Call for Consultancy – End-term Evaluation Consultancy

ABOUT ABAAD

ABAAD– Resource Center for Gender Equality is a UN ECOSOC accredited organization that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region. ABAAD advocates for the development and implementation of policies and laws that enhance women’s effective participation, through a rights-based approach that would bring about tangible change to gender justice. With the purpose of ending gender-based violence, ABAAD adopts a holistic care approach to provide protection and support services to GBV survivors/right holders during times of peace, war and disasters since 2011.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Generation Gender is a five-year program that aims at positively influencing public opinion, laws and policies towards gender justice, as well as strengthening civil society to advocate for gender justice all the while combatting GBV and inequality. More specifically, the program at hand relies on an innovative and inclusive gender-transformative strategy that equips youth leaders and civil society organizations (CSOs) to address the root causes of gender inequality and foster sustainable change. Its goal is to raise public support, advocate for improved policies and laws, and strengthen civil society. The program centers around the following impact statement “The creation of gender-just and violence-free societies with and for young people in their full diversity”. This is achieved through the following pathways:

• LTO 1 aims at increasing and mobilizing public support for gender justice and rejecting gender-based violence. This LTO also feeds into the other two LTOs as mobilized individuals can become part of organized civil society or might use their voice or voting power to pressure decision makers towards more gender-transformative policies and legislation.
• LTO 2 focuses on strengthening gender-transformative and youth-inclusive policymaking and legislation. This LTO feeds into the other two LTOs as decision makers directly influence the availability of civic space and have a strong influence on the general public through discourse, legislation and policies.
• LTO3 envisions a strong, inclusive and resilient civil society that is able to fight for gender justice. This LTO also feeds into the other two LTOs as a strong civil society is able to advocate for gender-transformative laws and policies and is able to foster and stimulate public support.

OVERALL GOAL OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

ABAAD is seeking to contract two individual consultants of which 1) a National Consultant and 2) a Youth Researcher to support in conducting the end-term evaluation of the Generation G program. This research assignment consists of the following objectives:

1. Evaluating the effectiveness of the program: evaluate the results (including unexpected or unintended results) of the program, which changes occurred, how changes happened and the contribution of the program to these changes:
2. To assess and validate the country programme progress towards the achievement of the 5-year targets at output and outcome level;
3. To assess the country programme strategies regarding:
   1. sustainability (what is the likelihood that the programme results will be sustainable, in terms of systems, institutions, policies, financing) and institutionalization (e.g. on GTA and MIYP);
   2. operationalisation of programme principles (do we live up to our own principles?);
   3. capacity strengthening (Is the programme sufficiently sensitive and responsive to capacity strengthening needs? Is the country capacity strengthening plan effective and likely to lead to sustained capacity improvements in the long-term?)
4. A mapping of funding in relation to budgets vs. expenditures at activity, thematic and geographical level, as well as an evaluation of financial resource management (e.g. appropriateness of budget planning, whether grant allocation has been appropriate, whether there were any bottlenecks in the system of financial disbursement between consortium, national lead partner and coalition partners;
5. Additional country specific evaluation and/or learning objectives.
6. Evaluating the partnership collaboration focusing on: coherence, localization/leading from the South, partnership with the Ministry and the Embassies, lessons learned and good practices.
7. Evaluating the relevance and validity of the theory of change: evaluate the program’s theory of change including assessing the validity of the assumptions underlying the TOC in the different country contexts by providing evidence of which mechanisms of change worked, which did not, and why.

AREAS OF IMPLEMENTATION

While the scope of the program is national, all activities associated with the data collection process will take place in the capital, Beirut.

OVERALL METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

• Attend an orientation meeting with global consultants and the Generation-G team;

• Attend an end-term evaluation planning meeting in Rabat Morocco, which will be held from 2 – 6 December 2024. Participation is mandatory, you must be available for this week, and eligible to fly to Morocco. All costs such as flight and hotel will be reimbursed by the lead agent Rutgers. Per diems and visa costs will be paid by the global consultant;

• Attend training on a) the Realist Evaluation approach (most likely this will integrated into the planning meeting week in Morocco), and b) data collection, including pre-testing the tools;

• Provide input for the preliminary findings;

• Provide input for the final report.

