Call for Expression of Interest for the selection of an External Evaluator

Background information

Nature of the intervention

Terre des Hommes Italia (TDH It) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children against all forms of violence or abuse and guaranteeing their right to health, education and life. TDH It, which is part of the TDH International Federation, is currently working in 21 countries worldwide, carrying out humanitarian interventions and development projects in the sectors of education, mother and child health, income generation, water and sanitation, child protection and rehabilitation, to the benefit of thousands of children, their families and communities. 


TDH It works in Lebanon since 2006, and it has implemented several educational and psycho-social interventions together with its national Partners and with local Authorities across the country. TDH IT is currently implementing the "Makani: My Place" project in Lebanon, a comprehensive initiative spanning three years. This project is centred on education, protection, empowerment and community inclusion in the two vulnerable governorates of Jbeil and Barja (Mount Lebanon). With a focus on inclusivity, the project aims to reach over 25,300 children who are out of school or at risk of drop out. It achieves this through a multifaceted approach, blending non-formal education, homework support and psychosocial assistance. Importantly, Makani recognizes the interconnectedness of children's needs with those of their households, specifically their mothers. By addressing these needs collectively, the project endeavours to foster holistic community development.

Area of intervention

Barja (Lower Chouf, Mount Lebanon governorate), Jbeil (Jbeil, Mount Lebanon governorate).

Duration of the project

 01/10/2022-30/09/2025

Direct beneficiaries

2,513 children between 3 and 14 years old, Lebanese and refugees, who are out of school, at risk of dropping out, and/or exposed to risks of violence, abuse, exploitation; children with special needs (with disabilities and/ or difficulties, exposed to child marriage, worst forms of child labour, etc.). Direct beneficiaries of this project are also 3,229 caregivers (including parents, education personnel, community members) who are involved through awareness sessions, positive parenting and PSS. Among the 3,229 caregivers, 200 unemployed mothers benefit of activities foreseen under result 3. Finally, at least 460 stakeholders, local authorities, community leaders are planned to be reached through advocacy, marketing and crowdfunding activities under Result 3.

Overall objective

 Help reduce disparities in access to primary education and early school leaving among children at risk of social exclusion and educational poverty in Lebanon.

Specific objective

 Vulnerable children (aged 3-14) from two Mount Lebanon communities equitably access quality, inclusive educational opportunities in a protected environment that respects their rights

Expected results pursued by the project

 In line with OSS 4, the General Objective of the three-year initiative is to "Contribute to reducing disparities in access to primary education and school dropout rates among children at risk of social exclusion and educational poverty in Lebanon," through the integrated provision of educational services, child protection, and livelihood support to vulnerable families. This complementary and holistic programmatic approach will overcome the multiple barriers that, due to the different needs faced by families living in Lebanon during this period of economic, social, and political crisis, limit access to education for children, both refugees and non-refugees. The project will involve both children excluded from the school system and those at risk of exclusion. Drawing on the technical expertise and longstanding experience of Terre des Hommes Italia (TDH IT), COSPE, Ana Aqra, and ABAAD, the project will specifically target OSS 4.5, aiming to eliminate gender disparities in access to education and ensure equitable access to formal and non-formal education for all vulnerable children, including those with disabilities.

The project promotes various levels of change; therefore, the external evaluation will need to focus on various aspects:

a) Improvement of the right to education for vulnerable children, through strengthening pathways to formal education preparation and support for attendance.

 b) Creation of a conducive environment for school inclusion and protection of children, through actions aimed at the educating community.

c) Socioeconomic inclusion and female empowerment, through support for skills and the promotion of entrepreneurship for mothers, as well as involvement in decision-making processes.

 Expected output of the consultancy

 Purpose of the evaluation

The consultancy aims to deliver an interim (mid-term) and a final evaluation of the project. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the project objectives have been met and its broader theory of change has been realized.  It will assess the project-specific RBM logic and the overall project against the OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, impact, sustainability) and validate the reported achievements, based on the available data and means of verification.  The evaluation should also provide recommendations and draw lessons that can inform current and future programming.

 Specific objectives

The mid-term evaluation will provide a constructive look on the project’s achievements so to identify and draw out key learning as a result of the first period of the project implementation. The relevant findings, lessons and recommendations will guide and inform the future of the project for the remaining time.

