External Evaluation of MAG’s project – Increasing the safety and security of Syrian refugees and Lebanese communities by removing landmines and other unexploded ordnance in Lebanon.

External Evaluation of MAG’s project – Increasing the safety and security of Syrian refugees and Lebanese communities by removing landmines and other unexploded ordnance in Lebanon.

1. BACKGROUND

The Blue Line has been a politically sensitive area for a number of years, and as such, clearance activities have not been possible until permission was granted by the Lebanese government. Operations commenced in April 2017 and MAG is now able to help communities that have requested support for years, enabling them to access fertile agricultural land, at a time when the Lebanese economy continues to be put under strain. The crisis in neighbouring Syria has had a profound impact, and heightened pressure for safe land and employment opportunities. Clearance on the Blue Line will provide opportunities to address both these concerns. The clearance done to date shows how dense the contamination is, with the number of items being found significantly exceeding what MAG has been removing in other areas of the country prior to commencing work in this area.

MAG, under this UK-Aid funded project, conducted minefield clearance in the area surrounding Meiss Al Jabal town, which is located in Marjeyoun District, Nabatieh government in southern Lebanon. The town is situated close to the border with Israel, with 51 minefields in its vicinity. The minefields form part of the ‘Blue Line’, a barrier minefield laid by Israeli forces when ending their occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. The Blue Line represents the densest minefield contamination in Lebanon, stretching 118km along the southern border, where an estimated 400,000 landmines were laid.

Meiss Al Jabal has a population of just over 20,000, of which approximately 3,000 are Syrian refugees. A further 7,000 people reside in the village as seasonal workers at different points of the year. 70% of the land around the town is used for agricultural purposes, with 50% of the population reliant on this for their employment and income. Olives and tobacco are the primary crops in this area.

The overall purpose of this evaluation is to evaluate the activities which MAG has undertaken with this funding and assess the extent to which they have met the overall and specific objectives of this grant.

In particular, the external evaluator will be required to examine and report on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and viability of the activities, as well as making suggestions for future improvements.

The evaluation will be of use principally to MAG (to help guide future planning and implementation of similar projects) and to UK government (as a report on the effectiveness of their funding under this grant).

1. HISTORY OF THE PROJECT

MAG has been operational in Lebanon since 2000 initially clearing landmines and UXO and then to respond immediately in the aftermath of the 2006 conflict, providing emergency clearance from the day of the ceasefire.  This action is in line with the needs identified by the Government of Lebanon and supported by the UK, to enable communities to live free from fear, and use land that prior to MAG’s intervention has been a source of worry and hardship. Landmine clearance under this project will enable affected communities in Meiss Al Jabal to benefit from additional, safe land for productive use.

1. EVALUATION SCOPE

The scope of this evaluation is to assess the degree of fulfilment of the specific aim of, and the results achieved by, the project detailed below:

Title:                                                      Increasing the safety and security of Syrian refugees and Lebanese communities by removing landmines and other unexploded ordnance in Lebanon.

Implementing agency:                   Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Lebanon

Funder:                                                UK aid

Location:                                              Lebanon

Period of the grant:                         1^st December 2019 – 30^th June 2020

Total Value of the grant:               GBP146,185.85

Project details

Overall objective of the project:

Lives will be protected, and affected communities will no longer worry about setting foot on their land.

Socio-economic development will be enabled, as communities will be given the means and the support to improve the quality of their lives.

Specific objective of the project:

By making land safe, injuries and deaths will be avoided.

By returning safe land, Lebanese and Syrian communities will benefit from additional economic activity by putting land back into productive use.

Outputs:

MAG will produce one pre-clearance report for UK Aid Match providing background on the area where clearance will be conducted, and who will benefit. This will determine the anticipated number of primary and secondary beneficiaries of clearance activities. The teams will conduct technical survey and clearance to release land. MAG CL teams, funded by other donors, will return to meet with the beneficiaries of this clearance six and twelve months after it has finished to reporting on the impact of clearance activities.

1. ACTORS, MANAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION

It is expected that the evaluation will involve meeting (either face to face or through the use of telephone interviews) with a variety of stakeholders. These will include, but not be limited to:

• Beneficiaries (represented by both groups and individuals) and national authority.
• International programme staff in Lebanon (management, technical and community liaison)
• National programme staff in Lebanon (management, technical and community liaison)
• Management and support staff in MAG HQ in Manchester, UK

While in the programme, the evaluator will be under the responsibility of the Country Director, Lebanon, who will ensure that visits to relevant sites are facilitated and supported and that any necessary in-country information is made available for analysis. The country director will also hold overall responsibility for setting up appropriate meetings with external actors, where possible, if requested by the evaluator.

1. QUESTIONS AND CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

This evaluation should provide a clear response to the following:

• To what extent have the activities undertaken by MAG under the remit of this project met

• the overall objective and
• the specific objective of this grant?

• Making reference to each of the outputs and related activities listed in the proposal evaluate their:

• Relevance
• Effectiveness and Efficiency
• Impact
• Unplanned effects of the project

in terms of achieving the objectives detailed above

1. METHODOLOGY AND WORK PLAN

The methodology used will be designed to effectively respond to the questions raised above. Activities are expected to include, but not be limited to:

• Desk top review of all relevant documents provided by MAG Lebanon and available from other sources
• Primary data collection from staff teams and key stakeholders
• Review and discussion of initial findings with MAG Lebanon management
• Submission of draft / final report

1. TIMELINE

Expected timeline

• Start date: as soon as possible
• Duration: 1 month
• First draft report: no later than 15^th of September
• Final report: no later than 25^th of September