Final Evaluation Scope of Work
Contents:
- Summary
- Organization Overview
- Project Background
- Evaluation Overview
- Evaluation Implementation
- Application Guidelines
- Budget Guidelines
- Contact Information
Summary
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) is seeking qualified applicants to conduct a final evaluation for its project, Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) in Moldova. The final evaluation needs to be completed by January 15, 2024.
GLCAP Organization Overview
GLCAP implements a variety of domestic and international programs. Many of our international programs are focused on civil society and empowering individuals to have a voice in their communities and governments and to help build sustainable democratic institutions that respect the rights of all citizens. Other programming is focused on leadership development (especially for women and youth) and sustainable community development strategies. GLCAPs’ mission is to create partnerships and opportunities that help individuals, families and communities thrive.
Since November 2019, GLCAP has been implementing a program in Moldova addressing the lack of civic engagement by youth in rural communities, and the lack of youth policies that encourage participation and aim to keep youth in their local communities. Our goal was to increase the number of empowered Moldovan youth who would act as agents of positive social change within their communities and actively participate in non-partisan civic activities.
We designed our program is designed to build capacity on three levels:
- Working through local NGOs that currently serve youth, build the capacity of these organizations to develop new models of serving youth aged 18-30;
- Build the capacity of youth aged 18-30 through leadership and other trainings so these groups can become more involved in civil society, specifically as it relates to youth policies; and
- Build the capacity of local public authorities to better engage young people and implement policies to better serve youth aged 18-30.
Project Background
Beginning in 2019, GLCAP and its Moldovan partner, Institute for Rural Initiatives, worked youth from 30 different rural communities throughout the country to increase the knowledge of youth to facilitate greater civic engagement. Specific objectives of the proposal were to:
1/ Increase the knowledge of 300 youth leaders from rural Moldova on basic principles of democratic participation, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, civic engagement, and minority protection laws.
2/ Build the capacity of local governments from 30 rural communities to create participatory mechanisms that enhance youth participation in the decision-making and governance process and facilitate the implementation of national youth policies at the local level.
3/ Create opportunities for 300 youth to participate in local initiatives by providing concrete tools they can use to engage more fully with their local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
To implement the program, through a competitive process we chose 15 local NGOs that worked on youth programs, asking them to select two communities each in their regions and to provide leadership training and develop youth initiative groups with the support of the local public authorities.
In 2021, DRL funded a cost extension of the program based on continuation of the existing model, with an added component of providing capacity-building assistance to the selected local NGOs and local public authorities and the addition of training for the youth on design thinking, followed by a youth hackathon that addressed a particular problem or opportunity for better serving youth in rural areas. The cost extension program also contained a component for providing a YouthAct online clinic for communities or youth that had not participated in the project to receive some training and technical assistance. The entire project (original project plus the cost extension) is the subject of this evaluation.
Additional information on all of the proposed activities of the original grant and the cost extension, logic models and monitoring and evaluation data can be obtained through the project contact listed at the end of this document.
Evaluation Overview
The primary users of the evaluation report will be GLCAP staff, who will use the findings and recommendations to determine which strategies have been successful and should be applied in future programs. The report will also be shared with the donor agency, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), and with the partner organization, Institute for Rural Initiatives in Moldova.
GLCAP is primarily concerned with assessing outcomes of the project. The evaluator should (1) assess how well GLCAP and its partner IRI implemented the program relative to its goals and objectives, as outlined in the grant agreement, and (2) measure the program’s results and impact, including our progress in reaching the targets for our outputs and outcomes. Based on the results of the findings, the evaluator also should offer lessons learned and recommendations for future programmatic activities.
The list of evaluation questions includes:
- How well was the project able to achieve its objectives by the end of the project?
- How well have program participants been able to transfer program knowledge and skills to their daily professional or public activities?
- In which areas did the project make the greatest achievements? Why and what were the supporting factors?
- In what areas did the project have the fewest achievements? What were the constraining factors and why? How can these be overcome?
