Back FINAL PROJECT Evaluation Consultant for EVAWG - UNTF

STARTING DATE: November 15 2021

DURATION: 2 Months

LOCATION: Preferably based in South Sudan

A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

SIHA is currently implementing a three-year project funded by the United Nations Trust Fund entitled, Challenging Patterns and Drivers of Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Wau, South Sudan. The project is being implemented at the community level to change norms and attitudes towards violence against women and girls and promote greater gender equality.

The project began in September 2018 and is a 3 year project, however, due to delays brought about by Covid-19, an extension of 4 months was approved and the current end date of the project is December 31, 2021. The goal of the project is to promote positive shifts in attitudes, behaviours, and practices around sexual violence against women and girls in South Sudan IDP communities, resulting in both an end to normalization of Sexual Violence Against Women and girls (SVAW/G) and increased condemnation of SVAW/G.” To achieve this goal, SIHA has been working with schools, teachers, students, out-of-school youth, women’s groups and other members of the community to raise awareness and shift attitudes through increased knowledge, awareness and understanding. SIHA has been collaborating with the State Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (SMoEST), the State Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (SMGCSW), academic institutions, community members, students and educators, men and youth, women’s groups, and traditional and religious leaders through an intercommunal and holistic approach. In order to address the challenge of SGBV and gender inequality in Wau, it was essential to embed the program in the community context and to gradually facilitate change through a community-integrated approach that respected the cultural norms of the community while also aiming to subtly change harmful norms. Using the Social and Behavior Change Communications (SBCC) model, curriculums were developed to work with teachers and administrators, students, youth and parents to create safe schools for girls and boys and to improve the knowledge, attitudes and practices surrounding SGBV.

SIHA has been working with students, teachers and administrators of five secondary schools in Wau to develop a life-skills module that has started to be implemented in the regular school curriculum. The module draws from a number of existing programs and training manuals and includes sessions on general life skills, including discussions about self-esteem and goal-setting, rights and responsibilities, gender, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health The modules were developed after several consultations with students, teachers, community members and relevant ministries, and the materials were selected and adapted to the needs of the Wau community. In order to integrate the curriculum, a number of training sessions have been held with teacher trainers and teachers of the targeted schools and whole-school policies have been developed in collaboration with school administration and staff to address issues of SGBV in schools and to link the school with relevant referral pathways and authorities. In addition to the life skills module and its insertion into the curriculum, SIHA has been providing structured and well-researched awareness programs and training for male youth through a mentorship programme. The male youth are engaged by a select group of male mentors who have been trained to engage with out-of-school youth and act as positive role models through various meetings and activities. Male and female youth have also been engaged in theatre for change skills and are being supported to develop theatre skits that can be taken into the community to spread awareness. During the period of school closures, young women have been supported through a program of advocacy and awareness by a prominent South Sudanese women’s right activist whereby they were introduced to basic understandings of gender, women’s rights, and advocacy. The program served as an alternative to the girl’s club that was meant to be supported in the schools, but which has been obstructed as a result of the lengthy period of time when schools have been closed. Collaboration with women’s groups has been a clear focus of the project and is meant to link women to students and to create a positive environment of support and exchange. Women’s groups were given capacity building, both in terms of their own economic agency by providing them with basic financial literacy and supporting their growth as saving and loan associations, and also in terms of their position as mentors to young women by ensuring they have a grounded understanding of gender, gender equality, and SGBV awareness that they can pass on to students and youth. The women have been supported to develop their skills in communication, advocacy and they have been made aware of relevant referral pathways to enable their support of other survivors if necessary. A number of awareness-raising activities have been integrated into the project with the direct support of all target groups and this has included radio programs, billboards, t-shirts, IEC materials, public outreach and information events, and an edutainment video.

Community support for the prevention and elimination of SGBV, including parents of students, community religious and traditional leaders, women leaders and activists, and the general community, have been rallied through workshops, dialogue sessions, and media campaigns. The project aimed to identify the specific socio-cultural, political and historical context and root causes of SGBV in Wau District and to inform the curriculum and engagement activities. The project also mobilized Community support for the prevention and elimination of SVAW/G through workshops, dialogue sessions, and media campaigns; supporting women activists to raise awareness and to advocate for action against SVAW/G.

