Consultancy Service (RFP/JOR/AMM/2022/010 Evaluation of “Reinforcing self-reliance and resilience in displacement affected communities in Jordan”

Who we are?

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956 and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced. Since 2013, DRC Jordan has responded to massive displacement from Syria through the provision of protection and livelihoods activities in camp, urban and rural settings in eight governorates across the Kingdom. Recognizing the profound impact that displacement has on communities, DRC provides services that promote the rights of both vulnerable host communities and refugees.

The Project

Since September 2020, DRC has implemented the project entitled “Reinforcing self-reliance and resilience in displacement affected communities in Jordan” with the support of the United Stated Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM) in the governorates Karak, Ma’an, East Amman, and Mafraq. The project is implemented in partnership with a number of local partners, including both national non-governmental organizations (NNGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs). Guided by the overall objective of Enhanced recovery capacities and resilience of displacement-affected communities in Jordan through integrated protection and livelihoods assistance, local partnerships and evidence-based advocacy, the intervention focuses on three key outcomes and activities:

Objective 1: Strengthen the capacity of refugees and vulnerable host community members to respond to immediate and longer-term protection related challenges. Activities under this objective will include:

● Case management and cash for protection for general protection cases (DRC and partner CBOs; target of 1615)

● Structured psychosocial support to groups and individuals (DRC and partner CBOs; target 4360 for groups and 420 for individuals)

● Comprehensive legal aid, including awareness, counselling, and dispute resolution services (DRC and the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development; target 2690)

● Prevention and awareness activities for gender based violence (Institute for Family Health, IFH; target 1380)

Objective 2: Develop refugees and vulnerable host community members’ capacities for self-reliance to reduce displacement-related socioeconomic vulnerabilities. This objective will be achieved through the following activities:

· Individual livelihood counselling

· Livelihoods technical and vocational trainings

· Financial literacy, business development and business advancement trainings

· Livelihood support grants and business support groups

· Savings groups

Objective 3: Empower and develop civil society capacity to continue high quality programs in protection and livelihoods. This objective will be achieved through the following activities:

· Technical oversight, mentoring and coaching to CBOs

· Provision of protection services by CBO partners

2. EVALUATION OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the endline evaluation is to produce an independent and systematic evaluation of the relevance/appropriateness, effectiveness, connectedness, and coherence in line with the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria of DRC’s progress towards Objective 1 and 3. Specific consideration in the evaluation should be given to an assessment relevance of current activities and methods as well as coordination and coherence with project partners. The endline evaluation will also seek to identify unintended negative and positive effects of the project, identify lessons learned, capture best practices, and generate evidence-based knowledge to further improve and refine the implementation of similar activities. It is designed to complement DRC’s internally-led monitoring and evaluation activities in order to develop a more holistic picture of the intervention’s strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation will provide specific recommendations aimed towards adjustment in project approaches according to contextual needs.

3. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

Thematic scope: The evaluation should encompass key project activities elivered under Objectives 1 and 3 as outlined in Section 1.2.

Geographic coverage: The evaluation should aim to include data collection in target locations of both DRC and the three community based organizations and one national partner who work together with DRC in the protection sector

Target groups: Syrians and Jordanians served through project staff, as well as DRC and partner staff

4. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND KEY QUESTIONS

The following evaluation criteria have been developed according to key dimensions of the project evaluation. These key questions are generalized but will be fine-tuned and made more specific in reference to the individual activities in consultation with DRC and the external evaluator. A specific focus of the evaluation should be placed on the provision of support to CBOs and partners, the relevance of legal awareness, PSS activities and specific manuals implemented, and the targeting of case management and cash for protection support.

● How has the project met the demands and needs of the targeted population (taking into consideration different types of impairments, vulnerability and sex)? Did the project sufficiently adapt to the evolving needs, risks, constraints, and opportunities?

● How relevant and effective were group and individual PSS activities in for target groups? How, if at all, should group PSS manuals be adapted to ensure continued impact and appropriateness?

● How relevant and effective were selected legal awareness sessions to the target group?

● How relevant and appropriate was the self-reliance objective of the project?

● How did the inclusion of legal counselling / alternative dispute resolution on CM/CFP cases increase positive outcomes?

● What outcomes on protection needs and mental health are produced by DRC and partner case management? How, if at all, does the inclusion of legal counselling/alternative dispute resolution on CM/CfP cases increase positive outcomes?

● What unintended, positive or negative impacts to the beneficiaries or their community resulted from the project, particularly in relation to its gender-based violence prevention programming for adolescents?

● How effective was DRC’s support to partners in enhancing localization efforts in line with its partnership strategy, e.g. through effective coordination, enhancing technical capacity for higher quality programming, and enhancing skills and knowledge for better project management on an organizational level?

● To what extent were partners capacitated by DRC to provide high quality services in line with international standards and DRC Jordan’s country level SOPs?