SNV Netherlands Development Organization is a not-for-profit international development Organisation, founded in the Netherlands in 1965. SNV operates in more than 25 developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. For detailed information on SNV visit: www.snv.org.

Working in Cambodia since 2005, SNV implements projects in the agriculture, energy, and water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors. Using market-based approaches, we emphasize environmental sustainability and inclusive development. We lower the barriers to economic and social development and promote local ownership. SNV provides tailor-made and sustainable interventions that are effective at raising incomes, providing meaningful employment opportunities, and improving access to and coverage of basic services. Our interventions acknowledge the critical importance of improved climate change resilience and mitigation strategies to achieve sustainable change. Our work is aligned with the country’s national development priorities and strategies. We work in close collaboration with the royal government, civil society, and private sector. Our multi-national team of experts works from our national office in Phnom Penh.

Our work in the Energy Sector contributes to our Sector Strategy and Country Plan through projects that are financed and supported by a variety of donors and social investors. At a global level, our Energy programmes reached close to 2.7 million people in 18 countries in 2022, with people having new access to sustainable and affordable energy. We also reduced emissions by the equivalent of nearly 738,000 tonnes of CO2e that year. Our Energy team in Cambodia is headed up by an Energy Sector Leader who leads project managers, specialists and advisors as they work together with the public sector, private companies, and civil society actors in selected communes and provinces to stimulate market development and create an enabling environment for clean and advanced energy solutions.

Energy in Cambodia

Despite this impressive progress in grid development, a significant challenge remains: 79% of rural households in Cambodia continue to rely on solid fuels for cooking, primarily using firewood in traditional stoves. Addressing this disparity is crucial for achieving sustainable and equitable energy access across the country. In Cambodia, 70% of the total energy is used as cooking energy. In rural Cambodia, wood is still the dominant fuel for cooking. An estimated 8.5 million Kg of firewood is burned each day to cook food, light homes, and provide heating. One of the main barriers for clean cooking, is the suppressed demand for modern solutions, given by cultural values pertaining to cooking behaviour, perceptions, and beliefs. Households are often only partly aware of the disadvantages of traditional cooking and follow traditions and perceive cleaner solutions as costly, difficult to operate, or even dangerous. The use of biomass for cooking fuel and associated smoke exposure contributes to serious health problems. It is estimated that 15% of the country’s deaths are attributable to traditional cooking practises, similar to the toll of tobacco smokers. Many more lives, mainly women and children, are affected by severe health conditions that depress the quality and length of life.

Smoke Free Village

Since 2015, SNV has worked on a programme to address the negative social, economic, environmental, and health impacts of traditional cooking in rural Cambodia. From mid-2020, the bulk of the work on clean cooking has been through the Smoke Free Village (SFV) approach. The approach stimulates villages to cook on clean energy (LPG and electricity) by replacing traditional cooking fuels (wood, cow dung breads and other agricultural residues) that emit toxic smoke and are time intensive to manage.

With financial support from FRANKE and EnDev, SNV implements the Smoke Free Village programme in 282 villages with a total of 67,703 households with 264,745 people in 38 communes of 6 districts in 4 provinces (Kampot, Kampong Speu, Siem Reap and Battambang). SFV includes poor households (defined as registered poor households, women-led households, and households with people living with disabilities) that are exposed to information about clean cooking.

The SFV project aims to collectively change the cooking behaviours of villagers and to make a change to cleaner cooking, to ignite demand for clean stoves and fuels, and to trigger suppliers of these stoves/fuels to sell their products and services in these villages. In order to change behaviours, Behaviour Change Communication activities are carried out. The Behaviour Change Communication activities are led by local authorities comprising of government District Administrations, Commune Councils for Women and Children (CCWC), and village chiefs. CCWC are subnational government bodies that represent citizens from the commune and focus on the welfare of women and children. Health centres, schools and pagodas also are engaged in SFV activities. Monitoring data follows the progressive changes in cooking behaviour on household level (i.e. the types of stoves and/or fuel used, etc.), and the changes occurring at village level. When 85%+ of village households adopt clean cooking, the village graduates towards a Smoke Free Village. The monitoring system disaggregates poor, women-led, and households with people living with disabilities, so that the programme keeps track of inclusion.

Objective for the assignment

The objective of this assignment is to assess the baseline situation in villages before the Smoke-Free Village project starts (in Chum Kiri and possible other areas). The baseline study constitutes the basis for the project to measure performance and impact of the Smoke-Free Village approach. The survey will also assess the current cooking knowledge, attitudes and practice of villagers, GEDSI groups, local authorities, local suppliers of clean cookstoves and fuels, and relevant stakeholders (e.g., health centres, pagodas, schools and eateries/restaurants) towards modern cooking solutions in the target areas.

Methodology

The baseline survey will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods that are disaggregated to gender and social economic groups. The survey will assess baseline households living in areas that have not been (and will not be) exposed to SFV, as well as households that have been exposed to SFV; these are the control and treatment groups, respectively. The consultant is expected to provide the required data collection tools as well as the software to be used for the quantitative analysis.

The consultant will apply SNV’s survey questionnaires to gather information on household demographics, as well as dependent variables (i.e. cooking habits) in relation to the independent viariable (i.e.  exposure to SFV activities). Interview questions will also cover topics regarding households’ perceived health, livelihoods and time savings. The survey questionnaire will be drafted by SNV in close consultation with the consultant; the consultant is expected to provide feedback and guidance to ensure a high quality questionnaire.

In addition to conducting a comprehensive survey questionnaire through face-to-face interviews, the assignment also in depth interviews with a total of 10 interviewees, to explain by these cases what the meaning of cooking energy is and how the impact of SFV looks like.  

By following the agreed methodologies, the consultant will ensure the delivery of high data quality. In addition to collecting data, the consultant is also expected to conduct meaningful data analysis with statistical significance. The survey report should capture the data collected and key findings.

Final deliverable

Top line report will be produced including tables, graphs, bar diagrams and charts.

The report will be structured along the chapters as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Summary
3. Methodology
4. Key findings
5. Case studies
6. Conclusions and Recommendations

Clean data dbase (in excel format or in Logalto), organised among groups, control and treatment.

The detail of Term of Reference can be requested to email: [email protected] 

• Firm/company that is legally registered in Cambodia;
• Experienced in data collection or similar relevant areas;
• Capabilities in conducting household survey methodologies and tools;
• Proven track record in similar assignments;
• Familiar with statistical analysis;
• Availability of a high quality team.

Interested applicants are requested to submit their technical proposal, financial proposal, track record and CVs via the SmartRecruiter through provided link. The application should be submitted by Wensesday, 24 April 2024.