ToR to Conduct Terminal Evaluation For Action for Bushullo Child Development and Family empowerment project phase two (ABCD II)

Description of programme location and context

SOS CVE, Hawassa Programme is the fourth oldest village under SOS CV Ethiopia which was established in 1985 due to the drought that occurred amid 1980 in the southern part of the country. We take action for children as an independent non-governmental social development organization. Currently, eight projects are being implemented by the programme location (PL), categorized under three major programs, alternative childcare, family strengthening and humanitarian action programs. The projects include: Standard project (FLC, OAC, FFC, SGH & SIL), ABCD II, ARADA phase II, ECoS-CaR phase IV, SHASHE, Grow Equal, Meeting the right of children and caregivers with disability, Advancing the right of children and young adult with disability at Hawassa & Hosaena city administrations.

Rationale and Overall Objective of Terminal Evaluation

The community needs analysis came up with the need for the minimization of the relatively higher level of poverty, in some areas of the city, including the locality, the project is intended to provide services to, creating employment opportunities for young people thereby economic empowerment of the same and caregivers, as well. Additionally, the need for strengthening service providers, as part of locally rooting the support was indicated. By the same token, addressing crosscutting issues such as gender equality, disability and environmental matters was thoroughly reflected in. All the identified needs have been acted upon by the project to a varying degree, with profound results attained so far. The project will also contribute to the realization of strategy 2030 of the federation, the National Strategy (2023-27) and strategic initiatives 1-4 of the federation.

The terminal evaluation will focus on assessing the overall outcomes, impact, achievements, and lessons learned from the project. It will examine whether the project has met its intended objectives and will evaluate its overall effectiveness, sustainability, relevance, and potential for replication or scaling up. The findings and recommendations from the final project evaluation are expected to inform you about the design of higher-quality projects in the future. Therefore, this Terms of Reference (ToR) has been developed as a request for proposals (technical and financial) for consultancy firms interested in conducting a terminal evaluation of the ABCD phase II project. This project specifically targets the children, youth, families, community partners, such as, CBOs, SACCOs and public schools in Hawassa specifically located in three project sites (Tullo, Finchawa and Alamura kebeles).

Objective of the Study

Overall objective

The overall objective of terminal evaluation is to assess the results of ABCD II project’s child care & protection, family economic strengthening, education and health outcomes of children & young people, families and communities. This evaluation will measure the achievement of the project’s outcomes, outputs, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. It also measures results against established targets, planned outputs, and activities. Additionally, it will draw lessons learned that can enhance the project’s sustainability and provide insights for improving initiatives related to ABCD II project. The evaluation will also identify good practices and forward recommendations with effective strategies for other similar project implementation in the future.

Specific objectives

• To assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of SOS Children’s Village ABCD II project interventions.
• To determine the extent to which the project interventions addressed the gaps /challenges identified during the baseline thus meeting the target participants’ and stakeholder’s expectations.
• Study the organizational, functional, and financial capacity of SOS CV Hawassa PL, ABCD II project key implementing partners (KIPs), such as, CBOs, SACCOs and schools.
• To draw key lessons learned and good practices including CBOs, SACCOs and Schools, and contribute to organizational learning and recommend improvements for future project interventions.

The project outcomes and outputs:

The project has the following expected outcomes and related outputs.

Outcome 1; Children have cared and protected by the end of 2025

Output 1.1; Children and youth are empowered to protect themselves from abuse and violence

Output 1.2; Families have improved parental skills to care and protect their children

Output 1.3; KIP CBOs are empowered to care and protect children and youth

Output 1.4; Government and mandated bodies are strengthened for care and child safeguarding

Output 1.5; Community led youth center provides psychosocial support

Outcome 2; Families and youth have sustainable livelihood to assure children’s wellbeing by 2025

Output 2.1; Saving and credit cooperatives respond to the financial needs of vulnerable families and youth

Output 2.2; Families have improved skills, knowledge and resources for entrepreneurship and employment

Output 2.3; Youth have secured decent employment

Outcome 3; Children and youth are educated and skilled

Output 3.1; Children have an enabling school environment

Output 3.2; Children and youth develop essential life skills

Output 3.3; Families are supporting their children’s education

Outcome 4; Children and youth are growing up healthy

Output 4.1; Children and youth are protected and treated from infectious diseases

Output 4.2; Children are well nourished

Output 4.3; Children, youth and families have improved hygiene and sanitation

The consultancy firm will lead the whole process of the consultancy work in the three-target Alamura, Finchawa and Tullo Kebeles in close collaboration and consultation with SOS Children’s Villages program -Hawassa MEAL staff as well as ABCD II project team.

ABCD phase II Family Strengthening and Child Development (FSCD) project has the following direct and indirect project participants.

