Mid-Term Evaluation Consultancy in Rwanda

Position

Consultant for Mid-term Evaluation

Type of Contract

Short-term consultancy

Location

Home-based with field mission travel to Kamonyi District, Rwanda

Relevant Languages

English (required); French (desirable); Kinyarwanda (desirable)

Application Deadline

23/06/2022

Starting Date

01/07/2022

Project Title

“Expansion of access to drinking water and integrated promotion of sanitation and positive hygiene behaviour in rural Rwanda”

Total Project Budget

580,000 EUR

Background and Rationale

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is a Christian motivated organisation for human rights, humanitarian aid and development cooperation. From its base in Constance, Germany, SoH is committed to helping those in distress and exploited people worldwide.

This mid-term evaluation is commissioned under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget for development projects run by private organisations.

SoH is the private German executing agency and the contracting party, while ARDE/Kubaho (ARDE)is the local implementing partner.

The project aims to provide access to safe and affordable water to 947 households in Nteko Cell by building a gravitational water supply system based on the Kona spring, including four distribution tanks and five water kiosks on a 4.5 kms long pipeline system. Next to 3,584 household members benefitting from water infrastructure, sanitary facilities and hygiene training, additional 8,228 students and 159 teachers participate in hygiene sensitization in their schools and have their school water supply improved.

Purpose, Objectives and Use

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide SoH and ARDE with a comprehensive assessment of the project, conducted systematically and impartially, as well as to analyse the progress towards the achievement of the project’s results and identify risks to sustainability. The study will provide concrete, credible and practical evidence-based recommendations that will assist with the timely incorporation of the findings into the decision-making process and contribute to the organisational learning of both implementing organisations.

The study will support the project quality assurance measures implemented by SoH and meet the donor requirements towards development projects implemented by German private organisations.

The evaluation will assess the project’s performance against the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact (please see https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/revised-evaluation-criteria-dec-2019.pdf). The objectives of the evaluations are to:

1. Assess the extent to which the project has sustainably achieved its objectives and results (results matrix), including the extent to which the lives of the project beneficiaries have been improved,
2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses in terms of planning, management, implementation and monitoring of the project,
3. Evaluate sustainability measures,
4. Assess how/to what extent cross-cutting issues are addressed by the project, including gender equality, human rights, marginalised groups, inclusion, and other issues and point out possible gaps,
5. Determine the effects of Covid-19 on the project, its activities and implementing organisation,
6. Identify risks and weaknesses and make recommendations for the successful completion of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Evaluation Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Head of the International Assistance and Cooperation Department, in close cooperation with the responsible SoH Officer and the local implementing partner.

The duties and responsibilities of the Evaluation Consultant will include:

• Develop a work plan outlining the proposed research methodology, geographical coverage and schedule to conduct the study,
• Conduct a desk review of relevant documents,
• Carry out a project site visit to a project location to conduct research, collect data and establish contact with the local implementing partner, project beneficiaries and relevant project stakeholders,
• Review and evaluate available data and existing sources of information, including the project proposal, annual reports, conducted studies and other documents,
• Examine institutional, technical, staffing and financial capacities of the implementing partner as well as its relationship with the target group and other relevant stakeholders.

Expected Deliverables

The study will produce the following deliverables:

• an inception report, including the proposed research methodology and data collection tools, a table of content and timeline of research activities and list of stakeholders to be consulted prior to the site visit to the project location,
• a comprehensive report of a maximum of 30 pages with practical recommendations and relevant annexes (including raw data and documented records).

A template will be provided to serve as a guidance and may be used to structure the final report.

Study Quality and Ethical Standards

The study team shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the study is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved. Furthermore, the study should be aligned to the following standards and applicable practices:

• Utility: the study must be useful and used.
• Feasibility: the study must be realistic, diplomatic and managed in a sensible, cost-effective manner.
• Ethics and Legality: the study must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the Study.
• Impartiality and Independence: the study should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders.
• Transparency: the study activities should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency.
• Accuracy: the study should be technically accurate and credible, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined.
• Participation: the Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the study process when feasible and appropriate.
• Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the study process improves the legitimacy and utility of the study.

The study must be in line with the SoH guiding principles and Code of Conduct.

Process/Timeframe

The total duration of the assignment is up to a maximum of 20 working days within the period from 01/07/2022 to 31/07/2022.

• Planning meeting with SoH (remotely), handover of relevant documents (1 day)
• Initial document review and inception report preparation (3 days)
• Sharing and consultation (remotely) of inception report with SoH and ARDE and finalisation (1 day)
• Data collection site visit to project location (5-8 days)
• Data analysis, draft report with annexes (3-5 days)
• Incorporating received feedback and report finalization (2 days)

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 years of project evaluation and/or implementation experience in the result-based management framework
• Proven experience of conducting feasibility studies, evaluations and other research based studies
• Technical and methodological knowledge to conduct research studies and formulate conclusions based on a solid methodology, assessing projects for relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of projects
• Experience working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partnered projects
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Desirable:

• Experience in the relevant field/sector
• Professional familiarity with the project country/region
• Practical experience of working for and/or evaluating BMZ-funded projects
• Fluency in written and spoken Kinyarwanda and/or French

Academic Background

An advanced level university degree (Masters’ degree or equivalent) in social sciences, public administration, international development studies, law and/or WASH-related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted.

The Evaluation Consultant is to be independent and impartial with no liabilities to any other organisation or government entity regarding this evaluation.