Call for External Evaluation

Introduction/Background

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 nongovernmental organization (NGO), under registration number 1103 by a ministerial decree dated 18 September 2008.

About the “Digni” Project:

For many people living in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, their right to FoRB (Freedom of Religion and Belief) is restricted and/or denied. FoRB restrictions include but are not limited to laws and policies restricting religious freedom; government favoritism of religious groups; government limits on religious activities and government harassment of religious groups; restrictions on religions; harassment by individuals and social groups; religious violence by organized groups; and inter-religious tension and violence.

Over the period of three years, this project aims to positively influence perceptions of FoRB across the MENA region via the creation of a Regional FoRB Hub, Mapping Report, Charters by religious leaders/activists, and advocacy campaigns. This will lead, by December 2025 to increased action to promote and protect FoRB by the public, religious leaders, and civil society activists. 

The Regional FoRB Hub highlights the discrimination, restrictions and hostilities related to FoRB that many communities across the MENA face, while also highlighting all the advances being made regarding FoRB in the region. Via dissemination of information and the facilitation of public discourse, the Hub will foster increased support and civic activism in favor of respect for FoRB at the community, policy and legal levels. As well as being a repository of information, the Hub also creates and strengthen national and regional networks in support of FoRB, including journalists, lawyers and parliamentarians, who will use the Hub to increase their understanding of FoRB-related issues. 

At the same time, religious leaders/activists are being supported to jointly develop discourse and positions to promote and protect FoRB within their spheres of influence, and refute the most blatant violations to FoRB in their countries. This will empower them to engage in new ways with diverse communities.

Project Impact

Impact: FoRB is protected and promoted across the MENA region.

• Outcome 1: Increased public discourse and civic activism for FoRB across the MENA region.
• Outcome 2: Religious actors across the MENA region are empowered to discuss new FoRB discourse with their networks and communities.
• The project runs from May 2022 to December 2025.

The direct beneficiaries:

• 2,000 civil society activists, lawyers, parliamentarians, representatives of faith-based organizations, academics and journalists who use the Hub materials.
• 100 people participating in the conference, some of whom will form Task Force for FoRB in the MENA.
• 36 religious’ leaders/faith-based activists from across the MENA, of different faith or belief backgrounds, who particulate in the development of the Charters.
• 1.5 million members of the public across the MENA region who are reached via the project outputs (the mapping study, articles and other Hub materials, webinars, short films, podcasts). Authors of Taadudiya articles.

     The Indirect Beneficiaries:

• Academics, researchers, civil society organizations and activists globally, who benefit from the Hub materials
• Other indirect beneficiaries will be members of the peer groups/communities of direct beneficiaries across the MENA. These could include community members, family members, social groups, and other activists/religious leaders.

Adyan is seeking a consultant to conduct a final project evaluation at the regional level to assess the project design and the effectiveness of its implementation in achieving the intended outcomes. The evaluation will identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement for future projects.

2. Purpose of the Evaluation

The evaluation will provide Adyan with a valuable learning opportunity to enhance existing practices by assessing the extent to which project outcomes have been achieved. It will also evaluate how effectively Adyan is coordinating with relevant project stakeholders. Additionally, the evaluation aims to assess the project’s impact and sustainability. This analysis will generate new knowledge, spark new lines of inquiry, and provide actionable insights to enable necessary adjustments during next phases of the project. Furthermore, the evaluation will offer specific assessments regarding the progress and results of the Agreement.

The evaluation seeks to obtain relevant information by analyzing the following key processes:

Objective 1: Measure the short- and long-term impacts of the project, including changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices among target groups, including cleaning, analyzing, and triangulating data collected from focus group discussions and Stories of Change.

Objective 2: Assess how the FoRB Digni project, along with its associated initiatives, the FoRB ToT II and Faith in Action (FIA) projects, has contributed to advancing Adyan’s organizational goals, enhancing community engagement, and shaping the regional discourse on Freedom of Religion and Belief, with a particular focus on measuring results against the logframe indicators.

Objective 3: Examine the long-term sustainability and overall impact of the project’s activities. This includes assessing the relevance and coherence of the processes and activities in relation to the expected results and identifying strengths to ensure lasting change and the continued success of the project post-completion.

Check the document attached for the rest of the TOR