Haiti: Haiti Program Evaluation Consultant (Fluent in English, Creole and French) Local Peace Networks

Terms of Reference

AFSC Haiti Program Evaluation

Local Peace Networks: Empowering Urban Youth and High-Risk Communities to Promote Sustainable Change

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

1. History

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of different faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. AFSC's believes in the worth of each person and the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.

AFSC has more than nine decades of experience in building peace in communities around the world. Founded in the crucible of World War I by Quakers who wanted to serve humanity and the country while being faithful to their commitment to nonviolence, AFSC has worked worldwide in conflict zones in areas affected by natural disasters and oppressed communities to address the root causes of war and violence. Launched in 2013, the program ”The Local Peace Networks: Empowering urban Youth and High-Risk Communities to Promote Sustainable Change?” in Haiti is currently operating in the three urban communities of Cite Soleil, Martissant and Croix des Bouquets where AFSC works in partnership with 14 community-based organizations (CBO) to provide training in conflict mitigation, including conflict analysis, mediation and dialogue. These organizations work through Local Peace Networks (LPNs). In addition, the program built a network of local schools, CBOs and community leaders able to work and promote peace actions in their neighborhoods. LPNs have established partnerships with certain public institutions, including the Ministry of Education (through the Zone Inspector), community police, mayor’s office and other local authorities.

1. The Rationale of the Evaluation.

Since returning to Haiti in 2010, AFSC has undertaken a significant step towards improving the effectiveness and impact of the programs. These changes included a renovated strategic planning process that implies an evaluation every three-year cycle. An evaluation is scheduled to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the Local Peace Networks: Empowering Urban Youth and High-Risk Communities to Promote Sustainable Change program having completed its first three-year cycle in September 2015.

1. The Purpose/Objectives and Users of the Evaluation

The main purpose of the review is to identify whether the implementation strategy has served its purpose and if products and achievements have caused the expected effects and thereby estimate the impact of the project on people, organizations and communities. The review will provide important information in order to apply corrective actions to the methodology of the work and to provide learnings to ASFC for its planning of the incoming program cycle.

The Objectives of the evaluation specify what the evaluation aims to achieve.

· Assess the effectiveness of the program during its execution from FY 2013 to FY 2015.

· Identify the efficient use of resources in relation with the methodology, measuring the program impact.

· Identify the relevance of the intervention strategy and to propose modifications if necessary.

· Provide the program staff with recommendations on adjusting any intervention strategy and methodology.

The expected result of the evaluation will be an evaluation report with findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The report’s structure will be approved by the Regional Office, in both English and French, in two hard copies and two electronic copies appropriately labeled.

The evaluation will be made available to all staff within AFSC but the specific users of the evaluation will be:

• The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Director
• Haiti program staff
• Program partners in Haiti
• Associate General Secretary of International Programs (IP) and central office IP staff
• Program Support Unit
• Development Department
• Quaker International Affairs Office
• International Programs Executive Committee (IPEC)

4. Task Description

The Scope of the Evaluation

AFSC Regional Office understands evaluation as an integral and regular institutional mechanism, research and analysis of the impact in the medium and long-term programs and projects in a given time. The evaluation will measure the impact at the individual and local organization level, and will determine whether the management criteria for the program and the project have been adequate or needs some adjustment.

In this case, the Haiti program execution will be evaluated from FY2013 to FY2015, based on the logical framework structure implemented by AFSC, including the process, outputs, outcomes, effects and impact of the program.

The evaluation process should include two levels: a) Context of implementation and b) specific aspects of the program implementation.

Context of the project/program:

The AFSC program was developed in a social context of high rates of violence in the urban centers of Port-au-Prince. Beginning in the early 1990s, a proliferation of gang activities emerged in the Port-au-Prince area as a consequence of high rates of poverty, social inequality and political events. These communities have been disproportionately affected by high rates of violence.

Numerous events that have impacted the country, including floods linked to climate change, the earthquake of January 12, 2010, and a cholera outbreak shortly after the earthquake that severely handicapped the functioning of local government structures and the anticipated decentralization mandated by the Constitution.

Listed as 163 on the human development index, social indicators such as literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality and child malnutrition are indicative of the degree of poverty in Haiti. The country’s high rate of poverty is in direct correlation with the existing violent conflicts. Once more, reports indicate that gender based violence (GBV) has significantly risen since the earthquake. The lack of access to education and basic social services, as well as high levels of unemployment has contributed to a rise in gang activity in slums in particular among young people. Decades of permanent political crisis coupled with rapid urbanization contribute to the existing urban landscape.

Although statistics are scarce, violence is rampant in urban and peri-urban communities. This reality increasingly contributes to the criminalization and stigmatization of youth.

