Terms of Reference (TOR) for End-Term Evaluation for the “Improving business conditions for fishing and fish trading in Bonthe, Sierra Leone (BIFT)

Terms of Reference (TOR) for End-Term Evaluation for the “Improving business conditions for fishing and fish trading in Bonthe, Sierra Leone (BIFT) in Bonthe district”

Brief background of Partners.

The current initiative is being implemented by these consortium partners of highly skilled national NGOs (SEND) and international partner Tera Tech combining experience in community-based mobilization on improving business conditions for fishing and fish trading as outlined below:

SEND Sierra Leone

SEND Sierra Leone is a non-governmental organisation in Sierra Leone liaising with communities, traditional authorities, government institutions and foreign partners to combine resources to develop innovative solutions to alleviate poverty and enhance quality self-reliance. SEND Sierra Leone has adopted the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide national development planning and implementation with our strategic approach. The pursuit of economic equality and social equity are mainstreamed in the SDGs. Our commitment to the government is to improve the delivery of social services, strengthen gender and social inclusion, and prioritise the education sector. SEND Sierra Leone is an independent structure, a local NGO registered in Sierra Leone. SEND Sierra Leone works to improve people’s lives by respecting human rights and equal opportunities for women and men in Sierra Leone. Intervention areas are in Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba, Kambia, Kailahun, Kenema, Kono, Port Loko, Pujehun and Western Rural districts. Our interventions impact competencies such as promoting women’s leadership, gender transformation, self-reliance approaches, governance, community resource mobilisation, community-led initiatives, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, climate change adaptation, WASH, health, livelihood, education and advocacy.

Our vision is to see a Sierra Leone where people’s rights and well-being are guaranteed.

Our mission is to promote good governance, voice, accountably essential services and equality for women and men in Sierra Leone.

TERRA TECH Förderprojekte e.V

The TERRA TECH Förderprojekte e.V. is an NGO funded by the German government’s development ministry. They function as a bridge between the public sector and developing countries, focusing on education, agriculture, and environmental protection. Through collaboration with local communities and organizations, they’ve built schools for girls in Sierra Leone, implemented sustainable irrigation in Nepal, and conserved biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. Their commitment to transparency and accountability has earned them the DZI Spendensiegel, a German seal for trustworthy donation recipients. TERRA TECH Förderprojekte e.V. empowers communities in developing countries to build a better future.

Project background

SEND Sierra Leone, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation (BMZ and TERRA TECH), is implementing the project ‘Improving business conditions for fishing and fish trading in Bonthe, Sierra Leone (BIFT).The project is implemented on Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone’s Bonthe District, focusing on approximately 240 small villages engaged in fishing, palm oil production, palm wine, and cassava cultivation. Given the limited access to credit institutions, especially in the more remote chiefdoms like Sittia and Dema, the initiative aims to address financial constraints by enhancing access to finance through measures such as Village Savings Loan Association (VSLA) programs. The projectaims to uplift communities by improving access to finance and fishing equipment, fostering long-term income generation. It employs a multifaceted approach, including providing improved fishing equipment, gender education, and capacity building for fishermen and fisherwomen in sustainable techniques. Additionally, the project focuses on creating market opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs, improving inter-district trade, and developing a new fisheries sector to transform livelihoods and promote financial literacy among target groups as it aims to directly benefit 17,367 individuals, including men, women, and people with disabilities, while indirectly impacting approximately 128,515 people through radio discussions, awareness campaigns, and improved living conditions.

Project objective:

Main Objective:

● To achieve sustainable improvement and transformation in access to mechanized fishing and processing equipment, as well as in financial services and the management of fishing enterprises.

Sub-objectives

• Facilitate the formation, networking, and strengthening of VSLA groups for 50 men, women, and disabled individuals by raising awareness about available resources and funding opportunities and fostering collaboration among community members.
• Enhance the capabilities of VSLA groups in fisheries through comprehensive training, distribution of necessary equipment, establishment of microgrants for business development, and delivery of entrepreneurship and business management training to improve fishing, fish processing, and marketing skills.

