Consultancy: Summative Evaluation of the Programme for Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly Women and Children with disabilities, Banjul, The Gambia

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, access

The Gambia has taken a significant step in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities by enacting the Persons with Disabilities Act in 2021. This legislation is the first of its kind and provides important safeguards for this vulnerable group. To support the implementation of the Act, a National Disability Policy and costed Strategy was developed and adopted in 2023. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare (MoGCSW) is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Act. The Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW) is also part of this ministry and has been the primary institution dedicated to serving persons with disabilities. However, there is still a need for further national mechanisms to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

Public service institutions, such as those in the social sectors and law enforcement and justice delivery, lack clear policies or guidelines to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access their services. While DSW provides some services for those with physical disabilities, they face challenges due to inadequate funding and resources. Public facilities such as hospitals, schools, and law enforcement services do not proactively cater to the needs and rights of people with disabilities. This is largely due to a weak legal, policy, and institutional environment, which has resulted in significant challenges for people with disabilities to enjoy their rights and live with dignity. Stigma and discrimination are widespread, leading to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from politics and societal processes. Although there is no concrete data on the prevalence of abuse against persons with disabilities, particularly children with disabilities, anecdotal evidence suggests that they are vulnerable to abuse and violence both within their families and in the wider community, including in schools.

How can you make a difference? 

The evaluation will:

1. serve UNICEF’s and its partners’ accountability and learning purposes by comprehensively assessing the programme’s performance in achieving its intended results.
2. provide the UNPRPD, donors and other development partners (vertical accountability), as well as the girls, boys, and caregivers the programme aims to serve (horizontal accountability), with solid evidence of how it achieved its objectives.
3. inform UNICEF and UNFPA about the relevance, efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and sustainability of the programme’s implementation strategies in reaching the planned results. The evaluation will integrate the equity, gender and human rights dimensions. It will also highlight potential corrective actions for the program’s design and delivery modalities.
4. generate recommendations to guide UNICEF and its partners in improving the programme and similar interventions in the future. The users of this evaluation include UNICEF staff, UN and other developmental partners, NGOs, OPDs and government officials.”

The evaluation objectives are:

1. Evaluate the programme’s relevance and coherence
2. Evaluate the programme’s efficiency and effectiveness
3. Evaluate the programme’s sustainability
4. Evaluate the extent to which the programme integrated gender, equity and human rights dimensions
5. Lessons learned and recommendations

Here attached is the ToR for the evaluation of UNPRPD Programme _final.docx.pdf for details of the assignment. 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in evaluation, social sciences, or other relevant fields.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in programme evaluations, with a proven track record of completing high-quality evaluations focused on persons and children with disabilities.
• Prior experience in leading evaluability assessments is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively use quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation methods, incorporating equity, human rights, and gender-based approaches.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Strong skills in facilitating participatory processes.
• Solid understanding and application of UNICEF and United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) evaluation quality norms and standards.
• Extensive work experience in rural communities in Africa is essential.
• In-depth knowledge of issues related to disability, particularly within the context of developing countries.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Additional Desirable Qualifications:

• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community groups.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and present clear, actionable recommendations.
• Familiarity with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially as they pertain to the rights of persons with disabilities.
• Proficiency in using evaluation software and data analysis tools.

Please note that the above requirements are for the Team Leader. Kindly refer to the ToR for the evaluation of UNPRPD Programme _final.docx.pdf for the requirements of other team members. 

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

Read Full Description