Proejct Mid-Term & Sustainability Review, and Final Evaluation

Consultancy Services to Carry Out the ‘Project Integrated Study: Implementation of a Mid-Term and Sustainability Review, and of the Final Evaluation for the Project -Strengthening Support Systems Infrastructure and Resilience of Vulnerable People in Baghdad, Iraq’

BASIC CONTRACT INFORMATION

Location: Baghdad, Iraq

Contract Type: Consultancy Contract

Application Deadline: February 11th, 2024

Duration of Initial Contract: 35 working days

1. Background and Rational:

Due to multiple traumatic events, mental health services have deteriorated dramatically for the last two decades in Iraq and are now either almost non-existent or existent but not in sufficient quality and with low capacity.

The deterioration of Iraq’s entire public system including mental health has been greatly exacerbated by the massive drain of doctors and health experts and the shortage of medicines combined with the poor health infrastructure destroyed by the war.

Mental health is neglected, and mental illnesses are often tabooed, even more so when men are affected. Subsequently, access to mental health is limited, especially for those who have been traumatized by war and who reside in camps or similarly unstable living conditions. Further, knowledge about trauma and its effects is lacking among psychologists and psychotherapists as well as medical personnel as a whole.

Baghdad is home to more than 8 million people, the vast majority of whom have been affected by traumatic experiences of violence and conflict, including returnees from abroad or other governorates in Iraq and internally displaced persons. Notwithstanding the shortcomings in basic services in Baghdad, donor efforts in recent years have focused on alleviating the acute humanitarian needs of victims of the IS conflict in the country’s northern governorates. Iraq was also heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to the ongoing political, economic, and security conflicts.

To respond to the above-mentioned needs, Johanniter International Assistance and it’s implementing partner, the Jiyan Foundation, initiated the project “Strengthening Support Systems Infrastructure and Resilience of Vulnerable People in Baghdad, Iraq”. The action aims to address the needs of vulnerable populations in Baghdad including returnees, internally displaced people, and the host community through providing mental health and psychosocial support and legal services and to ensure the sustainability of those services in Baghdad beyond the project period through capacity building of MHPSS of professionals from different ministries and public institutions and by establishing a two-way referral system for medical and MHPSS services.

The overall objective of the project is:

• To strengthen the resilience of vulnerable people in Baghdad, Iraq, through the provision of mental health services.

Its specific objectives are:

• Returnees, IDPs, and members of vulnerable host communities with mental health and psychosocial problems benefit from appropriate targeted care.
• Reduced disease burden removes a barrier to full participation in society.

At the end of the project implementation, the project will be able to realize the following output:

1. A fully functional Jiyan Foundation center is established in Baghdad.
2. Local Jiyan professionals and external health professionals received various trainings during the project cycle.
3. Jiyan Foundation offered educational events in Baghdad.
4. Vulnerable persons have access to MHPSS and legal services at the Jiyan Center in Baghdad.
5. Referral pathways are in place with local mental health and healthcare providers.

The project targets returnees, both within the country and from abroad including Germany, internally displaced people, and vulnerable host communities, including survivors of gender-based violence, vulnerable youths, and orphans.

Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights is an Iraqi NGO established in May 2005 with the main objective of supporting survivors of serious human rights violations and their families with physical rehabilitation, psychological well-being, and social reintegration programs. In 2005, the first treatment center for victims of torture was opened in the city of Kirkuk. Since then, twelve more facilities have been established in northern Iraq (in Kurdistan, Mosul, Alqosh in the Northern Nineveh region) and northern Syria (Qamishlo), as well as a representation office in Berlin. Salah Ahmad, the founder, and chairman of the Jiyan Foundation is a child and family therapist trained in Germany. In February 2015, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon by Gerd Müller, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, for his tireless work for human rights. In 2018, Jiyan received the HIM Award for outstanding commitment to the observance, protection, and promotion of human rights from the Hamburg Human Rights Initiative.

Johanniter is a German non-governmental organization, and together with people all around the world, Johanniter strives for life in good health, with secure livelihoods and dignity; in times of crisis and for a better future. Johanniter develops its international programs together with local communities in a culturally and gender-sensitive way, based on the community’s needs. The Federal Headquarters is based in Berlin, Germany.

Johanniter has been active in the Middle East since 2006, opened its regional office in Amman, Jordan in 2015, and started its operations in Iraq in 2017. The programs in the Middle East region focus on three thematic areas; emergency preparedness and response, health including mental health, and livelihoods.

