Adyan Foundation is seeking an external evaluator for Adyan’s Networks.

1. Introduction

About Adyan

Adyan, Foundation for diversity, solidarity and human dignity, works locally, regionally and internationally for pluralism, inclusive citizenship, community resilience, and spiritual solidarity, through homegrown solutions in Education, Media, Policymaking, and intercultural and interreligious relations.

Adyan is registered in Lebanon as a non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO), under registration number 1103 by a ministerial decree dated 18 September 2008.

About Adyan Networks

This Adyan Networks for Inclusive Citizenship (ANIC) are under the community engagement department. The community engagement department aims to engage Adyan community members (networks, forum, friends, and partners) in activities that promote diversity, solidarity, and human dignity. Adyan’s networks are an extension of the organization in Lebanon, the MENA region, and the world. The ANIC include four networks: Youth Network (18-21 years old), Volunteers Network (21-25 years old), Ambassador’s Network (25+ years old) and Families Network.They make up a community for “living together” and hold the values of religious social responsibility. They also foster community resilience and celebrate spiritual solidarity. All efforts of network members are given on a volunteer basis.

Between 2020 and 2022 Secours Catholique – France supported the existing network through a three phase project..With these networks now established, this project would further empower existing and new members, to enhance the impact that the networks can have on spiritual solidarity and social cohesion in Lebanon. This would be achieved by making the network members change-agents in their communities, using the strong capacity that the networks now have. As change-agents, the network members would design and implement community service projects and sustainable initiatives that would be tailored to address emerging needs of the vulnerable in society.

The project runs from May 2020 until December 2022, consists of managing the four networks with a cumulative membership, by the end of the project, of 350 people. Adyan will provide guidance and training to the network leaders and members, and will put a framework in place for network members to run and participate in awareness sessions, peer-to-peer learning and intercultural exchange. Adyan will also support the organisation of spiritual solidarity events, including a national celebration of, and community mobilization for, the International Day of Living Together in Peace (16 May) in addition to interfaith outreach activities (for example around Ramadan, Annunciation; etc.). The networks would also hold a Community Day, via which the public would be invited to learn more about the networks and their events. 

The project will also strengthen network sustainability and reach, including by establishing an online community of practice for information exchange between network members. Stronger links will also be made with community organisations. The network members, however, will be empowered to take ownership of initiatives, outreach and communication. In this way, the networks project will be tailored to meet specific local needs, including those of the most vulnerable in society. Initiatives will also become sustainably embedded within communities, with the support of local organisations and authorities.

This evaluation comes at the end of the project thus providing Adyan Foundation time to evaluate the extensive and valuable work that has been done for the past especially the last three years and act as an opportunity to plan for the next phase based on the lessons learnt form the current project.

The evaluation aims at evaluating the work of the current networks, the structure of these networks and the impact they have. The evaluation will also focus on the needs for the future especially with the current situation in Lebanon.

2. Cause and objective of the evaluation

The evaluation will be performed in order to understand further the project’s impact. The results of the evaluation will feed in the future steps and shape of the future structure and work of the networks.The evaluation is done after almost three years of project implementation and just before the project life ends.

The aim of this evaluation is to:

• Understand and analyze the impact of the project
• Revisiting the aim of establishing the networks and comparing it to the existing reality
• Identify achievements, challenges, gaps and lessons in the networks work and structure
• Propose in consultation with Adyan’s management a plan and vision for the future of the networks

3. Key questions

 Relevance

1. Does this project and Adyan Networks address a core public concern? (sectarianism and hate speech)?
2. How effective are they in addressing it and promoting a culture of pluralism and inclusive citizenship in local contexts.
3. How relevant is the subject matter currently to the overall socio-political context in Lebanon? 
4. Is the project’s conceptual and logical framework adequate to addressing the matter?
5. Are the identities of the networks and their bi-laws or codes of conduct adequate in addressing the matter?
6. To which extent do they translate Adyan’s values and align with Adyan’s strategy?
7. To which extent do the objectives of the project align with the needs of the right holders and strategies (policies) of the partners (Adyan and SCCF) and donors?
8. Did youth & families (network members) have influence on the whole process, from conceptualization to implementation?
9. What needs to be changed to maintain the attendance and participation of the members of the networks
10. How can we train them all on Adyan’s values and concepts without boring the old ones and while making sure the new ones are receiving training on Adyan’s main concepts and values.

 Effectiveness

11. How effective was the project planning in achieving the objectives of the project?
12. How effective was the implementation process and can it be considered as a successful best practice for similar projects?
13. How effective were the methodology and tools and methods applied?
14. As networks, they are asked to volunteer in some of Adyan’s events, but have their own initiatives. How effective is that?
15. How effective is the division between the ages, and between ambassadors and volunteers, and what is the relation?
16. How to incorporate people who are older than youth and volunteers and are not families?
17. Has the project encouraged the empowerment of its beneficiaries? If not, what were the limits of the means employed and how can they be improved?