- What lessons can be learnt from the experience of the project?
- How did the operating environment in country and the pandemic affect project outcomes and ability to achieve proposed objectives?
- Considering the current operating environment, is this the type of project that should be funded in the near future?
The methods proposed by the evaluator will be reviewed and approved by GLCAP’s evaluation manager. The primary data should involve mixed methods, and ideally include a desk review of the grant agreement, grant proposal, quarterly reports, and other relevant grant documents. The evaluator may also interview staff from GLCAP, its local partner, Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi), and other key stakeholders. Additional sources of data may come from focus group discussions with training participants, key informant interviews, and – if time and budget allows – a mini survey of members of the public where activities occurred.
Evaluation Implementation
The evaluation should take place in November-January, with the final deliverables due and contract concluding by January 31, 2024.
Deliverables include:
- Evaluation preparation (including finalizing the evaluation design and work plan, performing the initial desk review of project materials, and creating and testing data collection instruments);
- In-country data collection; and
- Data analysis and synthesis (including transcription, data aggregation, writing a draft report, presenting findings to GLCAP by phone, and incorporating feedback from GLCAP staff and partners into a final report).
GLCAP and Institute for Rural Initiatives staff will provide logistical and technical support as needed throughout the evaluation process. The evaluation manager will provide guidance during the evaluation preparation and reporting phases, and project staff will be available to compile project documents, coordinate travel and lodging, identify and/or serve as translators, provide administrative support, and assist with scheduling meetings in the field (if desired).
The final deliverables for this evaluation will include:
- An evaluation design and work plan (due to GLCAP’s evaluation manager for approval within the first 15 working days);
- One oral presentation of findings by phone or Zoom with relevant GLCAP staff (before submitting the draft report);
- A draft report detailing key findings, supporting evidence, and pragmatic recommendations (due to GLCAP’s evaluation manager for feedback by January 7, 2024; and
- A final report incorporating all relevant feedback from GLCAP (and its partner) and including an executive summary to be distributed with additional stakeholders (due by January 28, 2024).
Application Guidelines
Interested applicants must provide all materials outlined below to the evaluation manager with the contact information provided at the end of this document by 5:00 pm EST November 10, 2023. A final decision will be made by COB on November 14, 2023.
The selected consultant should have demonstrated expertise in results-based project evaluation and familiarity with community organizing and grassroots programming. Local language skills looked upon favorably but not required. Additional information about desired qualifications is listed below:
- Multidisciplinary individual with knowledge of and expertise in grassroots programming;
- Minimum 5 years of experience in designing, overseeing, implementing and evaluating community-based programs;
- Experience with qualitative and quantitative M&E data collection and analysis methods;
- Excellent inter-cultural communication skills/cultural sensitivity and the ability to forge strong cross-cultural relationships and build trust demonstrated through previous intercultural experience;
- Strong facilitation, presentation, and communication skills;
- Strong ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing; and
- Team player with the ability to closely collaborate with GLCAP staff, local partners, and stakeholders.
Interested applicants should provide a current CV and a 2-3 page statement of interest and abridged proposal. These materials should clearly outline the candidate’s key skills and experience that are relevant to this evaluation, as well as any key standards or principles that inform his or her work. For the proposal, please include a concise description of the desired evaluation approach. Please also provide a short cost justification – including your salary history and/or daily rate for your last 3 consultancies – and the names and contact information for 2 recent references.
Budget Guidelines
The projected budget for this evaluation is approximately $12,000 USD. This figure includes all costs relevant to the evaluation, including the consultant’s daily rate, M&IE, travel, per diems, etc. Please note that payment in full will not be made until all project deliverables have been received and verified as meeting GLCAP expectations.
Cost-saving will be a consideration in the review process.
Contact Information
Please refer any questions and submit all application materials to the evaluation manager listed below before 5:00 pm EST November 9, 2023. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Point of contact:
Debra Martin
+1 419-554-9540
