Terms of Reference (Full) - SFCG

Terms of Reference (Full)

Final Evaluation for the project:

“New Life, New Hope: A Social Reintegration Program in the Sahel-Maghreb Region”

Search for Common Ground | Morocco – Mali – Niger

TERMS OF REFERENCE – FINAL EVALUATION “New Life, New Hope”

Search for Common Ground (Search) is seeking a consultant or a team of consultants to run a

final evaluation of a project across three countries: Morocco, Mali, and Niger. Search is

seeking to conduct the project’s final evaluation during the month of June and July 2018, with

the aim of measuring the change brought about by the project among its target groups and

beneficiaries.

The project, which ends on June 30th, 2018, focuses on improving prison reintegration programs

and enhancing collaboration and information sharing between the three countries.

1. Project summary

About Search for Common Ground

Search’s mission is to transform the way individuals, organizations, and governments deal with

conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. We seek to

help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities.

Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium with field offices in 35 countries,

we design and implement multifaceted programs that aim to transform conflict. Search has

worked in Morocco since 2001, in Niger since 2011, and in Mali since 2012.

About the project

'A New Life, a New Hope' is a 2-years social reintegration program in the Sahel and Maghreb

region (Morocco, Mali, Niger) funded by U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International

Narcotics, and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

The goal is to make measurable improvements to prison reintegration programs and enhance

collaboration and the sharing of information on prison reintegration between Morocco, Mali,

and Niger.

The project was based on a research assessment (June 2016 – July 2017) that led to a stronger

understanding of the reintegration strategy, prison security, and classification system in each

country. The objective of this study was to develop a thorough and accurate understanding of

the prison systems in Morocco, Mali, and Niger and to identify areas for future programming to

improve the reintegration of inmates into society. The assessment thus informed prison

reintegration programming in Morocco, Mali, and Niger and was followed by implementation.

To meet the identified challenges and needs, Search has developed four axes shaping its

intervention:

Search for Common Ground | Morocco – Mali – Niger | PAGE2


● The institutional Axis: This axis aims to support the prison administration and its

personnel in better understanding and assimilating the objectives and requirements of

the reintegration process. ● The operational Axis: This axis concerns activities to be implemented within prisons to

develop the capacities of inmates and facilitate their reintegration. ● The societal Axis: This axis stems from the joint findings that there is a lack of

communication between the prison environment and the external world, and that the

negative perception of society over inmates has a detrimental impact on their

reintegration. This component thus focuses on campaigns aiming to raise awareness

among the community of the reintegration needs of inmates. ● The regional Axis: This axis aims to facilitate the exchange of good practices at a

regional level and promote South-South cooperation between the main stakeholder

institutions of the prison systems of Morocco, Mali and Niger.

In order to contribute to the effective reintegration of inmates in Morocco, Mali and Niger,

activities were developed that aimed at these fours objectives and their expected results:

● Specific objective 1: Prison management and staff are better prepared to provide and

support successful reintegration programs. o Expected Result 1.1: Prison management and personnel have increased

knowledge and skills in reintegration (Morocco and Niger) and prison

management (Mali).

o Expected Result 1.2: Prison personnel have increased knowledge and skills in

conflict resolution and psycho-social support (Morocco and Mali), and inmate

management (Niger).

● Specific objective 2: Inmates have enhanced social, professional and personal

capacities. o Expected Result 2.1: Inmates have improved knowledge and skills in conflict

resolution (Morocco, Mali and Niger) and daily life management (Niger).

o Expected Result 2.2: Inmates have increased vocational knowledge and skills.

o Expected Result 2.3: Inmates have improved senses of self-confidence and

self-esteem and improved motivation for change.

● Specific objective 3: Society is more willing and open to the reintegration of inmates o Expected Result 3.1: Society has increased awareness of stigma against inmates

and of the positive aspects of their reintegration.

● Specific objective 4: Prison and state actors have strengthened cross-national regional

cooperation



o Expected Result 4.1: State prison actors have increased knowledge of

reintegration systems and best practices in the region.

o Expected Result 4.2: State prison actors have increased awareness and

knowledge of the needs and opportunities for regional collaboration.