 Efficiency

18. To which extent were the methodology and the tools/methods used efficient to the situation in which the project was implemented in?
19. To which extent were the resources(Human resources, Financial resources and Time….) deployed efficient in relation to achieving the results?

 Impact

20. To which extent did the project contribute to the attainment of overall SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions?
21. To which extent did the project have an impact on changing the actual situation on the ground?
22. Any other positive or negative changes are to be noted and investigated?

 Sustainability

23. To which extent does the intended changes (foreseeably) contribute to a long term effect beyond the end of the project?
24. What are the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of sustainability of the programme or project?
25. What benefits would stop, in case activities carried out by Adyan were to stop after the project’s end? What strategy could be implemented to better secure the sustainability of these benefits?

 Coherence

26. How compatible is the project with other interventions in the country, among youth concerned civil society and volunteer organizations? To which extent do other interventions (particularly policies) support or undermine the project, or vice versa?

[ Recommendations

27. We expect the evaluation to result in recommendations for our future activities: which practices and activities have been effective? How could we improve them and fine-tune or strengthen our strategy? Are there more practices that could help towards the same end-result? What has stopped being effective, has been worn out? Have some strategies run their course?
28. Strategic considerations: what lessons should be learned from this experience in order to improve the intervention strategy?

4. Evaluation design/methods

The evaluation methods, design and processes should follow the OECD-DAC standards for evaluation. The evaluation must involve the different stakeholders in the project which include but are not limited to: Adyan’s board of directors, current and previous project team at Adyan , and members of the elected committees of the networks along with network members. The evaluators should also look into project proposals and narrative reports prepared during the project life.

We propose that the evaluators use the adequate methods for evaluation and the project team is ready to assist at any point to ensure that the evaluators reach the different beneficiaries and have the needed logistics support in place

5. Process of the evaluation/time frame

The project evaluation will take place in the last quarter of the project life starting September 2022 and ending at the end of November 2022. Based on the below timeframe:

• Informing selected consultant and meeting with Adyan to Finalize the Consultancy Work plan and Sign Agreement: SEPTEMBER
• Inception Report: OCTOBER
• First Draft of Final Report: NOVEMBER
• Final Report (second draft if needed + final version): DECEMBER

6. Expected products

All final products of the evaluation should be in English. Different tools needed in the evaluation may be translated to Arabic to accommodate the needs of the stakeholders taking part of the evaluation.

We expect to receive:

• Inception report (see also the guide on the inception report)
• Draft of the final report with a summary of the findings
• Final report with a summary (e.g. 25 pages, language: Arabic and English)

Review and approval:

• Once a report is sent to Adyan, the consultant can expect Adyan to review the document and submit comments – if any – or give approval.

7. Key qualifications of the evaluators

The Consultant must:

• Be able to fluently understand written and spoken Arabic and English, personally or with the support of an assistant engaged by him/her in the consultancy, with professional standard in producing the reports in English.
• Be independent from Adyan, SCCF and the ANIC project.
• Have a proven track record in delivering high quality and complex external evaluations, and up-to-date knowledge of evaluation tools, techniques and best practices.
• Have knowledge and awareness of the nuances of the social and political contexts of Lebanon.
• Be sensitive to and respectful of religious, social and cultural differences and comfortable with working and communicating across difference, including able to communicate complex ideas in accessible ways and gather data from and with partners across society.
• Be skilled and experienced in offline and online workshop facilitation.
• Have access to their own computer. To note: no hardware/software or IT support will be provided by Adyan.
• Have access to fast, stable internet connection and a webcam. Even if the selected Consultant is based in Lebanon, a work station at Adyan’s office in Lebanon will not be provided.

8. Content of the evaluator’s offer

• CVs of all evaluators involved
• Technical/specific proposal:    

• Technical/specific proposal:
• short explanation and justification of the methods to be deployed

• Financial proposal

• Complete cost estimate that includes both, the fee as well as any ancillary costs to be incurred, such as transport, accommodation, taxes, fees and costs of workshops in the scope of the evaluation etc.
• The range of the financial proposal should be between 8,000 and 10,000 USD.
  • No additional expenses other than this lump sum will be paid by Adyan.
  • Bank charges and due taxes are to be covered by the Consultant, or deducted from the payment. If relevant, this will include the 7.5% taxes for non-resident consultants and any other taxes that are the Consultant’s responsibility.
  • Adyan will not cover travel and accommodation expenses for the Consultant.
  • The Consultant can have support from local/field assistants if needed, however their fees must also be included in the total budget presented by the Consultant.