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Sudan went into lockdown which included the closure of schools for an uncertain period. The program was forced to pause for some time before the extension of most project activities has been approved and some new - Covid-19 related activities – have been implemented. One activity trained and contracted 100 Women and students in production of reusable sanitary pads, masks and bags; 1000 hygiene kits were produced and distributed; capacity building for 100 grassroots women; seed funds for 10 women's groups and handwash stands were distributed. The launch of information campaigns in communities provided clear information about COVID-19, VAWG, prevention and response using mobile announcement systems, radio, billboards and pamphlets; women's groups document and advocate via online platforms, meetings, letters/petitions online or to ministry/government offices.

B. PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

As part of the efforts to end forms of violence against women and girls, SIHA is planning to conduct a final evaluation for the project ‘’Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)’’ to understand its effectiveness, relevance, impact and future sustainability of the change realized as a result of the project. The evaluation aims to identify attitudes, key lessons and emerging practices that facilitated an end to violence against women and girls and achieving greater gender equity in Wau South Sudan.

C. EVALUATION OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

The objective of the evaluation is to assess the overall impact of the project in ending violence against women and girls in Wau, South Sudan. The scope of the evaluation will include a review and assessment of all activities carried out under the project against the results from the baseline study that has been carried out at the start of the project. The baseline report includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The methodology employed was more qualitative in nature and aimed to gather both general information on the key forms of SGBV in Wau Town, as well as highly detailed and contextualized information on the drivers of such violence and peoples’ attitudes and behaviors with regards to SGBV. The evaluation is expected to assess the project achievements in reaching its goals and objectives and the target population. Additionally, it will assess the project design, implementation process, effectiveness and the lessons learnt and provide unique innovative approaches that promote the achievement of the project objectives.

Specific Objectives

1. To Identify any changes in indicators collected during the baseline and outlined in the logical framework, particularly the knowledge, attitude and behaviors of targeted groups since the beginning of the project period.
2. To identify key lessons and promising or emerging good practices and document the extent to which the project contributed to ending violence against women, gender equality and/or women’s empowerment (both intended and unintended impact).
3. To evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact criteria, as well as the cross-cutting gender equality and human rights criteria in Ending violence against women and girls.
4. To identify the challenges and bottlenecks that the project experienced to act as lessons on what works and what does not work in such contexts.

D. EVALUATION QUESTIONS AND CRITERIA

The following evaluation questions must be answered and responses provided in the final evaluation report.

1. To what extent were the intended project goal, outcomes and outputs (project results) achieved and how were they achieved? (For example, assessing the extent to which the project directly benefited the targeted beneficiaries both direct (women and girls) and indirect (men and boys) and address whether the project achieved results in accordance with the expected theory of change or not).
2. To what extent do the achieved results (project goal, outcomes and outputs) continue to be relevant to the needs of women and girls? (For example, assessing the extent to which the project strategies and activities were relevant and appropriate to the needs of women and girls and whether the project was able to adjust to any changes in the context and needs of the primary beneficiaries during the project).**
3. To what extent was the project efficiently and cost-effectively implemented? (Looking into whether the activities were delivered on time and to budget and whether activities were designed to make best use of resources).
4. To what extent will the achieved results, especially any positive changes in the lives of women and girls (project goal level), be sustained after this project ends? (For example, what steps have been taken to institutionalize the project, build capacity of stakeholders or secure benefits for rights holders through accountability and oversight systems)?
5. To what extent has the project generated knowledge, promising or emerging practices in the field of EVAW/G that should be documented and shared with other practitioners? (The knowledge generated must be new, innovative, builds on evidence from other projects or has potential for replication or scale up in other projects or contexts. It should not include generic lessons or knowledge that has already been frequently documented in this context).
6. To what extent has the project contributed to ending violence against women, gender equality and/or women’s empowerment (both intended and unintended impact)? (For example, identify any changes in the situation for women and girls in relation to specific forms of violence and look at both intended and unintended change for both women and girls targeted by the project and those not - if feasible).

