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The consultant will be responsible for undertaking the following: Stage 1: Desk review • Desk review and survey of relevant available information. • Survey of laws, policies, measures, and government programs related to older persons care institutions. • Compilation of survey data on older persons’ care institutions and beneficiaries of their services. Stage 2: Field Research and Organization of Consultative Meetings with Various Stakeholders • Designing the questionnaires for each group to be interviewed • Design the questionnaires for the focus group with older persons [this can be replaced by interviews] • Identify -in coordination with the Ministry – contact points responsible for care homes to be interviewed and schedule appointments. • Identify -in coordination with the Ministry – multiple stakeholders to be interviewed, including representatives of relevant government institutions: health, social affairs, relevant non-government actors: NGOs, international organizations; donors; and older persons themselves residing in the institutions. Phase 3: drafting of the study • Compilation and analysis of the collected data; presentation of results and proposing recommendations. Technical Requirements • All outputs should be drafted in Arabic using the “Arial Arabic” font, size 14 • The study should not exceed 45 pages. • The list of references used should be included at the end of the document. • All Excel files used to prepare charts and tables must be submitted.

Qualifications/special skills

A Bachelor degree in demography, political science, public health or related area is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 5 years of professional work experience in social affairs and ageing is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Recruitment for this position is on a local basis. The incumbent is required to have the legal right to live and work in the specified working location.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.