Final Evaluation of DIPECHO Project “Promoting and Strengthening Disaster Resilient Communities and Institutions in Afghanistan

Combined Terms of Reference For Final Evaluation of DIPECHO Project “Promoting and Strengthening Disaster Resilient Communities and Institutions in Afghanistan through Preparedness, Risk Reduction and Building Response Capacity” And Research Report on Community Based Disaster Risk Management in Afghanistan

1. Background
   1.1 The Context Afghanistan is prone to a multitude of hazards both natural and human-made. The predominant natural hazards causing colossal damage and disruption in the country are earthquakes, landslides, snow avalanches, drought, and floods. Since the early 1980s, an estimated 19,000 people have been killed and 7.5 million displaced. 9 major earthquakes have killed 1,223 since 2000. Between the years 1980-2008, 6,427,631 persons were affected by disasters (flood 52% & earthquake 24%) both are the major contributing disasters affecting the lives & livelihoods of people. The current drought situation in the country has affected thousands of families in Afghanistan. Additionally, the prolonged conflict, high level of poverty, lack of livelihood and income generating options, poor state of infra- structure and very limited knowledge of likely hazards and risks, all contribute to increasing vulnerability of Afghan people in relation to natural hazards.

Like many countries in the region, DRR is emerging as a high priority to Afghan government, which is evident from adoption of disaster management legal framework, establishment of Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), and National Disaster Management Committee. ANDMA is the principal institute at the national level with the mandate to coordinate and manage all the aspects related to disasters mitigation, preparedness and response through its national and provincial offices.

1.2 The Organisation Afghanaid is an international NGO (www.afghanaid.org.uk) specializing in Afghanistan since 1981. Afghanaid has been assisting and facilitating people-driven processes of recovery and development to address rights, entitlements and needs of Afghans in some of the most remote areas of the country. Afghanaid’s Board of Trustees is based in the UK, together with its registered office. The Head Office is located in Kabul. Afghanaid works in four provinces; Badakhshan, Samangan, Ghor, Nuristan, and through implementing partners in Ghazni, Uruzgan, and Kandahar. Afghanaid has 18 district offices and 4 provincial offices which are well resourced with experienced and skilled Afghan women and men staff, with management support and technical guidance provided by a roving team of senior national and international managers. Afghanaid has over 400 staff members, 97% of them are Afghans.

Afghanaid is mandated to facilitate and support Afghan women, men, and children in their fight against poverty, inequality and vulnerability through a range of interventions, most supporting grass-roots and local level capacity development, facilitating local development processes, and institution building. Evidence of change from Afghanaid’s programme is used in policy and advocacy forums at national level. The impact of Afghanaid’s work has earned it recognition, and respect among stakeholders within and outside the country. Afghanaid’s sectoral work includes Food Security; Agriculture and Livelihoods; Economic Development (Rural Savings & Financing, Market Access and Rural Enterprise); Community Physical Infrastructure; Water & Sanitation; Social Sector Development (Local Governance, Community Development, Education) and Humanitarian Response. All sectoral work is supported by cross cutting themes of gender equality and disaster risk reduction (DRR).

1.3 The Project Afghanaid in partnership with European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) implemented a disaster risk reduction project in Badakhshan between April 15th 2011 to December 30th 2012.

Principal objective of action: To support communities, local institutions and schools to build their resilience to disasters.

Specific objectives of action: To enhance capacity of the vulnerable communities, Community Development Councils (CDCs), District Development Assembly (DDAs) and educational institutions to mitigate and respond adequately to local disasters and hazards.

There are four results of this action mentioned below: Result 1: The CDCs, DDAs and DRR team, have enhanced their knowledge and skills on CBDRM and integrated DRR in the Community Development Plans (CDPs) Result 2: Target communities will develop and implement CBDRM actions Result 3: Increased awareness, skills and knowledge of students, teachers, and parents on local disasters and hazards with school contingency and preparedness plans in place Result 4: Increased knowledge sharing enables a greater impact in risk reduction and strengthens a culture of safety in the project areas

1. The Consultancy Assignment The consultancy assignment is comprised of two pieces of work: 1) The Final Evaluation report of the DIPECHO Project, and 2) A Research Report on Community Based Disaster Risk Management in Afghanistan. Details on each piece of work are outlined in the sections below.

2.1 Purpose and Scope of Final Evaluation As per agreement with European Commission and in line with Afghanaid’s own policy to promote accountability and learning, the Final Evaluation has been planned to review the project performance and achievement of its objectives and to inform future programming. This will enable DG ECHO and the commissioning organisation (Afghanaid) to know whether good practice in development programming was followed. The scope of the Final Evaluation includes:

i) Performance (quantitative and qualitative) against the project’s specific objectives and deliverables at activity/output and outcome/impact level approved in the project documents (primarily the proposal, LFA and work plan)

ii) Identification and analysis of what worked, what did not work, and why

iii) Recommendations for future project planning. The Final Evaluation will assess/determine the following through measurable evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) and analysis:

a. The technical soundness as well as relevance and appropriateness of interventions to the context and the needs of the population including how work plans and LFA were adapted during the life of the project. b. The efficiency of the relationship between project costs and results c. The effectiveness of the programme in attaining its stated objectives d. Progress made towards the achievement of results at the outcome and output levels e. The immediate impacts resulting from the project f. The degree to which the programme has meaningfully targeted the vulnerable g. Respect for and adherence to the guidelines and regulations of EC h. The performance in terms of the planned sustainability of interventions and their outcomes i. The connectedness of this project with other similar initiatives within Afghanaid, and within the district and province where the project is implemented j. The contribution towards the integration of cross cutting issues (esp. equality and gender) k. Project’s fit with the Afghanaid’s Strategic Plan l. The project represents good value for all the monetary and non-monetary investment made in change process through this project m. A well thought out project exit strategy took place

2.1.1 Methodology related to the Final Evaluation Among the guiding principles of this consultancy assignment will be inclusiveness, listening, and respecting views and opinions of women, vulnerable families and other stakeholders on the project’s implementation and its outputs and outcomes. The selected consultant will be required to develop detailed methodology including methods and checklists that will be used in this assignment.

