NGO JOBS

Organization: Leprosy Mission International
Country: Bangladesh
Closing date: 25 Aug 2013

The Leprosy Mission International Bangladesh (TLMI-B)

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)FINAL INDEPENDENT EXTERNAL EVALUATIONExtreme Poverty Initiative ProjectPERIOD: August – September 2013 (maximum 20 days)

BackgroundThe Community Program (CP) of TLMI-B is located in the extreme northwest corner of Bangladesh. The working area covers 4 districts, with a population of approximately 7.2 million in an area of 7163 square kilometres (population density 1000+/square kilometre).The Extreme Poverty Initiative is a project under the Community Program. The program started in January 2009 and ends in December 2013.

There are about 5,500 individuals with grade 1 and 2 disability in the working area. Based on our survey, about 30% are living in extreme poverty (about 1,700 people). The project aims to reach 300 people per year (total 1, 500 people)and it is expected (based on the experience of Grameen and other projects) that interventions will require at least 5 years

I. Extreme Poverty Initiative Project

Project Need:1. The project aims to address extreme poverty and its effects on people with leprosy related disability in a sustainable way2. The project also aims to address the needs to exclusion and destitution among women with specific needs to reintegrate them into their community or another community.

Project Goal: People who are disabled by leprosy, in 4 identified districts of North West Bangladesh, will live above the extreme poverty line in their community.

Achievement of this goal can be measured by:a. percent of individuals, with leprosy related disabilities in surveyed areas, who were below the extreme poverty line and now live above itb. percent of vulnerable destitute women who require a temporary shelter and then are reintegrated in the community

Specific objectives 1. Individuals identified as falling below the extreme poverty line (EPL) will be cooperatively assisted in increasing their livelihoods to the point where they are consistently above the extreme poverty line.

Indicators for Objective 1:a. By 2013, 75% of the individuals who have been part of the project for at least 2 years will show evidence of increased/improved livelihoods.
b. By 2013, 40% of the individuals who have been part of the project for at least 2 years will be living above the EPL without additional inputs.

1. There will be a reduction in the educational deprivation of children whose families are affected by leprosy-related disability and extreme poverty.

Indicators for Objective 2:a. Each year of the project (through 2013) 95% of children receiving assistance will pass their end-of-year exams.b. Each year of the project, 80% of qualified students will pass their Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams.

1. Women (not all of whom will have experienced leprosy) who have been rejected by society will be enabled to return to and be accepted by their own, or another, community.

Indicators for Objective 3:a. For each project year, 80% of women admitted to Hagar will return to their own communities within 1 year of admission.b. For each project year, 85% of women returning home will report increased confidence and/or acceptance in the community.

The project beneficiaries are people who are disabled by leprosy and live below the extreme poverty line. A small number of individuals in Hagar (home for destitute women) are not affected by leprosy but are also beneficiaries of the project. Of the total number of individuals assisted it is expected that 95% have a disability caused by leprosy. Fewer women than men have leprosy-related disabilities. However, with the emphasis on women in the Hagar and Institution-based vocational training (IBVT) aspects of the project, at least 50% of project resources are used for female beneficiaries. People disabled by leprosy are identified by the Rural Health Program Leprosy Control Project during patient registration for providing Multi Drug Therapy. Personal Advisors from CP-EPIP identify individual people living in extreme poverty when they visit them in their community.

A number of 1022 individual plans have been made so far, with an average household size of 5. Thus the total number of extreme poverty direct beneficiaries would be 5110 (1022 X 5).

II. Evaluation GoalThe Leprosy Mission Project Management Framework expects all projects to have an End-of Project Evaluation. The Leprosy Mission Canada (TLMC) is funding the Extreme Poverty Initiative Project and also expects an independent external evaluation of project. The goal of this final independent external evaluation is for learning, greater accountability and to contribute to better informed decision-making.

