Evaluation of Project (ENHANCED SAFE WATER SUPPLY AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION BASED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

DACAAR is looking for an experienced evaluator to undertaken a final evaluation of the Royal Norwegian Embassy funded project entitled "Enhanced Safe Water Supply and Natural Resources Management Based Rural Development in Northern Afghanistan". The evaluation will include an assessment of results achieved and outputs delivered, and will draw lessons learned and make recommendations for similar interventions in the future.

Introduction to the organization

DACAAR is an apolitical, non-governmental, non-profit development organisation that has been working to improve the lives of the Afghan people since 1984. DACAAR works in rural areas and aims at improving rural livelihoods through sustainable activities that engage Afghan communities to be agents of their own development process. DACAAR has a main office in Kabul, with a liaison office in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Since 1984, DACAAR’s activities inside Afghanistan have expanded and are now implemented, with an integrated approach, through four thematic areas namely; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Natural Resource Management (NRM), Women’s Empowerment (WE), and Small Scale Enterprise Development (SSED). In addition to this, DACAAR is an implementing partner in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). Over eight million Afghans across 28 of Af¬ghanistan’s 34 provinces have benefited from DACAAR’s humanitarian and development activities since 1984. DACAAR’s interventions primarily target vulnerable groups such as returnees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities with a special focus on the most vulnerable such as disabled-headed and female-headed households. DACAAR uses a participatory approach to implementing projects thereby ensuring local ownership and sustainability.

1. Introduction to the project

The project which started on 1st April 2010 will be completed on 30 June 2013, is the second phase of an intervention which started in March 2007. Funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the project has been implemented in Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Badakhshan provinces.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to sustainable development in the target areas through enhancing the capacities of the target communities to ensure food security of households as well as through addressing the basic needs for safe drinking water and sanitation. According to the specific objectives and the scheduled activities, the project consists of two main components: Rural Development and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH).

The specific objectives of the project are the following:

1. Household vulnerability in Faryab and Sar-e-Pul provinces is reduced through economic activities and the preservation of the natural capital;
2. Enhanced capacity to successfully manage strategic changes in the Rural WatSan sector in the target areas;
3. Rural communities have access to clean water (at community and household level), hygienic sanitation conditions and improved health practices.

Target beneficiaries have been selected based on the DACAAR methodology and include poor households, farmers, livestock owners, and specific marginalised target group such as women. The project activities are mainstreamed with such cross-cutting issues like gender, environmental sustainability and good governance.

1.1 Specific outputs of the project

Outputs of Rural Development component: • Output 1: Farmer-income is diversified through the introduction of agricultural practices restoring depleted natural resources • Output 2: Increased knowledge of communities about efficient use of water for agricultural production in irrigated areas • Output 3: Vulnerability of women to socio-economic risks/stresses is reduced • Output 4: Rural institutions supported to improve natural resource management and group commercialization of product • Output 5: Government institutions and their officials enabled to provide governance and service delivery to the rural population

Outputs of water and sanitation component: • Output 1: Capacity building programme to improve technical and management skills of the Government, NGOs and private sector staff developed and implemented • Output 2: Groundwater monitoring to support policy change and government implementation for sustainable use of groundwater assessed • Output 3: Government assisted in establishing a national water quality monitoring programme • Output 4: Rural water supply facilities constructed or reactivated • Output 5: Sanitation facilities constructed and hygiene education messages disseminated • Output 6: Operation and maintenance system for water points extended • Output 7: New and appropriate water and sanitation technologies tested, documented and results disseminated • Output 8: WSP database on DACAAR water points updated

1. The Evaluation

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of the evaluation is to establish the extent to which the project has achieved planned objectives and delivered expected outputs, and additionally draw lessons for similar interventions in the future. It should in particular help DACAAR strengthen its approaches in implementing the envisaged follow-on project to ensure maximum achievement of results.

2.2 Scope

This evaluation will include three provinces of Faryab, Badakhshan and Sar-e-Pul with a particular focus on specific project results as identified in project documents. In doing so, the evaluation will consider the following five criteria:

• Relevance: The extent to which the objectives of the project are consistent with beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs, and donors policies. • Efficiency: A measure of how economically resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time etc.) have been converted to results. • Effectiveness: The extent to which the project objectives have been achieved, and/or expected to be achieved. • Impact: Positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects produced by the project, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. • Sustainability: The likely continuation of benefits from the project after completion.

This evaluation should also consider:

• Reviewing and assessing the replication potential of the project implementation strategies and processes in future similar projects. • Assessing the cross-cutting issues of the project (gender, environmental sustainability and good governance). • Reviewing how efficiently the programme performance and results were monitored? Has the information collected from the field been regularly analysed to feed into management decisions? • Drawing good practices, lessons learned and strategic recommendations for further improvement of the potential follow-on project as well as other similar projects in the future.

2.3 Suggested methodologies

Phase I (5 working days): Inception phase: will include desk review of project and other related documents, interviews with key staff in DACAAR Main Office and drafting and presentation of an inception report setting the stage for how the evaluation will be completed.

Phase II (14 working days): Field visits to Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Badakhshan provinces (subject to security clearance), interviews with key informants, focused group discussions, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, etc.

Phase III (7 working days): Writing of evaluation report, presentation of the evaluation findings and lessons learned and recommendations.

Note: A detailed plan including an information package and list of staff and key informants for interviews will be provided to the evaluation team upon signing of the contract.

1. Expected outputs:

• An inception report and presentation to the senior management team in Kabul detailing how the evaluation will be undertaken. • A draft final report detailing findings of the evaluation regarding results achieved and outputs delivered; lessons learned and recommendations for review by Senior Management Team and key programme staff in Kabul • A presentation of the draft report to the Senior Management and Programme team in Kabul • Final Evaluation Report (in soft copy) in line with "Format and guidelines for evaluation reports" available at DACAAR.

1. Team and qualifications: The evaluation team will consist of a team leader and possibly a team member who will have: • At least 10 years of experience in the thematic areas of WASH and livelihoods in a development context, • At least five years of experience and demonstrated skills in the evaluation of development projects, • Excellent report writing skills (English), demonstrated by previous reports, • Experience, knowledge and clear understanding of the Afghanistan development context, • Readiness to travel within Afghanistan (Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Badakhshan provinces)
2. Expected duration and timeframe The assignment is expected to be completed within an estimated 26 working days over a period of two months starting from 1st April to 30th May 2013.
3. Budget All costs associated with travel to the provinces as well as accommodation, food, local transportation and other logistical costs while in the field will be covered fully by DACAAR in line with the organisation's policies. The budget which may not exceed USD 23,000 should include consultancy fees, air travel expenses to the country (economy class) if applicable, insurance for the team and other necessary costs. Taxes will be levied on the contract in line with the Tax Laws of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
4. Proposals The proposal must contain: a) a motivation letter, b) a technical proposal detailing approach and methodology they intend to use for the evaluation, c) a budget, d) CVs of the evaluation team.

References for previous similar work completed and sample report from an evaluation previously carried out by the team will be requested at a later stage.

How to apply:

1. Submission procedures Interested freelance consultants, consultancy firms, NGOs should submit their applications by email to jobs@dacaar.org no later than Saturday 2nd March 2013.

For questions and clarifications, please contact Irshad Alamyar, Head of Fundraising and Communications Department at irshad@dacaar.org. Applications sent directly to this address will not be entertained.