Mid-term Evaluation Consultant Consultancy

Organisation Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V.

www.hoffnungszeichen.de, www.sign-of-hope.org

Position Mid-term Evaluation Consultant

Type of Contract Short-term consultancy

Location Home-based with field mission travel to Marsabit,Kenya

Relevant Languages English and Kiswahili

Application Deadline 16th March 2025, 23:59 pm EAT

Starting Date 1st April 2025

Project Title Integrated food security and livelihoods for disaster-prone, hard-to-reach and marginalized pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in Northern Kenya

Total Project Budget 500,000.00 EURO

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is announcing an open tender procedure for consultancy services for a mid-term evaluation in Kenya.

Background and Rationale

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is a Christian motivated organisation for Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance and Development Cooperation. From its base in Constance, Germany, SoH is committed to helping those in distress and exploited people worldwide.

This mid-term evaluation is commissioned under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget for development projects run by private organisations.

SoH is the private German executing agency and the contracting party, with Caritas Marsabitbeing the local implementing partner.

The goal of this four years project is to contribute towards enhanced resilience of pastoralist and agro-pastoralists and their livelihoods in Marsabit County to climate related shocks. This will be realized through three output areas as follows; 1) Livestock feeds (pasture, fodder supplementary feeds) are accessible and affordable for pastoralists in the target locations. This will be achieved through; rehabilitation of 40 Ha of rangelands in North Horr ward through clearing of invasive Prosopis Juliflora, Initiating micro irrigation scheme for fodder production in North Horr and Production of Multi Urea Blocks in Saku .2) Pastoralist and agro-pastoralists in the target locations have access to alternative livelihood opportunities and to safe water for domestic and productive use. To be realized through supporting briquette production from Prosopis Juliflora trees in North Horr,construction of an earth pan, drilling and equipping of a borehole and supporting climate smart agriculture.3) Strengthen the capacity of local community-based actors and structures to support target communities with climate adaptation efforts through;Establishment and training of 2 Water Management Committees , Capacity strengthening of Ward Climate Committees and Implementing partner staff on climate appropriate and sustainable livelihood practices, Natural Resource Management and Early warning and Early action as well as Capacity building for representatives of the local government, community and civil society organizations (CSO).

The project targets a total of 9,000 households (approximately 54,000 persons – 26,730 females and 27,270 males) direct beneficiaries in North Horr, Laisamis and Saku sub-counties of Marsabit County.

Purpose, Objectives and Use

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide SoH and Caritas Marsabit with a comprehensive assessment of the project, conducted systematically and impartially, as well as analyse the progress towards the achievement of the project’s results and identify risks to sustainability. The study will provide concrete, credible and practical recommendations that will assist with the timely incorporation of the findings into the decision-making process and contribute to the organizational learning of both implementing organization and SOH.

The study will support the project quality assurance measures implemented by SoH and meet the donor requirements towards the development projects implemented by German private organisations.

The evaluation will address evaluation questions based on the standard OECD/DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact (please see http://www.oecd.org/development/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm). The objectives of the evaluations are to:

1. Assess the extent to which the project has sustainably achieved its objectives and results (see annexe 1), including the extent to which the lives of the project beneficiaries have been improved,
2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses in terms of planning, management, implementation and monitoring of the project,
3. Evaluate sustainability measures,
4. Identify cross-cutting issues addressed through the project, including gender equality, human rights, marginalised groups, inclusion, and other issues,
5. Identify risks and weaknesses and make recommendations for the successful completion of the project,
6. Determine the currect degree of achieving the indicators using the logical framework matrix.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Evaluation Consultant will work in close cooperation with the responsible SoH Officer and the local implementing partner.

The duties and responsibilities of the Evaluation Consultant will include:

• Develop a work plan outlining the proposed research methodology, geographical coverage and schedule to conduct the study,
• Conduct a desk review of relevant documents,
• Carry out a project site visit to a project location to conduct research, collect data and establish contact with the local implementing partner, project beneficiaries and relevant project stakeholders,
• Review and evaluate available data and existing sources of information, including the project proposal, annual reports, conducted studies and other documents,
• Examine institutional, technical, staffing and financial capacities of the implementing partner as well as its relationship with the target group and other relevant stakeholders.

Expected Deliverables

The study will produce the following deliverables:

• an inception report, including the proposed research methodology and data collection tools, a table of content and timeline of research activities prior to the site visit to the project location,
• a comprehensive report of a maximum of 30 pages with practical recommendations and relevant annexes (including raw data and documented records).

A template will be provided to serve as a guide and may be used to structure the final report.

Study Quality and Ethical Standards

The study team will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the study is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved. Furthermore, the study should be aligned to the following standards and applicable practices:

• Utility: the study must be useful and used.
• Feasibility: the study must be realistic, diplomatic and managed in a sensible, cost-effective manner.
• Ethics and Legality: the study must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the Study.
• Impartiality and Independence: the study should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders.
• Transparency: the study activities should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency.
• Accuracy: the study should be technically accurate and credible, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined.
• Participation: the Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the study process when feasible and appropriate.
• Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the study process improves the legitimacy and utility of the study.

The study must be in line with the SoH guiding principles and Code of Conduct.

Process/Timeframe

The total duration of the assignment is up to 25 working days within the period from 1st April to 9th May 2025.

Planning meeting with Caritas Marsabit, handover of relevant documents 1 day

Initial document review and inception report preparation 4 days

Sharing inception report with SoH and Caritas Marsabit 1 day

Finalisation of inception report 1 day

Data collection site visit to a project location 5-10 days

Data analysis, draft report with annexes 5-10 days

Incorporating received feedback and report finalisation 3-5 days

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 years of project evaluation and/or implementation experience in the result-based management framework
• Proven experience of conducting feasibility studies, evaluations and other research projects
• Technical and methodological knowledge to conduct research projects and formulate conclusions based on a solid methodology, assessing projects for relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of projects
• Experience working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partnered projects
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili

Desirable:

• Experience in the relevant field/sector
• Professional familiarity with the project country/region
• Practical experience of working for and/or evaluating BMZ-funded projects

Academic Background

An advanced level university degree (Masters’ degree or equivalent) in social sciences, public administration, international development studies, law and/or relevant field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted.

The Evaluation Consultant is to be independent and impartial with no liabilities to any other organisation or government entity regarding this evaluation.

Tagged as: Kenya, Sign of Hope