Scope of the Terminal Evaluation

ABCD Phase II project is one of the family and community strengthening programs running under the PL. ABCD Phase II is a three-year project and the continuation of the previous project, which was operated from January 2023 to December 2025, in Hawassa City administration, Sidama regional state. It aims at addressing the unmet needs of 1950 children, 200 young people, 540 caregivers thereby the community. The project strives to make sure that children and young people in the targeted families are cared for and protected, caregivers and youths have sustainable income for self-reliance by 2025, children and young people are educated and skilled and Children and young people are growing up healthy. The project has devised workable implementation strategies and activities to derive the intended results.

Geographically, the terminal evaluation is limited to the project participants, women, girls, boys and families, the communities and key implementation partners (CBOs) in the Hawassa program location in Sidama regional state, at Bushullo FSCD project areas. The Family Strengthening and Child Development (FSCD) project at the SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia, Hawassa program has been implemented across three project kebeles: Allamura, Finchawa, and Tulla.

Overall, SOS Hawassa program location also has been implementing the family strengthening and child development project in Hawassa project site in collaboration with Community based organizations (iddirs), Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs), public schools, and government structures. These structures mainly include Bureau of Women, Children’s and Social Affairs (BoWCSA), Bureau of Finance (BoF), Bureau of Education (BoE), Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), Bureau of Health (BoH) and relevant downstream structures. Besides, the terminal evaluation will focus on the performance of the project from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025.

The following table shows the project beneficiary/participants.

Program Participants/beneficiaries	Male	Female	Total Direct	Total Indirect
Children	1020	930	1950	7,800
Young People	115	85	200	800
Caregivers/ Parents	95	445	540	2,160
Total	1,230	1,460	2,690	10, 760

In addition, four partners CBOs, namely Bushulo, Danchuma, Lopho and Alamura, three partner SACCOs, namely Addise, Atote and Kewato and four partner schools, such as, Bushulo primary, Alamura primary, Finchawa primary and Finchawa secondary schools.

Methodology

The consultancy firm to be recruited is expected to develop appropriate and standard quantitative and qualitative methodologies that can generate the highest quality and most credible evidence. The commissioned consultant should use a mixed method approaches (quantitative and qualitative methods) to answer the terminal evaluation questions. As far as possible, the consultant should disaggregate data by sex, age, disability while collecting and analyzing data. The consultant should also clearly explain which questions will be answered using which methods. Data collection methods proposed by the consultant should be linked to the specific target group question(s). In addition to the data collection methodology, the consultant should refer to the relevant desk review of the project agreement documents. Moreover, the consultant is expected to explain the design and process of data collection tools, data collection plans and data analysis instruments. The consultant is also expected to test data collection tools before the actual utilization and ensure that the survey and qualitative methods (such as focus group discussion (FGD), key informant interview (KII) and group discussion) with participants are representative of the project’s target groups and key stakeholders (Community members, Children, youth, caregivers (men & women), KIP CBOs, SACCOs, Schools.)

Sampling

The Commissioned consultant is expected to use appropriate sampling techniques and set a representative sample size for both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Based on project objectives, results, the terminal evaluation equations and the ABCD Phase II project result framework. The consultant should produce appropriate sampling methods and ensure representativeness of the sampled households or respondents, and the sampling frame is from target children, youth, care givers, KIP schools, CBOs, SACCOs and community structures.

Major Evaluation/research Questions

The commissioned consultant should list relevant and possible terminal evaluation questions by referring to the project document and the project result framework (the RF will be handover to the winner consultant) and show the evaluation questions during inception report presentation.

Work Plan and Expected Deliverables

Work plan

The terminal evaluation task is expected to be finalized within 30 days after the contractual agreement is signed. The consultant is expected to develop her/his detailed work plan based on the following table.

Activities	Dates	Time frame	Location

Deliverables

The commissioned external consultant must deliver the terminal evaluation findings within 30 days of the contract signing. Based on the work plan, SOS Children’s Villages of Hawassa programme location MEAL department, the national office MEAL and FCS&FD program teams expect the following deliverables:

• An inception report of 10 pages on the terminal evaluation design, methodology, sampling frame, sampling technique, sample size, assessment tools and work plan.
• Draft terminal evaluation report of maximum 30 pages.
• The consultant is expected to present findings of ABCD Phase II project (for both draft and final findings) by intervention areas.
• Final terminal evaluation report – The findings of terminal evaluation report including an executive summary and data collection tools in both electronic (soft copy) and hardcopy formats should be submitted.
• Raw data, which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and recorded audio material), should be submitted with the report. SOS CVE will have sole ownership of all final data, and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of SOS Children’s Village in Ethiopia.

Report criteria

The reporting criteria for ABCD Phase II project terminal evaluation shall be in line with the SOS Children’s Villages result based management (RBM) tool kit and should be shared with the winner consultancy firm along with the data review process and/or for the preparation of the inception report.
Child Safeguarding and ethical issues

SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring that all research, evaluation and data collection processes (i.e. evidence-generating activities) undertaken by SOS Children’s Villages and its partners are ethical and respect child safeguarding policy and procedure.

