Vacancy at Caritas Switzerland

Urgently Required
External Evaluator for: Final Evaluation of Livelihood
Project in Post-Conflict Areas in the Hinterland of Aceh Barat Area: Sub District of Pante Ceureumen and Meulaboh, District of Aceh Barat Duration: 12 days (13 - 25 June 2011)

Background of Project Caritas Switzerland, a confederation of Caritas Internationalis, was established in Lucerne in 1901 with primary focus on sustainable development, reconstruction and rehabilitation, health and justice. Represented by its field office in Meulaboh have agreed to engage the Yayasan Paramadina Semesta (YPS) as the implementing organization, which conducted the project using participatory development approach. The project envisages activities leading to improve the community self-reliance regarding food security, and sustainable agricultural practice and methodology. To date, the project has rehabilitated the irrigation channel in four targeted villages and provided sufficient water for three times of cultivation needs per year. In addition, contributing to raise the awareness of the farmers in organic farming, the total of 347 farmers has been participating in theoretical trainings and field practice. The deliverable were an application of relevant method by 202 paddy farmers, 89 ground nut farmers and 46 chili farmers.
Objective of Project The livelihoods of four marginalized village communities living in remote areas of the hinterland in Aceh Barat district are rehabilitated and enhanced in a sustainable way by capacity building of community-based organizations (CBOs), increasing food security, raising income, and developing skills.

At the outset of the program, this objective was further specified as follows;
1. CBOs at village level and sub-village level are functioning and actively involved in managing development activities
2. The income of marginalized farmers in the villages is raised significantly by training and supporting them in new agriculture methods (intensification), diversifying their income sources and providing seeds and organic fertilizer
3. Agricultural infrastructure in all four villages is improved, abandoned land is rehabilitated and harvests are protected against destruction from wild animals in order to achieve increased agricultural productivity.

Objective of Final evaluation Caritas Switzerland, as any other aid agencies, is responsible and accountable to its private and institutional range of stakeholders. This standard calls for a final evaluation of all its funded projects and programs. The final evaluation is primarily aiming at comparing the actual current condition found in the field to the initial expected results and indicators as planned in the project proposal and as stipulated in the MoU. While in general, the evaluation should also focus on measuring trend of the sustainability at the moment of the project implemented. Therefore,the evaluation will have to cover two aspects in terms of: (a) Project achievement (result) and (b) project management. Both of these aspects will have to be assessed through the following specific evaluation criteria;

Scope and Criteria

Relevance and Appropriateness;

* Were the actions undertaken appropriate in the context of the needs of the community and the context of the situation?
* Are appropriate target groups being assisted by the project? Evaluate the degree of satisfaction with the project in the target communities
* Was the project design adequate to address the problem(s) at hand? What internal and external factor have influenced the ability of target groups and implementing agency to meet projected targets? Were there constraints? How was this resolved?

Effectiveness on the Outcome Level;

* To what extent the project contributes to the specific objective of the project: "The livelihoods of four marginalized village communities living in remote areas of the hinterland in
* Aceh Barat district are rehabilitated and enhanced in a sustainable way". How is the quality measured in both quantity and quality manner?
* Assess to what extent does the VDCs in four villages are functioning and actively participating in developing organic farming activities
* Assess to which extent the farmers have applied the technology orrectly
* Assess the increase of income gained by the farmers from applying the farming technology
* Evaluate the increase of yield gained by the farmers both in quality and quantity from applying the farming technology
* Assess to which extent does the cultivation costs had decreased through implementing the farming method
* Determine whether diversification of crops as alternative source of farmer's income had been evident
* Determine whether the abandoned land due to long conflict had been reopened and re-cultivated
* Assess the effectiveness of distributing hand tractor,agro-inputs, wire mesh; rice stalk cutting machine to increase farmers' motivation towards sustainable application and assess further to what extent it has reduced production costs.

Sustainability (Trends)

We are aware that the project after this time replies to holistic way in the sustainability. However our intention through this evaluation is focusing more to identify any trends towards it (sustainability).