• SPECIFICITIES LINKED TO NATIONAL CONSULTANT

  • Translate and contextualize the tools;
  • Lead on all logistical planning and arrangements of the data collection activities;
  • Facilitate focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and conduct observations at country level;
  • Review country project reports and validate progress against indicators targets and key learning identified at country level;
  • Support data analysis lead by the global consultant;
  • Develop a field work report, including country specific recommendations;

• SPECIFICITIES LINKED TO YOUTH RESEARCHER

• Assist the national consultant on logistical planning and arrangements of the data collection activities;

• (Co)facilitate focus group discussions, key informant interviews and story of changes interviews at country level;

• Check the quality of the transcriptions of interviews and discussions.

DELIVERABLES

Each of the two consultant is required to:

• Provide a recording of each interview and FGD session conducted;
• Provide summarized transcripts of interviews and FGD sessions in English;
• Provide field notes of how the field work was implemented (including supporting and hindering factors during the field work, observation notes);
• Provide part of the draft report related to the assigned work – will be discussed further during the data collection;
• Fulfil Other deliverables that are needed by the global consultants – will be discussed further during the online training.

DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Approximately 30 days each (spread between November 2024 – September 2025).

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

The consultant will work in their home country, with travel to the sites. The global consultant will cover the travel expenses, including accommodation and per diem. Attendance at the end-term evaluation planning meeting in Rabat Morocco, 2 – 6 December 2024 is mandatory. All costs for this meeting such as flight and hotel will be reimbursed by the lead agent Rutgers. Per diems for this meeting will be paid by the global consultant.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CONSULTANT

• Master degree in a relevant subject e.g., development studies, social studies;
• Proven track record in the evaluation of complex programs, with specific attention to gender equality and gender justice especially in the area of SGBV, advocacy, campaign, and civil society strengthening;
• A solid understanding of the social, political, and cultural context of Lebanon;
• 5+ years of relevant working experience with civil society organization or research institute, and experience working with vulnerable communities, including youth, women and girls;
• Proven track record in facilitating participatory evaluation workshop and qualitative data collection;
• Preferable experienced in the Realist Evaluation Approach;
• Understanding of the Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) and Meaningful and Inclusive Youth Participation (MIYP);
• Knowledge of human rights, gender justice, gender transformative lobbying and advocacy, intersectionality, youth agency, youth inclusive policy making and legislation and collaborative programming, including approaches to engage men and boys;
• Written and spoken fluency in English and Arabic. French is in plus;
• Familiarity with the Most Significant Change (MSC) and Outcome Harvesting is an advantage;
• Ability to travel in-country.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE YOUTH RESEARCHER

• University degree in a relevant subject e.g. development studies, social studies, public health;
• Between 21 and 32 years of age;
• Experience in the area of SGBV, advocacy, campaign and civil society strengthening;
• A solid understanding of the social, political, and cultural context in [country];
• Experience working with vulnerable communities, including youth, women and girls;
• At least 3 years of experience in conducting qualitative research, including key informant interviews and focus group discussions;
• Written and spoken fluency in English and Arabic.

How to apply

Applicants are invited to submit their candidacy via email to careers@abaadmena.org with email title “End-term Evaluation Consultancy” by September 20th, 2024. Your email should contain the following:

A narrative proposal demonstrating the following:

• Your skills and background which make you suitable for this assignment;
• Your track record on the evaluation of advocacy programs, gender justice, meaningful and inclusive youth participation, gender-transformative lobbying and advocacy, youth-inclusive policymaking and legislation; send two examples of recent evaluations with your application;

In addition to the proposal text, please submit supplementary materials including the following:

• CV/professional portfolio, demonstrating previous experience in the same requested field;
• A Minimum of Two references of humanitarian I/NGO clients for whom similar assignments have been undertaken along with contact person;
• At least one, preferably two recent studies/writing examples on similar themes with significant/primary writing by the lead researcher;
• Your daily rate as a consultant.

Any questions related to this consultancy should be sent by email by September 10th, 2024 to careers@abaadmena.org with the subject line “End term Evaluation Consultancy”.