TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE FINAL EVALUATION OF THE PAMOJA: COLLECTIVE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Duration of assignment: Approx 25 days
Application deadline: 30th May 2025
Pamoja project duration: January 2023-June 2025
1.0 Introduction
ChildFund is an international child-centred development organization. We are a member of the ChildFund Alliance; a global network of 11 organizations that assist more than 36 million children in 70 countries around the world. In Kenya, ChildFund works through 13 local partners (LP’s) comprised of 50 community organizations in 27 counties. Barnfonden (ChildFund, Sweden) is a child rights organization based in Malmö, Sweden, working with children´s rights and safety in vulnerable areas that are heavily affected, or at risk of being affected by climate change. Barnfonden has commissioned ChildFund to engage an external expert to undertake a final evaluation.
2.0 Project Description
“PAMOJA: Collective Action on Climate Change” (2023-2025) is a South-South-North advocacy and learning initiative supported by the ForumCiv Swedish Partnership Programme, with a budget of approximate 9mil Swedish Krona. The project strengthens climate resilience among children, youth, and communities in four localities in Kenya and Ethiopia, enabling them to engage in meaningful advocacy aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and the Paris Agreement. It is implemented by Barnfonden in collaboration with four community-based partners—Pioneer and EDCA in Kenya, DCFDO and ACFDO in Ethiopia—with national-level support from ChildFund Kenya and Ethiopia. Targeting arid and semi-arid regions highly vulnerable to climate impacts, the project promotes a rights-based, child-centered approach that moves beyond traditional disaster risk reduction. Citizens, including children and youth, actively participate in climate-informed planning and advocacy, helping shape inclusive and sustainable climate actions. Over the past three years, PAMOJA has built the capacity of local civil society organizations, supported community-led sub-projects, and fostered peer learning and mentorship. Sub-projects vary by context, addressing themes such as livelihoods, health, education, and child protection. By completion, the initiative aims to directly reach over 13,000 people and influence approximately 1.7 million through advocacy, partnerships, and training. The project is now in its final year and there are a few activities that are still being implemented such as a video documentary which will capture the project’s journey and outcomes and serve as a tool to share lessons learned and promote the model of child-focused, citizen-led climate resilience at both national and global levels.
Main goal
The overall goal of the project is that by December 2025, child-focused climate resiliency and advocacy in four African communities is influencing local, national and global climate actions (SDG 13 and Paris Agreement) to recognise child rights.
The programme is structured around two main Sub-Goals (Outcomes):
1) INFORM & EMPOWER: By December 2025, climate-affected citizens, including children and youth, guided by strengthened civil society organisations, are informed and engaging in climate resilience and climate mitigation decisions and actions to influence short, medium and long-term plans at household and community level, in line with SDG 13 and Paris Agreement.
Output 1.1 – Barnfonden’s local partners are strengthened
Output 1.2 – Community members are informed
Output 1.3 – Community members actors engage in decision-making
2) COMMUNITY-LED BEST PRACTICES: By December 2025, civil society actors disseminate community-led child-focused climate resilience best-practices locally, nationally and internationally, relating local-level actions to SDG 13 and Paris Agreement.
Output 2.1 – Practices are documented and videoed
Output 2.2 – Practices are disseminated nationally
Output 2.3 – Practices are disseminated globally
3.0 Objectives of the evaluation
The purpose of the Final Evaluation are;
1) Assess progress towards the project’s intended outcomes and impact by measuring performance against the indicators in the results framework. This will involve collecting and analysing the data to determine the extent of achievement. A key deliverable is the completed results framework with validated Outcome and impact data.
2) Evaluate the programme’s interventions using the six OECD-DAC criteria — relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. The evaluation will identify key challenges, lessons learned and provide actionable recommendations to guide future programming decisions. This objective will be addressed through evaluation questions aligned with each criterion, as outlined in the Key Evaluation Questions document (questions will be refined during the inception phase).
4.0 Scope of the evaluation
The evaluation work will be a combination of online and fieldwork to collect information from a range of stakeholders including our 4-local partners in Kenya and Ethiopia. The evaluation for Ethiopia will be done 100% virtually. The consultancy will be done in close coordination between project partners and ChildFund offices in Kenya and Ethiopia and ChildFund Sweden.
The evaluation will cover the Project’s timeline from its launch in January 2023 to date and encompass all components of the Project. The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation will integrate the projects cross-cutting concerns such as Human Rights Based approaches, Gender, Environment and climate throughout its methodology and deliverables.
