Terms of Reference Program Midterm Evaluation - NRM Organization Adeso – African Development Solutions, www.adesoafrica.org Project Natural Resource Management (NRM) Position Type Short-term consultancy Study/assessment Topic Midterm evaluation for a 4 year program Position Location Bari, Mudug, Sanaag, Sool, Nugaal, and Karkaar, Puntland, Somalia Duration 50 days Reporting to NRM Program Director and M&E Manager, Adeso Working with Starting date At Adeso: Deputy Program Director, Program Officers, Community Mobilisers, Program Engineers, Senior M&E Officer, Environmental Education Officers At CARE Somalia: NRM Project Coordinator, M&E and Learning Coordinator, Training Advisor, Project Engineer, Senior Project Officer, Project Officers 30th March 2015 Application deadline 20th March 2015 Vacancy contact Please send applications to consultancy@adesoafrica.org – Adeso will only respond to short-listed applicants. PROJECT SUMMARY OF DEEGANKAAGU WAA NOLOSHAADA “YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS YOUR LIFE” African Development Solutions (Adeso), CARE Somalia, and the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism (MoEWT) are jointly implementing the “Your Environment is Your Life” (Deegaankaagu waa noloshaada) project funded by the European Commission (EC). This project, whose overall objective is to reduce hunger and food insecurity in Puntland, will reach 216,000 people in 120 communities of Bari, Mudug, Sool, Sanaag, Nugal and Karkar regions. During the three years and nine months of the project, the main strategies that will be used to achieve this objective include: improving rangeland conditions and sustainable use of rangeland resources; supporting development of the institutional and legal framework for rangeland management and protection in Puntland State; diversifying communities’ livelihood options; and awareness raising and training in community led natural resources management. The project has four (4) result areas. CARE and Adeso are implementing result one (1) and result two (2) together. While result (three) 3 and (four) 4 will be implemented by Adeso and CARE respectively. The four interrelated results are: Adeso Headquarters – Kenya P.O. Box 70331-00400 Nairobi, Kenya M: +(254) 710 607 378 T: +(254) 20 800 0881 info@adesoafrica.org Adeso – USA 1250 24th Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20037 M: +1 (202) 510-4137 T: + 1 (202) 467-8348 info.usa@adesoafrica.org Adeso – UK CAN Mezzanine 49-51 East Road London E1 6AH T: + 442072508269 M: +44 7745 034395 info.uk@adesoafrica.org R1: Improved state of natural resources management for communities of Bari, Mudug, Sool, Sanaag, Nugal and Karak(implemented by Adeso and CARE) R2: Improved community capacity for resources management and conflict prevention for communities of Bari, Mudug, Sool, Sanaag and Karkaar(implemented by Adeso and CARE) R3: Alternative Energy and income generating activities expanded for communities of Nugaal, Karkar, Bari, Mudug, Sool and Sanaag regions (implemented by Adeso) R4: A strengthened institutional, legal and policy framework supports more effective rangeland management in Puntland for communities of Bari, Mudug, Sool, Sanag, Nugal and Karkar(implemented by CARE) PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND FUNDING The full program is implemented under two separate EU-funded grants by Adeso and CARE International in Somalia, in close collaboration with the Puntland Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism located in Garowe. This mid-term evaluation will be managed by Adeso, but is meant to cover both the Adeso as well as the CARE implemented components of the project. As such, the consultant’s primary contact will be Adeso, with close collaboration with CARE’s project team. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT PARTNERS Adeso, formerly known as Horn Relief, is an expanding and vibrant African-based international organization, working with communities to create environments in which Africans can thrive. We work to prevent and overcome situations that adversely affect community well-being by: reinvigorating the economy, developing skills for life and work, providing humanitarian aid, and influencing policy. Our belief that economic, social and environmental security is the bedrock of a healthy community drives the nature and intent of our programming. Adeso has been strengthening rural livelihood and delivering innovative humanitarian aid and development programs for the past 20 years. Currently, we have programs in Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan. Adeso is an exciting, dynamic organization experiencing managed rapid growth. It offers sound employment conditions with opportunities for personal growth and development. CARE International is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. Its programs go beyond meeting basic needs at the onset of an emergency to helping affected communities recover and rebuild their lives long after the crisis ends. In Puntland, it is implementing a variety of longer term development activities aimed at supporting the Puntland Government in the achievement of its development milestones. CARE works in partnership with the government, international NGOs, civil society, leaders and local authorities in order