Consultancy Terms of Reference- Impact Evaluation

SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

The World Service Department of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is the humanitarian and development arm of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

We are a widely recognized, faith-based international organization present in over 20 countries. We seek to bring together people from different backgrounds in a common quest for justice, peace and reconciliation in an increasingly complex and divided world.

We are particularly renowned for our timely, caring and professional humanitarian work and for our presence on the ground in hard-to-reach areas. Our work revolves around people and communities. We work first and foremost with the most vulnerable and we work with local authorities and community structures to claim and enforce their rights.

To achieve this, since 2006 the LWF has contributed to community development through several projects carried out in two provinces of Burundi, with positive results in terms of living conditions.

The LWF Burundi program became operational in November 2006 when LWF finalized and signed an agreement with the Government of Burundi. The program was originated in response to the need to create durable solutions for repatriating refugees from Tanzania and builds further on the refugee assistance activities that TCRS (a former LWF country program that was handed over to national partners in 2006) has been providing to Burundian refugees since 1993. Since initiating operations in November 2006, the program’s main source of funding has been DanChurchAid/Danida, which funds the Program for Peace (PfP).

The Department of World Service (DWS) standing committee made a long-term commitment to Burundi with the approval of a six-year Country Strategy (2009-14) after the Program for Peace received an extension of funding. In 2009, LWF inaugurated its second major program: the Community Empowerment Project (CEP- now Community Integrated Development Project, CIDP). CEP focused more on training, skills development, and empowerment than the direct distribution of materials. It continues to help LWF communities’ transition from a context of emergency relief to sustainable development.

LWF Burundi partners for these projects are Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) with funds from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), German National Committee (GNC).

CIDP project outcomes:

• 1. Increased food production and access to alternative income generating activities and opportunities amongst poor households.
• 2. Enhanced protection and safety for children and women at risk.
• 3. Increase in inclusive local structures for social cohesion.
• 4. Increased local capacity to respond to disaster and risk.
• 5. Partners have better understanding and are implementing approaches that aim to contribute to transforming and shifting unequal gender norms and gender relations.
• 6. Partners are actively engaging new local partner institutions in advocating for gender transformative change.

In 2011, LWF also began its Haguruka Youth Empowerment Program which is the actual Youth Rights and Resilience Promotion Project (YRRPP/GIRURUHARA).

YRRP project outcomes:

• 1. Young people have access to varied, balanced and sufficient food to meet their dietary needs.
• 2. Young people have greater access to employment and increased income to meet their basic needs and development.
• 3. Young people, especially women, are more assertive in claiming their rights, are actors in their communities and social cohesion is strengthened.

LWF Burundi partners for these projects are Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and German National Committee (GNC).

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

• - To review progress achieved and constraints encountered during the project implementation of CIDP and YRRPP. Review recommendations to ensure integration of activities to avoid siloed responses and activities.
• - To provide advice and practical recommendations gleaned from the two projects to LWF Burundi to support components of the 2025-2031 Burundi Country Strategy.
• - To serve as a key tool for ALWS, LWF Burundi program stakeholders and strategic partners, LWF Geneva, senior and second -line officers in Burundi to inform the design of the next phase and future directions of the continuation of the projects in the same intervention zones or graduation of the latter.

SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

The impact evaluation will cover project implementation from 2020 to 2024. It shall assess the alignment of the specific project outcomes of CIDP and RRPP to of the LWF Burundi country strategy. In the unique context of Burundi, the impact evaluation will also need to assess how prevailing conditions in terms of insecurity, restrictions of movement, fuel shortage; inflation and other external factors have affected the Burundi program, and how it has adapted and responded to date as well as offering opinions on how it may adapt in future.

The impact evaluation will cover the seven communes of Kigamba,Mishiha and Gisuru which are both CIDP and YRRPP projects areas and Gisagara, Butezi, Cendajuru and Cankuzo which are only CIDP project areas. It will focus on projects’ rights holders and structures promoted by the projects.

The impact evaluation will consider all activities programmed in accordance with the approved projects documents, annual plans and projects’ implementation documents.

OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION

The impact evaluation will cover relevant aspects of the LWF programs as defined by the Country Strategy. It shall compare the design and implementation of the LWF Burundi program and specific projects to actual outcomes by analysing the following:

1. Relevance of objectives and project activities to the needs and priorities identified by target groups in terms of targeting, local conditions, requirements including institutional priorities and design, approaches and modalities of implementation, and in the context of work including other NGO actors. (Relevance)

2. Measure the extent to which the project inputs and resources translated into concrete results through efficient, timely, and economical deployment in a cost-effective way. (Efficiency)

3. Assess the extent to which the project interventions contributed to the project's high-level objectives and outcomes, and the level of achievement in terms of undertaking activities as per the project design. (Effectiveness)

4. Assess the likelihood of activities and benefits continuing after external assistance is withdrawn, issues of ownership of process, linkages with other agencies, and other sustainability factors such as potential for or contribution to and progress made in achieving lasting solutions and behavior changes with a major focus on sustainability and the extent to which benefits of the intervention continue or are likely to be continued. (Sustainability)

5. Assess whether the actual and expected changes occurred in the community and target group (positive and negative, direct and indirect) because of project interventions and provide evidence of these end of project outcomesi for both projects. (Impact)

6. Identify key lessons learnt, best practices and challenges and draw evidence-based recommendations for future program design and implementation and that may feed into the next LWF Burundi’s country’s strategy.

7. For continued learning, programming improvement, and replication of good practices, the evaluation exercise shall document best practices and lessons learned. They may include but not be limited to the following:

• • Assess the functionality of the complaints handling mechanisms that were put in place, the level of child and disability friendliness, and the effectiveness of the mechanisms during the project.
• • Assessing cross-cutting issues of safeguarding, PSEA, Child protection, Rights-Based Approaches, Gender & Social Inclusion (GESI), and environmental considerations.
• • Assessing the good practices and lessons learned from the interventions (Climate-smart Agriculture, fishery, poultry, health, protection and psychosocial support).
• • Assessing the linkage between the emergency response projects and the Project under evaluation to establish areas of shared attribution or contribution to overall impact worth documenting and sharing.

8. Reinforced and strengthened good practices and sustainability aspects. Transparency and accountability to the communities we serve, ensuring ALWS listens, learns and is responsive to partners. As such, included in the objectives of the evaluation should be communicating the results on an evaluation back to partners and communities – through a stakeholder workshop, developing communications with key findings or similar, and then including any confirmation or disagreement with the findings in the report. Please ensure this is explicitly stated in the objectives.

9. Identified incremental betterment of the lives vulnerable people, their inclusion in society, perception of unintended/unexpected changes that can be attributed to ALWS and ELCA programs

10. Improved capacity strengthening aligned with ALWS principles of mutuality and accompaniment; and the value added by partnering with ALWS and ELCA.

ACTIVITY DETAILS

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY

The consultant will propose preferred/suitable methodologies for conducting the impact evaluation, and these will be reviewed and approved by ALWS and LWF. However, ALWS and LWF recommend a combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Proposed approaches may include outcome harvesting extending beyond cross-sectional household surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews and analyses, case studies, field visits and observations.

The consultant will ensure that any proposed methodology or tool meets local context requirements.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAME

The timing is negotiable, but the final report must be received by ALWS and LWF Burundi latest by 15 December 2024.

A total of 75 days has been estimated to carry out the Evaluation. While LWF Burundi has a fixed budget for this Evaluation, there may be some room for negotiation on the total number of days,

dependent on the Consultant’s Day Rate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

ALWS

• • Access to relevant documentation
• • Discussion with Consultant and approval of Deliverables

LWF Burundi

• • Preparation and management of the Consultancy Contract in consultation with ALWS
• • Payment of consultancy fee and related expenses
• • Access to relevant documentation
• • Discussion with Consultant and approval of Deliverables
• • Assistance with communication with participants about the Evaluation and obtaining informed consent
• • Advice on list of stakeholders to participate in the Evaluation– names, designations, contact details
• • Logistical support as required

CONSULTAN(S)

• • Arrange personal insurance coverage
• • Arrange any travel and accommodation
• • Compliance with ALWS, LWF-Burundi and DFAT Safeguarding (including Child Protection and Child Safeguarding) Codes of Conduct
• • Achievement of the Deliverables

EXPENSES AND REMUNERATION

COMMUNICATION

For any questions, the main point of contact is: procurement.burundi@lutheranworld.org or LWF Burundi office (phone number: +257 22 25 5806), Avenue du Large no 3, Kabondo, Bujumbura Always copy the second point of contact: eleanort@alws.org.au

