Data Analyst at Interpeace :Deadline: 04-01-2024

Terms of Reference – Data Analyst 

Program: Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion and reconciliation through Societal Trauma Healing

Title: Investigating the Nexus between Genocide and other historical Legacies and Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancies in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Reports To: Gender Inclusion Advisor

Duty Station: Kigali, Rwanda

About Interpeace

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

It established its national office in Rwanda in 2020, although it has been supporting programmes in societal healing and participatory governance through local institutions for more than twenty years. Interpeace’s mandate is to strengthen the capacities of societies to manage conflict in non-violent, non-coercive ways by assisting national actors in their efforts to develop social and political cohesion. Interpeace also strives to assist the international community (and in particular the UN) to play a more effective role in supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world through better understanding and response to the challenges of creating local capacities that enhance social and political cohesion. For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org

The background and context

Interpeace, in consortium with Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR), Haguruka, Dignity in Detention (DIDE) and in partnership with the Government of Rwanda through Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), has been implementing a programme entitled “Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion and reconciliation through Societal Trauma Healing” in five Districts, namely: Nyagatare, Ngoma, Musanze, Nyabihu and Nyamagabe. The four years programme funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), uses a holistic and innovative approach aimed at simultaneously providing mental health services, advancing social cohesion, and promoting sustainable livelihoods among the targeted beneficiaries. These include genocide survivors, genocide penetrators (current and former/ released prisoners) and their families, youth, and local, grass root leaders. Other target participants include community-based organizations and actors (including formal mental health structures) intervening in mental health, social cohesion, and collaborative livelihood initiatives at the community level.

The programme’s overall Goal is to reinforce social cohesion and sustainable peace through scaling up community-based healing initiatives This goal is operationalized through four specific objectives:

• Community-based methods for addressing past wounds and promoting social cohesion are integrated into mental health and prisoner reintegration protocols and piloted in 15 sectors of Bugesera district.
• Collective healing and socio-economic development activities increase social cohesion in target communities.
• Youth have the skills and spaces to manage past trauma and develop a shared understanding for building a peaceful an inclusive future, including through joint income-generating initiatives.
• National policies and programmes on mental health and social cohesion are informed by lessons learnt from the monitoring and evaluation of this pilot programme.

In post-genocide Rwanda, there are direct and indirect pathways for the intergenerational transmission of the legacies of the genocide within families. The direct pathways concern parents’ experiences with the genocide (i.e., the acts of violence) and its aftermath, which are reflected upon, reconstructed, and explicitly communicated, or not, to the second generation, while the indirect pathways are the ways in which the genocide and related events affect the second generation’s socio-ecological environment, and through that, the child (Berckmoes et al., 2017, pp.16-28).  For example, parents may be open to disclosing some of their experiences to the children but keep silent on others; and children may fear to ask because they are unsure of how it can affect their relationship with parents (Ingabire et. al,2022). Our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie intergenerational transmission of experiences of mass violence and responses to it is limited, and there is a need to have robust policies or methods for addressing this phenomenon.

A baseline survey conducted by Interpeace and its partners (2021) in the districts of Musanze, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, Ngoma and Nyamagabe identified two major challenges for young people. The first is the challenge of growing up in a family in which the parents suffer from mental health challenges due to their traumatic experiences, to an extent that undermines their capacity as parents. The second one is the difficulty for parents to discuss events and experiences that often cause their children to feel confused, angry, or insecure. Youth from specific social groups face their own unique challenges. Children of survivors are at greater risk of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, often compounded due to the stories about the genocide they hear from their traumatized parents (Buckley-Zistel, 2006, pp.22-34).

Teenage pregnancy rates in Rwanda rose from 6.1% in 2010 to 7.3% in 2015. Official statistics report that 17,849 underage girls became pregnant in 2016, with a slight decrease to 17,337 in 2017, followed by a jump to 19,832 in 2018 and an estimated 23,544 children were born to teenage mothers in 2019(DHS, 2015, pp. 42-68). While there is a plenty of studies on underlying factors of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in Rwanda, to the best of our knowledge, not much was done to establish the connections between genocide legacies and this very issue which adversely affect the lives of adolescent girls and female youth as well as the society at large.  Given Rwanda’s history of the genocide and its legacy, there is a critical need to examine whether contemporary post-genocide challenges, such as mental health issues, intra-family conflicts and socio-economic vulnerabilities influence sexual reproductive decisions among young girls. This study aims to better uncover factors driving early and unplanned pregnancies among teenagers and youth with a particular emphasis on the potential connections with mental health, family dynamics, and socio-economic conditions as legacies of the genocide.

