Consultant (End Of Project Evaluation Of The “Humanitarian Assistance For Syrian Idps, Refugees And Vulnerable Host Communities In Countries Affected By The Syria Crisis” Project

WVL is looking to hire a consultant to conduct the end of Project Evaluation of the “Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian IDPs, Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Countries Affected by the Syria Crisis” project. Please refer to the below Terms of Reference for detailed information. Interested and qualified consultants are requested to send their CVs and proposals to World Vision Lebanon by January 6, 2014. Applications need to be addressed to Micheline Ekmekjian and to be sent by post or delivered by hand to the following address world vision Lebanon, sinyora building mountazah, Mansourieh el maten, Lebanon. Envelope must be clearly marked "Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian IDPs” End of Project Evaluation.  only shortlisted candidates will be contacted PROJECT SUMMARY   Specific title of project Humanitarian   Assistance for Syrian IDPs, Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in   Countries Affected by the Syria Crisis Project goal IDPs,   refugees and host communities affected by the Syria crisis in Syria and   affected neighbouring countries are supported to meet their basic needs Project sub goals 1.Access   to basic water supply have improved for Syrian refugees families; 2.Syrian   refugee families have access to safe and dignified sanitation options; 3.Syrian   refugees families follow safe hygiene practices; 4.Syrian   refugees in Lebanon and surrounding communities have improved access to solid   waste management, and Syrian refugees to winterization support. Locations Central and West Bekaa   and Zahle Project Duration May 1st, 2013 – February 15th,   2014   INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND World Vision Lebanon (WVL) declared a CAT I Emergency with a National Office Response on June 13, 2012 following the flow of Syrian refugees who crossed the Lebanese borders towards the Bekaa valley. As such, WVL started responding to the Syrian Refugees’ needs in the Bekaa area (Central and West Bekaa) in the following sectors: Food vouchers, Non Food Items (NFIs), and Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS). On October 23, 2012, WVL declared a CAT II Emergency with a National Office Response started responding to the Syrian Refugees’ needs in the Bekaa area (Central and West) benefiting around 45,000 Syrian Refugees in the following sectors: Food vouchers, NFIs in the form of hygiene kits and winterized items, CFS, and Quick Impact Projects (QiPs) that benefit both Syrians and Lebanese communities. On June 28, 2013, WVL declared a CAT III Emergency with a National Office Response and started responding to the Syrian Refugees’ needs in the Bekaa area benefiting around 107,000 Syrian Refugees in the following sectors: Food vouchers, NFIs in the form of hygiene kits and winterized items, CFS, Education (remedial classes and Accelerated learning programmes), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and QIPs that benefit both Syrians and Lebanese communities. There are currently more than 842,482 displaced Syrians in Lebanon, 785,079 of who are registered by UNHCR and the rest pending registration. The total number of registered Syrians in the Bekaa stands at 268,921 Syrians with an average of 5.6 members per household. Families fall short on their income and hence several types of assistance are needed to meet the basic survival needs of households and displaced children. In this proposed intervention, WVL cooperated with all WASH and shelter actors in the Bekaa area. In addition, WVL partnered with local authorities and local municipalities in order to conduct household visits. Both unregistered Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese currently lack the basics needs. The high influx of refugees from Syria combined with the lack of emergency support in Lebanon has created an alarming situation. Fearing politically motivated retribution, many Syrian refugees are reluctant to register with UNHCR. To make matters worse, overstretched capacities are delaying the registration process, which results, that nearly 30% of Syrian refugees (approached UNHCR for registration) are waiting for registration. Scarce opportunities for earning any income coupled with the inability to provide support have created deteriorating living conditions for both Syrian refugees and local residents. Hence, WVL provided most vulnerable Syrian refugee families in the Bekaa with hygiene items in compliance with SPHERE standards. Further most vulnerable Syrian refugee families benefitted from the participation in hygiene promotion sessions as well as from the improvement of WASH facilities for avoiding the outbreak of epidemics. In addition, they also benefitted from the distribution of blankets and e-cards for winterization. WVL in collaboration with volunteers and plumbers also conducted household technical assistance to Syrian refugees residing in the Bekaa area. Based on the results of the technical assessment, the most vulnerable of Syrian refugee’s families especially those residing in substandard houses were directly targeted through this intervention. A total of 3,100 families, considering an average of 6 members per family were directly supported in the Informal Tented Settlements (ITS) in the Bekaa area under the GoG project with WASH and Winterization through the provision of water filters, water tanks, water vouchers, sewage de-sludging vouchers, hygiene kits, blankets, e-cards for winterization, garbage bins and solid waste management, installation and rehabilitation of latrines and hygiene promotion sessions. EVALUATION PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The project (funded by GoG) that is being planned to be evaluated is entitled “Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian IDPs, Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Countries Affected by the Syria Crisis”. FOCUS of the evaluation: The focus of this evaluation is two-fold: An assessment of the project strategy and implementation, And a measurement of the achievements of the program outcomes and recommendations to guide future programming. