Amel Association International
Terms of Reference
Feasibility Study for projects to be co-financed by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Project name: Promote the right to education for all – investing in a community of educated, autonomous citizens in South Lebanon.
Project number: 46193
Partners: Amel Association International (Amel) and Kindernothilfe (KNH)
Anticipated Project start and end dates: 01.06.2023 to 30.04.2027
Contact person: Laetitia Abélard, Amel Association International
Study duration: 6 weeks (19.09.2022 – 31.10.2022)
1. Background of the partners
Amel Association International (Amel) is a Lebanese non-sectarian NGO created in 1979. Amel has worked through 28 centers, 6 mobile medical units, 2 education mobile units and 1 protection mobile unit for more than 41 years in the most vulnerable regions of Lebanon, from Beirut and its south Suburbs to Mount Lebanon, Bekaa and South Lebanon. Amel offers accessible and quality services for all in the following sectors: health care, protection, livelihood, food security, education and human rights promotion. Amel’s mission is to improve the quality of life of residents who are affected by repeated humanitarian crisis through health and development programs in a participatory approach and a positive spirit of humanity. As a key member of the country’s civil society, Amel aims to build a democratic and prosperous Lebanon, involving the entire resident population, regardless of religious affiliation, political beliefs, socio-economic level or nationality.
Kindernothilfe (KNH) is a children’s rights organisation based on Christian values. Since its foundation in 1959, the organisation has been committed to the recognition of children and young people in situations of poverty and marginalisation as subjects of rights. In 2020, Kindernothilfe in Germany and its branches in Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg protected and strengthened the rights of 1.9 million children and adolescents through 566 projects in 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Kindernothilfe implements awareness raising, education and advocacy projects in line with development policies. The projects contribute to the realisation of children’s rights through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Over the past ten years, Kindernothilfe has focused on promoting the Child-rights based approach (CRA) in order to change children’s lives for the better in the long term. Kindernothilfe aims to create a world in which children and young people live a dignified life and enjoy their rights without being discriminated against because of their social, economic or political status or their religious beliefs.
2. Information on the proposed development project
Project title: Promote the right to education for all – investing in a community of educated, autonomous citizens in South Lebanon.
Sector: Education sector with an integrated approach (strong linkages with Protection and Livelihood sectors) to ensure a holistic intervention.
Expected duration of the project: 47 months
Planned project site: South Lebanon region, South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh governorates (Khiam, Sour, Bazourieh**)**
Brief description of the project:
The project is not yet fully developed, but the broad outlines of its objectives, the first approaches to the expected results and the strategic activities are presented below.
The project intends to build an educated community, in which individuals become autonomous citizens with a greater self-reliance through their access to conducive platforms where they are ready and willing to learn.
The objective of the project will be met by the completion of the following outcomes:
1- High quality learning support, where learners acquire meaningful knowledge, is provided;
2- Safe spaces where learners feel protected, ready and willing to learn, are offered;
3- Learning acquirements are consolidated into transferrable skills;
4- Learners’ autonomy with their participation in the promotion of education is sustained.
The project will target the children, youth and adults living affected by the multifaceted crisis in Lebanon, living in the most vulnerable cadastres of South Lebanon. The project will specifically support 400 children enrolled in elementary public schools (aged from 6 to 15 years old) and 400 youths and adults who have been out of education for several years (Youths (15-24), Adults (25-60)). The target group will follow a gender-balanced approach (50% male, 50% female) and will include individuals from both host and refugee communities. Also, through the creation and adaptation of several methodologies and curriculum, the project will target an approximation of 2000 indirect beneficiaries (participants in other projects/programs).
3. Objectives of the feasibility study
The preparation of the feasibility study is an essential component for Kindernothilfe and Amel Association International. The partners designed a concept note based on the observed needs through the field experience and are willing to develop further the project proposal, taking into consideration the results of the study. The results of such a study should indeed help to refine the project concept, present the institutional, social, political, economic and environmental context and identify the opportunities and risks of project implementation. They will guide the conceptualisation of the whole project. The purpose of the study is therefore to examine the project objectives and its planned components and strategies in the light of the given context and available resources.
The implementation of the study should be planned in a participatory manner to allow for joint learning experiences. Possible risks and obstacles to project implementation should be identified and mitigated at an early stage. Bad investments should be avoided. The study should enable Amel and Kindernothilfe to gain in-depth knowledge about the project and to accompany and support its partner organisation in the planning and implementation of the project in the best possible way.contextual elements in order to develop the project, based on the BMZ strategies, as well as to implement and adapt the different components to better support vulnerable communities.