In Iraq, since September 2021, Johanniter and the Jiyan Foundation have been implementing the “Strengthening support systems infrastructure and resilience of vulnerable people in Baghdad, Iraq” project with its local partner, Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights in Baghdad, funded by BMZ and ADH, and the project focuses on the provision of:

• Holistic mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services.
• Legal services (including legal counseling, court representation and legal documentation support).
• Awareness raising on MHPSS topics.
• Capacity building in MHPSS for external service providers and Jiyan personnel.
• Establishing a two-way referral system for with local mental health and healthcare providers.

Summary of project achievements Strengthening support systems infrastructure and resilience of vulnerable people in Baghdad, Iraq.

• Establishment of MHPSS Center: Since May 2022, Jiyan Foundation established and equipped the center in Baghdad to facilitate the provision of MHPSS services for those who have survived trauma, human violations, and displacements. The center is located in the Karrada neighborhood, a middle-class district of Baghdad, where members of different religions, and public and non-governmental health facilities are also residing
• Received Memorandum of Understanding from the Ministry of Health: The MoU demonstrated the collaboration between JIYAN and the Ministry of Health. The Jiyan Team in Baghdad has been in collaboration with different line ministries such as the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Migration and Immigration, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Higher Education.
• Recruitment of Team: The established MHPSS center is managed by 27 qualified and well-trained staff such as the Center Manager, Project Coordinator, Psychotherapists, Clinical Supervisor, Social worker, Physiotherapist, Pharmacist, Psychiatrist, Medical Doctors, Guards, Janitor, Capacity Building/ PR Coordinator, logistic officer, Receptionist, Senior Finance Officer, lawyer, and drivers. It is worth noting that out of 27 employees, 15 are female.
• Development of Service Charter: Since June 2022, Jiyan has charter service available to the public in the form of brochures and roll-up stands.
• Capacity Building: Several trainings have been conducted by the Jiyan team to staff and external service providers on different topics like Psychological First Aid, Self-Care and Case Management, clinical and diagnostic systems, non-clinical needs-based training, and therapeutic techniques, in addition to a training on Psychotherapy and Psych-traumatology. Participants from the Jiyan Team like-minded NGOs and relevant staff from the Ministry of Health attended the events.
• Awareness sessions were conducted at schools, colleges, ministries, organizations, the Iraqi Media Network, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and reached 841 (431 Males and 410 females) participants. The session captured different topics like Domestic Violence, Psychological Trauma, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support.
• Number of Affected People Reached: There are 755 individuals including returnees from Germany and England who received legal and MHPSS services like medical, psychiatric, social, and legal support, and physiotherapy.
• Establishment of referral system: JIYAN has been in collaboration with the relevant entities and Networks such as:

1. Dar Beit Anya
2. Ibn Al-Rushd Hospital
3. Medical City and Al-Yarmuk Hospital
4. Mercy Corps, GMAC

2. Integrated Study Purpose, Objective, and Use:

The report will be separated into Mid-Term and Sustainability Review and final evaluation and will assess the achievement of the project “Strengthening Support Systems Infrastructure and Resilience of Vulnerable People in Baghdad, Iraq” results against expected achievements, and draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of the programming. The Mid-Term and Sustainability Review report will measure the project performance against both the original set of project indicators and the “actual indicators” and also review the sustainability of the project. The final evaluation report promotes accountability and transparency, and assesses the extent of project accomplishments as per OECD evaluation criteria. The recommendations will be used in a draft management response which will be taken up by the relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Migration and Immigration, to ensure continuity/support of activities and activity results.

Due to the unexpected delays in project implementation and also coming to the end of project closure, it is intended to combine mid-term findings with the final evaluation in a single study for the intended objectives mentioned above and in accordance with the signed agreement.

Johanniter and Jiyan Foundation will use the recommendations of the evaluation to guide their work in the decision-making process for the long-term finalization of the project and service delivery for future interventions and at the same time to evaluate the impact of the project as outlined in the project proposal.

