Final Evaluation The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation’s Syria Programme ”Advancing the role of women as agents for peace and development in Syria”

supporting them to adapt their work to the state of conflict and emergencies.

 

Kvinna till Kvinna has supported women human rights defenders and partner organisations in Syria since 2009 and is currently implementing the second phase of the programme, titled “Advancing the role of women as agents for peace and development in Syria” supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Swedish Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Kvinna till Kvinna’s two-year programme is closely aligned with Sweden’s Regional Strategy for the Syria Crisis 2016-2020 which was amended and extended to apply in 2021–2023[1].

 

Kvinna till Kvinna is looking for consultant/s to carry out an evaluation of the progress of the results of the current programme phase (2022-2023) as well as follow up on how the findings, recommendations, and management of the final evaluation of the previous programme cycle (2017-2021) have been addressed.

The programme Advancing the role of women as agents for peace and development in Syria – Phase II (2022-2023) builds on the learnings from Phase I (implemented between 2017 and 2021). The overall objective is to strengthen seven partner organisations’ organisational and technical capacities to increase women’s political and economic participation, protect women and girls from gender-based violence, and strengthening of gender discourse in Syria.

The programme is expected to achieve two outcomes, with the following set of outputs:

Outcome 1: Partner organisations have increased capacity to operate effectively and sustainably.

Output 1.1. Partner organisations have access to flexible funding.

Output 1.2. Partner organisations have improved internal policies, procedure, and organisational structure.

Output 1.3. Partner organisations have new and improved skills and thematic knowledge to implement their programmes.

Output 1.4. Partner organisations have increased access to relevant networking and advocacy arenas.

 

Outcome 2: Partner organisations have contributed to increase women’s participation as actors of change in the targeted geographic areas of Syria.

Output 2.1. Partner organisations have contributed to an increased women’s participation in local processes and peacebuilding efforts.

Output 2.2. Partner organisations have combatted and prevented gender-based violence and improved access to protection services.

Output 2.3. Partner organisations have increased access to economic empowerment opportunities and improved livelihood conditions.

Output 2.4. Partner organisations have contributed to knowledge production and a strengthened gender discourse in Syria.

 

Kvinna till Kvinna’s main target group is the partner organisations who are women’s rights organisations, or women-led organisations experienced in working with women, committed to women’s rights, human rights, peacebuilding, and justice and are deeply engaged in lobbying for inclusivity of women at the local and international levels.

 

The target group of our partner organisations are mainly women and girls. They improve the lives of women and girls, local leaders, activists, journalists, women, and girls who are subjected to gender-based violence, trafficking or at risk of being abused, women in rural communities, women in camps, and women and girls from the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups at the local level. Some of the partner organisations have programmes to strengthen grassroot initiatives and emerging media outlets.

 

Intended Users

The intended users of the evaluation are the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, partner organisations and Sida. The consultant(s) shall share the findings of the evaluation with the intended users in a validation workshop before finalizing the evaluation report.

 

Objectives and scope of the evaluation assignment

 

The consultant/s is to perform an assessment to evaluate Kvinna till Kvinna’s progress on the expected results of the current programme phase (2022-2023) as well as follow up on how the recommendations from the evaluation of the previous programme cycle (2017-2021) have been operationalised in the current programme cycle (2022-2023).

The objectives are to:

1. Assess the progress that has been made towards the outcomes of Kvinna till Kvinna’s Syria programme during 2022-2023.
2. Evaluate how the recommendations from the evaluation of the previous programme cycle (2017-2021) have been operationalised in the current programme cycle (2022-2023). .
3. Identify and document lessons learned and good practices to inform and strengthen Kvinna till Kvinna’s future programming.
4. Formulate recommendations for Kvinna till Kvinna on how to build on successes and to improve future programming.

In addition, the consultant/s will collect qualitative stories of change to support reporting on several qualitative indicators. Consultant/s will be expected to use the Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology.

The evaluation scope includes the current project period (2022-2023) and all relevant geographic locations included in the programme.

 

Guiding questions

The overall objective is to evaluate the programme in relation to OECD/DAC Criteria[2] of overall effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, sustainability, and impact as well as the cross-cutting gender equality and human rights perspectives.

 

Evaluation questions can be added and/or refined by the evaluator(s). A more elaborated list of evaluation questions with adjustments made for the specific programme and different target groups shall form part of the inception report.

Effectiveness:

1. To what extent has the programme achieved its expected outcomes/results?
   • How likely is it that the expected targets will be achieved by the end of 2023?
   • What has contributed to this and how and where has the change occurred? Within which thematic areas?
   • Who benefitted the most and the least? Why?
   • Are there any unintended outcomes?
   • Have identification of contextual and programmatic risks and mitigation and management measures, and monitoring of implementation resulted in adaptive management for achievement of outcomes?
2. Has the M&E system delivered robust and useful information that could be used to assess progress towards outcomes and contribute to learning?

