Development and implementation of a methodology to identify fault lines related to social cohesion

Fondation Hirondelle and IRMI are conducting a project entitled Improving Media Resilience in Ukraine. The general objective is to preserve access to reliable information related to the humanitarian, security and social situation in the country for the Ukrainian population, including for populations in zones of armed conflict and those who have been displaced.

The project is currently in its third phase, which aims, among other things, to support 20 local Ukrainian media outlets (mainly on frontlines) in strengthening their coverage of social cohesion issues. However, the war has distanced editorial teams from their audiences, who are often displaced and scattered. This has cut off the media from a portion of the necessary feedback needed for an inclusive media coverage, allowing journalists to be full-fledged actors in the rebuilding of their communities.

The goal of the sought-after methodology is to enable journalists to reconnect with their audiences, while providing them with an overview of social cohesion issues in their coverage areas (oblasts of: Sumy, Donetsk, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Khmelnytskiy, Dnipropetrivsk).

The population we want to study comprises Ukrainians over 18 years of age who before the full-scaled invasion lived in the studied territorial units, but now can be in different parts of Ukraine as internally displaced persons or being abroad as refugees. We plan to receive the statistics about the population at the time of the survey and to wage data for gender and age in the statistical analyses.

The research component of the project is aimed at to search answers on following research questions:

1.             What social cohesion risks zones exist in each territorial unit?

2.             What is the level of social cohesion in each territorial unit and in general in this part of Ukraine?

3.             What can journalists do to bridge existing social cleavages?

4.             How received knowledge could be implemented in the professional activities of the local journalists on the way to avoid marginalization, stereotyping, hate speech and fragmentation?   

The service provider will be required to:

i)                     Define a methodology to achieve the objectives of the activity, emphasizing the involvement of journalists and the connections between journalists and researchers;

ii)                  Implement this methodology by conducting qualitative and quantitative studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of fault lines related to social cohesion, primarily on the frontlines.

iii)                  Provide a methodological guide for journalists, and make a public presentation of findings.

Provide a detailed budget for the various lines of activities and expenditure items, as well as a provisional schedule from March to September 2024 (included).

Obligation to integrate Ukrainian researchers into the proposed process.

Maximum of 10 pages, including budget.

Submission in English only. Previous experience on the field of social cohesion research will be an asset.

Please submit your proposal to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by February 22, 2024 (midnight)