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES of the evaluation: The end-of project evaluation will: Assess the project alignment with overall WVL response strategy and operations strategy including the project design; Evaluate and validate project achievement of implementation targets and milestones reached; Examine the effectiveness of the programme in terms of its purpose and intended outcomes; Evaluate the relevance and appropriateness of actions and strategy; Examine the management aspects of the project including staffing, resource allocation and use, policies, coordination arrangements, administration, monitoring, reporting and documentation among others; Ascertain the impact the programme had on targeted communities (positive, negative, intended, unintended impact...); Suggest strategic and operational recommendations that can be used by WVI in the ongoing and future programs. METHODOLOGY The consultant will be required to come up with a proposal on how he/she intends to conduct the study. The proposal should further describe a timeline for the evaluation and should also incorporate a budget that outlines all relevant costs that will be associated with this evaluation. World Vision proposes the use of both qualitative (key informant interviews, in depth interviews, focus group discussions…) and quantitative (e.g. surveys…) research tools approaches in gathering information from a wide array of sources. These sources would include targeted beneficiaries, project/field staff, security staff, project coordinators, managers… The consultant would also have to review project budget and financial figures and review program policy documents including Human Resources and others and establish how they were applied. EXPECTED OUTPUTS/RESULTS Copy of training package and materials used for the evaluation team; Copies of tools used for the evaluation; Copies of all qualitative and quantitative data; Final Evaluation Report in English (as per the WV Assessment Report Guidelines); Final Evaluation Report Structure: - Title page - Table of contents, - Executive summary, - List of Acronyms and abbreviations, - Description of the project including any major changes occurring since the design, - Description of the evaluation methodology, - Main findings based on the objectives highlighted in the proposal, - Best practices and lesson learnt, - Recommendations for project improvement, - Presentation of findings to stakeholders. A power point presentation in English including methodology, main findings, recommendations, best practices and lessons learnt. MANAGEMENT The implementation of the evaluation will be coordinated by the Senior M&A Officer and DME Manager. The consultant will supervise the implementation of the field work and quality data management as well as report writing and dissemination. Logistics, administration, finance and HR support will be provided by WVL from the field offices. BUDGET Specific details will be worked out based on discussions and plans between the Consultant and Senior M&A Officer. DME staff will be able to support in recruiting enumerators if needed. If the selected candidate for the consultancy is located outside of Lebanon, he/she would be expected to be in country to coordinate and conduct the end of project evaluation for not less than 14 days. QUALIFICATIONS The consultant should have the following competencies and experience: At least 5 years of progressive proven experience in similar studies and in using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and data analysis required; Previous evaluation experience of water, sanitation and hygiene related projects; Extensive professional experience in the design and implementation of outcome and impact evaluations; Good analytical and critical thinking; Proven knowledge and experience in applying participatory research methods and tools; Advanced degree in relevant field (e.g. Social Sciences, Public Health, Epidemiology or any related technical field); Good understanding of the Syrian Crisis and Humanitarian Standards; Familiarity with civil society and NGO engagement and work in the Syrian Crisis; Ability to work on tight schedules with minimal supervision; Good English and Arabic speaking and writing skills. DURATION OF CONSULTANCY WVL has set aside one month (January 15 till February 14) for this assignment. Bids should include a detailed proposed work-schedule with specific tasks. Candidates are expected to state, if successful, how much time they will need to start the assignment and how much time they need to conduct every task.    TASKS   TIMELINE   Review of   TOR Week   1   Review of all relevant documentation Week   1 to 4 Design of the evaluation methodology Week   1 Develop all necessary data collection tools (These   tools will be reviewed by the Senior M&A officer to ensure that they   adequately capture all the necessary data before adoption) Week   1 and 2 Use the appropriate method to calculate the sample   size and carry out sampling of the population from which the data is to be   collected Week   1 and 2 Recruit and train enumerators, supervisors and   facilitators and also oversee pilot testing of the tools Week   1 and 2 Supervise the implementation of the fieldwork Week   2 and 3   Design the   database for data entry Week   2 and 3 Supervise data entry and quality data management Week   3 and 4 Review relevant secondary data Week   3 and 4 Carry out data analysis as well as report writing Week   4 Present   main findings and a debriefing of the evaluation to the Monitoring and   Evaluation team (before leaving the country if applicable) Week   4 Present the draft report in a review meeting and   incorporate the feedback and compile a final report (before leaving the country if   applicable) Week   4 and 5   In the preparation of the final report, the assessment consultant is requested to provide the reader with, as much as possible, accurate sources of its information and conclusions.  In fact, all findings and statements must be backed by existing data and/or data based on approved methodology for sampling, data collection, and analysis.  Interested individuals and consultancy firms should send in their applications no later than 16.00 hours GMT 6th of January, 2014 including a detailed Technical and financial Bid with the following documents: proposed methodology (including a revised timeline and budget), curriculum vitae and/or resume and the names and addresses (including telephone and e-mail) of two non-related referees (Technical and financial Bids should be in English and not more than 3 pages).  Important: If application is sent by email, the subject line should clearly indicate “Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian IDPs, Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Countries Affected by the Syria Crisis - End of Project Evaluation”. If sent by post or delivered by hand, the top right-hand side of the envelope must be clearly marked “Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian IDPs, Refugees and Vulnerable Host Communities in Countries Affected by the Syria Crisis - End of Project Evaluation”. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. N.B.: Hired consultants will be provided with all additional documents required to carry out the work.