CONSULTANT SPECIFICATION

Essential

• • Relevant tertiary qualifications; Have been or presently expert(s) with a university degree of at least BAC +4 in the field of agro-economics, community development, rural development or any other; Be an experienced consultant in the field of agriculture, local community development communities, food security, nutrition, agro-sylvo-pastoral agricultures, marketing
• • Must have at least 7 years' professional consultancy experience in mid-term, final project evaluations and impact evaluation.
• • Relevant education and training in development work and research and demonstrable competence and experience in research and evaluation
• • Good understanding of the local context in which the projects are implemented and field experience in the project area
• • Knowledge of evaluation methodologies and tools including designing data collection tools and conducting surveys
• • Proven experience of designing and implementing program/project evaluations.
• • Ability to analyse issues, write and produce high quality reports
• • Familiarity with results-based management systems
• • Demonstrated report writing and spoken communication skills in English, French, Kirundi, Swahili (advantage)
• • Cross-cultural understanding and communication skills.
• • Ability to carry out the study during the proposed period and in the locations indicated above
• • The various roles and tasks of the evaluation team should be specified according to the different phases of the evaluation
• • Willingness to share samples of previous evaluation work

Desirable

• - Note: Consultants will be required to sign and follow the LWF-Burundi Code of Conduct and provide a current Criminal Record Check.

SUBMISSION OF EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Interested and qualified consultants (individuals or a team) should submit in English:

• - An expression of interest that responds to the Consultant Specification and the Activity Detail.
• - A current CV (or CVs) with the names and up-to-date contact details of two referees.
• - A daily rate for professional fees and a statement of availability.
• - At least 2 examples of reports written for similar work undertaken.

A. Technical offer

The composition of the technical bid must contain the following elements:

• a) A note explaining the terms of reference for this assignment
• b) A detailed presentation of the strategy and methodology to be used for the evaluation
• c) The timetable of activities for carrying out the evaluation
• d) Composition of the evaluation team, profile and experience of team members and team members and the responsibilities of each of the evaluators aligned for this assignment
• e) A list of references for evaluation contracts carried out by the consultant, with details of : program or project(s) title(s), location, period, assignment sponsor
• f) A commitment to respect the schedule of activities

B. Financial bid

The financial bid must contain the detailed cost of the intervention, indicating the unit cost of services (fees), travel, accommodation and catering, communication and any other expenses.

Please send Expressions of Interest to: procurement.burundi@lutheranworld.org by 16 September 2024 and Copy eleanort@alws.org.au

N.B. For consulting firms, you must also justify:

1. A legal framework for the consultancy firm by means of the following documents:

• a. A document certifying that a tax identification number has been obtained
• b. A certificate of non-liability issued by the OBR in original
• c. Trade register or operating authorization from the relevant ministry

2.Human and logistical capacity to implement the mission.

After reading these terms of reference, the evaluator is invited to submit technical and financial proposals for carrying out the evaluation. Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• a. Description of the problem and understanding of the subject
• b. Proposed methodological approach
• c. Qualifications, experience and skills of experts
• d. Knowledge of the area and project issues to be evaluated
• e. Detailed prices and costs of the various services
• f. Timetable for completion of all services

The selected candidate must sign a declaration of independence and respect

Annex- The ALWS Theory of Change will be shared by LWF Burundi. The interested applicants can contact LWF Burundi office or send an email to procurement.burundi@lutheranworld.org

i The present project is a continuity of the CIDP project that has been in place since 2020. The sustainability of the project will be achieved at several levels:

• • At the technical level, rights holders and duty bearers will have their knowledge and skills strengthened on several levels:
• • Skills enabling them to claim their rights, exercise advocacy, and participate in decision-making processes;
• • Knowledge and skills on improved agricultural techniques, seed multiplication;
• • Knowledge and skills for the creation and management of income-generating and professional activities.

These activities will continue after the end of the project, as direct and indirect beneficiaries will have acquired sufficient skills and will benefit from support in the form of inputs.

• • At the financial level, rights holders will have been strengthened for the creation and management of cooperatives and VLSAs. This will enable them to generate income to meet their household needs.
• • At the human level, various government and civil society actors will have been strengthened to monitor the project.