* Is there someone or group who would ensure the follow up of Organic Farming
* Analyze whether the support provided has given an opportunity for the future and how the Exit strategy was addressed
* Assess how further YPS has coordinate and link up with local stakeholders in district,sub-district and especially village level to promote the future of the project?
* Assess the VDC's sustainability and level of leadership commitment in the four targeted villages
* Assess the commitment of the VDC and Farmer's Group in providing compost, bio-pesticides using their own local resources

Lesson learnt Analysis;

* Were there unexpected results of the project?
* Lessons learnt from YPS, VDC, and farmer group

Efficiency;

* Assess the reason ability of the relationship between project costs and results
* Assess whether project inputs were given/provided in the most efficient way to achieve outcomes.
* Assess whether the implementation is timely and acknowledge reasons for delays.Whether the project's activities in line with the schedule of activities as defined in the project proposal.
* Has the project reached the expected number of target groups?

Project Coordination and Management;

* How is YPS technical knowledge and skill in developing the community context relevant to the program strategies
* How effective is the team work between field staff and management level regarding coordination and support?
* Does YPS overall coordination mechanism have been efficient and effective? Have they adequately fulfilled their roles and responsibilities?
* Does monitoring and self-evaluation have been carried out effectively based on indicators for outputs and objectives? Have any results from the monitoring been incorporated into the next follow up implementation
* What were the constraints for both CACH and YPS to carry out this project?
* How was the coordination and collaboration for both CACH and YPS during the implementation? Does it satisfying for both parties? Why?

The overall management of this evaluation will lies in the hand of the external party as an independent evaluator. YPS will be responsible in arranging the required process per designed schedule while CACH will also contribute whenever necessary.

The external evaluator should not have by any way relation with YPS and CACH, or involved in the project being evaluated. This party will be determined together by YPS and CACH acknowledging the most profound profile. S/he will be involved in two main tasks. First will be focusing on the effectiveness of the program on a community level especially aspects of community mobilization and acceptance- This includes the internalization of the concept and technicalities by the farmers. Second, is to analyze the series of project management implemented by the partner, in both field and management level.

Methodology

It is important to have the perspective of both quantitative and qualitative methods to draw out the findings. It is therefore suggested that the evaluation team will follow the methodological framework
mentioned below;

Desk Review:

* Review all relevant project documents (project proposal, budget, log frame, narrative as well as financial reports, training TORs and manuals)
* Relevant documents from third party (local authorities, officials and leaders) and other development organization will also be consulted.

Management and Staff Meeting:

* Interview with the Project Manager and field staff will be conducted prior to the field visit to Pante Ceuremen
* Interview with the Trainers/ Agriculture Consultant hired by YPS to support the project
* Interviews with CACH staff

Field Visit:

* To conduct semi-structured interviews and analysis of project intervention
* To carry out in-depth interviews with random beneficiaries from four villages
* To conduct field observation (paddy, chili, and ground nut fields) and verification of information
* Organize a Focus-Group discussions with key stakeholder
* Disseminate questionnaire to relevant beneficiaries using random sampling

Formulating Findings

* Analyze and formulating findings

Reporting

The evaluation team will present its preliminary findings to the project partners and local stakeholders at the end of the field mission and take into account their feedback in drafting the final evaluation report. The report should be maintain compact and using CACH standard of documentation (format and English-used)

The draft report will be shared with CACH and project staff, and also to YPS for factual validation and comments. On the basis of this feedback, the evaluation team will prepare for the final report of the mid-term evaluation and integrate the findings into the thematic evaluation report.

Timing

The evaluator will develop plan schedule for the evaluation based on the given information and shall discuss it further to CACH and seek compliance from YPS. The duration of the final evaluation is open to
discuss.

Interested applicant, kindly submit CV and formal price quotation to T.Novian Nukman (t.noviann@yahoo.com)

Deadline submission: Wednesday, 08th June 2011 @5PM