Final Project Evaluation for The HALO Trust funded by the European Union, Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI)

Terms of Reference

1. Project Summary

The European Union, Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI) has funded The HALO Trust from 1st January 2023 and the project will end on 30th November 2024 with a total project amount of 6,500,000.00 EUR. The contract covers the period of 23 months spanning from January 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024 – including two formal extensions.

Afghanistan is currently facing an acute and unprecedented crisis. Communities are grappling with the consequences of a national economic collapse, a severe lack of essential services, forced displacement, dire food insecurity, and recurring disasters. Compounding these challenges is the devastating legacy of over four decades of conflict in form of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), which continues to inflict immense suffering on Afghan communities and hinders the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need.

Explosive ordnance (EO) remains the leading cause of civilian casualties across the country, with an alarming statistic of 60 people killed each month, 80% of whom are children. This urgent situation highlights the critical need for effective interventions and comprehensive evaluations to address these ongoing challenges and inform future humanitarian efforts.

Considering the risk and needs in targeted areas, the project aimed at improving access for humanitarian assistance through provision of life-saving protection from explosive ordnance (EO). Through survey, clearance and training, HALO, and its partner BBC Media Action, attempted to mitigate the risks posed by contamination while improving the safety, security and livelihood opportunities of families residing in, or transiting through some of the most heavily contaminated areas of Afghanistan through Clearing mines and awareness raising.

Project Objective:

• To improve access of humanitarian assistance unimpeded by explosive ordnance and mitigate risks for internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees and marginalised communities

Project Activities:

• Land release: survey and re-survey of potential contamination, manual and mechanical clearance of at least 5,987,859 square metres (sqm) of land contaminated with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), conventional mines and explosive ordnance.
• Deployment of quick response teams (QRT): eight regional teams available to assist humanitarian access, through mapping, clearance and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
• Explosive ordnance risk education (EORE): eight mixed-gender risk education teams, and six quick response teams delivering over 14,000 sessions and reaching more than 215,000 individuals
• Mass media risk education: BBC Media Action delivered radio, social media and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) mobile-service risk education campaigns. BBCMA to have produced an internal evaluation for their work.
• Risk education on conflict prevention and preparedness
• Hostile environment training with a focus on IEDs. One course was held per quarter for humanitarian workers.

1. Project logic of intervention

The intervention has the objective of improving access of humanitarian assistance unimpeded by explosive ordnance and mitigate risks for internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees and marginalised communities.

This will enable the following result: humanitarian assistance is unimpeded by explosive hazards and civilians and humanitarian workers know how to mitigate the risk of explosive ordnance.

This result will be achieved through the following outcomes and associated outputs:

Outcome 1: Security and stability is enhanced, risk of death and injury to individuals, communities and humanitarian workers is reduced


Outputs:

• Clearance of contaminated land: 7,254,663 square meters, benefitting 40,392 individuals
• Mapping of previously unrecorded contamination
• Provision of explosive ordnance disposal support
• Conduct emergency clearance of land intended for the construction of returnee housing in response to the ongoing border crisis with Pakistan

Outcome 2: Enhanced capacity of communities, vulnerable groups and humanitarian workers to mitigate risks of explosive ordnance and conflict.


Outputs:

• Delivery of risk education sessions, reaching 266,928 individuals
• Delivery of three (radio, social media and IVR) mass-media risk education campaigns by BBCMA
• Development of conflict prevention and preparedness training materials
  Delivery of six hostile environment training sessions for humanitarian workers:

In addition to the intended outcomes and outputs outlined above, HALO has utilised the EU NDICI – Crisis response and Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention (Peacebuilding) list of core indicators to develop the logframe (Annex A), however as these do not provide sufficient coverage to accurately capture all intended outputs of this project.

1. Purpose of the Final Project Evaluation

The purpose of this final project evaluation is to comply with contractual requirements and assess if the work between The HALO Trust and EU FPI has worked and whether it is still justified or should be changed.

