TERMS OF REFERENCE. Consultancy to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Plan International Germany s Girls Lead programme

Transcription

1 1. Background of the assignment Plan International Germany is setting up a programme called Girls Lead with the following overall objective: Adolescents & youth and particularly girls and young women take collective action for systemic change and peacebuilding. Girls Lead is a global programme, embedded in the Theory of Change (ToC) of Plan International s Area of Global Distinctiveness Vulnerable and excluded girls, boys and youth as drivers for change 1, and financed by private donations to the Girls Fund of Plan International Germany. The five years programme aims at transformative changes while simultaneously building up Plan s knowledge and improving its practice in the Area. The programme consists of five larger projects for transformative change and a series of research projects and pilots to explore new approaches, test existing methods and prepare Plan International Germany for the upscaling of successful ones. This will be accompanied by a strong focus on participatory M&E and learning for a continuous improvement of the approaches and for the creation of reliable evidence for advocacy and communications. In line with the programme title, girls and young women will play a key role in the development, monitoring and steering of the programme and the single grants. Overall objective of the programme: Adolescents & youth and particularly girls and young women take collective action for systemic change and peacebuilding. Specific objective of the programme: Girls and young women, as individuals and together with others, develop and use their agency, voice, critical consciousness, connections and resources to help transform inequitable power relations. Key Strategies: Create spaces for reflection for young people on leadership, self-care & security, collective action, organisation and critical consciousness. Build young people s agency and their capacities to work effectively together Support young people to resource their collective action Create and strengthen connections and networks with peers, civil society organizations, and relevant decision makers Projects under the programme are encouraged to use Plan International s Champions of Change 2 methodology - including new modules on self-organization for collective action and advocacy 3 - as methodology if it fits to the context and the needs of the young women s associations. The projects under the programme apply a participatory approach to the project design, thus the project concepts are jointly developed with the associations and initiatives of girls and young women. However, each project under the programme is embedded in the Theory of Change of Vulnerable and excluded girls, boys and youth as drivers of change. The following cross-cutting strategies are considered key to the programme: - listen and respond to the needs, ideas and objectives of young people 1 Vulnerable and excluded girls, boys and youth as drivers of change is one of the areas of global distinctiveness (strategic orientation) of Plan International; see Annex 1 with the draft area overview. 2 For a brief description of the Champions of Change methodology see Annex 2 3 currently under development 1 P a g e

2 - foster joint solutions - facilitate effective partnerships between different genders and generations to promote collective action The supported projects pursue a multi-level approach, linking the community level to the national level. Financial possibilities and limitations are an important factor for the autonomy and reach of the associations and initiatives of girls and young women. Thus the projects can include micro-grants for them. In case such an approach is chosen, it needs to be considered how the girls and young women can participate in the grants making process. This year also the M&E framework for Plan International s new Area of Global Distinctiveness Girls, boys and youth as drivers for change will be developed. 2. Overall objective and purpose of the consultancy The overall objective of the assignment is the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework for the programme. The purpose is to provide the programme coordination and implementing staff with tools to effectively monitor programme progress and achievement against outcomes as defined in the Theory of Change, and to provide mid-term and end-ofprogramme evaluations with sufficient information to assess the programme s success. In the development of the M&E framework for Girls Lead, synergies shall be sought to support the development of the M&E framework for Plan International s Area of Global Distinctiveness Vulnerable and excluded girls, boys and youth as drivers of change. 3. Requested services The consultancy aims at developing an M&E framework and operational system for the programme in close collaboration with the associations and initiatives of young women and girls, Plan country offices, the Regional Office of the Americas, International Headquarter, and Plan International Germany. The Consultant will finalize the results framework together with the youth partners of the selected projects. The Consultant will define M&E needs and establish necessary practical procedures and measures in order to operationalize M&E. The consultant is expected to design a practical M&E system with regard to the following key aspects: 1. What needs to be measured on outcome level, including what needs to be measured to assess social and cultural norm change? 2. What is the most appropriate source of information? 3. How to collect the information? 4. How often to collect the information and when? 5. How to store and analyse data? 6. How to share results with all stakeholders of the programme? 7. How to engage the girls and young women we work with in the collection and analysis of the data? 2 P a g e

3 Expected deliverables/ outputs finalized results framework based on discussions with youth partners of projects a review of relevant existing indicators and tools in use by Plan International A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework for the Girls Lead programme, including: context and process monitoring requirements a set of indicators to monitor the outcomes of the programme as defined in the ToC an implementation plan for the roll-out of the M&E framework including: o the description of procedures, roles and responsibilities o a timeframe o a monitoring plan and an indicator tracking table o recommendations for implementing staff for progress tracking o store data o share results with all stakeholders of the programme a detailed operational manual including: o a menu of methods (different methodological options including suggested sampling methods) for the data collection on outcome indicators o participatory tools and toolkits for the different methodological options o practical guidance on the use of the tools for implementing staff, including data collection plan o practical guidance on how to analyse the data o possible information source 4. Timeframe The duration of the assignment is approximately 4 months. The expected start date of the assignment is Budget The budget range for the consultancy is from EUR to EUR. The consultant s proposal should include a detailed budget breakdown including fees, number of working days, (international) travel and VISA costs, local travel costs, per diem and all output-related costs. The consultant is expected to be able to work independently (computer, software) and have social and health insurance included in his/ her fees. In case the selected consultant is not based in Hamburg, Germany, the financial offer should include at least two journeys to Hamburg to meet with programme staff. In addition, three journeys to projects for the participatory processes should be planned and budgeted for. 3 P a g e

4 6. Qualification & Experience Academic qualifications: The expert must have a postgraduate degree in a field relevant to the assignment, for example in development studies, social and/ or political sciences, ideally with an additional qualification in M&E. Technical competencies and experience requirements: She/he should have a minimum of ten years experience of working in the development context. Proven experience in the participatory monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, ideally also with international NGOs. Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in developing M&E frameworks for global programming Proven experience with Theory of Change and other strategic planning formats Experience in qualitative and quantitative participatory M&E methods Proficiency in statistics Experience with measuring the effects of advocacy work Experience in developing tools for participatory data collection and analysis Experience of developing practical guidance documents for implementing staff Experience with participatory data analysis and data presentation At least 3 years experience in gender At least 3 years experience in human rights issues Excellent English writing and oral skills Fluency in Spanish is required French would be an asset Good IT skills The working language is English. 4 P a g e

5 7. How to apply TERMS OF REFERENCE Interested candidates must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: a) Technical proposal (i) Explaining why they are the most suitable to perform the work and deliver the outputs; (ii) Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work. b) Financial proposal a) CV this should highlight past experiences in similar projects/assignments and indicating at least 3 references. b) Examples (extracts) of M&E frameworks and guidance documents for the implementation, preferably developed for international NGOs. The applications (in electronic format) should be send to: Harriet Lange, M&E Specialist (Plan International Germany) harriet.lange@plan.de (with copy to kirsten.ehrich@plan.de and nadine.karmann@plan.de) The deadline for applications is the Evaluation criteria Technical proposal Max. Point Proposed methodology/ approach to the assignment 20 Examples of M&E products (extracts of frameworks & guidance documents for implementation) Experience with INGO 10 CV 20 Financial proposal 30 Total P a g e