Consultancy for External Evaluation of CIAA (E9B) Project at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Action Against Hunger tackles the causes and effects of hunger and diseases that threaten the lives of vulnerable children, women and men.

Established in France in 1979, Action Against Hunger is a non-governmental, non-political, non-religious, non-profit organization

The Northwest region of Nigeria is experiencing an escalated level of insecurity, and the eastern part of Sokoto State remains the most volatile with frequent displacement of communities due to banditry attacks. Moreover, recent security reports indicate a change in dynamics, where the Northern parts of the state have recorded several attacks and displacements. Violence and insecurity in Sokoto state continue to impact many lives, resulting in widespread displacement of communities and an increase in the number of IDPs. In addition to the already 65,393 displaced individuals reported in R11 IOM displacement tracking matrix March 2023, an estimated 10,000 individuals were displaced in the months of March and April 2024, and IOM flash report of May 2024 reported about 3,220 displaced persons. For example, ACF multisector assessment carried out in September 2023 in Ramin Kura settlement in Sokoto town indicated that 42% of the households resort to begging to cover their basic food needs and less than a quarter of IDPs (24%)   have   been able to find work or income- generating activity since they have been displaced and therefore do engage as domestic help. Female headed household whose men have either been killed, kidnapped or missing are even more at risk of exploitation, harassment or rape and some resort to survival sex as a coping strategy.

Therefore, the key drivers of malnutrition in North west and North East of Nigeria is due to armed conflict, further compounded with high multidimensional poverty index, inflation, limited access to arable lands for farming and reduced purchasing power due to Naira fluctuation

The goal of this exercise is to evaluate the overall goal of the project in terms of effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, coherence, outcome, likelihood of sustainability and impact of the intervention in the implementing locations (North West  Sokoto State- Bodinga, Tambuwal and Gwadabawa LGAs in Sokoto state and Machina and Nguru LGAs in Yobe state). The primary objective of this evaluation is to assess the overall achievements of the project in line with the agreed overall results and objectives.

Geographical scope coverage:

• North West Sokoto State- Bodinga, Tambuwal and Gwadabawa LGAs 
• North East- Yobe State- Machina and Nguru LGAs.

Profile of the consultant (Qualification and Experience)

The external evaluator/team must have experience and significant knowledge of humanitarian response mechanisms, specifically regarding the Northeast Humanitarian Response, and have previous experience in conducting external evaluations for conflict responses. The evaluator/evaluation team must be external to all stakeholders of the project. In addition, the following characteristics are highly desirable:

• Significant experience (5-8 years) in coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of emergency response programmes, and expertise in at least 3 relevant sectors (Nutrition and Health, and WASH). Experience in MHPSS will be an added advantage
• Demonstrated experience in evaluating humanitarian response projects is essential (experience in evaluating donor-funded projects is desirable)
• Fluency in English and ability to write clear and concise reports (examples of previous work will be requested
• Relevant degree / equivalent experience related to the evaluation to be undertaken, M.Sc./Ph.D. will be an added advantage
• Ability to manage the available time and resources and to work to tight deadlines
• Understanding DAC-OECD evaluation criteria and donor specific requirements for this evaluation.
• Ability to manage the available time and resources and work to tight deadlines. 

SCOPE OF WORK:

More specifically, the implementation of this evaluation aims for the following key specific objectives: Specifically, the evaluation will look into:

• The extent to which ACF has been successful in meeting the project goal and objectives. 
• Beneficiaries’ perception of project achievements. 
• To review the secondary data/reports produced by the project and suggest recommendations to progress on core indicators in the target communities.
• To produce SWOT analyses of the sectoral integration aspect of the project.
• Document lessons learned and best practices 
• Generate data for a set of indicators from the project’s logical approach
• Use collected data as a benchmark for measuring project success or failure;
• Suggest other priority areas for future support/recommendations 

METHODOLOGY:

The evaluator is expected to propose a suitable evaluation design, which will better examine the interventions across all specific sectors. The proposed design should take into account the full project coverage as well as the outcome of the project on the locations and individuals where the project was implemented. This evaluation is also expected to look at units participating in the program “before and after” the intervention has been in operation.

The proposed evaluation approach should adopt a mixed-method approach of desk review and collect both quantitative and qualitative data to facilitate triangulation where possible. The evaluator will, to the extent possible, develop data-gathering instruments and methods that allow the collection of sex disaggregated data. Data collection shall involve visits to a sample of project locations, and meetings with program partners, targeted participants and other key stakeholders. The Evaluation design proposed in the inception report must be prior agreed upon by the consultant and ACF Technical team before the commencement of the exercise.

To the extent possible, the evaluation shall be meaningful and safe participation of adult and young people, ensuring ethical standards for evaluation are followed, including informed consent, ensuring the best interest of the participants, confidentiality and avoiding harm

The evaluation exercise would be conducted in a participatory manner, ensuring meaningful and ethical participation of beneficiaries and local partners/duty bearers across all sectors