Consultant For Youth Can Do It Project

Norwegian People's Aid is looking for an experienced evaluator to carry out the evaluation of the Youth Can Do It project.   This Terms of Reference (TOR) defines the work that must be carried out by the external evaluator. It provides a brief outline of the program and the projects supported, specifies the scope of the evaluation, outlines the evaluation method and describe the evaluator’s role and competencies.   I.            Brief outline of the NGOs and their work:  A.      Norwegian People’s Aid in Lebanon Norwegian People’s Aid started working in solidarity with the Palestinian refugees in Shatila refugee camp and the surrounding Sabra area, (populated with mainly poor Lebanese) after the civil war in 1982. Filling some of the gaps in UNRWA’s welfare program, NPA started to implement a variety of activities within relief, reconstruction, health services, and rehabilitation, mostly targeting Palestinian refugees. The program consisted of smaller project activities in addition to establishing, in 1984, a vocational training program implemented by NPA, in cooperation with UNRWA. The establishment of a second large activity, a rehabilitation center offering treatment and follow up of disabled Palestinians, was fully established in 1986. During the years that followed, local organizations working within the same fields, started to emerge. NPA established partnership cooperation with several local organizations. NPAs international strategy shifted, at the beginning of 2000, from implementing projects to partnership cooperation, followed up with a phase out process related to direct service delivery of health and educational services, in Lebanon. NPA phase out of direct implementation was finalized in 2012. Most of the project activities were however carried forward in close partnership with local Palestinian and Lebanese organizations. The mutual aim of NPA and its partners are related to the support to Palestinian refugees’ situation and their struggle for their rights. The program consists of human rights and advocacy projects, health projects, with special focus on disability and rehabilitation, and youth projects with special focus on vocational training and life skills. NPA was legalized in Lebanon in 1990 as a branch of an international NGO through the presidential decree number 829/1990. The majority of NPA’s projects in Lebanon are funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA). B. Youth Can Do It Project in NPA-Lebanon: The YCDI project has been initiated in Norway by the Norwegian Labor Party after the success of a previous initiative known as Women Can Do It project funded and initiated by the same party. Both projects have had the objective of empowering marginalized groups -youth and women- to become active members of their affiliated political party and society. Norwegian People’s Aid has copied these two projects in many underdeveloped countries where they have been working such as in Lebanon. NPA-Lebanon has started the YCDI project in 2010 with the aim of empowering Palestinian refugees youth to become active member of their society, particularly in the camps where more than 50% of the Palestinian refugees population is still living.[1] According to UNRWA the registered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are 447,328[2], Palestinian youth constitute the majority of them, and like elsewhere in the MENA region, they have been marginalized from the decision-making process. The Arab Spring is the latest demonstration of their marginalization. In Lebanon, Palestinian youth have been extremely marginalized from their community, except in the camps of Beirut[3] where several projects have contributed to increase their skills and to fund their own initiatives. While in other camps youth have been extremely marginalized and therefore their experience, knowledge and level of commitment to the society remains extremely limited, especially on social and political issues. The overall objective of YCDI project is to enhance the civic engagement (public and political participation) of Palestinian refugee youth in their respective communities in Lebanon.   Activities: Series of training for 26 Palestinian youth to become trainers on life skills; Topics:  1-       Training Skills 2-       Political Participation 3-      Events Management 4-      Multimedia and Communication 5-      Mobilization of the Mass 6-      Sustainability   All the training of trainers were implemented except “Sustainability” ToT, it will be implemented during the last week of October 2015. Outcome: Either to be a potential trainer, or a production manager (grassroot leader).   Peer to Peer training, in which youth who participated in the series of ToTs organize a local training for their peers. Outcome: Trainees will either become trainers in their community, or organize and coordinate small projects with their peers.   Youth Initiatives Related to Public and Political Participation  Outcome: increasing the participation and the presence of youth in public and political life   Political dialogue on youth participation in several camps, where YCDI groups host political figures to discuss with them issues related to the political and public life C. Purpose of the Evaluation The overall goal of the evaluation is to enhance the effectiveness of Youth Can Do It project and engage in continuous improvement and learning. Specifically, the evaluation aims to: Review the activities that have been implemented since 2014 Evaluate the project performance Are the activities of the project meet the needs of youth based on the previous evaluation Asses the needs, and define how the activities should be modified to work better Document the deficits, challenges, gaps, best practices, success and lessons learned of the project activities. What outcomes should be considered for the next two years Provide constructive recommendation on the activities should be designed and