National Consutant in Project Evaluation

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

D

Non Family with Residential Location

CONS Local

2024-09-01

July 28, 2024

1. General context of the project or mission:

The Spanish donor Generalitat Valenciana has financed a two-year project (2023 and 2024) to strengthen livelihood and economic inclusion activities for refugees and host communities in eastern Chad. To this end, he recommended that an external review of the project be carried out at the end of the project’s implementation. This review will focus on accountability, with the aim of explaining precisely how the key indicators have been achieved (see annex 1). Particular emphasis will also be placed on the project’s effectiveness in promoting economic empowerment and improving the living conditions of the populations concerned.

2. Occupational Safety and Health Considerations view occupational safety and health considerations for specific duty stations, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

3. Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:

Since the start of the conflict in Sudan on April 15, 2023, CNARR, UNHCR and IOM have recorded a growing influx of people forced to flee, including Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees who arrived spontaneously via more than 32 points of entry. The large number of refugees and their prolonged stay have put a strain on government services, natural resources and local social cohesion. Despite these difficulties, Chad has traditionally had a generous open-door policy towards the influx of refugees. Chad is currently one of the countries in French-speaking Africa hosting the most refugees over the past 10 years and is at the centre of several conflict zones. Significant challenges in terms of security and management of the influx of new refugee and displaced populations have been identified.

This review will focus on the Generalitat Valenciana’s (GV) biannual program that aims at building resilience while improving the livelihoods of refugees and host communities in eastern Chad. This project runs between 01/01/2023 and 31/01/2025 in the Abéché sub-delegation, following on from a first project that took place between 01/01/2019 and 31/12/2022. The people targeted by the project are Sudanese refugees arriving from North and West Darfur and host populations living in 14 camps spread across the Farchana, Gozbéida, Iriba, Amdjarass and Guéréda field offices.

The overall aim of this external review will be to provide accountability by examining how the project has been implemented and achieved its objectives in terms of strengthening the technical and financial capacities of small-scale producers in eastern Chad. The results of this review will serve to confirm that the project has been implemented according to the logic of the theory of change, and that the results have been achieved.Les principales questions d’évaluation qui seront examinées sont décrites ci-dessous :
This involves looking at the level of achievement of the indicators or the correspondence of the results contained in the logical framework attached in (annex1).

This analysis of the level of achievement of the results chain must also take into account the changing context at the start of implementation in 2023, which was a relatively stable period, and a few months later the major shock that occurred 4 months later, characterized by the Sudanese crisis (April 15, 2023), which led to the displacement of thousands of refugees to the project implementation zones.

4. The key evaluation questions that will be under scrutiny are described below :

KEQ 2: Which activities have produced the best results in terms of improving the perceived and measured living conditions of the target populations? Which activities would you recommend continuing or stopping in the future, depending on the agro-ecological and socio-economic context?

It should be noted that the project’s activities are broadly grouped into two main areas, namely agropastoral activities (agriculture and livestock), commercial activities and financial inclusion through the development of AVEC: Associations Villageoises d’Epargne et de Crédit. The sustainability of the impact should also be addressed.

KEQ 3: Did partner monitoring of training and access to capital lead to better results in terms of resilience? What were the main differences between the two partners and best practices that could be used for future iterations of the project.

It should be noted that in the first year of project implementation, a single partner covered all 4 zones, namely CIAUD: Comité International pour l’Aide d’Urgence et le Développement. The second year of implementation saw a change, with a second World Vision partner recruited to look after just one province, Ouaddai, while the CIAUD partner continued activities in the other 3 provinces.

KEQ 4: To what extent the program was coordinated with other local actors to deliver a coherent response?

KEQ 5: How did the project integrate a gender-based approach while taking account of environmental issues?
What were the specific gender objectives of the project? How were the needs and perspectives of women and men taken into account in the planning and implementation of the project? What indicators were used to measure the gender impacts of the project?

What specific environmental issues have been identified as relevant to the project? How were these issues integrated into the planning and implementation of activities? What measures have been taken to minimise the environmental impact of the project?

