End of Project Evaluation Consultant, Women’s Protection and Empowerment

End of Project Evaluation, Addressing Vulnerability of and Violence against Women & Girls in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Application deadline: March 5, 2014

Expected starting date:1st April 2014

Expected ending date: 25th April 2014

Expected work days (19 excluding weekends)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Expected evaluation methodologies

The consultant will make use of different methodological categories: quantitative research methods (based on secondary data such as data and databases generated by the program), qualitative research methods (such an observation, In-Depth Interviews, Focus Group Discussion and desk review of project documents and reports.

Description of project/program to be evaluated

Background and objectives of project/program

The project seeks to address the immediate and long-term needs of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), and the concerns of vulnerable women and girls in Haiti in an effort to reduce the violence perpetrated against them. Through project activities, the IRC is promoting a society where women and girls have access to public spaces and services, are better protected by community and national structures, and are empowered to break the cycles of violence. This intervention is being conducted in the Baillargeau and Campeche neighborhoods, including some surrounding areas in Carrefour-Feuilles in Port-au-Prince. Program components are framed by the larger, integrated and multi-sector program LAMIKA reinforcing partnerships and coordination with all stakeholders. The IRC worked with local associations and medical and psychosocial providers to develop a basic referral system for survivors to access key services, with priority on medical and psychosocial services. In consultation with LAMIKA, the IRC is also developing a network of community stakeholders to reduce violence by empowering adolescent girls and engaging gatekeepers and caregivers to take action to reduce sexual exploitation. Finally, the program engaged women in savings and loan activities, and bring them together with spouses to discuss household budgeting and financial decision-making to empower women and reduce household violence.

The overall project goal is to mitigate the consequences of gender-based violence (GBV) in Port-au-Prince by addressing the needs of survivors and by empowering women and girls to participate more actively in Haitian society. In more detail, this entailed the following objectives:

Increased number of survivors of gender-based violence in Campeche, Baillargeau, and Champs de Mars receive medical and psychosocial services through developed referral pathways.Increased protection of adolescent girls from sexual exploitation.Women in Campeche and Baillargeau have increased access to economic resources and can participate in decision-making within the household.

The following activities were to be implemented by the project according to the workplan:

Identify existing medical and psychosocial (for more serious symptoms of trauma) service providers who can provide services immediately and identify how survivors would accessConduct mapping of potential medical (in conjunction with ARC if possible) and specialized psychosocial service providers in Carrefour-Feuilles area (beyond simply Baillargeau and Campeche)Produce referral information cards with key referral resourcesConduct CCSAS training with ARC health teams and partners (if identified)Identify mechanisms for continued services/referrals if no continued fundingIdentify community referral points in Baillargeau and Campeche;Train IRC staff in basic case management and psychosocial support;Train community referral points in basic case management and psychosocial support; (for Champs de Mars only limited training to existing referral points);Monitor quality and data collection of referral points by IRC staff;Conduct refresher training to referral points in Baillargeau and Campeche;Identify mechanisms for continued services/referrals if no continued funding;Design and produce posters and other sensitization materialsOrient local associations and community leaders on availability of services and referral pointsPlace posters and community awareness materials/campaignsInterviews conducted to verify awareness of referral pointsAdapt components of SASA! methodology to time period and context of Carrefour-FeuillesExecute limited components of SASA! MethodologyDevelop parent and community leader discussion group protocolsFacilitate discussion groups between adolescent girl groups and parents to identify actionsFacilitate discussion groups between adolescent girl groups, parents and community leaders to identify actionsSupport adolescent girl groups and partner associations to monitor progress against identified actionsIdentify any existing adolescent girl groupsFacilitate formation of new adolescent girl groups (10-14 year olds and 15-18 year olds separately) as necessary, and where possible through associationsIdentify and train mentors (older girls for 10-14 and women for 14-19)Mentors with support from IRC facilitate discussions around various issues, but including types of violence, particularly sexual exploitation, risks and potential solutionsConduct financial literacy training (10-14 year olds) and life skills training to girl groups (14-19 year olds)Adolescent girl groups identify discussion themes for discussion exchange with parentsIRC supports local associations to identify actions to promote adolescent girlsAssociation conduct mini-projects with support from IRCAssociation support adolescent girl groups to monitor progress against actions identified by gatekeepers and caregiversRecruit VSLA staff;Initial TOT for VSLA staff;Community needs assessment and  beneficiary selection;Procurement of VSLA toolkits;VSLA Preparatory Phase: orientation meeting with community leaders, community sensitization and meeting with potential VSLA groups;Establish VSLA groups;VSLA Group Training (Module 1-6);Supervision and Monitoring of VSLA groups- Intensive;Supervision and Monitoring of VSLA groups- Development;Supervision and Monitoring of VSLA groups- Maturity;Module 7 (Share-out) training for VSLA staff;End of cycle share-outTOT for discussion group facilitatorsDiscussion group module development/adaptation;Sensitization meeting and invitation of spousesVSLA discussion groups with VSLA members and their spouses;Monitoring of discussion groups