to bring effective and lasting change to the most vulnerable communities in Puntland. The Ministry of Environment, wildlife and Tourism (MoEWT) was established in January 2009. The Ministry has taken concrete steps including such as the establishment of environmental and range management policies, recruitment of competent employees, rehabilitation of gullies, establishment of Garowe tree nursery and launching urban tree planting campaign dubbed as ‘Greening Puntland’. The Ministry has recently developed the Environmental Policy and currently the ministry is working to develop an Environmental Act, and Environmental Impact Act. SCOPE OF WORK Adeso, CARE and MoEWT are seeking particularly established firm and/or a team of qulified Consultant’s specialized in natural resources management, Institutional development/Organization development, policy forumlation/development in carrying out a mid-term evaluation of European Community funded program, Natural Resource Management “Deegaankaagu waa Noloshaada” – Your environment is your life, in Puntland State of Somalia. This project is being implemented in the regions of Mudug, Sool, Sanaag, Bari, Nugaal and Karkaar. The line ministry for the four year initiative is the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism located in Garowe. The program started in 2013 and will run until the year 2017. The consultancy is for a period of 45 days which is expected to start in 30th March 2015. The consultancy will include desk review work, field data collection, data analysis and report writing. The consultant will be expected to travel to the four regions of program implementation, namely, Bari, Karkaar, Nugaal, Mudug, Sool and Sanaag. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT The purpose of this mid-term review of the NRM project is to assess the progress and achievements of the program which is at midpoint of implementation, identify and document lessons learnt (including lessons that might improve design and implementation of the NRM project) and to provide recommendations to guide the remaining implementation period of the project. The assessment is expected to serve as a means of validating or filling the gaps in the initial assessment of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency obtained from monitoring activities. The mid-term evaluation will help provide Adeso and CARE NRM teams with the opportunity to assess early signs of project success or failure which will help them to make prompt necessary changes during implementation. It will also serve as an opportunity for NRM project management team to take stock of project progress and assess the direction of the project intervention towards achieving its development objectives including the social development objectives. EVALUATION CRITERIA The midterm review of the NRM project will be critically conducted through international accepted evaluation criteria, i.e. relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. In accordance with the agreed NRM project life cycle, the evaluation will assess compliance with EU Programming Principles, gender equality, environmental sustainability, capacity development and results based management. The following key issues need to be addressed by the assessors. The present list however is not exhaustive and additional issues might come up during the mission. 1) Relevance (including coherence and the appropriateness of project objectives to the problems that it was supposed to address, and to the physical and policy environment within which it operated) - Appropriateness of the design and approach used to meet the specified goal and objectives of the project; - Relevance of the targeting approach to reach the vulnerable households, while ensuring gender balance; - The consistency of the project planning and response in implementation. 2) Efficiency (Cost effectiveness and resource allocation in relation to management efficiency to meet the stated objectives of the project) - Project activity management and implementation, and resource allocation (including human resources and financial management); - Involvement of the beneficiaries in the design and identification - Gender balance in relation to beneficiary participation and benefits, - Assessment of value of internal controls i.e. monitoring tools, information management, Activity plan and implementation; - Assessment of money transfer company efficiency and effectiveness. 3) Effectiveness (assess the contribution from the project results and how assumptions have affected the project) in relation to: - Project design as the best approach to achieving the set objectives; - Effectiveness of beneficiary targeting and selection criteria used to reach the most vulnerable; - Number of beneficiaries reached within the different components of the project (broken down by gender); - Capacity building and behavior change activities success rate; - To what extent did the external assumptions in the proposal hold true and how well were the mitigating measures put into use? - Assessment of the appropriateness of the indicators (OVI’s) including any changes made to these OVI’s during the course of project implementation. - Assessment of the collaboration between the MoEWT, Adeso and CARE as well as other partners involved in project implementation - Document lessons learned by the project so far. What are the lessons learned and how can this knowledge is used for the remaining project period? Which were the best practices? - Analyze the project’s approach to gender and its impact on gender equity and related issues; - Assess the possible intended or unintended outcomes and impact. 