The mid-term evaluation will particularly focus on:

• producing an analytical evaluation of the actual achievements against planned implementation and expected results;
• the Logical Framework indicators, sources and means of verification, especially considering the lasting lack of updates of many official sources identified in the project design;
• the project partnerships’ effectiveness.

The end-line evaluation will focus on:

• the achieved results against planned and expected;
• the approach and implementation strategies;
• the impact within the project specific RBM approach and intervention logic;
• the production of a critical analysis of the approach and implementation methods, to identify the level of change produced by the project in relation to its objectives (general and specific), and the results chain.
• any other relevant objective resulting from the project implementation and from the mid-term review, to be further specified.

 Methodology

The consultant is expected to suggest rigorous and appropriate methods for both mid-term and final evaluations. The methods should proportionate to the context of the project intervention, as well as be in line with the Aid Effectiveness principles, the OECD/DAC criteria, the AICS guidelines. The evaluator and TDH It will be jointly responsible for choosing the most appropriate methods, which will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

•              desk review of key documents, such as relevant literature, secondary data, sector and context strategies and guidelines, AICS guidelines, project proposal, reports and means of verification;

•              data collection in the field, targeting all main stakeholders (beneficiaries, targeted community members and Local Authorities) and including one field visit for each mid-term and end-line evaluation;

•              analysis, reporting and finding-sharing workshops.

The evaluator is requested to triangulate data sources where available, to mix qualitative and quantitative data and methods and to propose innovative and participatory methodologies.

All the data and evaluation findings should take into account (and be disaggregate by, when appropriate) the general cross-cutting issues (gender, age, education needs), geographical areas, providing a good understanding of the differences among groups.

 Deliverables

 The consultant is expected to provide the following deliverables as a minimum requirement:

• Inception report, to outline the proposed evaluation framework, including context analysis, evaluation questions, methods and data collection tools;
• Analysis report on alternative official sources, available both at national and international level, to complement the existing means of verification, so to ensure regular updates of the project’s indicators;
• Mid-term evaluation report, to provide key findings and recommendations for the remaining implementation period;
• Finding sharing workshop: to share the findings of the mid-term evaluation and outline the programmatic recommendations and feedback;
• Final evaluation report: the structure of the report will be agreed during the inception phase, but the indicative ones include executive summary, methodology, gaps in information and limitations, context analysis, findings, conclusions and recommendations;
• Copy of original and cleaned dataset (both quantitative and qualitative) and of the data collection/research tools adopted.

All reports should be written or translated in Italian, while any email exchange, working documents, draft and other communication related to the consultancy shall be written in English. Arabic must be guaranteed in data collection in the field.

Timeframe

The first data collection is expected to be delivered be completed and approved by end of September 2024.

Skills and qualification required

• University degree in Social Science, Education, Protection, Gender, Development, or any area relevant to this assignment

• Demonstrated experience in conducting evaluation of development/humanitarian projects on Education, Livelihood, Protection, Gender
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative research, data collection and/or analysis
• Experience in the Middle East and preferably in Lebanon
• Fluency in written and spoken English required, Arabic and Italian are a plus
• Experience in evaluation of AICS funded projects is a plus
• Registration with evaluation rosters and registers of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or Italian Public Bodies is a plus

Both individuals/ teams and companies are allowed to apply.

Selection process

The selection process will be conducted as follows:

• by or before May 2^nd, 2024, candidates should express their interest to Terre des Hommes It to participate to the selection process.
• by May 15^th, 2024, Terre des Hommes It shall select a maximum of ten eligible candidates among the applicants, who will be invited to submit their proposal and financial offer by June 1^st; applications received by the deadline will then be analysed by a committee.
• TDH will then communicate the final outcome of the selection by means of an e-mail by mid June 2024.

Privacy and disclaimer

Data and information provided by the applicants and/or acquired by Terre des Hommes Italia during the selection process of the EE, and afterwards in the course of the consultancy, will be solely processed for the purpose of evaluating the proposals, selecting the EE and facilitating his/her work, according to the principles of correctness, legality, transparency and in full respect of the privacy and individual rights of the applicants. No information shall be transferred to any third party with the exception the financing institutions.