Consultancy: Endline Study and End of Project Evaluation

Background

The Combatting Modern Slavery Project is a 3-year Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) funded multi-country initiative being implemented simultaneously in Ethiopia and Ghana (with an advocacy and coordination team based in the ActionAid International Secretariat) between December 2020 and December 2023. The total grant amount is NOK 41, 381,512. The project’s overall aim is to contribute to a decrease in the scale and prevalence of modern slavery by working towards 3 common objectives:

1. Governments implement measures to prevent, identify and address modern slavery, and to protect and monitor vulnerable groups and victims of modern slavery.
2. Businesses have implemented anti-modern slavery measures to prevent, identify and tackle the use of human trafficking and forced labour, including the worst forms of child labour, in their own operations and supply chains.
3. Vulnerable individuals and groups are more capable of resisting and seeking redress on their recruitment into modern slavery.

The most recent ILO report suggests that modern slavery is on the increase, with an estimated 50 million people worldwide living in various forms of modern slavery including forced labour and marriage. In addition to being illegal, modern slavery is also highly profitable; in 2017 the ILO estimated that forced labour in the private sector was generating around US$150 bn per year.

In Ghana, (where the latest estimated prevalence of modern slavery is 91,000[1]) the project is working in four regions, 12 districts and 100 communities across the country, with a particular focus on the agribusiness sector, whilst in Ethiopia (where the latest estimated prevalence of modern slavery is 727,000[2]) the project is working in four districts of (Kutaber, Harbu, Soro and Hosana) in Addis Ababa, the Amhara region and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), with a focus on domestic work and the service sector in the agricultural value chain, industrial and service sectors. Both countries are working to prevent the different forms of modern slavery including human trafficking, forced labour and the worst forms of child labour. Given their comparative vulnerability to the various forms of modern slavery, the project’s efforts primarily target women and children. The project is implemented in collaboration with other strategic partners at both national and global level in line with ActionAid’s building of movements of solidarity approach majorly through campaigns and advocacy.

Rationale

ActionAid is currently looking for a consultant or team of consultants to support the coordination and technical quality assurance of two separate but complementary multi-country end-of-project evaluation components, notably:

Endline Study: This mixed-methods study will provide a major part of the content for the final donor report, the End of Project Evaluation (see below) as well as valuable content for internal learning and reflection. The Endline Study is expected to mirror the Baseline Study to the extent possible (context and resources allowing) in terms of research frameworks, methodology and tools (making improvements where required) with the aim of assessing the extent to which the three project objectives have been achieved and whether the project has made a measurable contribution to ensuring: “a decrease in the scale and prevalence of modern slavery in Ethiopia and Ghana.” It will serve to collect data against key indicators in the project Results Framework to assess measurable changes and impact, intended or unintended, that have occurred as a result of the project’s interventions. Ideally it will also generate data for a series of “Impact Stories.”

End of Project Evaluation: We anticipate that the ‘light-touch’ independent End of Project Evaluation will provide an overview of the project’s performance both in terms of management and implementation and results. This evaluation process is expected to dove-tail with and draw on findings from the Endline Study as well as project financial and narrative reports and other relevant sources of primary and secondary information to provide an external perspective on the extent to which plans have been achieved using key review questions formulated using the OECD DAC criteria.

Timeframe

Ideally, the work on this component of the project should start as soon as possible in September 2023, Work will then continue throughout the remaining part of 2023 with a view to final completion of all products by December 2023.

[1] https://cdn.walkfree.org/content/uploads/2023/05/17114737/Global-Slavery-Index-2023.pdf

[2] https://cdn.walkfree.org/content/uploads/2023/05/17114737/Global-Slavery-Index-2023.pdf