Key Evaluation Questions (to be refined further in inception phase)
Evaluation Criteria/ Area Key Questions
Relevance
- To what extent are the objectives and activities of the Pamoja project aligned with the needs, priorities, and contexts of the target communities and local partners?
• To what extent were the programme’s objectives and design appropriate and responsive to the local context, including the needs and priorities of target communities and stakeholders?
• Were the implemented activities logically aligned with these objectives and consistent with the intended long-term impacts?Coherence
• Is the project complementing or duplicating existing government programs on climate resilience and child protection?
• Are partnerships with local governments, CSOs, and community actors effectively coordinated?
• How aligned are project activities with other donor-funded projects in the same geographical areas?
• Have well have partners taken into account the priorities and perspectives of local authorities, children, youth and women?
• Are efforts being made to harmonize approaches with other INGOs working in similar sectors?
• How are youth networks or movements integrated into broader climate and child rights efforts?
• How does the project align with or build on existing research, data, and evidence on child-centered climate adaptation?
• Are MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) activities aligned with the overall project goals and timeline?
• How effectively is the integration of child rights and climate resilience managed across program activities?Effectiveness
• To what extent were the project’s planned outputs and outcomes been achieved?
• How effective was coordination among Barnfonden, ChildFund offices, local partners, and other stakeholders in supporting the project’s objectives and enhancing delivery?
• How meaningfully were stakeholders—particularly children, women and marginalized groups—involved in the implementation, and monitoring of the project’s interventions?
• How did the project’s outputs and outcomes contribute to broader strategies aimed at ensuring that climate-affected citizens—including children and youth—are informed, empowered, and actively engaged in climate resilience and mitigation actions and decision-making at household and community levels, in alignment with SDG 13 and the Paris Agreement?
• What significant positive or negative unintended outcomes emerged, and how have they influenced the project’s direction or results?
• How efficient and effective was the division of work and coordination between Barnfonden and ChildFund offices in grant and programme management and how well did this setup support overall project delivery as well as support the partners in the delivery of their work? Are there any improvements or adjustments that can be made to future similar projects?Efficiency
• How efficiently have resources (financial, human, time) been utilized to deliver the intended results?
• How did the flexible budgeting/implementation approach impact the overall efficiency of the project. Specifically, did the flexible model lead to better achievement of results, resource allocation, or did it create challenges in maintaining financial oversight and ensuring the funds are spent effectively?
• How cost-effective was the Pamoja Project delivered by Barnfonden and its partners? The extent to which the intervention was delivered in economic and timely way.
• To what extent has the project been on track in terms of timely achieving the assigned milestones? If not, what factors contributed to the delays? Were resources utilized efficiently to reach the project’s objectives?Impact
• Describe the extent to which the intervention has generated or is expected to generate significant positive or negative, intended or unintended, higher-level effects
• How has the project influenced the capacity of local actors in child-focused climate advocacy?
• Are there any broader systemic changes (policy, institutional, social norms) that can be linked to the project?
• How has the project impacted different groups (women, children, youth, marginalized populations) differently?Sustainability
• How well are local actors (Local Partners, communities, and other stakeholders) positioned to continue child-focussed climate advocacy efforts independently once the programme concludes?
• What steps and measures are being taken to ensure the net benefits of the intervention continues beyond the implementation period?
• How effectively has the project built local ownership?Cross-cutting issues
• To what extent have gender considerations been effectively integrated into the design, implementation, and monitoring of the programme’s interventions?
• How has the programme contributed to advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls within the target communities?Child Rights
• How well were children meaningfully involved in identifying issues, shaping activities, and in climate/environment advocacy?
Gender & Inclusion
• How did the partners ensure that girls, boys, and children from different backgrounds were included equally in project activities?
• To what extent have gender considerations been effectively integrated into the implementation, and monitoring of the programme’s interventions?
Environment & climate change
• How has the Child-Focused Climate Resilient framework, including Now, Soon, and Future considerations, been applied?
Conflict Sensitivity / Power / Do No Harm
• How did the partners avoid creating exclusion in the community through the project’s activities?
• Are there any conflict sensitivity and power issues existing in the project? If yes how have the partners addressed them?Learning and Future Recommendations
• What key lessons have emerged from the programme’s implementation to date, and how can these insights inform the remaining implementation period?
• What actionable recommendations can be made to enhance future programme designs, effectiveness, impact, sustainability, and alignment with its theory of change and design?
• What successful approaches have emerged that could be scaled or replicated, and what opportunities exist for doing so in other locations or contexts?
• Assess the quality and reach of lessons learned, particularly as they help influence practice related to SDG 13 and the Paris Agreement.
