Terms of Reference for the Endline Evaluation of the Project: “Reducing rates of female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage for girls in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal”.
1. Commissioning party
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. We are funded by members and are independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religion. We investigate and expose the facts, whenever and wherever human rights abuses happen. We lobby governments and other powerful groups such as companies, making sure they respect international law. By telling the powerful stories of the people we work with, we mobilize millions of supporters around the world to campaign for change and to stand in defense of activists on the frontline. We also support people to claim their rights through education and training.
Amnesty International has regional offices in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. These offices are major hubs for our investigations, campaigns and communications. The regional offices strengthen the work of Amnesty International “Sections” at the national level in more than 70 countries. We can therefore respond quickly to events wherever they happen and be a powerful force for freedom and justice.
2. Background
Amnesty International’s UK Section received funding from the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) to implement a three-year project (2017-2020) to reduce rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) and early and forced marriage (EFM) for girls in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The project aims to prevent and reduce FGM and EFM through education, awareness raising and advocacy with a view to bringing about attitudinal and behavioural change as well as legislative reform. A total of 69 communities were originally targeted across the three countries with the ambition to prevent at least 22,358 new cases of FGM/EFM.
Amnesty International UK is contractually responsible for managing the grant (GBP 810,982). Amnesty International’s International Secretariat is responsible for project management as well as monitoring, evaluation and learning via its regional office based in Dakar, Senegal. The national Sections are responsible for project coordination and implementation. They work with community-based partners to implement activities which aim to empower women and girls, to engage leaders and to mobilize communities.
The project is due to conclude at the end of June 2020 and Amnesty International is seeking a consultant to carry out a final evaluation of its impact and effectiveness.
3. Project rationale and description
The practices of FGM and EFM are linked to deeply entrenched traditional beliefs and myths, as well as wider gender inequalities combined with strong cultural barriers to women’s participation in decisions affecting them. This project uses a rights-based approach to change harmful attitudes and empower women and girls to advocate for their rights through community mobilization, capacity strengthening, education and awareness-raising.
The outcome that the project intends to achieve is two-fold:
1) To prevent 13,550 cases of FGM and 16,260 cases of EFM for girls under the age of eighteen years (a total of 22,358 taking into account the overlap between the two) in Burkina Faso, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
2) Increased pressure on governments for legislative reform to tackle FGM/EFM in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal as a result of community-led advocacy.
Indicators for the Project Outcome:
Outcome Indicator 1: A decline in prevalence levels (%) of FGM within target communities in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal
Outcome Indicator 2: A decline in prevalence levels (%) of EFM within target communities in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal
Outcome Indicator 3: Amendments made to legislation prohibiting FGM/EFM in all three countries
4. Purpose of the end line evaluation
The primary purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the project has achieved the above-mentioned outcome. It will therefore prioritize measuring the effectiveness and impact of the project. Consequently, the evaluation needs to collect credible and reliable data (using a statistically reliable sample) that clearly shows how many cases of FGM and EFM were prevented during the project period.
In addition, it is intended that the evaluation will identify and document good practice and lessons learned as well as formulate recommendations which can inform future such interventions.
Finally, it is also intended that the results of the evaluation inform the project completion report that AIUK is due to submit to DFID in September 2020.
Specific objectives of the evaluation:
Impact
- To collect and analyze data which are comparable with the baseline study in order to assess the extent to which the project outcome has been achieved.
- To provide an overview and analysis of the legislative reform which has taken place within the project period, and the extent to which advocacy carried out by the project influenced this change.
- To review the project’s theory of change and methodology, and to provide recommendations, if appropriate, for adapting it for a possible extension of the project.
Effectiveness
- To collect and analyze data which are comparable with the baseline study in order to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes and practice among the target populations (e.g. knowledge and attitudes regarding human rights, gender equality, FGM/EFM and the relevant legal framework, community-led awareness-raising and advocacy initiatives…).
- To provide an overview and analysis of the advocacy initiatives implemented by the project and their influence on parliamentarians and political processes.
- To assess the extent to which legal reform and raising awareness of legislation criminalizing FGM/EFM influences attitudes and behavior at the community level in each country
Good practice and lesson learning
- To identify and document good practice and lessons learned, especially through case studies
- To identify challenges faced by the project as well as opportunities for a project extension and provide recommendations on how to address them (e.g. girls being taken to other regions/countries to be cut/married, reaching out to border communities, IDP camps/communities, beneficiary feedback mechanisms, monitoring mechanisms).
Sustainability
- To assess the sustainability of the project and provide recommendations for a three-year extension and exit strategy.