III. Objectives of Evaluation

The general objective of final independent external evaluation is to determine whether the project has attained the goal as set out and if the objectives have been met. The evaluator should be able to answer the following questions by using participatory instruments:

1. Program Effectiveness. Have the planned outputs and objectives been achieved?a. Program Coverage. Has the project reached all those within the target area who meet the selection criteria for the project participants and beneficiaries? b. Program Participation. Has the project engaged appropriately with project stakeholders, in particular project participants and beneficiaries?c. Program Capacity. Is there sufficient capacity to implement and manage the project effectively?
2. Impact of the program. What has been the impact, intended and unintended on the project participants and beneficiaries?
3. Program relevance. How relevant is the project to the national strategic plans of Bangladesh? How relevant is the project to the needs and capacities of project participants and beneficiaries?
4. Program Efficiency. Could the planned outputs have been achieved using a different approach requiring fewer resources?a. Program Coordination. i. How well has the project been coordinated with other activities involving project participants and beneficiaries?ii. Is the project aligned with the priorities, policies and strategies of national and local government?
5. Program Sustainability. Are the outputs and objectives likely to be sustained beyond the end of the projects? To what extent is the impact of the project likely to be sustained beyond the end of the project?
6. Learning. How have previous lessons learnt and reviews been incorporated into the project?

IV. Project Review and Methodology

1. It is expected that the evaluator would review and make an analysis of the relevant documents such as project proposals and project reports.
2. It is expected the evaluator will apply participatory methodologies throughout the assessment.

V. Targeted Beneficiaries

1. Direct Beneficiaries of EPIP support 2. Families of direct beneficiaries 

VI. Project Area

The project currently operates in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh districts

VII. DocumentationThe available documents related to Extreme Poverty Initiative project areas follows:1.Project Proposal 2009-20132. Project Annual Report 20093. Project Annual Report 20104. Project Annual Report 20115. Project Annual Report 20126. Mid-Term Project Review 2011

VIII. Qualifications of Evaluator• The evaluator should have 3-5 years experience in livelihoods projects/programs.• It would be a significant advantage if the evaluator is bilingual, fluent in Bengali and English. • The evaluator should provide a 3-5 pages proposed evaluation plan to undertake this assignment. • The evaluator should submit 1 sample of a previous evaluation report.

Please submit your CV along with other documents as described above to surens@tlmbangladesh.organd awickenden@leprosy.ca by August 25, 2013.

IX. Timeline and Deliverables

The final evaluation will be undertaken and completed in a maximum of 20 days between August to September of 2013.1. 2 days for preparation and review of documentations.2. 1-2 days for inception report3. 8-10 days for field implementation4. 3 days for data analysis and report writing5. 1 day for draft report discussion. 6. 2 days for finalizing evaluation report

X. Reporting

The evaluator should provide a final evaluation report in English that consists of the following items.

1. Executive summary.
2. Introduction and background to the evaluation
3. Methodology used
4. Context analysis that include findings, conclusions and assessment.
5. Lesson Learned. The evaluator is expected to consider on how good practice has been incorporated in the project. The evaluator is also encouraged to draw attention to example of “better practice” demonstrated by the project.? What is the greatest strength of the project?? What is the greatest weakness of the project?? How could the quality of this project be improved?
6. Specific Actionable and Prioritized recommendations. This includes short term recommendations and long term recommendations.
7. Annexes.? Terms of reference for the Evaluations? Profile of the Evaluation Team? Evaluation Schedule? Documents consulted during the evaluation? Persons participating in the evaluation? Field data used during the evaluation, including baselines and focus group stories and data.? Bibliography.

Draft report should be discussed and presented to TLMC and TLMI Bangladesh prior to finalization.

XI. FundingThis evaluation is funded by The Leprosy Mission Canada.

How to apply:

Please submit your CV along with other documents to surens@tlmbangladesh.organd and to awickenden@leprosy.ca by August 25, 2013.