This will fulfill the requirements set by Johanniter and BMZ in ensuring quality and effective project implementation and closure. At the end of this study, the following objectives will be fulfilled:

• To follow up on the recommendations and information outlined in the baseline study of 2022 with regard to the availability, quality and accessibility of public, private, and civil society-provided mental health services in Baghdad and its current status.
• To assess the current situation of MHPSS priority set by the Ministry of Health (plans and obstacles, including budgetary considerations) and to provide recommendations on the conditions for establishing sustainable mental health services in the Baghdad context, and to suggest a realistic and informed timeline in establishing sustainable mental health services in Baghdad.
• Additionally: to identify the missing features within the public health system with regards to the implementation of standard and up-to-date mental health services.
• To assess the progress in the implementation of the MHPSS project in Baghdad Iraq towards the achievement of project objectives.
• To identify barriers to the achievement of the set objectives.
• To provide and recommend actions to guide the implementation of the project in its remaining period and the development of either a sustainability plan or exit plan.
• Assess the overall project’s performance from planning, implementation and knowledge management by identifying the key strengths and areas of gaps and making the necessary recommendations for improvement.
• Document vital lessons learned/best practices for future strategies and interventions.
• Support the use of relevant and timely contributions to organizational learning, informed decision-making processes resulting from the analysis, conclusions, or recommendations as well as and accountability for results.
• Endorse Johanniter and Jiyan’s obligation to transparency and Accountability to the communities we work with, the donors, and stakeholders.

3. Scope of the study , approach, and methods:

All activities, engagement, and dialoguing with relevant stakeholders most importantly with the people we work with will be grounded and based on the Johanniter Code of Conduct to guarantee effectiveness and the integrity of this piece of work.

The identification of interviewees, and respondents, tools for evaluations, and processes will be gender-sensitive, inclusive, culturally sensitive, and participatory. The necessary consent will be solicited before the engagement with relevant interviewees, and responders, this includes taking photos and personal information and testimonies.

Efforts shall be exerted to safeguard the inclusivity and engagement of relevant stakeholders to bring out their voices on how they perceived the implementation of the project; notably, the returnees, IDPs, host communities, the most vulnerable conflict-affected populations, civil societies, government counterparts, community and local authorities leaders. Key informant interviews (KIIs) with representatives from the community, government authorities, and other relevant actors (if any) should be held. Similarly, interviews, FGDs, and surveys with a selected sample from the Returnees, IDPs and host communities or beneficiaries should be conducted to assess how the project has responded according to their expectations, objectives and priorities.

This study will involve a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze both primary and secondary data.

• The sources for primary data will include responses from key informant interviews with the JIYAN Team in Baghdad, the people we work with, relevant line Ministry such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Migration and Immigration, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education; the High Commissioner for Human Rights, school and colleges, NGOs and INGOs.
• The Secondary data sources will include the Iraq Humanitarian transition data and information relating to the returnees, IDPs and host community, and data and information relating to the capacity building of mental health care and psychosocial support professionals as may be required.

The data collection methods will include specific qualitative and quantitative tools that will be selected to ensure the participation of relevant stakeholders. The consultant will rely on the following data collection methods:

Qualitative:

• Key informant interviews (KIIs) for stakeholders and partners including open-ended questions.
• Focus group discussion (FGD) with people we work with (open–ended questions).

Quantitative:

• Data Validation (training attendance sheet, training provided topics, and referral system)

Consultants are requested to propose their own methodology of data collection in the proposal, however it will be finalized later with common understanding and in consultation with Johanniter and Jiyan Foundation.

1. Process and timeline:

This study will commence on 20th February 2024 and will conclude on 8th April 2024 with the full and final report to be submitted to Johanniter – Middle East region.

This study encompasses a two-phased process, that includes:

1. Conducting a midterm and sustainability review, with a strong focus on providing recommendations to the team on how to finalize the project and increase sustainability.
2. Conducting a final evaluation, including the assessment of achievement at outcome and output levels and the evaluation of the project as per OECD DAC criteria.

The following deadlines apply to the consultancy:

Submit the first draft inception report to Johanniter for review 25th February 2024

Submit the final inception report 29th February 2024

Submit the mid-term and sustainability review report to Johanniter for review 20th March 2024

Submit the final mid-term and sustainability review report 26th March 2024

Submit the first draft of the final evaluation report to Johanniter 2nd April 2024

Submit the final evaluation report 8th April 2024

The table below presents the breakdown of days allocated to the consultancy. In their inception report, consultants are expected to provide an overview of how these days (particularly for on-site observation) will be allocated between the mid-term and sustainability review and the final evaluation phases.

To review the full ToR regarding the timeline and requirements please follow the below link:

[**https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2iEg0GHK6NX14m33yyFGlUH-Z4EC1IL/view?usp=drive_link)))))