NGO JOBS

Organization: Focus Humanitarian Assistance
Country: Tajikistan
Closing date: 15 Oct 2013

Background

Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) is an international emergency response and disaster management agency that provides relief and support services during and following natural and man-made disasters, primarily in the developing world. FOCUS aims to provide disaster mitigation and preparedness programme in vulnerable communities. It also extends humanitarian relief and recovery following natural or manmade disasters and reduces the communities’ dependence on humanitarian aid and facilitates their transition to sustainable self-reliance. Founded in 1994, FOCUS has offices in Afghanistan, Canada, Europe India, Pakistan, USA and has been providing humanitarian assistance and responding to natural disasters in Tajikistan since 1998. FOCUS is an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

FOCUS in Tajikistan is currently implementing the second phase of its Remote Geo-hazards Capacity Building and Monitoring Project co-funded by UKAid of the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to address threats posed by remote hazards. The geographic coverage of the project includes districts of GBAO, Zarafshan and Jirgital, where FOCUS Tajikistan implements the project in GBAO and Jirgital and Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is responsible for the project in Zarafshan valley.

Project Objectives

1. Further strengthening the existing awareness, assessment, monitoring and emergency response capacity of national government institutions responsible to manage these risks including the Hydromet, TajikGeology and the CoES’ Information Management and Analytical Centre

2. Enhancing the awareness, preparedness, monitoring and response capacity of local communities threatened by these risks in Zarafshan, GBAO and Jirgital

To achieve the objectives stated above, the following key interventions constitute the project’s proposal and serve as its framework of action:

• Government capacity building interventions, including;

a. Apprenticeships for specialistsb. Steering Committee meetings for key stakeholdersc. GIS and remote sensing training and equippingd. Hazard assessment training and equipping

• Community-based risk reduction interventions, including;

a. Community risk assessmentsb. Community awareness raising and preparedness trainingsc. Community structural risk mitigation worksd. Community emergency communication systemse. Community monitoring toolsf. Community pre-positioned emergency stockpilingg. Capacity building for disaster response groupsh. District awareness and advocacy workshops

Objectives of the External Evaluation

The overall objective of the external evaluation is to assess the overall impact of the project.

Specific objectives include:

1. To assess the outputs, outcomes and impact of the project on direct and indirect beneficiaries;
2. To assess the management and implementation processes adopted by the project by analysing the efficiency, effectiveness and possible effects of the activities and measures taken to sustain the results achieved;
3. To assess the level of disaster awareness and preparedness reached in respective target areas;
4. To assess the level of receptiveness and ownership of the communities and their participation in the implementation processes, where applicable;
5. To assess how well the project coordinated with other actors in disaster preparedness – locally, regionally, and nationally;
6. To identify lessons learnt and best practices, and present recommendations for future and similar interventions;
7. To assess the level of sustainability (financially, institutionally, and otherwise) achieved by the project.

The external evaluation will accomplish the above overall objective and specific objectives by reviewing the project’s activities (under each component) against the project objective and expected results.

Methodology

The methodology adopted by the External Evaluator will be participatory with direct involvement of different stakeholders, particularly the direct beneficiaries of the project.

The external evaluation of the Remote Hazards – II project is expected to take approximately 10 days in the field (excluding international travel as well as preparation and post-visit analysis and report writing). The anticipated total timing of the external evaluation is approximately 20 days.

Expected Outputs

The External Evaluator shall produce an evaluation report in English based on a pre-defined formatting template and submit the report via e-mail to FOCUS, SDC, DFID and WHH.

A draft evaluation report, including the External Evaluator’s conclusions, and recommendations, should be submitted to FOCUS and WHH for a preliminary review before completing the final evaluation report for submission to SDC and DFID. One week should be allowed for the review and commenting of the draft evaluation report. The External Evaluator should be prepared to defend her/his arguments/opinions and assessment against those whom they are evaluating.

Once the contents of the final evaluation report have been discussed and all key points clarified with FOCUS and WHH, the report should be submitted to SDC and DFID no later than October 31, 2013.

Required Qualifications

The External Evaluator must have relevant qualification, competences and experiences suiting with the scope and geography of this assignment. The evaluator must have in-depth knowledge and experience of carrying out the project evaluations in disaster risk reduction. He/She should have strong analytical and writing skills and the ability to clearly present findings and drawing practical conclusions, and recommendations. Russian and Tajik language skills would be an asset, but not essential.

How to apply:

NOTE: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview,

Application ProcessPlease e-mail your CV and Cover letter to ft.recruitment@focushumanitarian.org with indication of the position in the subject line.