4) Impact (the effect of the project on its wider environment, and its contribution to the wider objectives summarized in the project overall objective) - Result 1: Improved state of natural resources management Result 2: Improved Community capacity for Resources management and conflict prevention Result 3: Alternative Energy and income generating activities expanded Result 4: A strengthened institutional, legal and policy framework supports more effective rangeland management in Puntland 5) Sustainability (the likelihood of a continuation in the stream of benefits produced by the project) - Design of the project in relation to sustainability; - Sustainability of project output - Assessment of the effectiveness of measures taken to ensure project achievements are not lost and provide suggestions for improving the sustainability of the project. - Assessment of the the economic and financial sustainability of the interventions. - Ownership of objectives and achievements: to what extent were the stakeholders consulted and involved in defining the objectives, the selection process for activities and project participants, implementation, monitoring and evaluation? - Institutional capacity: o o Assess the degree of commitment of stakeholders, the measures taken to strengthen their capacity and suggest improvements for the future. Assess the appropriateness of the institutional strengthening methods applied METHODOLOGY The NRM project midterm review methodology will further be defined by the Consultancy team (in the proposal) and revised at the outset of the consultancy. The elements in the methodology should include, direct data collection, analysis and cross referencing, formulating recommendations and lessons learnt. To the extent possible, field data should be collected using participatory appraisal techniques. The evaluation will adopt a consultative and transparent approach with internal and external stakeholders throughout the evaluation process. Triangulation of evidence and information gathered will underpin its validation and analysis and will support conclusions and recommendations. The evaluation must make use of the above mentioned methods and tools including review of existing reports, semi-structured interviews with key informants, stakeholders and participants, supported by check lists, interview protocols; direct observation during field visits; surveys and questionnaires etc. Particular attention should be provided to ensure that women and other under-privileged groups are consulted. Insofar as possible and appropriate, interaction will also take place with non-participants to canvass their opinions. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework; the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) framework can be used for assessment of project results. The consultants will present preliminary findings, conclusions and recommendations to the project stakeholders in Somalia (Garowe) and Nairobi and insofar as possible, in the relevant the Puntland government – line ministry of environment to obtain their feedback and verivication at the end of the data-gathering phase. The consultant firm or team of consultants shall use mixed methods including desk review, key informant interviews, sample surveys, satellite imagery, and observation using simple but numerically sensitive tools to collect data. The sample size must be statistically representative of the population. Unless otherwise necessary, the consultant firm or team of consultants shall use the sampling techniques consistent with the baseline for comparability with baseline performance and target. The following tasks should be undertaken:TASKS The team of consultants/firm will undertake the following tasks: 1. Conduct meetings with key project staff of Adeso, MoEWT, CARE and other stakeholders. 2. Design the evaluation, including data collection tools for the project and relevant program indicators (including translation into Somali) and sampling technique and size. 3. Conduct desk reviews of secondary information and project documents including the Adeso’s and CARE’s project proposals (including logframes), implementation and M&E plans of the project, donor regulations, project financing agreements, project baseline survey, Adeso and CARE’s progress and financial reports, existing data collection and monitoring tools and any other relevant documents. 