5. Methodology
It is expected that prospective consultants propose an appropriate methodology to achieve the objectives of this evaluation. Nevertheless, it is expected that the methodology, in part at least, mirrors as far as possible the methodology used for the baseline study to ensure comparative data. Amnesty International would expect a mixed method longitudinal approach to assess impact (specifically the project outcome in this case) and for a representative sample to be targeted in the communities covered by the baseline study across the three countries. The data from the endline evaluation needs to be comparable with the data from the baseline study. Desk research will also be required to analyze legislative reform.
It is also expected that the consultant would not only carry out surveys and focus groups with direct beneficiaries, but would also consult project participants, key stakeholders (e.g. local authorities, health professionals, etc.) and wider members of the community.
6. Scope of work
The consultant/consultancy firm will be required to undertake the following specific tasks:
- Desk review of background documents (project document, project monitoring data, progress report, baseline report and data, field visit reports etc.).
- Review the assessment tools (quantitative and qualitative) and processes used during the baseline for endline purposes.
- Develop / adapt assessment tools (both quantitative and qualitative) for the endline evaluation which will ensure a comparison of baseline and endline data.
- Data collection in a sample of target communities across the three countries of intervention (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sierra Leone).
- Ensure data quality measures are observed in all stages of the evaluation: during data coding and transcription; during data analysis process.
- Analyze and interpret data to develop a comprehensive end line report.
- Present key findings and insights in a draft report to be presented at a workshop with relevant project staff and stakeholders (using tables, charts and graphs to illustrate the results).
- Submit an end line report which should respect or adapt with AI’s approval, the following format:
o Executive summary
o Introduction (objective, scope, methodology),
o Context and background
o Analytical assessment of project impact (outcome) and effectiveness (outputs)
o Findings, including all relevant issues stated in the TOR
o Recommendations and lessons learnt
o Appendices (TOR, evaluation tools, documents reviewed, work schedule, case studies, list of respondents, list of places visited, etc.)
7. Main deliverables
In accordance with the schedule of activities, the consultant will produce:
- An inception meeting with the evaluation steering group
- An inception report with proposed evaluation framework, which responds to the scope of work and sets out the methodology clearly detailing how the consultant plans to approach the assignment, including work plan.
- Evaluation tools (including data collection tool) for review and approval by the steering group.
- Cleaned survey data sets (quantitative data) and transcripts and coding framework (qualitative data).
- Comparative presentation of baseline and endline data using the same format as the project outcome calculation spreadsheet.
- Presentation of an “impact table” in annex as per the donor’s format.
- A draft report detailing the evaluation’s findings and recommendations to be presented at a workshop and for review and approval by the steering group
- A comprehensive endline report incorporating feedback from the evaluation steering group.
8. Duration of the assignment
The consultancy is expected to be conducted within the period August-September 2020 subject to external conditions such as the current COVID-19 crisis.
· Publish tender: June
· Selection of and contracting of consultant: July
· Implementation of evaluation: August & September
The final workplan will be proposed by the consultant to be reviewed and approved by the steering committee.
9. Institutional and contractual arrangements
The consultant will be contracted by Amnesty International through its regional office in Dakar and will report directly to the evaluation steering committee. Their main point of contact will be Project Manager based in the regional office in Dakar. Logistical support will be provided by the relevant AI sections where necessary. AI will provide relevant background documents necessary for the assignment and shall be responsible for the coordination of meetings and other activities under the consultancy.
10. Expertise required
Profile of the consultant:
- Proven professional experience and expertise in the evaluation of extensive, multi-country programs.
- Proven experience and expertise in relevant data collection tools and processes.
- Knowledge of evaluating projects addressing FGM and/or EFM.
- Knowledge and experience of human rights, especially women’s and child rights desirable.
- Knowledge and experience of implementing child protection standards and protocols within the context of research and/or program evaluations.
- Knowledge of the three countries of intervention and their contexts desirable.
- Discretion and respect of confidentiality of information provided to conduct the evaluation.
- Ability to analyze, synthesize and write clear reports.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English AND French.
11. Child protection & data confidentiality
The consultant along with all enumerators will be required to sign and follow the AI child protection standards and protocols of behavior.
12. Budget
To be negotiated.
13. Requirements for tender submission
The consultant should submit a proposal comprising the following:
- Short summary (1-2 pages) outlining: proposal, team, method, strengths and added value
- Understanding of the brief
- Proposed methodology, reporting and dissemination
- CVs of evaluation team
- Details of relevant previous experience
- At least 2 samples of previous relevant works undertaken, including at least 1 evaluation report that was 100% led by the consultant as the lead.
- Management arrangements for the evaluation
- Detailed timetable for delivering the evaluation
- Detailed budget
- Contact details for 2 references for similar assignments done not more than 2 years ago
- Contact details of tendering evaluator
How to apply
To apply
Interested individuals or firms should submit their expression of interest together with the required supporting documents to [email protected] and [email protected] by 30th June 2020[ Please include FGM/EFM DfID Project Endline Evaluation in the subject line.
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