a. To identify to what extent attitudes towards SVAWG have changed, among men, religious or cultural leaders, students, teachers and other stakeholders reached within the project.

b. To evaluate the relevance of the recruited school clubs towards VAW prevention – within their school and community; and the effect on the participating students themselves.

c. To identify to what extent knowledge towards SVAWG has increased among grass root women activists and in how far the Information Materials has stimulated debates and discussion on SVAWG in the communities. **

d. To evaluate in how far teachers, religious or cultural leaders proactively challenge unequal gender norms and gender-based discrimination; to what extent did their knowledge of referral mechanism change.**

E. EVALUATION DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

The consultant is expected to provide an overall approach and methodology for conducting the evaluation, as well as data sources and tools that will likely yield the most reliable and valid answers to the evaluation questions within the limits of resources. As the baseline study relied on focus-group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews(KIIs) and questionnaire surveys, a similar methodological approach should be considered for the evaluation exercise.

These should include:

1) Proposed evaluation design (include both qualitative (KIIs and FGDs) and surveys)

2) Data sources including those the consultant will require from SIHA including the baseline report

3) Proposed data collection methods and analysis

4) Proposed sampling methods

5) Field visits if any

6) Level of stakeholder engagement

Among the target groups for FGDs and KIIs should be the relevant ministries, teachers, administrators, students, IDPs, male youth, women’s groups, and service providers, including the police and customary and religious authorities within Wau town. Assessment areas should include peoples’ broad-based understanding of SGBV, why it occurs, its consequences and other aspects relating to the perpetration of such violence, mainly against women and girls, but also against men and boys. Questions should also touch on girl child education and the right of women and girls to participate in decision-making at the household, community, and national levels. Bearing in mind that one of the original objectives of the baseline was to identify possible gaps in service provision for SGBV survivors and obstacles to the full utilization of such services, the evaluation should investigate how far the identified gaps could have been covered by the project implementation.

Some important considerations for evaluations carried out under the Covid-19 outbreak:

Ensuring a clear plan has been elaborated to obtain and document consent over the phone or video conference (especially when interactions will be recorded); detailing how privacy and confidentiality will be protected –i.e.: clearing of call logs, use of coded names; use of secure virtual meeting rooms and waiting rooms; functionality to lock meetings; the use of legitimate and up-to-date web and mobile applications; and replacing video background to protect privacy for example[1].

Although SIHA and the UN Trust Fund as funder of this project highly encourage an inclusive, participatory, and respectful approach of the study and towards all stakeholders, this time the UN Trust Fund does not recommend conducting fieldwork and data collection in a context that poses risk to the health and safety of stakeholders, evaluation consultant(s) and teams, and project staff.

F. EVALUATION ETHICS

The evaluator/s must put in place specific safeguards and protocols to protect the safety (both physical and psychological) of respondents and those collecting the data as well as to prevent harm. This must ensure the rights of the individual are protected and participation in the evaluation does not result in further violation of their rights. The evaluator/s must have a plan in place to:

▪ Protect the rights of respondents, including privacy and confidentiality;

▪ Elaborate on how informed consent will be obtained and to ensure that the names of individuals consulted during data collection will not be made public;

▪ If the project involves children (under 18 years old*) the evaluator/s must consider additional risks and need for parental consent;

▪ The evaluator/s must be trained in collecting sensitive information and specifically data relating to violence against women and select any members of the evaluation team on these issues.

▪ Data collection tools must be designed in a way that is culturally appropriate and does not create distress for respondents;

▪ Data collection visits should be organized at the appropriate time and place to minimize risk to respondents;

▪ The interviewer or data collector must be able to provide information on how individuals in situations of risk can seek support (referrals to organizations that can provided counseling support, for example)

G. KEY DELIVERABLES AND TIME FRAME

Please use this space to detail your planned schedule for completing the work. This may be in tabular or another format. Please also complete the table below and ensure that you indicate days/staff allocated to each task/deliverable listed.

