Endline Evaluation Consultant – Project Wezesha! Full Time NEW

TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)

1. Background

Light Up Hope (LUH) has been implementing Project Wezesha! pilot initiative in six primary schools and six women groups in Kajiado County. The project, grounded in the principles of empowerment, sustainability, and climate resilience, builds on LUH’s school feeding program and aims to ensure the sustainability of food security and educational interventions through school kitchen gardens, poultry farming, climate-smart agriculture, and women’s economic empowerment.

With the pilot phase coming to an end, LUH seeks to engage an experienced external evaluator to conduct an endline evaluation to assess the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the interventions.

2. Purpose of the Evaluation

The endline evaluation aims to:

• Assess the overall impact of Project Wezesha! on educational outcomes, food security, climate resilience, and gender inclusion.
• Measure changes in knowledge, practices, and behavior among learners, teachers, and women group members.
• Compare the outcomes in intervention schools/groups with control schools/groups not involved in the project.
• Identify lessons learned and provide recommendations for project scalability and future programming.

3. Evaluation Scope

The evaluation will cover:

• 6 intervention primary schools and 6 women groups involved in the project.
• 6 control schools and 6 women groups not exposed to the interventions.
• Key project components: kitchen gardens, poultry farming, 4K/environment clubs, women’s economic empowerment, and climate action.

4. Key Evaluation Questions

• To what extent have the project objectives been achieved across the five key pillars: food security, education, nutrition & development, gender inclusion, and climate action?
• How has the project influenced school attendance, learning outcomes, and participation in climate-smart agricultural practices?
• What economic and social changes have been realized among the participating women groups?
• Are the kitchen gardens and poultry farming initiatives contributing to the sustainability of the school feeding program?
• What are the comparative outcomes in control groups?
• What best practices, challenges, and unintended outcomes have emerged?

5. Methodology

The evaluator is expected to propose a mixed-methods approach, including:

• Desk review of baseline, midline, and project implementation reports.
• Quantitative surveys with learners, parents, and women group members.
• Qualitative methods: FGDs, KIIs with school staff, LUH teams, government representatives, and community leaders.
• Site visits to observe school gardens, poultry structures, and 4K club activities.
• Comparative analysis with control groups.

6. Deliverables

• Inception Report (within 1 week of contract signing): outlining methodology, sampling framework, tools, and timelines.
• Draft Evaluation Report (within 3 weeks of completing fieldwork): with preliminary findings and analysis.
• Final Evaluation Report (by August 31, 2025): incorporating feedback from LUH and stakeholders, including:
  • Executive Summary
  • Methodology
  • Key findings, conclusions, and recommendations
  • Case studies and success stories
  • Annexes (tools, raw data summary, etc.)

7. Timeline

• Start date: Early July 2025
• Fieldwork and data collection: Mid to late July
• Draft report: By mid-August
• Final report submission: No later than August 31, 2025

8. Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Development Studies, Agriculture, Education, or related fields.
• Proven experience in conducting endline evaluations, especially in education, agriculture, and community development projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Strong analytical, communication, and report writing skills.
• Familiarity with the socio-cultural context of Kajiado or similar arid/semi-arid regions is a plus.

9. Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested consultants or firms should submit:

• A technical proposal outlining understanding of the TOR, proposed methodology, and work plan.
• A financial proposal with detailed breakdown (fees, transport, enumerator costs, etc.).
• CV(s) of lead consultant and proposed team.
• At least two sample evaluation reports from similar assignments.

Tagged as: Kenya, Light Up Hope