The proposed activities under these four specific objectives built on existing opportunities and

adopted a systemic approach that foresees intervention at different levels of the reintegration

process and mobilization of actors from all segments of society. This model of intervention was

tested during this pilot project in a limited number of prisons across Morocco, Mali, and Niger.

This approach also provided the material and the pedagogical support required to ensure the

buy-in of key stakeholders, thus catalyzing the desired change and enhancing the chances for

success.

The target prisons in the three countries are the following:

● MAROC (2) : El Kelaa des Sraghna et Toulal 1 (Meknès)

● MALI (5) : Nioro du Sahel, Dioila, Macina, Bougouni et Bamako

● NIGER (3) : Daikaina, Gouré, Maradi

2. The final evaluation

Objectives of the evaluation

The global objective of this final evaluation is to capture the change brought about by the

project in supporting the reintegration of inmates, compared to the baseline studies conducted

in each of the three countries.

More specifically, the final evaluation has three objectives:

1. Measure the state of the project’s indicators after the implementation of activities;

2. Analyze the following evaluation criteria: efficiency, relevance, and sustainability;

3. Extract lessons learned and recommendations from this experience to inform future

programming for supporting the reintegration of inmates and the collaboration

between Morocco, Mali, and Niger.

This final evaluation will be led by an external consultant (individual or team), to allow a

comparative analysis of results achieved in all three countries targeted by the project. The

external consultant will benefit from Search teams and partners’ support in the three countries.

Search reserves the right to approve the final methodology before data collection begins.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Kelaa_des_Sraghna


The findings of this final evaluation will be shared with our donor, the U.S. Department of State,

Bureau of International Narcotics, and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and will be published on

Search’s website to allow a larger dissemination and utilization.

Evaluation questions

The evaluation questions will be developed by the external consultant on the basis of questions

designed at the baseline stage of the project, and will specifically seek to identify what

approaches/activities have brought good results, and what has been less efficient, relevant, or

sustainable – comparing experiences in the three implementation countries.

General evaluation questions should seek to measure:

Effectiveness:

1. Did prison staff demonstrate use of new knowledge and skills in managing reintegration

programs, in conflict resolution and psycho social support, and in managing inmates

files? Do inmates have increased knowledge and skills in conflict resolution, stress

management, non-violent communication, and daily life management?

2. Do inmates have increased capacity and opportunities for employment outside of prison

due to access to vocational reintegration programs?

3. Did the project enable a transformation in attitudes and perceptions among: a. Inmates about their potential to contribute to the society and see a future for

themselves outside of prison?

b. Prison staff about the role they play in the reintegration of inmates?

c. The society regarding their tolerance and understanding of the importance of

reintegrating inmates?

4. Do inmates have stronger relationships with and support from prison staff, their

families, and civil society?

5. Do the participants in the regional exchange demonstrate better knowledge of the other

countries reintegration systems?

6. Did the project reach its expected results in each of the three targeted countries?

Relevance:

1. Do prison staff believe that the knowledge and networking opportunities gained

through participation in the program will strengthen the work they do in prison? If so,

how? If not, why not?

2. Do inmates believe that the knowledge and support gained through participation in the

program will facilitate their reintegration into society?



3. Do the participants in the exchange and final conference believe that the collaboration

between the three countries is meaningful?

Sustainability:

1. Did the project allow for the development of tools, guide, or national strategies? Were

those tools, guide, or national strategies implemented and/or used?

2. Did the project allow for greater collaboration and the creation of synergies between

the prison administrations in Morocco, Mali, and Niger?

3. Are the vocational programs sustainable after the end of the project?

Methodology

The evaluation methodology, covering implementation in all three countries, will be proposed

by the external consultant, and finalized with Search’s support. On the basis of the

methodology and tools developed for the project’s baseline study, the external consultant will

be responsible for developing the methodology and tools for the final evaluation, specifying:

● The approach, including:

o Qualitative methods used across all three countries;

o Small-scale quantitative methods targeting beneficiaries only;

● The data collection tools, including:

o Interview guides;

o Focus group discussion guides;

o A questionnaire for a small-scale survey;

● The data collection sites, including:

o At least 2 prisons per country;

● The type and number of targeted participants;

● The methodology to select participants, including for key informant interviews.