The project started on the 15th October 2012 and has a projected end date on the 30th April 2014

Project Donor: American Red Cross (1,000,000 USD)

Scope and reach of project/program

The initial project documents foresaw the following to directly reach out 16,600 people, which is the total population of the four target areas (Campeche, Baillargeau, Tapis Rouge and Champs de Mars). Indirect beneficiaries were indeed considered as all of the women, men, girls and boys in the communities of Baillargeau, Campeche, and Champs de Mars including survivors of GBV; community members who actively participate in community mobilization activities, EASE participants, and adolescent girl groups. During the inception report, and due to the closing of IDPs camps in Tapis Rouge and Champs the Mars Area, it was agreed to target all the 8 neighborhoods of Carrefour-Feuilles only.

Project/program management

The project is implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in close collaboration with the American Red Cross (ARC) as a funding partner. The Women Protection and Empowerment Manager supervises the project on a daily basis, with support from the Women Protection and Empowerment Coordinator. The project documents foresaw other 12 staff among the different project component, including a M&E national officer.  The Coordinator also assessed the quality of activities on an ongoing basis through the development of monitoring tools. This included multiple types of project monitoring including the use of program and activity monitoring tools. The Monitoring & Evaluation Officer has supported the Coordinator by strengthening the capacity of other officers and partners to report data correctly and manage a project database (both for case management and VSLA group portfolio information) to track basic information on survivors who have received services through the program. As described in the budget and organigram, the M&E Officer has been part of the Haiti team and was a key element to the development and implementation of monitoring systems for the program. The program manager and other team members have been also monitoring activities weekly and verify the quality of these activities. As recommended by ARC, IRC committed to quarterly narrative and financial reports, as well as a final narrative and final report 90 days after the end of the project period.

Previous evaluation activities

The IRC Coordinator with the Manager and M&E Officer have monitored the implementation of the project on a daily basis. Moreover, an initial situation analysis which informed the IRC inception report was also carried out and submitted to ARC. All documents will be made available to the lead evaluator after signature of the contract.

End of Project Evaluation Overview

Purpose of End of Project evaluation

To assess the effectiveness of the project in achieving its objectives and to provide insights for and future projects and lessons learnt to ARC for continuing their work in the target area. In particular the evaluation will:

provide inputs for new strategic directions or implementation design for future programming on protection and social cohesion in the area;inform decisions of donors or potential donors on whether to expand financial support; andassess and evaluate compliance with donor rules and regulations or requirements.

Objectives of End of Project evaluation

Assess and describe the results and impact of the project – intended and unintended, positive and negative, as well as the major factors that influenced the achieved results; andDraw lessons learned and provide recommendations to improve the design for potential expansion of project activities. 

Main audience of evaluation

The main audience of the end of the project evaluation includes IRC and ARC staff (management, project managers, coordinators), as well as members of the local associations, parents, community leaders and community members in general.

Coverage of evaluation

The evaluation is intended to cover all completed activities in all targeted areas.

Evaluation criteria and questions

Outcomes: Did the project achieve its intended outcomes? Were there any important unintended outcomes, either positive or negative?What were the main reasons that determined whether intended outcomes were or were not achieved, and whether there were positive or negative unintended outcomes? Which were under IRC control and which were not?Relevance of a protection program: How appropriate was project design? Were the proposed activities the most appropriate to achieve intended outcomes?  Were there other, more appropriate ways in which similar outcomes could have been achieved?Has the design of the project been modified during implementation according to needs?Are objectives and design still relevant for potential future phases of the program?Effectiveness of project results/activities: How well were project activities planned and implemented? Were activities implemented as planned? What were the main factors that contributed to whether activities resulted in intended outputs and outcomes?Were quality standards and protocols defined, and did activities achieve high levels of quality in implementation?Were the implementation mechanisms appropriate and efficient  to reach out the adolescent girls and implement activities?Were the target groups the right target  to implement the GBV program activities? Were any certain potential target groups left?Coordination with ARC and ARC partners: How well did IRC coordinate with project stakeholders? Has the project contributed to strengthening the coordination between IRC and ARC? If so, how, and if not, why?Has the project collaborated with other partners in the area, such as ARC, international organizations and local associations? And How?Beneficiaries’ Inclusion and Satisfaction: How satisfied were project beneficiaries with the project? Have beneficiaries and community groups collaborated in the different phases of the project?What were the main issues raised by beneficiaries (can disaggregate if necessary) concerning their level of satisfaction with the project?Sustainability and replicability: How sustainable and replicable were project outcomes?  What are the main factors that affect, either positively or negatively, the sustainability of program outcomes?What exit strategies were incorporated into program design? Were such strategies implemented and to what extent did they contribute to sustainability?Lessons: What lessons can be learned that would help inform future projects in the same sector? What are the lessons learned in terms of project implementation, coordination, and beneficiary satisfaction?What are the key challenges hence recommendations to successful program implementation?What are the best practices in terms of gender equity that can be incorporated into Integrated Neighborhood Approach programming? 