Approach: The study will triangulate a variety of methods to include a wide range of perspectives. The team will work from an intervention logic/theory of change to inform the interventions under review.
It is planned that the study team will visit Farchana and Sila, where the interventions have been implemented. A total period of 2.5 weeks is allocated for this fieldwork.

The main methodologies recommended are mixed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, including:
– Desk review and content analysis of relevant background and programmatic data and documents, including available monitoring data.
Interviews with UNHCR staff and implementing and operational partners.
– Data collection in the field through a variety of methods, including individual interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participatory research, and outcome mapping, potentially including forcibly displaced persons as well as host communities and/or their representatives, as required and appropriate.
– The consultant will be in charge of recruiting and training a team of qualified enumerators if needed to carry out the quantitative or qualitative data collection. Flights and DSA for the mission will be covered by UNHCR.
Data collection may be hampered by limited access to certain areas, for example due to climatic conditions or security problems. In such cases, it will be necessary to adapt the methodology and adopt a flexible approach. Local presence and contextual expertise will be valuable assets.
The survey methodology should :
– Incorporate an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective in all primary data collection activities, including focus group discussions with women, youth and disadvantaged individuals and groups, as well as in the data analysis and reporting phase.
– Consult and use relevant sector standards, as well as specific analytical and other related frameworks.
– Draw on an analysis of the rationale and strategy behind livelihoods interventions (including through cash transfers), as well as key actors and stakeholders.
– Collect and draw on a wide range of data sources, such as mission reports, coordination group meetings, and strategic narratives, to demonstrate the impartiality of the analysis, to minimize the risk of bias, and to ensure the accuracy of the analysis.
– Respect the UNHCR’s data protection policy, including data storage and access, as well as the consent and confidentiality of interviewees. It is essential to put in place well-developed and ethical protocols for conducting interviews with data subjects.
– Explicitly design the guide/questionnaire to answer the main study questions, taking into account study, budget and time constraints.
– The study team will be responsible for collecting, cross-referencing, analysing and triangulating the various data sources to ensure the impartiality of the analysis, minimise bias and ensure the credibility of the evaluation findings and conclusions.
Monitoring and Progress Controls (report requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines):
a. The final product (e.g. survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced specify):
Inception report: word format 10 pages max without annexes in French
Final report : word format 30 pages max without annexes in French
Final workshop: ppt presentation and workshop discussion to discuss findings and recommendations in French

5. Required level, qualifications and work experience:
1 The assignment is for an Individual Consultant
Qualification and experience required (degree required, years of work experience, field of expertise, language required):
The team leader’s main responsibilities will be to:
(1) define the approach and methodology of the study;
(2) guide and manage the team member(s);
(3) direct the assignment and represent the team at meetings;
(4) draft and revise, as necessary, the inception report, workshop and debriefing presentations and study report, ensuring the quality of all deliverables.
– University degree in social sciences plus 10-12 years of relevant
professional experience or a postgraduate degree plus a minimum of 5-10 years of relevant professional experience in livelihoods and/or cash transfers in a humanitarian and development context, including Chad or Sahel.
– In-depth knowledge of livelihoods and/or cash transfer literature, relevant analytical frameworks and programming approaches and standards.
– Provide evidence of previous experience as a leader (preferred) or participant in evaluations with the UN system and NGO’s. Ability to present complex analyses in a clear and convincing manner, including the use of graphs, schematic visualisations.
– Institutional knowledge of the UNHCR’s different mandates in relation to refugees and IDPs, and of the UNHCR’s operations and approach to refugees and IDPs.
– Proven experience and in-depth knowledge of various data collection and analysis methods and techniques used in survey and operational research (e.g. participatory studies, focus group discussions, outcome mapping, problem stratification, socio-economic vulnerability ranking, self-reliance index scoring, as well as a good understanding of survey design).
– Excellent knowledge of French and Arabic and a good level of written and spoken English

Comment postuler :
Interested candidates can apply through the websitewww.unhcr.org/careers, by clicking on ‘see current UNHCR vacancies’ and you will be directed to the page of all vacant positions.

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

,

,

Desired Languages

Arabic

,

English

,

French

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Masters of Science (MS): Social Science

Certifications

Livelihood

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No