5.0 Required Qualifications
The consultant(s) or firm should have the following qualifications and experience:
– A solid and diversified experience in the specific field of expertise needed, including experience in evaluation of projects by at least the team leader;
– At least 5–7 years of experience conducting final evaluations or impact assessments for multi-stakeholder development and advocacy projects, particularly those involving civil society strengthening, community-led initiatives, or policy engagement.
– At least a master’s degree and additional certifications or training in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL).
– Proven ability to assess programs addressing environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and natural resource governance, with a focus on grassroots and community-level impact.
– Demonstrated experience evaluating initiatives that promote child rights and meaningful participation of children and youth in civic engagement or advocacy efforts.
– Familiarity with the political, environmental, and social context in Kenya and Ethiopia
– Practical experience of application of OECD DAC evaluation criteria—relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and coherence
– Strong MEL expertise, including participatory, gender-sensitive evaluation approaches, and the ability to deliver clear, actionable recommendations to diverse stakeholders
– Knowledge of global frameworks such as SDG 13 (Climate Action), the Paris Agreement, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, with demonstrated relevance to advocacy programming at the grassroots level.
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and a track record of producing high-quality evaluation reports
6.0 Expected Deliverables
The Consultant (s) shall prepare and submit:
a) An inception report detailing the final methodology, work plan, data collection tools, and detailed timeline as agreed during the kick-off meeting. Necessary adjustments will be made if needed to the workplan or the TOR
b) A clear and concise draft evaluation report submitted that includes findings, analysis, and recommendations using the outline provided by ChildFund
c) Validation Workshop (presentation of preliminary findings and facilitation of feedback session with Child Fund and local partners.
d) Final Report (max 30 pages + annexes) – Incorporating feedback from validation workshop with Audit Trail detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final report.
e) Presentation of final findings and endorsement of the report.
f) The consultant shall provide all raw data collected during the evaluation, in an organized and accessible format.
7.0 Time frame
The exercise is expected to take maximum 25 days
8.0 Budget and terms of payment
Any accommodation and other forms of transport are included in this budget. Child Fund Kenya will pay the agreed costs for the assignments and as per the deliverables completed and contract term.
The Consultant will be paid as per the schedule below and terms stipulated in the contract for this assignment.
- Delivery of the Inception Report and approval by ChildFund Kenya and Barnfonden – 30%
- Satisfactory delivery of the draft report and approval by ChildFund Kenya and Barnfonden -40%
- Delivery and approval of final report and approval by ChildFund Kenya and Barnfonden -30%
i) Payment will be made by cheque unless otherwise specified.
ii) Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs. This includes applicable withholding taxes.
9.0 Submission of proposals
Interested consultants or firms meeting the requirements of the assignment are invited to apply. Interested Consultant s and firms should send their technical and financial proposals to [email protected] on or before 30th May 2025
10.0 Disclaimer
ChildFund Kenya and Barnfonden reserves the right to modify the Terms of Reference until the moment of contract signing. The Terms of Reference may be adjusted before signing the contract with the commissioned consultants, in consultation with them and based on further input or suggestions.
11.0 Ethical Guidelines
*Consultants must comply with Barnfonden’s/Child Fund’s safeguarding Code of Conduct, which includes safeguarding checks on the candidate themselves. Child-Safeguarding-Policy.pdf (barnfonden.se). Consultants should also rely on Do No Harm Principle
Annex 1
Format of the Technical proposal
Recommended outline of the Technical Proposal
Structure and contents of the technical proposal (Maximum 6 pages) * excluding annexes
1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose and objectives of the evaluation
1.2 Consultant`s understanding of the TOR
2. Methodology (how do you think the evaluation will be conducted)
2.1 Elaboration of the methodology
2.2 Suggested data collection methods to be used
2.3 Ethical considerations
2.4 Perceived challenges and limitations of the evaluation
2.5 Reflection on the scope of the evaluation
3. Proposed workplan
Annexes to be provided
1. Financial proposal in Kenya Shillings (inclusive of all costs) consultant professional costs and administrative costs to cover field expenses.
2. Updated CV(s) of the consultant(s), highlighting relevant experience and qualifications and their expected responsibilities
3. At least two samples of similar previous work in project evaluations
4. Contact details of at least two references for similar work completed
5. A copy of the registration certificates (if it’s a company), KRA Tax compliance certificate (valid), Valid Pin certificate
6. Company /Organization Profile (if applicable) and Company CR12 form (if applicable)
How to apply
Submission of proposals
Interested consultants or firms meeting the requirements of the assignment are invited to apply. Interested Consultant s and firms should send their technical and financial proposals to [email protected] on or before 30th May 2025 COB.