Scope of work and Evaluation design

Scope of work

The evaluator will be responsible for preparing and carrying out the end of project evaluation as well as for the submission of a final report.

Methodologies

The evaluator is encouraged to use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and techniques. The following is a list of methodologies that are considered applicable; the list, however, should not be considered definitive, and the evaluator is free to propose other methodologies.

Desk review of key project documents and reports including secondary data and  program generated databases;Interviews with key IRC and ARC project staff;In depth interviews of representatives and members of the community of the project area;Focus groups of the beneficiary population;Attendance at beneficiary meetings, workshops, and training activities (if any)Observations and site visits.

Discussion of inception report

Prior to conducting the evaluation, the Evaluator will prepare and submit to IRC a brief inception report detailing the methodologies, evaluation tools and work plan of the evaluation. The inception report will be discussed with IRC WPE Coordinator, and will be subject to approval prior to the start of field activities.    

Logistic and Administrative Support

The lead evaluator will be responsible for the following:

To procure necessary visa in the country of origin (IRC will reimburse those expenses against evidence of payments) and medical insurance (IRC does not pay for insurance and will require a copy from the evaluator);A working laptop;Arrange and pay for his/her own accommodation, no further costs will be paid aside from the consultancy fee.Pay for food consumed during work days, no further per diem will be given aside from the consultancy fee.  

IRC will be responsible for the following:

To pay travel costs according to IRC policies;To hire translators and field staff to help in carrying out the evaluation;To provide the evaluator with a mobile phone and a SIM card;  To arrange transportation for the field visits, to and from accommodation – airport, and upon previous request and according to  IRC Haiti Security and Transport policies after working hours and weekend.

International standards & Presentation of evidence

Standard evaluation and survey methodologies and good practices utilized in the international humanitarian community should be applied. Such resources should include but are not limited to those promulgated by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Ethical Guidelines

It is expected that the evaluation will adhere to ethical guidelines as outlined in the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators. A summary of these guidelines is provided below, and a more detailed description can be found at www.eval.org/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesPrintable.asp.

Informed Consent: All participants are expected to provide informed consent following standard and pre-agreed upon consent protocols.Systematic Inquiry: Evaluators conduct systematic, data-based inquiries.Competence: Evaluators provide competent performance to stakeholders.Integrity/Honesty: Evaluators display honesty and integrity in their own behavior, and attempt to ensure the honesty and integrity of the entire evaluation process.Respect for People: Evaluators respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants, clients, and other evaluation stakeholders. It is expected that the evaluator will obtain the informed consent of participants to ensure that they can decide in a conscious, deliberate way whether they want to participate.Responsibilities for General and Public Welfare: Evaluators articulate and take into account the diversity of general and public interests and values that may be related to the evaluation.

Moreover, dealing with a program related to the prevention and response of gender based violence, ethical principles during evaluation should be applied such as those defined by the handbook published by the World Health Organisation “Ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies”.

Future use of data

All collected data will be the sole property of the International Rescue Committee. The evaluator may not use the data for their own research purposes, nor license the data to be used by others, without the written consent of the International Rescue Committee.

Expected activities and Deliverables

Expected activities and tentative activities schedule

Desk review, literature search and discussions with key program staff (2 days)Develop and submit inception report for approval, including work plan and evaluation tools (2 days)Field visit and evaluation in the field (7 days)Preparation of draft report and ppt presentation (3 days)Presentation of first key findings to IRC and to ARC (2 days)Finalization of final report and approval IRC/ARC (3 days)

Deliverables

Inception report (including work plan and evaluation tools in French) Expected deadline: April 4, 2014Draft report (in English) and ppt presentation (both in French and English) Expected deadline: April 18, 2014Final report Expected deadline: April 25, 2014

Obligations of key participants in the evaluation

Obligations of the Contractor(s)

Inform the evaluation manager in a timely fashion of progress made and of any problems encountered.Implement the activities as expected, and if modifications are necessary, bring to the attention of the Evaluation Manager before enacting any changes.Report on a timely basis any possible conflicts of interest.

Obligations of the Evaluation Manager

Make sure that the evaluator is provided with the specified human resources and logistical support, and answer any day-to-day enquiries.Facilitate the work of the evaluator with beneficiaries and other local stakeholders.Monitor the daily work of the evaluator and flag any concerns.Receive and signoff on deliverables and authorize payment

Application and selection details

The proposal should include the following four items.  Please note that any proposal which does not contain all five items will be rejected.

One-page Summary of experience covering all the required qualificationsDetailed CVs of the evaluator.Professional references: please provide two or three references from your previous clients.A sample of a documented written by the consultant (English and French)Daily rate: please mention the proposed daily rate in USD which shall include all costs as outlined above.

Application received after the deadline and incomplete applications will not be accepted. The application deadline is March 5, 2014.

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