End Term Evaluation consultant for the Circular Economy: Business from Waste for Women

Finn Church Aid (FCA) is the largest Finnish international aid organization. We operate in 13 countries, where the needs are most dire. We work with the poorest people, regardless of their religious beliefs, ethnic background or political convictions.

Our work is based on rights, which means that our operations are guided by equality, non-discrimination and responsibility.

For more information, please visit www.kua.fi

Background of the evaluation.

Finn Church Aid (FCA) is Finland’s largest international aid organization with operations in 12 countries and more than 70 years of experience. Finn Church Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance (ACT), an alliance of faith-based development and humanitarian aid organizations forming one of the world’s largest aid organizations. FCA Kenya was established in 2010 and supports three thematic areas: Right to Quality Education (R2QE), Right to Livelihood (R2L), and Right to Peace (R2P). Under the Right to Livelihood (R2L) thematic area, FCA works with the most vulnerable members of the society, women, young people, refugees, and PWDs who are largely marginalized groups and often left out in the development agenda.

FCA Kenya, partnering with TakaTaka Solutions Limited (TTS), is currently implementing the project titled Circular Economy: Business from Waste for Women in Nairobi funded by Women’s Bank. TTS is an already established private entity in Nairobi that deals with waste management through recycling and re-use of waste and waste products. TTS has created employment opportunities for women living in the informal settlements of Nairobi; Dandora, Kitengela dumpsites and Mwakerunga dumpsite in Mombasa aiming at improvement of living standards of their households.

Women’s Bank (WoB), network is committed to empowering women through sustainable entrepreneurship and livelihoods in fragile contexts. WoB mission plays a crucial role in shaping its operations that promote gender equality, financial inclusion, community engagement, and economic, social and environmental sustainability. As we plan on the implementation of Phase II of this project, it is imperative to align our strategies and actions with the guiding principles of Women’s Bank

The project started with an inception and pilot phase between June 2021 and March 2022 to establish the partnership and refine project objectives and implementation modalities. Full implementation was started in April 2022 engaging a larger number of waste pickers, expanding to new locations, establishing new buyback centers and introducing a new material fraction, low-density polyethene (LDPE) plastic in the market. The project aims to improve women’s economic and social standing by creating stable and decent job opportunities as well as dependable sources of income in the solid waste management, recycling, and reuse in Nairobi and Mombasa.To achieve this goal, a holistic and gender-sensitive approach was adopted empowering both new and existing waste pickers and allowing women to enhance their income through environmentally sustainable livelihoods**.**

During the project, FCA Kenya focused on strengthening the partnership with TakaTaka Solutions through enhancing their capacity on PMER systems. FCA has continued to collect monitoring data for analysis and documentation.

Objectives of the end-term evaluation

• To highlight project successes and challenges throughout the project implementation.
• To assess the project impacts by identifying changes in people’s lives and livelihoods and in TTS practices.
• To identify key lessons learnt from the project.
• To provide recommendations to inform the planning of Phase II of the project (2024-26) as well as the exit strategy/project phase out.

Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation will cover every year of the implementation between June 2021 to December 2023.

• Implementation strategies;
• Program partnerships;
• Monitoring aspects of the project;
• Sustainability of results achieved;
• Scalability of the project results
• Conclusions and lessons learnt
• Recommendations for Phase II

The geographical area of focus will be Nairobi and Mombasa specifically TTS operation sites in Dandora and Kitengela dumpsites in Nairobi as well as Mwakerunge dumpsite in Mombasa. The evaluation should focus on the programmatic aspects, with less focus on the financial aspects as this was already covered as part of the annual audits. Financial aspects should however be considered in case they have relevance to e,g, the partnership or sustainability aspects of the project.

Required Expertise and Qualification

• At least 6 years of experience of designing and implementing Program and Project evaluations (essential)
• 5 years’ experience and knowledge of facilitating participatory evaluation processes as a team leader (essential)
• Experience of evaluating projects and programmes with socio-economic focus preferably in environmental and/or waste management sectors. (required)
• An advanced degree in Development Studies, Project Management, with field experience (essential).
• The consultant should have broader experience working with relevant environmentally friendly and acceptable approaches including Do no harm (DNH).
• The consultant should be able to complete and submit the assignment within 30 days of engagement.
• Ability to travel to remote and often insecure project areas with support from FCA team