Evaluation Study Terms Of Reference For Jrs Home Visits Projects Implemented In Lebanon: L03 (Beirut, Bourj Hammoud), And L04 (Jbeil)
1. Context: Refugee Education in Lebanon
The Syrian conflict is now in its fifth year. In 2015, the number of refugees fleeing Syria surpassed 4 million and Lebanon became the country with the highest per capita concentration of refugees in the world. Recent reports indicate that the socioeconomic situation of refugees in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, with families experiencing falling food security, increasing debt and protection issues (increasing numbers of families without valid residency) and ongoing difficulty accessing income and livelihoods opportunities.
2. Projects’ Rationale
JRShas been implementing emergency response programs in Lebanon since year 2013, tackling the most urgent needs of Syrian refugees and unregistered Syrian immigrants. Currently, JRS runs home visits programmes in the following locations: Bourj Hammoud and Jbeil. In addition to visiting refugee families, JRS provides food and hygiene assistance to the most vulnerable families.
The home visits: Through visiting the families regularly, JRS maintains a relationship and creates strong bonds with them. The visit provide families with a caring and listening counterpart. One of the two-team members is always a female, which is a key factor that allows the team to enter houses when the man of the house is not present. Throughout their work, the home visits team is always extremely attentive to social and cultural elements, which makes the families feel at ease and maintains their trust.
Food and Hygiene assistance: In Jbeil, “baskets” with basic food and hygiene items are delivered to vulnerable families every month. For many families, this food assistance is critical to meeting their daily food requirements.
In Bourj Hammoud, JRS has developed a special form of food distribution that aims at preserving the dignity of families assisted by giving them the freedom of choice through a “store” setup.
Referrals system: Since JRS is aware of the gaps in its own services, and committed to coordination with other stakeholders in order to better fill these gaps for the families, JRS will develop a comprehensive referrals system of services available to refugees within the Jbeil and Bourj Hammoud districts in order to connect those in need to the appropriate services.
3. Brief Overview of the Programme (2 projects)
JRS’ Home Visits programme in Lebanon is designed to provide emotional and practical support to refugee families and share with them information about their rights and services, while identifying the most vulnerable families who are in need of food or hygiene assistance.
Overall goal: Syrian refugees in Bourj Hammoud and Jbeil have improved wellbeing through access to psychosocial support through home visits, as well as food and NFI assistance.
Objective: To enhance the resilience of refugee families through home visits, psychosocial support, and food and NFI assistance.
Indicators:
By the end of each rotation (4-6 weeks), 300 families in Jbeil and 230 families in Bourj Hammoud are visited by the teams to encourage them to share their lives, hopes and sorrows. By the end of each rotation (4-6 weeks), 300 baskets with basic food and hygiene items are distributed in Jbeil, and 230 families in Bourj Hammoud have chosen basic food and hygiene items. 80% of the families consider that the food and hygiene assistance program enhances the quality of their nutrition and hygiene. 80% of the families express satisfaction with the home visits and social worker visits By the end of the year, at least 30 families visited in each location have been referred to other stakeholders providing services to refugees, as needed.
4. Rationale for the Evaluation
The external evaluation of these ongoing Projects is part of JRS overall Programmes Policy. The results of the evaluation are used to improve activities and to provide the needed support to overcome the challenges that arise in JRS Home Visits programme and activities. The documentation of the results of the evaluation allow JRS to learn from its mistakes and to increase its capacity to offer quality services to refugee families.
5. Objectives of the Evaluation
The objective of the evaluation is to assess the implementation of the JRS Home Visits Programme.
The period covered by the evaluation is 16 months, from January 2015 through April 2016.
The main results expected from the evaluation are to measure and assess:
Impact: the impact of the projects on the families served. Strengths and weaknesses, successes and shortcomings of these activities. The quality of the following components:
Regular visits to the families, including frequency Psychosocial support provided to the families The home visit teams’ composition (4 persons in Jbeil, 4 persons in Bourj Hammoud) and their skills The relationship between the objective of the visits and aid distribution Vulnerability Criteria and its implementation by teams Support for the home visit teams by project management The system and method of distribution Food and hygiene assistance
The Evaluator shall submit a final evaluation report with the assessment of the abovementioned outcomes and outputs.
6. Key questions the evaluation should address
The evaluation should assess whether the anticipated outcomes of the programme, as set out in the Project Proposals (and for which specific results and targets have been set) have been achieved, and to what extent they have done so.
This will also involve an assessment of the programme in terms of design, implementation and results against several factors (elements), including:
Relevance Effectiveness Efficiency Impact Quality Sustainability Accountability (to the families targeted by the programme)
7. Activities envisaged (not comprehensive)
Evaluation/analysis and assessment of data and information collected Interviews with programme staff Interviews with relevant stakeholders Consultation with partners, where applicable.
The evaluator will be expected to travel to each project location.
8. Outputs
Evaluation Report, first draft
Evaluation Report (including recommendations), final version.
9. Selection criteria for the Consultant/team
- Expertise: CV and list of previous evaluations
-Sector-specific experience
-Adequate evaluation plan
-Mixed-method approach to data collection and analysis
- Compliance with deadlines.
10. Reporting
The Consultant/s will report to JRS Lebanon Country Director and JRS and Regional Programmes Officer. JRS MENA regional director shall approve the final report and will be responsible for signing off on the evaluation.
11. Presentation of the evaluation proposal
The candidate shall submit a proposal to these three email addresses:
The proposal must include:
CV Technical proposal, indicating methodology, evaluation plan and work chronogram. Detailed budget
