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BHA Outcomes Evaluation Consultant

Aden

  • Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
  • Location: Aden
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Closing Date: Closed

Organizational and program background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their future. The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012 and currently operates in the South and North of the country through direct programming and local partnerships.

The country program operates in Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Al Dhale’e and Shabwa, and Sana'a governorates and continues to assist the affected population through:

  • Provision of health, reproductive health, nutrition, water and sanitation services to more than a quarter-million people.
  • Delivering essential drugs and medical supplies to hospitals.
  • Improving access to education for out-of-school children.

The IRC is implementing 21 months’ (1 October 2020- 30 June 2022) program entitled Emergency Life-Saving and Early Recovery Assistance for Conflict-Affected Communities in Yemen.The program’s goal is to minimize avoidable loss of life and improve the well-being of conflict-affected Yemenis through emergency response and early recovery activities. In line with the program goal, IRC is providing Agriculture and Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), Protection and WASH assistance to 1,233,603 (475,517 males, 758,086 females) individuals residing in Abyan, Aden, Al Dhale'e, Shabwah, Amanat Al Asimah, and Al Hodeidah Governorates of Yemen.

The key objectives of the program are as follows:

  • Agriculture and Food Security: Food insecure households have access to available and adequate nutritious food to increase nutritional status.
  • Health: To reduce morbidity and mortality among conflict-affected population in Yemen through improved access to comprehensive primary & reproductive health care services.
  • Nutrition: Reduce mortality and morbidity associated with moderate and severe malnutrition of under 5 children and pregnant and lactating women living in the targeted areas.
  • Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA): Food insecure households meet their basic needs and avoid negative coping strategies.
  • Protection: Ensure that women and children affected by crisis receive timely care and support services.
  • WASH: People affected by conflict are protected from Water, Sanitation and Hygiene related diseases

Rationale and Purpose

The overall objective of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the program reduced the loss of life and improved the wellbeing of the conflict-affected Yemenis and to derive lessons learned and key recommendations for the organization. The evaluation is also expected to assess the extent to which the integrated programming helped transform the lives of the target beneficiaries.The lessons drawn from the evaluation will be used to inform IRC’s decision making and the design of future programs

Objectives of the Evaluation

The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess the impact, relevance, sustainability, effectiveness, and efficiency of the program. The report will present achievements against program targets and compare the endline data findings against the baseline data findings. The information and recommendations from the evaluation will inform both the IRC and BHA of the existing gaps and possibly better program design and implementation. As such, the Consultant is expected to provide information about factors for success and recommendations for areas of improvement.

Specifically, the evaluation should be able to:

  • Assess the impact of the program since its inception in 2020.
  • Assess the contribution of the integrated programming approach to the betterment of the target population’s life.
  • Identify lessons learned, good practices and provide concrete recommendations.
  • Assess and identify critical internal and external factors that have contributed, affected, or impeded the program's achievements and how IRC has managed these factors.
  • Determine the intended and unintended outcomes of the program and provide recommendations on how the unintended negative outcomes of the program can be addressed.
  • To assess the impact of COVID-19 on the achievement of the program goal and outcomes.

Evaluation Criteria and Questions

The evaluation should explore the program's impact, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability by critically analyzing sector-specific activities or approaches that were used to achieve the desired change in the lives of the beneficiaries. The evaluation will address the following sector questions:

WASH

  • To what extent were the implemented WASH interventions relevant for increasing access to safe water, sanitation, and awareness of safe hygiene practices of the beneficiaries?This should examine the appropriateness of the action in terms of IRC’s ability to target and access the most vulnerable persons, and whether and to what extent the target population utilized the services and materials offered for the intended purpose.
  • To what extent did the program cover the needs in relation to safe water, sanitation, and awareness of safe hygiene practices, and hence contributed towards a decrease in the vulnerability of the target population to WASH-related diseases?This should examine the impact of IRC’s activities.
  • How successful and sustainable is the exit strategy and handing-over process of WASH facilities and services? This should examine the viability of interventions: will the beneficiary communities/owners of solarized rural water community schemes, Local Water Authorities for public water schemes and coordination mechanisms) be able to sustain O&M of the facilities beyond the program period?

HEALTH

  • To what extent have community based health services improved access to comprehensive primary health care services and improved community health outcomes?
  • To what extent were the deployment of mobile health units relevant to improving access to health care services? How has this strategy improved community health outcomes?
  • How efficient and sustainable was the support to health facilities that were non-functional and are now providing curative services?
  • How effective was the support to CEmONC facilities and how has it contributed to improving RH outcomes in the communities?

NUTRITION

  • Assess the effectiveness of the nutrition interventions in reducing moderate and severe acute malnutrition and hence reduced morbidity and mortality from malnutrition
  • Assess the effectiveness of the community-based management of acute malnutrition on child nutrition outcomes such as recovery
  • How effective are the different referral pathways between the different nutrition programs TFC/OTP/TSFP and to other services?
  • To assess the extent to which the group and individual counseling sessions on Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) improved knowledge, attitudes and practices
  • Assess the extent to which the location of nutrition sites helped improve access and coverage in the target locations

PROTECTION

Child Protection

Under Child Protection, the evaluation will assess the impact of child protection services on reducing violence against children and promoting safety and access to services. Specifically, the evaluation will:

  • Assess the outcome of case management on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children.
  • Impact of the parenting program in promoting positive parent-child relationships and reducing violence against children
  • Assess the extent to which the adolescent program “Now I am Stronger” has led to pro-social behavior and psychosocial wellbeing in adolescents
  • Assess the impact of information sessions and referral information in contributing to child protection outcomes (e.g., birth certificates, mitigation of child marriages)
  • Assess the impact of community engagement (leaders, neighborhood, etc.) in promoting access to child protection services
  • Additional benefits of community engagement including community awareness and parenting & adolescent sessions on reducing motivation to engage adolescents in exploitative activities (such as child labor and child recruitment)
  • Assess whether the trust-building between the child protection workers and parents/caregivers/community has improved acceptance of child protection services
  • Satisfaction of children and caregivers on child protection programs

Women Protection and Empowerment (WPE)

Under the WPE sector, the evaluation will assess the impact of providing comprehensive Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services on the community, building resilience, and reducing negative coping mechanisms on women and girls and their caregivers/ guardians. Specifically, the evaluation will:

  • Assess the importance of having women and girls’ space only, driven, running by their choice – the pattern of what services are requested at the establishment phase and once robust programming is in place.
  • Assess the impact of having comprehensive services within the Women and Girls Community Centers (WGCC) including basic Reproductive Health, child-caring services, specific adolescent programming, social networking, access to specialized services on the women and girls, income-generating, skills-building activities.
  • Assess the impact of having GBV services within health facilities on women and girls accessing those spaces and the importance of having a nearby WGCC to allow GBV survivors to access multiple services.
  • Assess the impact of Mobile service delivery that is integrated with other services (Health, Nutrition and Livelihoods)

MPCA, AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

Under the MPCA, Agriculture and Food Security, the evaluation will assess the impact of the MPCA, Agriculture and Food Security on the targeted household’s food security and income levels. Specifically, the evaluation will:

  • Assess the impact of the MPCA assistance in increasing access to basic needs for beneficiaries.
  • Assess the extent to which the negative coping strategies decreased after cash intervention.
  • Assess the extent to which intervention led to an increase in Household Food Provisioning.
  • Assess the impact of the MPCA on the Nutrition referral cases.
  • Assess whether the agriculture training led to increased land productivity (yield) and land hectarage (area under production).
  • Assess whether the agriculture assistance improved the household’s food security level and whether additional benefits were realized by the other community members (non-beneficiaries). Did the cash assistance create tensions in the community?
  • Assess whether the assistance influenced the household gender roles and responsibilities, focusing on access and control of resources like cash, land, and agriculture produce. Did the cash assistance create any gender tensions in the family?
  • Assess the impact of the agriculture activities on women's acquisition of the necessary knowledge for the home gardens.
  • Assess the impact of MPCA on the market after the cash distributions?

CROSSCUTTING QUESTIONS

  • To what degree did the program address the needs and priorities of the target population?
  • How appropriate were IRC’s Clients Responsiveness and Accountability (CRA) mechanisms to the context and the identified needs? Were feedback mechanisms appropriate and accessible by the elderly, children, People with Disabilities (PWD) and women?
  • How effective was the Third-Party Monitoring activities in improving program quality and implementation?
  • What program design, implementation and monitoring elements can be added or amended to improve the effectiveness of the program?
  • Did the program demonstrate a good Value for Money (VfM) approach?
  • How efficient were the management structures and the implementation modalities in terms of timeliness of delivery and cost-effectiveness of the interventions?
  • To what extent would the program's benefits continue after the cessation of the program?
  • What were the positive and negative, intended and unintended, changes produced by the program?
  • Critically analyze the program's contribution to any observed impact (intended, unintended, positive, and negative).

