Meta-synthesis for DEC’s Afghanistan Appeal

Terms of Reference

Background

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is a unique and dynamic membership organisation, which comprises 15 of the UK’s leading humanitarian charities: Action Against Hunger UK, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund, and World Vision UK. Since its founding in 1963, the DEC has run over 77 fundraising appeals and raised more than 2 billion to help save lives and protect livelihoods in disaster-affected communities around the world.

Afghanistan Appeal

On 15 December 2021, the DEC launched an appeal for funds to support Member Charities in responding to needs in Afghanistan. The humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated sharply following drought, economic collapse, political turmoil, and rising food prices. The collective fundraising campaign raised £51.8 million, including UK Aid Match.

Of the fifteen DEC Members, thirteen1 have used appeal funds to implement programmes in Afghanistan. For the appeal, programme duration was two years split across two distinct phases: Phase 1 (the first six months, from 15 December 2021 to 30 June 2021) and Phase 2 (from 1 July 2022 to 31 December 2023).

Since the appeal was launched in December 2021 the country has witnessed significant changes in the political environment as the Taliban expanded their control over the country. One of the most significant issues, has been a policy – first announced in December 2022 – stopping women working for aid organisations.2 The shifting political landscape in the country posed significant dilemmas for member agencies working to implement programmes and address urgent humanitarian need. Understanding how DEC members responded and adapted to these changes should form a key part of this review.

Purpose

The purpose of this study, a meta-synthesis3 of DEC members’ and others’ work, is to learn lessons from the DEC 2021 Afghanistan appeal. This study is not an evaluation of members’ activities; rather, it seeks to look at the overall work of DEC members within the larger Afghanistan and humanitarian context, and from that, aims to identify lessons that can help improve future humanitarian action.

The primary aim is to provide an accessible narrative synthesis of the main findings highlighted in DEC members’ MEAL-related reports,4 with particular emphasis on areas of convergent findings and indicative learning points. The study should provide lessons for the DEC Secretariat, DEC members, and the humanitarian sector more widely.

Scope

The scope of the desk review will be as follows:

• DEC members’ plans and reports submitted to the DEC
• DEC real-time Response Review report
• DEC Affected Population Perception Survey (two rounds will have been completed)
• DEC-funded evaluations (5 members will conduct evaluations)
• Non-DEC funded member evaluations (number to be confirmed)
• Additional relevant non-DEC background materials (e.g. HNO and HRP, UN reports, need assessments).

Guiding questions

DEC wishes to maintain flexibility for the meta-synthesis process to be iterative. Initial guiding questions are:

• What are the key recurrent themes arising from the desk review?
• For each of these themes:
• what are the main findings and learning points?
• is there any significant divergence in the findings, and if so, what factors might affect or explain this?
• where common or consistent findings do occur, what indicative conclusions do these suggest?
• How have the findings from the DEC Response Review and Affected Population Perceptions Survey been taken onboard throughout phase two?
• what were the enabling factors in this regard?
• How did changes to the political environment impact members’ programmes?
• how did members navigate these changes and what informed their decision making?
• what adaptations (if any) were made to programmes and how successful were in adaptations in a) addressing ongoing humanitarian need b) ensuring an inclusive and principled response
• how did these changes impact interactions with and support to local partner organisations

In terms of cross-cutting themes, DEC is particularly keen for learning around a) localisation b) the health of local partnerships c) access to and reaching marginalised groups d) impact on the environment of humanitarian programmes e) the value of DRR and climate-resilience related activities e) sustainability and exit strategies

Approach

The consultant is invited to outline an appropriate approach for the assignment in a short conceptual framework; however the following points should be taken into consideration:

• desk-based review of members’ reports and additional relevant materials is essential;
• a clear and transparent element of quality review of the evidence is required;
• explicit reference to the Core Humanitarian Standard (as the DEC’s quality and accountability standard) is expected throughout the report;
• remote interviews with key informants (from DEC members and other relevant organisations, such as local partners) for clarification and verification would be very helpful.

An ALNAP lessons paper5 covers a plethora of issues that come up in synthesis, as well as some well thought out ideas around mitigating them. We welcome consideration of the recommendations contained in this paper.

The consultant/s

It is expected that the bulk of the work will be carried out by one or two consultants.

The consultant/s will provide the following:

1. extensive experience in conducting learning focussed studies/ reviews/ evaluations of humanitarian programmes;

2. proven ability to coordinate a multi-stakeholder study;

3. sound understanding of the methodological considerations related to meta-syntheses;

4. demonstrable analytical, communication and report-writing skills;

5. sound understanding of the context in Afghanistan;

6. strong facilitation skills and experience in designing participatory workshops;

7. demonstrable commitment to learning and improvement in humanitarian action;

8. experience with DEC or a DEC member agency is a plus.

   Deliverables and schedule

It is expected that the bulk of the work will take place across January – March 2024.

The outputs of this assignment will be:

• A draft report to be submitted by end of March 2024.
• including actionable recommendations for programming
• max 30 pages, plus appendices
• A one- or two-page summary of findings that can be translated into Dari and Pashto
• A dissemination event for member agencies, following finalisation of the report.
• An audio/visual output for dissemination to aid workers based in Afghanistan.

Budget

The maximum overall budget for this work is £35,000.