The following important steps should be taken into account when planning and carrying out the study:
– An analysis of the project context (political, social, structural, economic and ecological);
– An analysis of the main actors, stakeholders and managers in the planned project areas ;
– Assessment of the individuals’ needs to promote and enhance quality education;
– Clarification (and if necessary adaptation) of the project objectives with the identification of appropriate indicators for monitoring and measuring the achievement of the objectives;
– Review and, where necessary, adaptation of approaches and strategies and assess the capacity of the partners to achieve the projects’ strategies and identify areas of potential improvement of organizational capacity with a particular focus given to the Theory of Change (ToC) .
The study report should provide clear and practically feasible recommendations that will be taken into account in the subsequent planning of the project. In doing so, the overall direction and purpose of the project should not be changed. A proposed impact matrix with appropriate indicators should be presented as one of the outcomes of the study.
The verification of the feasibility of the proposed project is based on the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data, as well as other essential information that can support the subsequent conceptualisation of the project. The sustainability factors of the project are determined and the capacity of the partner organisation to implement it is presented. The approach actively involves the staff of the partner organisation as well as representatives of the target groups and stakeholders. The study thus makes an important contribution to the submission of a qualified project proposal to the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation.
4 – Methodology and Work plan
According to the BMZ- Guide to Conducting Feasibility Studies that will be shared with the consultant, it is recommended that he/she will use a mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative) based on the following aspects
– The choice of a participatory approach
– the choice and development of appropriate methods and instruments for data collection and analysis
– involvement of stakeholders and duty bearers
The preparation of the feasibility study will have a maximum duration of 6 weeks starting from the 15th of September and will be carried out in three main phases including a review of the available documents, the field data collection phase and the data analysis and report preparation. The report should be presented in a first draft which should be submitted by the 20th of October to Amel Association International, contact Laetitia Abélard, [email protected] and to Kindernothilfe contact Friederike Kowertz, [email protected].
The Guide to Conducting Feasibility Studies recommends that an analysis should be carried out which considers, among other things, the following questions:
Contextual analysis at macro, meso and micro levels:
- What are the main obstacles faced in Lebanon regarding the access to quality learning opportunities for children, youth and adults (literature review)?
- What are the main protection concerns that endanger the access to education in Lebanon (literature review)?
- What local potentials, existing structures (institutions, networks, umbrella organisations and others) and social mechanisms can be built upon? What gaps in the system have been identified?
- If so, are there approaches and results from previous development measures? If so, how will this be built upon?
- What other framework conditions, such as conflict dynamics, need to be taken into account in the context of the planned project?
- A specific focus should be adopted on the development of the different curriculum: what is already existing on the national level? Which similar initiatives can inform the creation / development of the curriculum?
Target group (at macro, meso and micro levels):
- Which current problems in the living situations of the target groups have been identified and are relevant to the project design? Which of these causes are prioritised and addressed in the project?
- What is the self-help potential of the respective target groups? How could the project strengthen local problem-solving capacities?
- What are the main income generating opportunities available in the local areas targeted by the project? How could the project contribute to support the linkages between education and livelihood opportunities on the long term?
- Do the target groups and other actors have a common understanding of the problems, prioritisation and objectives of the project? Are there convergences or conflicts of interest between some of the actors?
- How strong is the support, e.g. in the form of the different actors’ own contribution to the project? What are their possibilities to influence the project?
- A particular focus should be adopted on the inclusion of the target group in the project design and implementation: considering the above questions, how the partner can ensure the inclusion and participation of the target group at all stages of the project?
5- Criteria and steps of the analysis
The following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) criteria, also known as the OECD DAC criteria, should be considered for the feasibility study:
• Relevance: The extent to which the objectives and design of the intervention are relevant to the needs, policies and priorities of the beneficiaries, the country, the international community and the partners/agencies and remain relevant even as the context changes;
– Does the planned project approach address a developmentally important problem or a crucial development bottleneck of the partner country or project region?
– Are the focus, prioritisation and objectives (approach) of the planned project aligned with the target groups and clearly defined?
– To what extent do the intervention objectives and design adequately take into account the specific needs of the target groups and structural obstacles in the project region, partner/institution, policy programmes?
– Are norms and standards of the approach compatible with those of the target groups?
– Is the project designed in a conflict-sensitive manner (do-no-harm principle)?
• Coherence: The extent to which the intervention is consistent with other interventions within a country, sector or institution;
– How coherent are the planned activities with human rights principles (inclusion, participation), conventions and relevant standards/guidelines?
