Consultant – Evaluation End of Project

1. Objective of the Project:

The “Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban” project in collaboration with Belgian Embassy is implemented in Lebanon by the Lebanese NGO Amel, created in 1979, and falls within the context of the Syrian crisis and its consequences on the stability of Lebanon. The project aims at contributing to the consolidation of peace, by strengthening universal access to education and protection by engaging 1,797 parents, children and members of the community.

The activities that are implemented in two highly vulnerable areas of Lebanon and prone to conflicts, Ersal (North Beqaa, Syrian-Lebanese border) and Haret Hreik (South Suburb of Beirut), and that apply a participatory approach aim at reducing and preventing tensions by enhancing the quality of education and establishing a robust protection frame.

1. Purpose of the Evaluation

The implementation of the project started in March 2020 and will end in December 2021. The end of project evaluation focuses on the entire implementation period.

The evaluation requested will have to not only effectively capture the lessons learned but also have an anticipatory approach/vision on the potential impact and sustainability of the “Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban” project.

The evaluation will assess the project design, scope, implementation status and the capacity to achieve the project objectives. It will collate and analyze lessons learnt, challenges faced and best practices obtained during the implementation period.

An emphasis has to be put on the lessons learned as to have a clear understanding of what are the actions to be repeated and those to avoid, adapt, change or completely eradicate. This part will allow to compare the actual results with the ones planned as well as giving organization a road map to follow in order to optimize its future interventions The evaluation will assess the preliminary indications of potential impact and sustainability of results including the contribution to capacity development and achievement of sustainable development goals.

1. Scope and focus of the Evaluation
2. 1. Scope:

The support to “Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban” end of Project evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the implementation strategy and the results. This will include the implementation modalities, roles and responsibilities, coordination, beneficiary participation, replication and sustainability of the program.

The evaluation will include a review of the project design and the assumptions made at the beginning of the project development process. Project management including the implementation strategies; project activities; it will assess the extent to which the project results have been achieved.

It will also assess whether the project implementation strategy has been optimal and will also recommend areas to be improved. In order to achieve these objectives; will focus on the point described below (cf. 3.2)

1. 1. Evaluation Questions:

The following key questions will guide the end of project evaluation:

1. Relevance – (Access design and focus of the project)

• To what extent did the project achieve its overall objectives?
• What and how much progress has been made towards achieving the overall outputs and outcomes of the project for Support to Capacity Building Initiative in Ersal and Haret Hreik?
• To what extent were the results (impacts, outcomes and outputs) achieved?
• Were the inputs and strategies identified, and where they realistic, appropriate and adequate to achieve the results?
• Was the project relevant to the identified needs?

1. Effectiveness- (Describe the management processes and their appropriateness in supporting delivery)

• Was the project effective in delivering desired/planned results?
• How effective were the strategies and tools used in the implementation of the project?
• How effective has the project been in responding to the needs of the beneficiaries, and what results were achieved?
• What are the future intervention strategies and issues?

1. Efficiency – (of Project Implementation)

• Was the process of achieving results efficient? Specifically did the actual or expected results (outputs and outcomes) justify the costs incurred?
• Were the resources effectively utilized?
•  What factors contributed to implementation efficiency?
• Could a different approach have produced better results?
• How efficient were the management and accountability structures of the project?
• How did the project financial management processes and procedures affect project implementation?
• What were the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the project implementation process?

1. Sustainability.

• To what extent are the benefits of the project likely to be sustained after the completion of this project?
• What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of project outcomes and benefits after completion of the project?
• How effective were the exit strategies, and approaches to phase out assistance provided by the project including contributing factors and constraints?
• What are the key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of the project’s outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach?
• How were capacities strengthened at the individual and organizational level (including contributing factors and constraints)?

1. Institutional arrangements.

The evaluation will be managed by the consultant in collaboration with a review panel from Amel Association International.

1. Methodology for the Evaluation

5.1. Data Collection

The support to Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban End of Project Evaluation will be carried out through a wide participation of all relevant Social workers, psychologists, teachers…and right holders.

• Field visits to selected project sites; and briefing and debriefing sessions with Amel team members.

Data collected should be disaggregated (by sex, age and location), where possible. In order to use existing sources/information and avoid duplication, data will be mainly collected from various information sources through a desk review that will include the comprehensive desk review and analysis of relevant documents, information, data/statistics, triangulation of different studies, etc. Data will also be collected from Team members and beneficiaries through interviews, discussions, consultative processes, and observations in field missions.

5.2. Basic Documents for Desk Review.

The support to Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban”” end of project evaluation will take knowledge of all the reports since 2020 till present.

Activity

Deliverable

Time Allocated

Evaluation design, methodology and detailed work plan

Inception Report

3-5 days

Inception Meeting Initial briefing

Documents review

Draft Report

10-15 days

Field Visits

Data analysis, debriefing and presentation of draft Evaluation Report

Finalization of Evaluation report incorporating additions and comments provided by Amel

Final Evaluation report

3 days

1. Expected Deliverables:
2. 1. Inception report:

The hired consultant will prepare an inception report which details his understanding of the evaluation and how the evaluation questions will be addressed. This is to ensure that evaluator and Amel Association International have a shared understanding of the evaluation.

The inception report will include the evaluation matrix summarizing the evaluation design, methodology, evaluation questions, data sources and collection analysis tool for each data source and the measure by which each question will be evaluated.

The report will include the scope of work, work plan, time frame, analysis after starting the evaluation process.

The inception report should include a proposed schedule of tasks; activities and deliverables, with clear responsibilities for each task or product. The inception report will be discussed and agreed upon with all management team members.

1. 1. Draft Evaluation report-

The Evaluator will prepare a draft “Parents et enfants, acteurs au cœur de la paix, de l'éducation et de la protection au Liban” evaluation report, taking into account the proposed format of the report and checklist used for the assessment of evaluation report and the report will be submitted to Amel Association International for review and comments.

Comments from Amel Association will be provided within 3 days after the reception of the Draft Report. The report will be reviewed to ensure that the evaluation meets the required quality criteria. The report will be produced in English. The report should provide options for strategy and policy as well as recommendations.

1. 1. The final report (20 to 30 pages): Will be submitted 10 days and should include comments from all parties concerned (program’s stakeholders).

The content and the structure of the final analytical report with finding, recommendations and lessons learnt covering the scope of the evaluation should meet the requirements of Amel’s policy and should include the following:

• Executive summary
• Introduction  
• Description of the evaluation methodology  
• Situational analysis with regard to the outcome, outputs and partnership strategy
• Analysis of opportunities to provide guidance for future programming
• Key findings, including best practices and lessons learned
• Conclusion and recommendations

* Appendices: charts, terms of reference, field visits, people interviewed, documents reviewed

1. Duty Station

Beirut-Mont Lebanon Haret Hreik; Ersal Beqaa.