Scope of Work:

The Consultant (s) will design an appropriate evaluation methodology based on their understanding of the expectations of the terms of reference. Depending on the security and Covid-19 situation, the Consultant should come to Yemen to undertake the data collection exercise.In person primary data collection will be conducted in Southern governorates while remote data collection will be conducted for Northern governorates. The Consultant should propose and adopt methodologies that combine qualitative and quantitative research techniques, including extensive desk review and research. The Consultant is expected to propose his/her methods for the evaluation, which should include but not limited to:

  • Drafting data collection tools
  • Developing the data collection methodology, including sampling.
  • Developing the quantitative and qualitative data analysis plan
  • Production of the evaluation report

All data collected must be disaggregated according to the BHA requirements that include but are not limited to sex, age, disability and location. The Consultant should submit a detailed action plan that includes data collection instruments, clear roles and responsibilities, timeframe, data analysis process, and report writing.

Intended Users

The intended users for the evaluation will be:

  • IRC Technical Coordinators based in Yemen.
  • All interested parties in IRC including the Senior Management, MEAL Department, Grants Management and Technical Advisors.
  • Representatives of BHA as the donor that has funded the program.

Evaluation Roles and Responsibilities

IRC will:

  • Provide logistical and accommodation support to the Consultant while in Yemen.
  • Provide ongoing security advice and support when traveling to the field.
  • Facilitate engagement with the beneficiaries and other key stakeholders.
  • Provide all necessary program documents and contacts of relevant stakeholders.
  • Review the Consultant's proposal, tools and evaluation report.
  • The payments will be in two installments, 30% after submitting the Inception report and 70% upon submission of the final report to IRC. Please note that a partial payment hold-back will be in effect until IRC has approved the final report.

The Consultant will:

  • Be responsible for all aspects of the entire evaluation process, including travel and permit applications, evaluation preparation, data collection, analysis, and report writing.
  • Be responsible for paying any tax or other fees related to this assignment.
  • Be responsible for their working tools such as computer and data analysis software.

Reporting Arrangements

The Consultant will report to the MEAL Coordinator but with close collaboration with the Technical Coordinators and the Deputy Director Programs.

Duration of assignment

The consultancy should not last more than 40 working days, excluding weekends.

Deliverables:

Inception Report

The Consultant shall be expected to produce an inception report upon commencement of the assignment. The Inception Report will detail the agreed methodologies to be employed during the evaluation. The report should also include the finalized activity plan and a structural outline of the final evaluation report and should be shared and approved by IRC before the data collection and analysis commencement.

The Inception report should also contain:

  • A detailed methodology for the evaluation implementation.
  • A detailed schedule for the program review.
  • The indicators that fall within the scope of the program review.
  • Draft data collection tools (qualitative and quantitative).
  • A work plan that sets out the preparatory activities, specific deliverables, and timeline related to the program review and budget for the data collection activities.

Evaluation Report

The report should address the above consultancy objectives and contain an executive summary, acknowledgments, introduction including program summary and purpose of the evaluation, a detailed methodology (including limitations); key findings (covering both document review and primary research), lessons learned, evidence-based recommendations, conclusion and annexes.Annexes should include, at a minimum: field sites assessed and a list of key informants. A soft copy of the report should be shared with the MEAL Coordinator, and the report should not be more than 40 pages, excluding the cover page and annexes.

Summarized four pages evaluation report

Report that summarizes the evaluation purpose and background, evaluation questions, findings, lessons learned, conclusion and recommendations.

A PowerPoint Presentation

Outlining the evaluation process, key findings, lessons learned, and key recommendations.

The deliverables above will be accompanied by regular communication and feedback from IRC Yemen and a validation workshop where the evaluations’ preliminary results will be presented to the IRC Yemen team. After incorporating comments from the validation workshop, the report should be shared with the Deputy Director Programs and the MEAL Coordinator.


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