It’s against that background that Interpeace will be conducting a study that aims to establish specifically if there is a link between genocide Legacies and other historical Legacies of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in Post-Genocide Rwanda through an additional funding of the French Embassy.

Assignment Description and Expected Deliverables 

Interpeace is seeking to secure the services of a seasoned data analyst to facilitate the implementation process of this study. The data analyst will work closely with a team of other consultants as well as staff of Interpeace and its partners. The data analyst will lead in ensuring all data has been properly stored, cleaned and is ready for further analysis.

The anticipated start date is 1st March 2024 till 30^th June 2024. Within these four months, the data analyst has the following responsibilities:

• Review and Coding of research tools: Collaborating closely with the researcher and Interpeace staff, the data analyst will offer technical guidance in coding the research tools (questionnaire) to ensure they are aligned to research objectives and are ready for use in Kobo Toolbox.
• Entering research tools into Kobo Toolbox: the data analyst will be responsible of digitalizing the research tools using the digital data collection software (Kobo Toolbox)
• Data quality assurance: Ensuring data quality by regular cross-checking of entered data for completeness and correctness, and promptly notify enumerators and supervisors of any errors or inconsistencies in the data.
• Participate in regular team meetings and provide regular updates to the supervisor on data entry progress and preliminary tendencies, for timely decision making.
• Template dataset, items coding and scales construction: import entered data from the data collection toolbox to the statistical analysis software and ensure the item coding and scales construction to meet the analysis demands.
• Qualitative data collection and analysis: review and provide inputs for qualitative data collection tools, based on preliminary tendencies from quantitative data analysis, and support the research tools with the qualitative data analysis using appropriate tools.
• Data analysis: lead the analysis of data collected and produce the data analysis outputs (from scales construction to preliminary analyses, data visualization and advanced analyses), as requested by the researcher and Interpeace staff.
• Reporting and data storage: Prepare and submit the complete dataset and outputs for storage and archiving.
• Data protection: Adhering to strict confidentiality and data protection protocols when handling participant data.
  
  
  

Qualifications

Interpeace is looking for a data analyst with experience in collecting and analyzing data in Gender, societal healing, mental health, social cohesion governance and other related subjects. They must demonstrate a strong knowledge of the Rwanda context and history, and how the past affects the Rwandan society today.

The data analyst profile:

1. A master’s degree or PhD in computer science, data analysis, statistics, information systems, or related field. Have a solid understanding of the role that data plays in research, particularly in social sciences, gender, anthropology, psychology, or related fields.
2. Proven experience in collecting and analyzing data for research, preferably in the fields of psychology, gender, societal healing, mental health, social cohesion, and other relevant fields.
3. Ability to use data collected and input it in report writing.
4. Ability to deliver assignments within indicated deadlines.
5. Strong analytical skills, with proficiency in statistical data collection and analysis software (quantitative and qualitative) is a must.
6. Solid experience in data quality assurance and data presentation.
7. Ability to contextualize gendered perspectives to data analysis.
8. Strong knowledge in research and research processes with at least 3- 5 years of experience
9. A positive working attitude: ability to maintain ethical principles for data protection, anonymity, confidentiality, and trust with people.
10. Ability to work independently and within a team.
11. Ability to work within tight deadlines and adapting to feedback.
12. Excellent communication, writing, and organizational skills
13. Excellent reporting skills
14. Up to 3 references required.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV, and letter expressing your interest and remuneration requirements,  a writing sample in the English language, as well as references by 4^th January  2024 via email to: recruitment@interpeace.org with cc to mbanda@interpeace.org  Please include “Data analyst” in the subject of your email.

Given the urgency to commence this study, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is identified. So interested candidates are encouraged to make their submissions as soon as possible.