Relevance:

1. To what extent were the achieved results (project objectives, outcomes, and outputs) relevant to the needs of women and girls in Syria, and to the overall advancement of women’s rights in Syria?
2. To what extent has the programme effectively built upon the findings and recommendations of the final evaluation of the previous programme cycle (2017-2021) into the current programme cycle (2022-2023)?
3. How has the choice of thematic focuses (participation in decision-making and peacebuilding, prevention and response to gender-based violence and women´s economic empowerment) been relevant? Where and to whom?
4. How has the programme (Kvinna till Kvinna and partner organisations) worked with conflict sensitivity, human rights-based and gender-responsive approaches and gender- and power-perspectives?

Efficiency:

1. To what extent has the programme been efficiently and cost-effectively implemented?
2. What challenges – if any – have impacted the timeliness of the programme implementation?

Sustainability:

1. To what extent are the partner organisations’ project structures and interventions likely to be sustainable in the long run and how is that linked to the support provided from Kvinna till Kvinna?
   • To what extent do their initiatives have the potential for continuity and scale-up?
2. What are the learnings/insights of target groups of Kvinna till Kvinna and/or partner organisations and/or critical areas for Kvinna till Kvinna and/or partners to take into consideration for a future programme phase?

Impact:

1. How and to what extent has the programme contributed to organizational capacity enhancement and learning of targeted Syrian partner organisations, and what support is perceived as relevant and/or not relevant for the Syrian partner organisations work and why?

Methodology

The assignment will be conducted in accordance with Sida’s principles and criteria

for evaluations[3] and the OECD/DAC Evaluation Criteria[4]

 

The assignment will ensure that the methodology approach includes an

understanding of:

• A feminist approach, based on key values of transparency, intersectionality, inclusiveness, sensitivity and a rights-based approach.

• The values set forth in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action[5] including ownership, harmonisation, alignment, results and mutual accountability.

The consultant(s) shall develop and propose a methodology for the evaluation, which should include both a desk review of relevant documentation, and interviews with representatives from Kvinna till Kvinna’s offices, partner organisations, target groups and other stakeholders during the process and/or holding focus group discussions (FGDs).

 

The evaluation should as far as possible be based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and participatory (including the Most Significant Change method to collect qualitative stories of change), involving the partner organisations and their target groups to the greatest extent possible. The selection of interviewees - particularly partner organisations' target groups, should be discussed with Kvinna to Kvinna (and relevant partner organisation) to ensure ethical considerations and do no harm principle. Any limitations of the stakeholders defined as relevant by the consultant(s) shall be made explicit and their consequences shall be discussed with Kvinna till Kvinna as soon as possible including any ethical or security considerations that these are based on.

 

It is the responsibility of the consultant(s) to schedule appointments for interviews/FGDs, and to conduct all logistical arrangements for the assignment. Contact details and key support documents will be provided by Kvinna till Kvinna.

 

 

Deliverables and tentative timeline

Start of Assignment (including start-up meeting)

 

7 June

Inception Report/Work Plan including detailed methodology, preliminary findings/analysis from the initial desk review, refined evaluation questions, data collection tools, and final workplan

(to be developed in close consultation with Kvinna till Kvinna staff)

 

21 June

Data collection and analysis

 

September-October

Draft Evaluation Report including operational recommendations

 

18 October

Validation workshop, where findings and recommendations are presented and discussed.

 

7 November

Final Evaluation Report

 

15 November 2023

 

Total of approximately 25 working days (including workshop to present and discuss results, negotiable +/-20% in light of a detailed workplan).

 

Tender proposal content

• CV(s) and descriptions of the evaluator(s) involved in the assignment, including information on evaluator(s) language skills, country of residence and contact information.
• Technical proposal including methodology and work plan for implementation of the assignment, in accordance with this ToR and including methods for data collection and ensuring quality and a participatory approach (max. 6 pages).
• Budget (in SEK, EUR, or USD) incl. VAT and all expenses in accordance with the financial framework of this ToR.
• References to previous assignments similar to the assignment presented in this ToR.

 

Financial Framework

The consultant/s’ fees shall be specified as fees per day (per person, if applicable)

including taxes, social security contributions and VAT. The total budget for the

assignment shall cover all the costs, including salaries, travel, insurance, and per diem and

any other expenses related to the assignment.

Contracted consultants cannot further subcontract the assignment. In case the

proposal includes a team of evaluators, the division of work shall be presented.

 

 

Qualifications

The Consultant(s) must have:

• Previous experience from conducting similar evaluations, including experience with Most Significant Change methodology.
• Strong social science research background.
• Solid experience of working with gender and/or feminist theory, civil society, and development cooperation, preferably from the MENA-region and with proven knowledge of the Syria context.

• Previous experience of rights-based analytical evaluation work in the context of international development cooperation and civil society.
• Experience with programme design and theory of change, participatory approaches, and stakeholder engagement.
• English and Arabic (spoken) language proficiency.
• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in social sciences or other related disciplines.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills with strong commitment to delivering timely and high-quality results.