Evaluation Expert – Journalist protection program

MiCT is calling for proposals for the evaluation of its Fellowship for Critical Voices, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. These Terms of Reference are to be taken as the basis for the evaluation. MiCT invites interested and qualified applicants to submit proposals by 07.12.2023

1. Introducing MiCT

Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) is a non-profit organisation delivering expert media services in complex and challenging contexts with passion, precision and agility. Through our collaborative work with our partners, we foster transparent, inclusive and fair dialogue supporting resilient societies that thrive.

Across three continents and 15 countries, MiCT facilitates the training of journalists and media producers, programme and content development, radio and film production, magazine and book publishing, media research and monitoring, in addition to supporting the financial viability of our partners.

2. The Program

The MiCT Critical Voices Fellowship aims to provide safety and security to media professionals from conflict and crisis regions, who share a common value in their professional journalistic integrity. The program is currently focused on journalists and media makers from Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and other conflict or emergency contexts (roughly 15 countries). Over 500 Fellows receive expert safety advice, online training, legal advice, psycho-social support, production support, and access to a global community of like-minded media professionals. The Fellowship offers a modular support structure that can be adapted according to country and individual requirements, and focuses on 7 Module areas, specifically: Security, Livelihood, Health, Integration and Legalisation, Professional Development, Community and Resettlement, depending on Fellows’ individual circumstances. Fellows are supported either in a cohort-based fashion, for more sustained conflict areas, or onboarded on a rolling basis, in emergency and new conflict regions.

The program is implemented, in collaboration with 5 local partner organisations, and 7 regional community managers – whose names are withheld for security reasons. They operate from the exile locations, associated with the various conflicts – namely Thailand, Pakistan, Georgia, Kenya as well as from within Ukraine and Sudan.

3. Description of the role

The project evaluation is to cover the full period of the program from its inception 01.01.2023 until the beginning of the evaluation process. The program is to be completed by 31.12.2023. The evaluation shall be based on principles aligned with the OECD/DAC: Relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

Subject to agreement reached in the inception workshop, research questions/issues for the evaluation may include:

• Design and implementation of the interventions
• Degree to which logframe indicators were reached
• Effectiveness of team and partner setup and structure, particularly with view to a power sensitive development and humanitarian work
• Sense of security perceived by Fellows
• Long-term sustainability of Fellowship in terms of Fellows security and possibility to continue reporting

The evaluation should be based on the DAC Criteria, as well as the logframe, which will be shared with the selected evaluator, and guiding questions developed in collaboration with the team during the kick-off workshop, to take place on December 12th and 13th in Berlin.

4. Deliverables

The following services are to be rendered on assignment:

1. Planning & conducting a 2 hour kick-off workshop with the team, partners and community managers (taking place offline on December 12th & 13th
2. Inception report (max 5 pages plus appendices) outlining the methodology and instruments for data gathering for the evaluation
3. Data collection, including surveys and/or online interviews with additional partners and beneficiaries and review of project documentation. Where required, this may include the coordination of translators, which MiCT will contract separately for security reasons.
4. Final evaluation report (max 20 pages plus appendix) in English, consisting of the following:

• An executive summary
• Main report structured according to OECD/CAD principles
• Key conclusions and recommendations
• Appendix including the cleaned data, interview questions and guidelines, and list of interviewees.
• MiCT withholds the right to

1. Organising and conducting a 2*2h learning workshop with the project team and partners

All deliverables are to be completed by 31.12.2023

Criteria of selection

Individuals, teams and organisations are invited to apply. Successful applicants should be able to provide proof of the following:

• Familiarity with the OECD/DAC criteria
• Extensive experience with (primarily digital) methods of data gathering
• Experience with evaluation of projects funded by the German Federal Foreign Office preferred
• Thorough understanding of evaluation needs and adequate methodologies for projects in the field of media development, as well as humanitarian emergency support highly desired
• Availability to take part in the kick-off workshop during the project team meeting on 12th and/or 13th of December in Berlin required. Where travel to Berlin is required for this purpose, the proposal and budget shall include associated costs.
• Applications from evaluators based outside Germany or without German language skills are welcome. Please note that the project documentation is mainly in German. However, the main documents can be provided in English.
• Knowledge of power-sensitive and decolonial development structures a distinct advantage
• Familiarity with other project languages such as Arabic, French Russian, Ukrainian, Burmese, Dari and/or Pashto preferred