Consultancy SIDA-funded DRC Great Lakes Civil Society Project

BACKGROUND
The Great Lakes Civil Society Project (GCP) is a regional programme implemented since January 2010 by the Danish Refugee Council with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency.

The GCP is implemented in partnership with civil society organisations in six countries of the Great Lakes region: Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. The programme’s vision is for civil society to hold governments accountable to the commitments made for protecting displaced persons in their country, by proposing realistic policy solutions to conflict and displacement.

The programme supports national civil society organisations in documenting and analysing specific displacement and conflict issues, and translating these analyses into practical advocacy goals at the local, national and regional levels. It draws on existing legal and political frameworks for the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the Great Lakes Pact on Security, Stability and Development, and the African Union Kampala Convention, as well as national-level IDP and refugee policies and legislative tools. Where possible, it encourages cross-border learning between civil society organisations and regional initiatives aimed at providing joint solutions to regional displacement problems.

The original proposal and logical framework (2009) outline the programme’s overall objectives as follows: • The capacity of civil society organisations to play a role and engage in activities and processes in support of the Great Lakes Pact and other related instruments, with a particular focus on protocols and programmes pertaining to displacement, is enhanced. • Civil society-led initiatives and activities that advocate for and support the implementation of national and regional commitments and duty bearer obligations under the Great Lakes Pact and other related instruments are supported.

The programme’s overall vision and strategy were refined following field visits that took place throughout 2010 in the six countries of operation. DRC submitted amended descriptions of country-specific objectives, implementing partners and overall activities, in updated operational programme documents which were approved by SIDA in November 2010. The programme was renamed “Great Lakes Civil Society Project” in October 2011.

OBJECTIVES OF THE MID-TERM REVIEW The objectives of the Mid-term review are to:

1) Assess the relevance of the Project’s approach for improving the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to reach concrete policy changes for the protection of the displaced at the local, national and regional levels:
• Analyse the quality of the context analyses that were carried out in the start-up phases of the Project and that served to inform the overall strategy/objectives; • Assess the relevance of the change in operational strategy that took place at the end of 2010, refocusing the Project’s vision and strategy; • Evaluate the choice of CSO in each country and its strategic value for reaching the Project’s objectives;
• Assess the choice of issues/topics identified in each country and their strategic value for addressing displacement from a local and a regional perspective.

2) Analyse, for the period 2010-2011, the extent to which the Project has reached the objectives set out in the programme documents: • Examine the extent to which the Project offers innovative ways of operationalising the norms and protocols contained in national/international legal frameworks, by looking specifically at the following activities: • Research/analysis
• Advocacy • Networking/information-exchange • Sensitisation/ /Mediation/Dialogue

3) Examine the quality and efficiency of the support given by the Project team to the different CSO partners: • Availability to discuss needs and working goals with partners • Timeliness of the response given to partner proposals • Extent to which the technical support offered served to reach the agreed goals

4) Analyse the efforts made to develop the cross-border/regional dimension of the Project; • Links between partners • Links with international/regional institutions

5) Examine the link between activities and outputs in quarterly and annual reports and assess the extent to which the logframe needs to be adapted to better reflect the new vision, activities and methodology of the Project.

6) Assess the effects/outputs of the Project for the period 2010-2011: • Document the effects/outputs generated as a direct result of the Project’s activities in terms of process:
a. Project partners’ capacities to document and analyse displacement b. Project partners’ knowledge of the legal/political frameworks governing displacement c. Project partners’ capacities to formulate clear goals and translate them into workable operational plans • Document the effects/outputs generated as a direct result of the Project’s activities in terms of outcome:
a. concrete policy changes at the local, national and/or regional level as a direct result of the partners’ activities

7) Make recommendations for improving the implementation of the project for the period 2012 and beyond.

TIME-FRAME AND LOCATION The review will take place throughout the month of February 2012 over a period of approximately 17 days. The consultant/evaluator will work alongside DRC’s Great Lakes Civil Society Project team in Nairobi, but is also expected to consult a sample of the Project’s partners in Kenya, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo. The partners consulted should be implementing projects in the framework of the programme since at least mid-2010.

Subject to change according to the methodology and approach selected, a tentative time plan may be: • 2 days’ preparation: reading programme documents and meeting DRC’s Great Lakes team; • 3 days in Nairobi for interviews with DRC team and Kenya partner • 5 days in Bujumbura for interviews with DRCongo and Burundi partners • 2 days for debrief and presentation of pre-final report in Nairobi • 5 days for report-writing

The final report has to be delivered by 15 March 2012.

TARGET AUDIENCE • DRC Great Lakes and Senior Management Nairobi • DRC Africa and heads of desk in Copenhagen • SIDA • Partners in the five countries of implementation

EXPECTED OUTPUTS • A draft report, not exceeding 20 pages, reflecting all major findings and conclusions to be shared with DRC Great Lakes for review and feedback • A final report reflecting comments and feedback, including an executive summary.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED Strong background in civil society capacity-building, conflict analysis, policy and advocacy on forced migration, and project monitoring/evaluation. The consultant must be able to communicate in both French and English. The final report is to be submitted in English. Experience in the Great Lakes region is preferable.

FURTHER INFORMATION You are welcome to contact DRC’s Great Lakes Programme Manager, Ms. Alexandra Bilak, by email at the following address: gl-pm.hoa@drc.dk for further information or questions.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

COMMITMENTS DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html).

How to apply:

APPLICATION PROCESS Interested candidates are to submit the following documents:

• CV • 3-page outline of the envisaged approach to perform the evaluation according to the ToR • Detailed budget in EUR or USD including consulting fees, travel, per diem, and other relevant costs.

Please forward the application and CV in English to DRC’s Great Lakes Programme Manager, email: gl-pm.hoa@drc.dk and marked “Mid-Term Review of SIDA-funded Great Lakes Civil Society Project”, no later than 12. February 2012.