Poverty[1], social inequality[2], family breakdown, chronic malnutrition and infant mortality count as major factors hindering the development of the Haitian population.

In 2010, AFSC began its work in Haiti, and a mapping process was conducted to seek alliances with local organizations that work with youth and that were willing to implement the LPN methodology.

AFSC began its operations in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake with the idea of contributing to the reduction of violence. During 2010 and 2011, AFSC focused the program on trauma healing, conflict mediation and urban participative planning in Leogane and Martissant. In FY 2012, AFSC started to work in Croix des Bouquets, one of areas with the largest number of post-earthquake IDP communities. The project included the conflict approach through youth civic engagement and conflict mediation and the creation of Local Peace Networks (LPNs).

In 2013, the program began building a network of local schools, CBOs, and community leaders able to work and promote peace actions in their neighborhoods, but joining LPNs for the facilitation of conflict analysis.

a) Evaluation Questions:

To determine relevance

· Did we plan the appropriate projects/program?

· To what extent are the objectives, planned activities and planned outputs consistent with the intended outcome and impact?

· Are there any contextual differences between the time when the program/project was designed and today?

· To what extent do the objectives of the project/program remain valid?

· During the current program cycle, have there been any changes in the socio-political situation of the environment in which the program is implemented that have major effects on its implementation? If so, how did the program address these changes?

To measure efficiency

· Was the program budget sufficient to cover the planned activities?

· Were the activities that were implemented previously planned?

· Were activities cost-effective?

· Are the objectives being achieved in an economical manner?

Were objectives achieved on time?

To measure effectiveness

· Have the activities been planned according to the objectives set in the plan?

· Is there coherence between the implemented activities, program implementation strategy and methodology

For the sustainability scope

· Do you have reports / systematization of the activities and have they been followed?

· Have you conducted regular internal evaluations?

· Has a mechanism for strengthening, transfer of skills and methodological tools for the partners been implemented?

· To what extent will the positive impacts or changes of the program/project have a lasting effect?

· Which measures are implemented in order to support sustainability? · What were the major factors which influenced the achievement or non-achievement of sustainability of the program or project?

1. Evaluation Process/Methodology and Approach

a) Assessment Team

Preferably the evaluation will be assigned to an advisory team with the following profile:

· Maximum three social sciences professionals, trained in human rights and development. Proficient in peacebuilding, conflict analysis, M&E, gender and cultural diversity.

· At least 5 years’ experience in project implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes.

· Proven experience in developing and examining logical framework for projects.

· Extensive knowledge of Haiti and conflict mitigation.

· Ability to work in a team and availability to travel to communities where the project is implemented.

b) Steps in the evaluation process

· Information gathering

· Design of the methodology and tools for data collection

· Preparation and presentation of work plan for approval by the Regional Office

· Collection and analysis of all documents and information generated in the project

· Stakeholder involvement (interviews, focus groups and others)

c) Codification and analysis of information collected.

· Developing an outline of the report and approval by the regional office

· Preparation of a draft report to be submitted to the Regional Office for the discussion of findings

· Presentation of results and recommendations to regional staff and Haiti Program

· Preparation and submission of the final report in English.

d) Initial Discussion of Findings

e) Analysis and Preliminary report (deliverables)

f) Final Recommendations

6. Budget

The consultancy will last two calendar months, starting from the moment the contract is signed. The budget for this consultancy is ($ 8 ,000.00), total amount. Three disbursements, 30% by signing the contract, 30% with the presentation of the draft report and 40% against the final product

February 2016

[1] [1] Measuring poverty involves two stages closely related: the identification of the poor and the aggregation of indicators obtained to achieve global indices describing the poverty situation. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (WPI) criteria are: Health: lack of health care coverage (insurance or affiliation to Social Security), overcrowding, housing floor and limited or absent access to water and sanitation within home. Education: less than 5 years of schooling attained by adults and educational hope in children and young people below the primary level. Income: family income less than the estimated cost of basic food baskets and basic goods and services. (Human Development Report 2014, "Haiti”).

[2] Social inequality is the result of a problem socially constructed and should not be seen as a natural phenomenon. It is a historical and cultural phenomenon that has existed in all nations, into a social problem for each of them. Social inequality is the condition in which people have unequal access to resources of all kinds, services and positions that society values. All kinds of social inequality is strongly associated with social class, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. (López-Aranguren, E. (2005) Social Problems. Inequality, poverty, social exclusion Madrid, Spain Editorial Biblioteca Nueva).

Please submit a cover letter and c.v.(s) explaining your teams relevant experience in the specific areas listed by the closing date to rdupuy@afsc.org., including at least 3 references.