1. Essential Qualifications
2. Accredited firm recognised by the EU.
3. Prior experience of working with the EU and within the mine action sector is highly preferable.
4. Other necessary/desirable skills/qualifications.

• Documented experience in designing and implementation of mid-term or end of project evaluation including selecting appropriate methodology including sampling
• Proven skills in data collection and analysis including secondary data
• Ability to identify impact of selected project implementation strategies, budget management, human resources skills and management what other alternatives would have been and how project implementation issues were handled and the effect of all of these on results achieved.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and work in tough, fragile field environments
• Documented supervisory, coordination and organization skills
• Excellent English Fluency

1. Objectives and tasks to be completed

Principle Objective:

The overall objective of the end of project evaluation is to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project and present a report with lessons learnt, conclusions and recommendations.

Specific Objectives:

The evaluation intends to utilise the OECD-DAC criteria, the objectives of the project evaluation could be structured as follows:

Relevance: Assess the extent to which the project interventions aligned with the needs and priorities of the affected communities and broader humanitarian goals in targeted areas in Afghanistan. Evaluate whether the project design was suitable for addressing the specific challenges posed by EO.

Effectiveness: Evaluate how well the project achieved its intended outcomes and objectives. This includes measuring the sense of improvements in community safety, access to services as well as other targeted impacts on the population.

Efficiency: Analyse the resource utilisation throughout the project lifecycle, examining the relationship between the inputs (financial, human, and material resources) and the outputs achieved. Assess whether the project was implemented in a cost-effective manner while meeting its goals within the designated timeframe.

Impact: Measure the broader, longer-term effects of the project on the community, including livelihood and environmental outcomes. This involves assessing improvements in the overall safety and wellbeing of residents and any lasting changes brought about by the project interventions.

Sustainability: Evaluate the likelihood that the benefits of the project will continue after its completion. This includes examining the capacity of local communities and stakeholders to maintain the results and any systems put in place for ongoing support or follow-up activities.

Specific Tasks:

1. Planning

• Develop a technical proposal on your intent to carry out the task, timeline of activities, data collection, final report and presentation of final report.
• Develop a clear sampling method and explain in your technical proposal how you intend to implement the sampling plan.
• Develop a clear methodology for the evaluation.
• Evaluators will be able to do a desk review of HALOs primary and secondary data sources to inform methods of data collection and the methodology.
• Work with HALO team to ensure that all survey materials, tools and equipment are ready for the survey.
• Support the management of survey equipment during survey.

1. Field work/survey

• Ensure adequate supervision of each survey team during the entire data collection period
• Ensure adequate supervision of teams carrying out demining activities
• Make periodic supervision visits to the survey teams during their work to ensure high data quality.
• Review the entering of data daily onto Survey 123 that feeds GOIMS with support of Information Management focal point and provide prompt feedback to teams.
• Document the constraints, evaluation process

1. Data analysis and report writing

• Conduct the preliminary analysis of the survey results
• Interpret the results of primary data collected during evaluation and once analysed, share the analysis with the HALO team
• Review the BBC Media Action internal evaluation report
• Complete reports and all other activities timely as per the agreed schedule
• Present the draft report to the HALO Programme Manager for internal comments
• Present a signed hard copy soft copy, a power point presentation of the findings of the evaluation.

1. Outputs

Survey improvements

Draft report for HALO internal review

Final report of findings to include hard and soft copy as well as a PowerPoint presentation

1. HALO Communication

The consultant will be in communication with the Partnerships and Donor Management team as well as other members of HALO Afghanistan when required.

1. Timeframe

Open tender: 14th-28th October

Selection: 28th – 30th October

Planning: 31st October – 7th November

Methodology Presented: 7th November – 11th November

Field Data Collection: 15th November – 22nd November

Data analysis and Report Writing: 23rd November – 30th November

Final Report and Presentation: 1st December – 4th December