Deliverables

Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant:

● An evaluation plan detailing a proposed methodology, calendar, and written evaluation

tools for a final evaluation in three countries;

● Training of data collectors in each country;

● Supervision or active participation in data collection in the three countries;

● Oversight of the data coding process;



● Analysis of the data collected in the three countries and production of a draft evaluation

report (in English) for review by Search staff and other stakeholders;

● A Final Report in English (30 pages max in length, excluding appendices) that consists of:

o Executive summary of key findings and recommendations

o Table of contents

o Objectives, methodology, and limitations of the study

o Research findings, analysis, and conclusions with associated data presented

(should be structured around the main objectives/evaluation criteria)

o Conclusions and recommendations for future action

o Appendices, which include detailed research instruments, list of interviewees,

terms of references and evaluator(s) brief biography

● Submission of the databases to Search.

3. Logistics

Logistical Support

Depending on the methodology adopted, the consultant may need to organize his or her own

logistics. However, Search will support the consultant in identifying the best options according

to the country contexts.

In addition, Search will share the following elements with the external consultant:

● Background materials including the project proposal and logframe, the M&E plan,

quarterly reports, and other materials as requested by the external consultant;

● The methodology, tools, and report of the baseline study conducted in the three

implementation countries;

● Other quantitative and qualitative data collected by Search staff in the three countries

of implementation during the project.

Timeframe

The evaluation should be conducted in June-July 2018. The table below provides details with

regard to the calendar.

Activities Dates

Signature of contract with the consultant May 1, 2018

Development of the methodology and tools by the consultant May 15, 2018

Training of data collectors in three countries June 18 - 22, 2018

Data Collection June 25 - July 20, 2018

Data entry July 20 - 30, 2018

First draft of the evaluation report submitted by the consultant to Search August 20, 2018



Search shares its comments on the first draft with the consultant August 31, 2018

Final evaluation report submitted by the consultant to Search September 15, 2018

Requirements of consultant

The evaluator for this project should have the following skills and experience:

● Proficiency in English and French (written and spoken), working knowledge of Arabic,

Hausa or Bambara is highly desirable;

● More than 5 years of experience in project evaluation or the equivalent in DM&E

expertise, including collecting data through interviews, surveys and focus groups;

● Experience working with international organizations;

● Experience conducting quantitative surveys and analysis;

● Understanding of and experience working on security sector related topics;

● Evaluation methods and data collection skills;

● Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule for travel across the implementation

countries in June 2018.

In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles : 1

● Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing

information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review.

Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should

communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to

allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make

clear the limitations of the review and its results.

● Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience

appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his

or her professional training and competence.

● Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent

about any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the

reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities

produce misleading review information.

● Respect for people: Consultant should respect the security, dignity, and self-worth of

respondents and program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive

to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability,

age, and ethnicity.

1 Adapted from the American Evaluation Association Guiding Principles for Evaluators, July 2004 Search for Common Ground | Morocco – Mali – Niger | PAGE8


In addition, the consultant will respect Search’s evaluations standards, to be found in Search’s

evaluation guidelines: http://www.sfcg.org/programmes/ilt/dme_guidelines.html

Applications

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following

documents:

● Curriculum vitae;

● Short biography/ies of the candidate(s);

● A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the evaluation;

● A financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables;

● A copy of one evaluation conducted by the candidate(s) in English.

All application materials must be submitted through the Bamboo HR portal before April 25,

2018. Incomplete application packages will not be considered.

Candidates will be evaluated by Search based on the following selection criteria:

● Technical proposal;

● Financial proposal;

● Experience and expertise of the consultant in DME and the project’s thematic;

● Fluency in English and French (and other preferred languages, ie Arabic, Housa,

Bambara).


http://www.sfcg.org/programmes/ilt/dme_guidelines.html

https://sfcg.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=1118

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Terms of Reference (Full) - SFCG