Proposed methodology should include but not be limited to: focus group discussions, interviews with key informants, and hazard & vulnerability assessment in the target communities. Other appropriate tools of qualitative and quantitative investigation and enquiry should be added in this list by the consultant. The findings should be compared to the baseline study to determine the impacts achieved. Crucially the sustainability of these impacts should also be evaluated.

Based on the review of the project documents (proposal, LFA, budget, progress reports, etc.) the consultant will draw up a list of stakeholders – from communities, DRR teams, CDCs, local leaders, local authorities, project staff and management, and others, who will be consulted and interviewed to develop an understanding of the operating context, and whose views and opinions will be sought on the outputs, results and outcomes achieved. Meetings will take place across the two project districts in Badakhshan as well as in Kabul. These stakeholders will be selected by the consultant through a criteria shared with the commissioning organization i.e. Afghanaid.

The following specific actions will be covered under this methodology: • Review of published and un-published literature and data from secondary sources pertaining the operating context • Review of the project documents: narrative proposal, LFA, work plan, and progress reports • Field visits and meetings with relevant stakeholders (as described above) • Discussion / meetings / workshops with the project staff • Discussions with relevant DG ECHO representatives • Debriefing meetings at district and provincial offices of Afghanaid with relevant project and provincial management and technical staff; and at Kabul level with relevant staff.

The scope of assignment must also cover any additional conditions described in the grant application as well as addendums and subsequent correspondence with Afghanaid donor i.e. European Union.

The report will include guidance on the process by which findings will be shared and discussed with all stakeholders including those who have benefited from the project and how any resulting changes in the report will be included.

2.2 Purpose and Scope of the Research Report

The purpose of the Research Report is to undertake a research study on the approaches to Community Based Disaster Risk Management that have been used in Afghanistan to determine what has worked and could and should be replicated; what has not worked and why; and suggestions on ways to improve CBDRM practices in Afghanistan. The Research Report will be used to inform future DRR and DP (Disaster Preparedness) planning, management and funding.

2.2.1 Methodology related to the Research Report

The methodology to be used in the Research Report will follow the same guidelines and principles as outlined in section 2.1.1 above. For the Research Report the consultant will be expected to widen the scope of research and interlocutors to include other provinces and NGO, state and non-state actors who are undertaking Community Based Disaster Risk Management. DG ECHO has DIPECHO partners undertaking work in 3 provinces, which should be consulted as part of this study.

3 Evaluation Timeframe and Duration The consultant will be required to complete the work over a period of 25 days. The consultant will review and adjust the table below with the specific activities in the assignment and will indicate in the proposed number of days for each activity to be discussed and agreed with Afghanaid. The consultancy expected to start in January 2012.

Activity Number of Days Review of documents (literature and data from secondary sources and project related documents) ; development and agreement with Afghanaid on methodology, detailed planning e.g. survey, formats, meetings
Field visits (visiting DRR teams, CDCs, mitigation sites, schools, briefing/debriefing Meetings/debriefings with the project teams in provincial and district offices, and meetings with local government representatives and other stakeholders
Meetings with DIPECHO partners
Briefing meetings in Kabul with Afghanaid and ECHO desk in Kabul

Travel time (actual) – international
Total

1. Deliverables In accordance with agreed standards, the consultant will prepare two pieces of work: 1) The Final Evaluation report (in English) and 2) The Research Report on CBDRM (in English). The main text of each report (excluding appendices) should not be more than 20 pages single spaced, font size 11 Arial.
2. Commissioning Manager / Reporting Line

The consultant will report directly to: Deputy Director of Humanitarian Programmes

1. Consultant Expertise and Skills • Hands on track record of at least 10 years experience in the field of Disaster Risk Management or related field and conducting analytical research studies, impact assessments, and evaluations • Experience working in Community Based Disaster Risk Management and of evaluating community based DRR projects • Proven ability to research and write quality analytical reports in English • Good knowledge and experience of conducting surveys and data analysis • Familiarity with EC requirements for assessments/evaluations • Knowledge and practical experience of financial and economic analysis and methodological tools • Sound understanding of mainstreaming DRR in development planning and implementation • Experience in developing and applying gender sensitive participatory research, particularly in the context of DRR • Understanding of evaluation and review methodologies in traditional Muslim cultural contexts • Previous work experience in Afghanistan, particularly in remote areas

How to apply:

1. Submission of Expression of Interest Consultants/Firms that meet the requirements should submit expression of interest, which should include the following:

• Cover letter including the consultant’s/firm’s suitability for the assignment and current contact information • CV, including detailed work experience, education; where more than one consultant will be involved, clearly indicating the overall lead consultant and responsible persons & include CVs • A lump sum consultancy fee for the assignment. • A workplan and provisional methodology.

Deadline to submit the expression of interest is 12th December 2012. Shortlisted consultants/firms will be requested to submit/present a detailed work plan that will include description of research and evaluation methodology & further refinements and elaboration to the terms of reference. It will be approved by Afghanaid, and will form a legal part of the agreement between Afghanaid and the consultant.

All applications clearly marked as ‘Consultant for DIPECHO-1 Assignment’ should be sent via email at:vacancies@afghanaid.org.uk