RapidSMS Developer – Ureport South Sudan

TERMS OF REFERENCE: RapidSMS Developer – Ureport South Sudan (International Consultant)

1. Summary Title: RapidSMS Developer – Ureport South Sudan Location: Juba, South Sudan Duration: 3 Months Start Date: 1 February 2013 Level: L2
   Reporting to: Communication for Development Officer
2. Background

Of South Sudan’s estimated 10.6 million people, 44% are under the age of 14 and 70% are under the age of 30. Most South Sudanese adolescents have no access to higher education and training, face poor economic prospects, and enjoy only limited exposure to media and other sources of information. This leaves them vulnerable to exploitation as they are often unaware of their rights, and have limited platforms through which they may speak out about abuse and injustice, and share their views on the future of South Sudan.

Despite these challenges, the energy and desire of youth to more actively engage in the challenges facing them—to define, lead, and monitor development efforts themselves—presents a window of opportunity for the Government of South Sudan and its development partners to engage youth and give them a voice. The positive energy of youth must be harnessed in order to support youth as positive agents of social change—both in relation to the rapidly changing social, cultural, economic, and political landscape of their nation and, more broadly, as the future leaders of South Sudan.

One of the primary modes through which youth can engage as a population is ICT. Innovative platforms that respond to youth interests and utilize their preferred means of communicating—namely, mobile phones and radio—represent a prime opportunity to raise the voices of youth in South Sudan. While access to mobile phones remains more limited in South Sudan than in other countries in the region, recent trends indicate substantial market expansion that stands to grow in the months and years ahead. It is in the interest of harnessing this opportunity to meaningfully engage South Sudanese youth that UNICEF South Sudan aims to launch Ureport, a platform that promotes social monitoring and the ‘wisdom of the crowd’.

Ureport, a SMS-based social monitoring tool built on the RapidSMS framework, was launched in September 2010 by UNICEF Uganda. Ureport uses mobile technology through RapidSMS to provide a forum of opinion and information sharing for youth and children. Using a crowd-sourcing approach to initiate an SMS dialogue with the members (‘Ureporters’) the ultimate aim of the program is to stimulate citizen-led and youth-led development. Since its inception the U-report program has evolved into a powerful tool with implications for both improved service delivery and increasing youth engagement in the political process, with a high level of international attention and interest shown. Recognizing the success of Ureport in Uganda and drawing on the lessons learned to-date, UNICEF has devised Ureport South Sudan as a simple and scalable platform for youth participation.

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the adaptation of Ureport for deployment in South Sudan. 3. Justification This assignment is technical requiring high level of expertise and experience of working on similar assignments. The project being an ambitious one intends to hire the services of two external professionals – one International and one National. The capacity to carry out this assignment is not available in the country office and professionals with this expertise are not available in the country. Therefore, the assignment has been developed for hiring an international consultant.

1. Purpose of Assignment  Implement the Ureport program and adapt software for specific use by UNICEF South Sudan  Produce documentation and automated tests  Oversee QA and user acceptance testing  Provide modification programming, based on real use/user feedback  Provide ongoing maintenance and technical support for the U-report RapidSMS projects that involve ICT elements (mobile, web and hardware devices)  Train national RapidSMS consultants on core technical elements of Ureport platform and RapidSMS framework
2. Specific Tasks

Tasks End Product/deliverables Time frame 1. Setup of Barebones RapidSMS server and system on brand new server hardware Server setup with all necessary software and RapidSMS installed. End of Month 1 2. Setup of Kannel SMS gateway and establish connection with SMSC or aggregator Working prototype of RapidSMS over a unique short code End of Month 2

1. Begin testing of U-report sending and receiving of SMS Report highlighting technical successes and failure and required improvements End of Month 2
2. Train national developer(s) on core technical aspects of Ureport platform and RapidSMS framework Basic training materials and report on training sessions delivered. Rolling, to be complete by end of Month 3.
3. Supervisor and frequency of performance reviews: The consultant will report to the Communication for Development Officer
4. Qualifications or specialized knowledge/experience required:

Required: • Experience in at least one modern object-oriented programming language, especially Python • Experience with relational databases • Experience with Linux Server setup and familiarity with web services setup and maintenance • Experience with mobile technology, especially Android or J2ME • Capable of deploying and maintaining software remotely on a Linux or UNIX-like server. • Knowledge of environment, and understanding of the constraints of working in a developing-world environment. This should include experience developing low-bandwidth applications in challenging work environments. • Ability to align technical goals with organizational strategic goals – that always will mean prioritizing organization’s mission over any particular technology • Willing to travel (sometimes on short notice) and develop software in the field, directly with end-users Desired: • Experienced in developing software as part of a distributed team using Git or Subversion, especially in an open-source environment • Experience with Django web application framework and RapidSMS framework

1. Contract Duration – 3 Months
2. Payment Plan - Monthly payment based on outputs to deliverables, certified upon monthly review with supervisor

UNICEF recourse in case of unsatisfactory performance: Payment will only be made for work satisfactorily completed and accepted by UNICEF.

1. General Conditions

• UNICEF shall be responsible for the Consultant’s Fees and other related costs, including costs associated with the consultant’s travels to Juba and back to the consultant’s place of abode. • The consultant is entitled to DSA inside South Sudan as per UNICEF rules and regulations. • The assignment is for 3 months and the consultant shall be remunerated by UNICEF in accordance with UNICEF’s regulations, rules and policies including those relating to methods and timing of payment.
• Working space and working tools will be provided for the consultant to work from UNICEF premises. • The consultant is not entitled to sick leave with pay, annual leave or over-time payment, including weekends and during holidays. • Upon completion of the assignment, UNICEF shall be responsible for the return travel arrangements for the consultant from the closest port of entry to the duty station designated by UNICEF in its request.
• UNICEF shall be responsible for all internal travel arrangements within South Sudan or region of the assignment.

Policy both parties should be aware of

• Under the consultancy agreements, a month is defined as 21 working days, and fees are prorated accordingly. Consultants are not paid for weekends or public holidays. • No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or contractor. • For international consultants outside the duty station, signed contracts must be sent by fax or email. Signed contract copy or written agreement must be received by the office before Travel Authorization is issued • No consultant may travel without a signed travel authorization prior to the commencement of the journey to the duty station. • Unless authorized, UNICEF will buy the tickets of the consultant. In exceptional cases, the consultant may be authorized to buy their travel tickets and shall be reimbursed at the “most economical and direct route” but this must be agreed to beforehand. • Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget. • Consultant will be required to sign the Health statement for consultants/Individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that they have appropriate health insurance. • The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary' must be completed by the consultant upon arrival, at the HR Section.

How to apply:

If interested, please complete the attached United Nations Personal History form (P11) and send applications directly to jubavacancies@unicef.org.