implemented in future Evaluate the performance of the youth Evaluate the implementing partners Advice new types of activities The findings for this evaluation should include lessons learned and recommendations in order to plan for the next step’s activities. D. Evaluation Criteria The evaluation will specifically focus on the following dimensions: Relevance: Were the project design and activities relevant to meet the objectives of the Youth Can Do It project? Was the set of activities sufficient? To what extent the supported organizations should depend on NPA in the upcoming years based on the new NPA strategy? Effectiveness: Was the program capable to attain the expected goal? To what extent did the project contributed to enhance Palestinian youth participation in public and political life? Coherence and Coordination: How well was the project implementation process managed? How was the coordination between NPA and partners in implementing the project? E. Audience The primary audience of this evaluation includes: The Development department in NPA- Lebanon, Country Director, YCDI team, the Programs Manager in NPA-Lebanon, project partners and the participants. NPA Headquarter in Oslo Palestinian youth Palestinian community Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees Norwegian embassy   F. Evaluation Methodology The guiding principles for conducting the evaluations should include: participatory, culturally sensitive, transparency, committed to building capacity, affirmative and positive while honest and productively critical, and valuing knowledge and approaches from within the context. Meetings will be mainly conducted in Beirut, Tripoli and Tyr. The consultant evaluator will develop the methodology and tools of the evaluation in consultation with NPA team. The evaluation methodology and data collection tools will need approval from NPA Programs Manager.    2. II.            Scope of Work: A.      Location: This evaluation will take place in Lebanon, particularly in Palestinian camps (Beddawi, Burj Al Barajneh, Ein El Helwe and Rashedeye) B.      Deliverables:  The consultant is expected to submit a final report of the evaluation. The report should strictly be written in English language and should not exceed 10-15 pages (excluding annexes). It should be submitted electronically in a MS-Word document. It may include: Executive Summary of key findings and recommendations; Evaluation findings, analysis and conclusions with associated evidence and data clearly illustrated. Use of tables, graphs, quotes, anecdotes and stories to illustrate findings and conclusions is encouraged; Recommendations for the next actions, which should be practical and linked directly to conclusions; and Appendices, including methodology and evaluation tools, list of interviewees, questionnaire, and brief biography of evaluator. Power point presentation   The evaluator will incorporate the comments furnished by NPA and will submit an edited final report at the end. The report will be credited to the evaluator and potentially placed in the public domain at the decision of NPA. Also the evaluator should submit to NPA all the essential material they used in conducting the evaluation such as filled forms, tapes, pictures etc… and any other relevant documents.   C.      Duration & Deadlines:  The duration of contract will be a total of two months, starting from the first of October till the end of November. The evaluation plan should be submitted by 7th of October 2015. The field evaluation should take place between the 12 and the 30th of October 2015. The first draft of the report along with all the financial receipts should be submitted by the 15th of November 2015. The final report should be submitted by 30th of November 2015. All information generated during the evaluation will be the sole property of NPA and are subject to submission to NPA along with the final report.   D.      Logistical Support:  NPA will provide preparatory and logistical assistance to the evaluator(s), including: Background materials (project proposal, periodic reports, existing evaluations, etc.) Meetings, phone/e-mail communication with program administrators Identify interviewees and provide contact information All logistical support for the field visit, including the travel cost Arranging meetings and appointments with the partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries in the field (if necessary).   3. III.            Evaluator's Role and Competencies:  A.      Evaluator’s Role:  The evaluation will be carried out by a single external evaluator, who will report to and work under the guidance of NPA Programs Manager and team, who is also the Evaluation Manager of this evaluation. The external evaluator will: Identify and define evaluation priority areas, methodology and indicators; Design and implement data collection; Analyze data and findings and prepare a report; Write and submit a final report; Make a brief presentation of findings and recommendations to NPA Lebanon.   B.      Evaluator’s Competencies: Evaluator competencies should be: Sound knowledge about development projects in the MENA region, particularly in Human Rights program;   Sound knowledge and understanding of program development; Familiar with the Palestinian refugees situation in Lebanon, particularly Palestinian youth situation in Palestinian camps Master degree in political or social sciences and other related fields; Demonstrated technical skills in development project evaluations; Proficiency in written English Prior experiences that varies between 5 to 10 years [1] “Around 53 per cent of the Palestine refugees in Lebanon live in the 12 recognized Palestine refugee camps, all of which suffer from serious problems, including poverty, overcrowding, unemployment, poor housing conditions and lack of infrastructure.”, http://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/lebanon, UNRWA website. [2] Ibid. [3] Marelias, Shatila and Burj El Barajneh camps.