Kenya: Consultancy for Mid-term Review GLP

Terms of Reference for the Mid-term Review Of SIDA funded Great Lakes Civil Society Project (GLP)

Background

The Great Lakes Civil Society Project (GLP) is a regional programme implemented since January 2010 by the Danish Refugee Council with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency. The first phase of the GLP was implemented between January 2010 and April 2013, while the second phase started in May 2013.

The GLP 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 GLP’s vision is for civil society to hold governments accountable to the commitments made for protecting displaced persons in their countries, 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 proposal and logical framework for Phase II outline the programme’s overall objectives as follows:

Local conflict resulting from and contributing to displacement in target areas of the Great Lakes is prevented and/or resolved through participatory processes defined and implemented at the local level.National and regional policies on displacement and conflict in the Great Lakes region are developed and/or improved to respond to locally-identified needs.The capacities of civil society actors to play a strategic role in policy formulation on displacement and conflict are reinforced.

Considering the GLP’s scope, DRC is actively looking for an additional 3 years phase to its present funding (planned to end April 2016). The mid-term review must be conducted bearing in mind the possibility of the additional phase.

Objectives of the mid-term Review

Purpose:

The purpose of the mid-term review is to guide GLP implementation improvements by assessing the likelihood of its strategies, systems and activities producing the expected results.

Specific objectives:

More specifically, the review is expected to:

Assess the impact of the GLP so far and gaps to be filled.Assess the relevance, appropriateness and foundations of the GLP. The consultant will have to analyse the programme documents but also the context and legal frameworks in the countries of operationAssess the quality (appropriateness, availability and timeliness) and effectiveness of the support given to the CSO partners to improve their performances for the protection of displaced people. The consultant will particularly look at the partners’ capacity to conduct research, identify strategic issues, design and conduct advocacy intervention and develop cross-border collaboration. The consultant will assess the progress in the partners’ capacity since the beginning of their collaboration with DRC.Assess SIDA’s current interest and commitment to the programme.Formulate recommendations on how to make the programme more relevant and more efficient.

Methodology

While the consultant is expected and encouraged to propose a most suitable and appropriate methodology for carrying out the review s/he is expected to among others:

Review all relevant documents (programme documents, previous evaluations, partners reports, legal frameworks, donor reports, context analysis)Participate in a 2-day strategic workshop with the partners in Nairobi. The objective of the workshop will be to reflect on the impact of the GLP so far and establish a strategy for the future of the programmeConduct in-depth Interviews with four GLP partners, taking advantage of their presence while attending the 2-day strategic workshop in Nairobi in October 2014Conduct interview with the GLP team and other relevant DRC staffConduct a phone/Skype interview with SIDA in Addis Ababa. The consultant will also conduct an in-depth analyses on SIDA’s strategic interests through a literature review on key SIDA documentsPresent the key review findings to GLP/DRC staff in a briefing session in order to receive feedback on the report. Feedback from the review session will need to be incorporated into the final review report.

Expected outputs

An inception report detailing the consultant’s proposed methodology for conducting the review. This will be discussed, agreed and approved with the GLP Program Manager prior to commencement of the review.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 (two hard copies and one soft copy in Ms-Word format) reflecting comments and feedback, including an executive summary. All Annexes in the soft copy of the report need to be included in the main report and as separate documents clearly named.Raw and analysed data including audio-visual materials where necessary.

Target audience for the report

DRC Great Lakes team and Senior Management in NairobiDRC Africa and heads of desk in CopenhagenSIDAPartners in the five countries of implementation

Time-frame and location

The mid-term review will take place in October 2014

The consultant will work alongside DRC’s GLP team in Nairobi, and is also expected to consult a sample of four Project’s partners: in Kenya, in Burundi, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2 partners). The consultant will also talk SIDA's representatives in Addis Ababa.

The mission level of efforts and work schedule may be:

1 day of developing an Inception Report to be discussed, agreed and approved by the GLP Programme Manager2 days preparation: reading programme documents and meeting DRC’s Great Lakes team2 days participation to a partners workshop in Nairobi on October 14-15, 20145 days in Nairobi for interviews with DRC team and partners and context/legal analysis5 days for report-writing

Qualifications

Advanced degree in Development Studies, Social sciences or other relevant field.Demonstrable experience in leading evaluations of humanitarian programmes;Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations and to prepare well-written reports in a timely manner;Demonstrated experience in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis techniques;Experience, knowledge and clear understanding of civil-society programming;Good interpersonal skills and understanding cultural sensitivities;Readiness to travel to Burundi and DRCongo if necessary.

Assessment and award of consultancy

DRC will evaluate the proposals and award the assignment based on technical and financial feasibility. DRC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal received without giving reasons and is not bound to accept the lowest or the highest bidder. Only those shortlisted will be contacted.Any subcontracting of the consultancy will not be accepted.

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

About DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more than twenty five countries throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.
The protection and assistance to conflict affected population is provided within a long-term, regional and rights-based approach in order to constitute a coherent and effective response to the challenges posed by today’s conflicts. Assistance consists of relief and other humanitarian aid, rehabilitation, support to return and repatriation as well as promotion of long-term solutions to displacement and its causes. In addition, support and capacity building of local and national authorities and NGOs form an integral part of DRC’s work.

Application process

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit their proposals in English including the following components:

CV (s) with details of qualifications, experience, telephone number and names of three referees (preferably those having worked for in similar assignments;Technical proposal that summarizes your understanding of the ToR and the proposed methodology, including the foreseen work plan for the days; andFinancial proposal providing cost estimates of daily consultancy fees in US dollars ($). Daily consulting rate is negotiable, although will be commensurate to DRC consultancy terms and standards.

Interested parties should forward the expression of interest, in English through the online application onhttp://www.drc.dk/ under vacancies no later than 25 September, 2014.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contactjob@drc.dk