The consultant must respect the rights, dignity and protection of children and other vulnerable population groups and should ensure special protection for children and other vulnerable groups during any data-generating activities to minimize any potential risks. Any research, evaluation and data collection SOS Children’s Villages is directly carried out or is involved in as a partner.

Ethical practices need to be ensured in the following circumstances:

• Any research, baseline, midterm or final evaluations and data collection SOS Children’s Villages has commissioned for ethical oversight of these processes.
• Any research, evaluation and data collection carried out by researchers/consultants on SOS Children’s Villages programmes and participants.

Hence, relevant project coordinator and location MEAL coordinator in Hawassa will ensure that any researchers, evaluators and data collectors should receive awareness training on, sign and adhere to SOS Children’s Villages core policies:

Obtaining consent from research participants is central to the research relationship and signals respect for the research participant’s dignity, their capability to express their views and their right to have these heard in matters that affect them. Informed consent is an explicit agreement which requires participants to be informed about and understand the research/assessment. This must be given voluntarily and be renegotiable, so that participants may withdraw at any stage of the research process.

Logistical arrangements

The awarded consultant shall show feasible logistical arrangements for the assignment as part of the technical proposal. National or location-level staff (SOSCV) will be available to help organize the interviews including contacting SOSCV, announcing and local preparation of evaluation, and linking to community duty bearers and national authorities if required.

Duration of the contract and terms of payment

Payment will be made only upon SOS Children’s Villages’ acceptance of the work performed in accordance with the above-described deliverables. Financial proposals should include proposed stage payments. Payment will be affected by bank transfer in the currency of birr.

Funding and Payment: The consultant will be paid by SOS Children’s Villages as follows:

• 30% on the submission and approval of the inception report.
• 30% on completion of the draft report.
• 40% on completion of the final report.

Duration of contract: The contract is effective from the moment it was signed until the acceptance of work by the SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia management team.

Notice of delay

Shall the successful bidder encounter a delay in the performance of the contract which may be excusable under unavoidable circumstances; the contractor shall notify SOS Children’s Villages in writing about the causes of any such delays within one (1) week from the beginning of the delay.

After receipt of the Contractor’s notice of delay, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia shall analyze the facts and extent of the delay and extend the time for performance when in its judgment the facts justify such an extension.

Copyright and other proprietary rights

 

SOS Children’s Villages shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights including, but not limited to, copyrights, and trademarks, with regard to products, processes, inventions, ideas, know-how, or documents and other materials which the Contractor has developed for SOS Children’s Villages under the Contract and which bear a direct relation to or are produced or prepared or collected in consequence of or during the course of, the performance of the Contract. The Contractor acknowledges and agrees that such products, documents, and other materials constitute works made for hire for SOS Children’s Villages.

All materials: interviews, reports, recommendations, and all other data compiled by or received by the Contractor under the Contract shall be the property of SOS Children’s Villages and shall be treated as confidential and shall be delivered only to SOS Children’s Villages authorized officials on completion of work under the Contract. The external consultant is obliged to hand over all raw data collected during the terminal evaluation to SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia.

Termination

The termination of the service agreement for the assignment will be in accordance with the contractual agreement to be included at the formal agreement’s actual signing.

Signing of the contract

The signing of the contract will follow the awarding of the assignment. It is tentatively scheduled for End of October 2025.

Rights of SOS Children’s Villages

SOS-CVE has the right to cancel the service contract if the consultant cannot comply with any standards articulated in the service agreement. SOS-CVE has the right to hold the terminal evaluation result as its own sole property.

Qualification of the researcher / research team

The applicant consultant shall have at least a master’s degree in relevant fields of study such Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, development studies, Economics, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation and other related fields per the required assignment

• At least 5 years’ work experience & proven competency in assessments, monitoring, and terminal evaluation, including baseline assessments or organizational/program evaluation (baseline, midterm, and final evaluations). The incumbent shall attach at least one sample baseline or final evaluation report produced by the candidate on a similar topic.
• A good understanding of family strengthening, community empowerment, education, livelihoods and development programme work.
• A good understanding of child/youth rights/safeguarding & other issues affecting vulnerable children in the Ethiopian context.
• Proven experience in working with conceptual frameworks and data collection methods (including age-appropriate data collection methods)
• Proven experience in participatory processes and data collection methods
• Strong skills in coordination, good facilitation, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Proven experience in participatory processes
• Strong skills in coordinating teamwork
• Analytical and conceptual skills on market and livelihood assessment
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• Ability to transfer complex concepts and ideas into practical and simple language.
• Experience in organizing research processes with SOS Children’s Villages or similar child focused organizations.
• Experience and credibility in providing market and livelihood assessments for external communication and organizational purposes.
• Experience in managing baselines, final evaluations and livelihood assignments in respect of the participating communities’ culture, social norms, values, and behavior; and maintain appropriate relationships with participants of this evaluation.
• Legally registered firms with renewed license, VAT registration and TIN number

Required Skills

• Strong Quantitative and Qualitative research skills.