1. An Evaluation inception report with the detailed work plan, approach and appropriate methodology and approach for implementing the evaluation. Guidelines will be provided (within 7 days)
2. Final tools to be used in the assessment (within 3 days)
3. Data Collection (within 2 weeks)
4. Draft evaluation report which should be submitted between 1 month and 2 weeks before the final evaluation is due. Guidelines will be provided (within 10 days)
5. Final evaluation which must be submitted no later than 2 months after the project end date. Guidelines will be provided (within 7 days)

Please provide details for the planned time frame in a table format with the following listed:

Deliverable/ Task

Person/Organization Responsible

Days Allocated for this person to this deliverable/ task

Date to be completed/submitted

H. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT OF THE EVALUATION

Evaluation Team Composition and Roles and Responsibilities

1. The Evaluation Team will mainly consist of South Sudan Nationals.

2. Evaluator A (e.g. senior evaluator) will be responsible for undertaking the evaluation from start to finish and for managing the evaluation team under the supervision of evaluation task manager from the grantee organization, for the data collection and analysis, as well as report drafting and finalization in English.

3. Evaluator B will be responsible for coordinating the evaluation on the ground to ensure smooth running of the evaluation.

4. Field Research Enumerators will collect data as is required and detailed in the evaluation plan.

5. Report Editor will provide oversight in drafting and editing of the report.

Management Arrangement

Please clearly summarize how your team members meet the essential criteria listed in the ToR. Please detail clearly the management responsibilities and the lines of communication, proposed as detailed above. Please also draft a table with the titles below making sure that it corresponds closely to the financial proposal.

Person/ Organisation

CV Highlights (max 70 words)

Days Allocated

BUDGET

The budget available for this evaluation is USD 20,000 including travel, research assistants fees, meals, internal transport and accommodation. The consultant is required to provide a detailed budget proposal in line with the work plan including (consultant fees, travel, subsistence allowance, etc.).

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

The Lead consultant is expected to hold the following qualifications in order to be eligible for this position

● Relevant academic qualification preferably a master’s degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Social Sciences, Development Studies, Statistics, Gender Studies.

● Evaluation experience of at least 5 years in conducting external evaluations, with mixed-methods evaluation skills and having flexibility in using non-traditional and innovative evaluation methods.

● Expertise in gender and human-rights based approaches to evaluation and issues of violence against women and girls.

● Experience with program design and theory of change, gender-responsive evaluation, participatory approaches and stakeholder engagement.

● Specific evaluation experiences in the areas of ending violence against women and girls.

● Experience in collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data as well as data visualization.

● In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

● A strong commitment to delivering timely and high-quality results, i.e. credible evaluation and its report that can be used.

● A strong team leadership and management track record, as well as interpersonal and communication skills to help ensure that the evaluation is understood and used.

● Good communication skills and ability to communicate with various stakeholders and to express concisely and clearly ideas and concepts.

● Regional/Country experience and knowledge: in-depth knowledge South Sudan will be an added advantage.

● Language proficiency: fluency in English is mandatory; good command of local language Arabic is desirable but not necessary.

Other Competences required:

● Excellent analytical, editing and writing skills in English language;

● Proven accuracy and attention to detail;

● Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and work well with diverse and multicultural supervisors and staff members;

● Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.

ABOUT SIHA

The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) is a regional network of civil society organizations from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda working to address women’s subordination and inequality in the region. Established in 1995 by a coalition of women’s rights activists, SIHA, together with its member organizations, aims to improve the situation of women and girls in the Greater Horn of Africa by combatting violence against women and girls, ending human trafficking, challenging harmful social norms and religious dogma, and by improving women’s economic empowerment and access to justice.

SIHA Values:

SIHA is a feminist, movement-building network that works to promote the rights of women and girls across the Horn of Africa and beyond. Through all of its activities, SIHA is committed to promoting gender equality, justice and respecting human diversity.

It is therefore expected that the values of SIHA will be considered and upheld during the term of employment. The values SIHA works to uphold include a woman's right to self- determination over her life and body; respect for religious diversity; respect for gender diversity, including the rights of the LGBTQ+ community; respect for religion and beliefs regardless of your personal belief and commitment to ending discrimination in all its forms.