Purpose of the End-Term Evaluation

The main objective of the End-Term evaluation is to:

• Identify how the project has been effectively implemented in the project communities.
• Measure the results/impact against the target indicators.
• Conduct a comparative analysis of the project baseline indicators
• Understand the impact created among the district stakeholders and project beneficiaries at the community level.
• Document lessons learned and best practices and provide recommendations to scale up access to resources and livelihood opportunity strategies within the Bonthe district.

Communication of the report

The report will be disseminated in diverse ways:

• With donor partners in the fulfilment of accountability on funds utilised.
• With implementing partners and district stakeholders.
• With project participating communities, participants and stakeholders to enable the implementation of learning and recommendations to achieve the developed project’s overall objectives
• Publish on the SEND website.

Methodology of the Activity

The evaluation will be based on the following approaches below:

• The review will be conducted within the 30 project communities in the Bonthe district
• Using Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and Questionnaire surveys with VSLA groups, Gender model families and project beneficiaries.

Scope of work

The evaluation will cover selected participants from the project’s operational areas and stakeholders for the reporting period from 1 May 2024 to 31st May 2024. Within this period, the review will comprehensively assess project outcomes at all levels, including SEND partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders, to determine the impact and relevance of the project’s intervention. The evaluation will specifically focus on the sustainable improvement and transformation of access to mechanized fishing and processing equipment, financial services, and the management of fishing enterprises, ensuring a thorough understanding of the project’s effectiveness and significance. The evaluation will assess the project management and activity implementation to address the results achieved, the partnerships established, and capacity and approach development issues for the SEND partnership. The evaluation will also establish best practices for future engagement and suggestions on possible replication.

Content of the Evaluation

The content of the evaluation will include the following:

No

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Questions (Suggestions)

1.

Relevance

The extent to which the objectives of a development intervention are consistent with beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs, global priorities and partners’ and donors’ policies.

2.

Effectiveness

The extent to which the development intervention’s objectives were achieved, or are expected to be achieved, taking into account their relative importance.

3.

Efficiency

A measure of how economically resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) are converted to results.

4.

Impact

Positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended.

5.

Sustainability

The continuation of benefits as proactive intervention after major development assistance has been completed.

6.

Learning and Replicability

Lessons that may have implications for the future of the development intervention or may be relevant for wider application.

Reporting requirements

The lead person will have the following reporting requirements:

• Write draft/inception report and share with SEND for review
• Presentation/discussion of preliminary findings, conclusions, and recommendations with SEND staff.
• The draft report will be submitted to SEND for review;
• Development of an evaluation tool
• The final report will be submitted after receiving comments from SEND on the draft report and the tool.
• An outline of implementing strategies to be incorporated in other project activity implementation and describe how they can be carried out.

The report should include the following chapters:

• An executive summary
• A description of the evaluation methodology
• Background information and chapters on findings,
• Conclusions, limitations and recommendations for the future.
• The results should be supported and documented with pictures.

The final report will also include annexes, a list of communities and chiefdoms, the people and Institutions/organizations interviewed and their contacts and a list of reviewed documents.

Roles And Responsibilities

Responsibilities of SEND SL

• Provide reference documents to the consultant, e.g., Project proposal, log frame etc.
• Assist in communicating with key stakeholders about the baseline survey
• Review the assessment tools/instruments for finalization
• Supervise the training of enumerators, data collection and verification
• Review the draft report and feedback comments to a consultant
• Disseminate the final survey report to relevant stakeholders

Responsibilities of the consultant

• Design data collection tools and share them with SEND SL
• Conduct pretesting of the tools and finalize them
• Hire and train enumerators
• Conduct the End-term evaluation in the operational communities in Bonthe District.
• Write inception report and share with SEND for review
• Presentation/discussion of preliminary findings, conclusions and recommendations with SEND staff.
• Submit a draft report to SEND for review.
• Submit the final report to SEND after receiving comments on the draft report.
• Abide by SEND, WHI and EWB-DK policies.
• Complete and submit the final version of the report within 30 days

Expertise required

An expert with relevant Degree and experience in Fisheries management, Development studies, community development studies or any relevant field and knowledge of sustainable fishing practices and community development, particularly in enhancing inter-district trade and cooperation. Climate change and environmental experience, improved infrastructural and capacity-building measures, understanding of the local culture and the ability to engage effectively with communities. We evaluated following the OECD/DAC criteria (minimum five years of relevant experience).