– To what extent are there synergies and links between the planned project and other interventions by the same actor (organisation) and other actors?
– To what extend is the planned intervention aligned to regional and community development plans and the needs of communities?
– What similarities or overlaps are there between the target groups and the projects of other actors in the same context? To what extent does the intervention create added value and is duplication avoided?
• Effectiveness: The extent to which the objectives and outcomes of the intervention have been, or are being, achieved, including differentiated outcomes between populations;
– Are the cause-effect relationships (including assumptions) plausible? What negative effects could occur?
– Is the chosen methodological approach appropriate to the context and sufficient to achieve the project objective*?* Are alternatives necessary?
– At which level (multi-level approach) should additional measures be envisaged to increase effectiveness?
– How are changes measured? Which indicators (fields) are better suited for this?
• Efficiency: The extent to which the intervention produces, or is likely to produce, results in a cost-effective and timely manner;
– To what extent can the planned measures be implemented with the budgeted funds and staffing levels during the planned period?
– To what extent is the planned expenditure used economically and are the investments, operating expenditure and personnel in proportion to the intended objectives and contextually/locally appropriate?
• Impact: The extent to which the net benefits of the intervention will or are likely to persist;
– What particular contribution does the project objective (outcome) make to the overall objective (impact)?
– To what extent is the planned project structure-building, model-like and broadly effective?
On which levels will norms or structures be changed?
• Sustainability: the extent to which the net benefits of the intervention will or are likely to be sustained.
– How can the sustainability of results and impacts be ensured and strengthened (structurally, economically, socially, ecologically)?
– What long-term capacities are built up in the target group to be able to continue the implemented measures on their own?
– Which positive changes (role behaviour, mechanisms, networks and others) favour civil society in the long term? A particular focus should be taken on the feasibility to certify the new methodologies by the relevant public entities;
– Which personnel risks for the implementers, institutional and contextual risks influence sustainability and how can they be minimized?
6- Deliverables
In carrying out the study, the following documents should be submitted:
- An inception report containing detailed information on methodology, sample size and selection, timing and logistics, submitted by 22nd of September;
- All data collection instruments (questionnaires, interview guides, observation sheets….). These should be agreed with KNH and Amel Association International and submitted by 30th of September;
- A draft study report to be submitted by 20th of October.
- A finalised study report in which the observations of KNH and Amel have been taken into account and integrated. The final report is due within five to ten working days after feedback from KNH and Amel.
Structure and scope of the study report
The report should not exceed 15 pages (excluding annexes) and should have the following structure
- An executive summary presenting the main results of the study and the recommendations arising from it;
- A short introduction with the essential information about the project under study;
- A presentation of the main questions of the study and the methodology used, including information on the sample;
- A presentation of the results of the study based on the analysed data;
- A presentation of the conclusions and resulting recommendations for the project. This section can be complemented by an analysis of strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities, answering the following questions:
– Which components, if any, are missing in the project concept to make it more coherent and to achieve the planned objectives in a sustainable manner?
– Which planned components are not suitable or may have negative effects, and for what reasons? How could they be adapted?
– Which findings and project-relevant data from the study are suitable for inclusion in the project logic (impact matrix of the project application)?
– What are the recommendations for possible indicators for impact monitoring and data collection?
- All necessary annexes (data collection tools, list of people consulted, etc.).
7- Requirements
Individuals and teams of experts can apply to carry out the study. They must meet the following requirements:
- Have an academic background in a field of work relevant to development (education, protection, livelihood);
- Have several years’ experience in carrying out feasibility studies, baseline studies, evaluations or other relevant studies;
- Proven expertise in the relevant areas of work of the proposed project;
- A very good knowledge of the national context;
- Experience in planning projects based on human/child rights;
- Local language skills for direct communication with target group representatives and stakeholders (Arabic, English).
8- Payment:
- 30% of the agreed fee after conclusion of the contract;
- 30% after acceptance of the first draft of the study report;
- 40% after acceptance of the final version of the report.
In justified cases, an alternative payment method may be agreed.
How to apply
Interested consultants are requested to send relevant documents electronically to the following contact address. The contact person is also available to answer questions at the e-mail address indicated: Laetitia Abélard, [email protected]
The file must include the following documents:
A letter of interest, an updated curriculum vitae and a list of references of similar assignments.
The tender must indicate the methodology envisaged, the number of working days foreseen, the daily fees with the foreseen ancillary costs as well as any applicable taxes and duties and information on the availability of the consultant(s).
The deadline for submission of tenders is 15th of September 2022.