4. Obtain feedback on data collection tools from key program staff (Adeso and CARE) and finalize draft data collection tools to be tested 5. Train enumerators who will pre-test the data collection tools. If necessary, make final adjustments to data collection tools in consultation with Adeso and CARE. 6. Collect data from a representative sample of individuals from the target groups and key stakeholders, including Adeso, CARE, MoEWT, district authorities, elders, village committees, and pastoralist associations through e.g. household questionnaires, key informant interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) 7. Assess satellite imagery provided by FAO SWALIM 8. Assess progress on and quality of implemented project activities 9. Data processing (data entry, verification and analysis); 10. Report writing and submission of draft report 11. Presentation of findings and recommendations to and validation by key stakeholders 12. Finalize the report incorporating feedback and submission of final report There should be adequate women representation and participation throughout the data collection process. CONSULTANCY PERIOD The consultancy will entail 45 days of work, with field travel from end of March 2015. The 50 days include days required for preparation, reporting, and editing. Travel days to and from the field including accommodation and meal expenses will be covered by Adeso. DELIVERABLES 1) Present proposal for mid-term evaluation work plan,inception report, methodology and process of data collection (for approval by Adeso, CARE and MoEWT) 2) Final work plans and data collection tools for approval prior to fieldwork 3) Draft Report and review-draft evaluation report after 30 days of the evaluation 4) Present the main findings of the draft evaluation report to MoEWT, SWALIM, Adeso and CARE teams in Garowe. Another presentation shall be done in Nairobi for Adeso, CARE and SWALIM. 5) Present to Adeso, CARE and MoEWT final evaluation report in English (3 hard copies, and soft copies on CD ROM). The draft and final report will have the following structure: 1. Executive Summary (max. 2 pages) 2. Introduction. 3. Methodology, including sampling. 4. Analysis and findings of the evaluation. 5. Conclusions, recommendations, lessons learned and best practices. 6. Annexes a. Performance indicator tracking table reflecting the status on each indicator against target and previous results, if any b. Revised logframe (if necessary), including biannual benchmarks for the project duration c. Relevant maps and photographs of the Project areas and activities d. Bibliography of consulted secondary sources e. Finalized data collection tools (in English and Somali) f. List of key informants g. Raw data in an agreed format, and report will be written in English. QUALIFICATIONS It would be desirable if the evaluation team comprises the following qualifications:  Advanced university degree in International Development, Natural Resource Management or any other related field with a minimum of 10 years of professional in international development and project evaluation, policy formulation/development, regulatory and decentralization activities;  Long-term experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating projects in natural resources management, institutional development, policy formulation/development, regulatory and decentralization activities, community-based conservation;  Advanced analytical and report writing skills;  Demonstrated experience in assessments and/or evaluations of interventions using participatory methods such as Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA);  Excellent understanding of natural resource management, rangeland management, socioeconomic development, alternative energy, and governance and institutional development  Demonstrated experience in approaches to community-led development and community targeting;  Previous professional experience in Somalia is desired;  Have an understanding of operating conditions in an insecure environment, and willing to travel extensively in the working areas of the project;  Fluent in English (both reading and writing). At least one person the evaluation team should be fluent in Somali.  Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar assingments Have conducted similar exercise in the recent past; COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS In consideration of the fees paid, the Consultant team/firm expressly assigns to Adeso and CARE any copyright arising from the works Consultant team/firm produces while executing this contract. APPLICATION PROCESS Applications should be submitted no later than March 20th, 2015. Adeso, CARE and MoEWT will form selection committee who will conduct interviews of the selection of the team of consultants. The selection committee will review all applications as they arrive. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. Adeso and CARE are an equal opportunity employer. Each application should include the following: - An application letter addressing the selection criteria including how the consultant team/firm’s previous experience matches the consultancy objectives as well as their interest for the position. It should also indicate the consultant team/firm’s availability and consultancy rates. The letter should be no longer than two pages; - On ground expenses will be included the assignment cost, Adeso will only cover the logistics expenses during the field work. - An updated CV including relevant work experience and qualifications; - A sample of recently written report for a similar assignment; - Contact details of 4 references. Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed. Only short listed consultant team/firm will be contacted. All applications should be sent to Adeso at consultancy@adesoafrica.org with the subject line: “Midterm Evaluation Proposal – NRM”.