Project External Evaluator

1. Background

The Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts (ARCPA), commonly known as AL-JANA, was established in 1990 as a local non-governmental organization registered in Lebanon under registration number 54/ ED. ARCPA works with marginalized communities in Lebanon through documenting their enriching experiences and creative contributions and building on them, while at the same time enhancing the capacity of youth towards conflict transformation, active learning, and creative expression.

During the year 2017, ARCPA implemented a project entitled “Linking Communities in Time of Conflicts (Lincs),” with funding from ifa/ Zivik, and aiming at promoting the resilience of refugee communities in Lebanon in the face of sectarian conflict through active peacebuilding efforts and collaborative interventions linking Syrian refugee communities, Palestinian refugee communities, and Lebanese host communities.  The project was implemented in cooperation with forumZFD. Building on successes achieved, Phase II of the project commenced in May 2018 with four main outcomes:

Outcome 1: Active trainers selected and trained during Phase I receive coaching and advanced training on conflict transformation to enable them to transfer their knowledge to their peers as well as effectively apply conflict transformation techniques within the civil society in Lebanon.

Outcome 2: Teachers, volunteers, and CSO members of different nationalities (Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese) use “Memory of War” handbook and other resources and methodologies that foster critical thinking to train youth and adults of different nationalities to examine and reassess multiple narratives of past and present violence to find non-violent alternatives to deal with conflict and differences and to contribute to a better acceptance of the other.

Outcome 3: Inter-community cohesion and relations improved through the active and collaborative involvement of families, especially women, in joint artistic and cultural events in areas of conflict, with the facilitation and support of the newly formed trainer pool.

Outcome 4: Refugee children and their peers from the host communities are better able to cope, empathize, and respect the situation of the respective groups.

1. Purpose of the Evaluation

The overall purpose of the end-of-project evaluation is learning and accountability. Recommendations provided should serve to improve subsequent project phases. Guiding evaluation questions are:

• How effective was project planning and the changes introduced as part of Phase II of Lincs?
• What is key actors’ feedback on the project’s benefits and what recommendations do they provide?
• To what extent did the project achieve its outcomes and objective?

1. Scope of the Evaluation

The proposed evaluation will cover and concentrate on the analysis of the situation, target group, organization, partnerships, and the project itself. It will look at the following main components and should attempt to answer the following underlying evaluations questions, among others:

• 1. Relevance
• How relevant is the project to the current context in Lebanon?
• How relevant is the project to ARCPA's overall mission and objective?
• Is the definition of the project purpose relevant?
• How relevant is the project to the target group/ key actors?
• How relevant is the target group selection?
• 1. Effectiveness
• To what extent are the activities chosen and implemented by this project effective in relation to the objectives set?
• Is the definition of the project purpose clear and consistent to all key actors?
• Were project purposes and indicators realistic and attainable? Have the targeted results been achieved?
• What methods were used during project implementation? Were they effective?
• 1. Efficiency 
• Has the project been planned and implemented in the right way? Was the project planning participatory? Was it adequate?
• How were decisions taken on the organization level and the partnership level?
• What methods were used during project implementation? Were they efficient?
• What are the lessons learned?
• 1. Sustainability 
• To what extent would the benefits of the project continue after donor funding ceases? Can a sustainable impact beyond the immediate project be recognized or expected?
• What were the major factors which influenced/influence the achievement or nonachievement of sustainability of the interventions?
• How can sustainability be improved in future interventions?
• 1. Impact
• What is the project's intended and unintended impact on the NGO staff and the work of the NGO?
• What are the target group's attitudes towards conflict and the project?
• What forms of cooperation were implemented and what target groups were reached?
• What is the project's intended and unintended impact on the context in which it was implemented?

1. Methodology

This evaluation will adopt a qualitative and reflective approach, and utilise several data collection tools:

• Review of context and project documentation (proposal and project planning matrix, training reports, activity reports, interim reports…)
• Focus groups and/or interviews with the key actors (NGOs members of the Janana network, NGO staff, and youth and children)
• Interviews with trainers and members of the project team

Given the learning outcomes to be derived from this project, it is essential that the evaluation process engages partners and beneficiaries. A detailed methodology should be submitted by the Consultant one week after contract signature.  In principle, it is expected that the evaluation extends between August and December 2018 and includes around 15 workman days. 

1. Deliverables

The following deliverables are expected to be received from the Consultant:

• Evaluation plan, methodology, and data collection tools one week after contract signature
• Field visits/ data collection schedule
• Draft report four weeks after contract signature
• Final report three days after receiving comments from ARCPA

The main body of the report, in Word format, should be between 20 and 30 pages (excluding the appendices/annexes) and is to include the following elements:

• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• List of Acronyms
• Background (description of the project)
• Evaluation objectives and criteria
• Methodology
• Main results and analysis, clearly responding to the evaluation criteria and key questions in the TOR and referring to the project’s outcomes
• Conclusions and recommendations, focusing on programme development for the next phase 
• Annexes 

1. Qualifications and Application Procedures

Candidates are expected to possess the following key qualifications:

• University degree in social sciences or relevant fields
• At least five years of experience in conducting external evaluations in Lebanon, including experience in working within the refugee context
• Experience in evaluations/research relating to peacebuilding and conflict transformation
• Fluency in English and Arabic
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism