UNICEF recruits 01 National Evaluation Consultancy

National Evaluation Consultancy – Evaluation of the Response to the L2 Humanitarian Crisis in Cameroon (2 Cameroon-based)

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Job Number: 526042 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Cameroon

Work Type : Consultancy

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

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Background

The population in both North-West and South-West represents nearly 17% of Cameroun’s total population. The perceived marginalization of the English-speaking population has been a feature of the economic and political dynamics since the country became independent (1960), reunified (1966) unified (1972) and centralized (1984). Geographically, these two regions cover 16,364 square kilometers out of the country’s total area of 475,442 square kilometers.

Before the conflict broke out, the South-West region played an important role in the national economy, especially with industrial agriculture and trans-border trade with Nigeria. Part of Cameroon’s crude oil, which accounts for one twelfth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), is pumped from wells located offshore of the South-West region (NW/SW). Since October 2016, historically rooted frustrations among the NW/SW population morphed into political demands, leading to protests and strikes (political demonstrations were organized against the Government of Cameroon around mostly issues of education and language). On October 1 2017, secessionists unilaterally declared the independence of the putative state of Ambazonia, leading to further deterioration of the conflict. This seemingly vicious cycle has led to unprecedented levels of violence in South-West and North-West regions.  Since the start of the conflict, over 457,000 (UNOCHA estimations) people have been displaced within the two regions and the neighboring Littoral and West regions. Within the NW/SW regions, it is estimated that 60% of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are taking refuge in the forest, while 40% living in the urban/peri-urban settings. As the majority of the people affected are agriculturalists or agro-pastoralists, their displacement has resulted in the depletion/destruction of their livelihoods creating large financial burdens and also psychological distress. For those living in the urban/peri-urban setting, most displaced persons are staying with host families, whose means of survival are already stretched due to the crisis. With the displacements becoming prolonged, the situation is on the brim of an even greater crisis.

Health facilities, schools and other providers of social services have been targeted by both parties to the conflict. The conflict has dealt a devastating blow to education. Over 80 per cent of schools are closed or non-operational, affecting more than 609,000 children (Government of Cameroun, 2018). Schools have been targeted – at least 74 have been destroyed so far – and students, teachers and school personnel have been exposed to violence, abduction and intimidation. Education has become politized by non-state armed groups to put pressure on the Government and the international community to respond to their call for dialogue and independence.

Displaced populations as well as those who have decided to remain at home and those who fled to the bushes have nearly no access to health care and to other basic commodities such as sanitation and to potable water. Children have been the most affected, having had to flee their homes for the bush, as well as being unable to go to school.

In reaction to the evolving conflict, UNICEF declared a Level 2 Response for the two regions for an initial duration of 6 months (from 6 December 2018 to 31 May 2019). In June 2019, the Level 2 Response was confirmed for an additional period of 3 months.

Scope of work

Thematic Scope

The evaluation will gauge the vulnerable women’s and children’s access to and use of the interventions/services rendered in the areas where the response was put in place, namely in the following areas:  health, WASH, child protection, education and C4D. It will also look at how UNICEF has managed to build access and acceptance among the various stakeholders.

The evaluation will focus on the following:

In the NWSW, the extent to which the Programme has covered the most affected divisions;

In the NWSW, the extent to which the Programme had succeeded in serving people in areas where systems in charge of providing basic social services stopped working since the crisis started;

At the community level, the extent to which programme’s supported interventions have been able to generate and support people’s and community’s participation;

Availability of supplies and UNICEF structures to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance;

At the country Office level, the extent to which UNICEF sections have well used the fund allocated to the emergency crisis, and evaluate the effective and efficient of funds allocated to the FO.

(Cf attached ToR for more details)

How can you make a difference?

Objectives

This evaluation will have two purposes: accountability and learning.

This evaluation will provide the UNICEF Cameroon Country Office, the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCARO), UNICEF Headquarter in New York and donors (vertical accountability) as well as the response expected beneficiaries and partners (horizontal accountability) with some solid evidence on the extent to which the response to the NW/SW crisis attained its envisaged objectives.

With respect to its learning purpose, this evaluation is expected not only to inform the current response implementation strategies come but it will also shed some light on some potential corrective programmatic actions that may want to be adopted in the near future so as to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the response. Special emphasis will be placed over the role that partnerships and collaboration with other parties engaged in the response played in the effort to solve the access issues.

More specifically, this evaluation is expected to generate findings and recommendations that will help UNICEF Country Cameroon programme staff as well as other in-country partners (see Table 3 in the attached ToR) to adapt the implementation of the humanitarian Programme to the emerging and specific needs of the affected population.

In order to fulfil its two envisaged purposes (accountability and learning), the evaluation will be guided by the 6 following criteria, in line with the OECD/DAC and ALNAP guidelines: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Coordination, Coverage, Gender and Human Rights. A separate dimension on accountability to affected population will also be looked at.  The impact criterion was not retained due to the challenge of estimating the causal attribution between the variety of activities implemented as part of the response and the effects attained on the ground.

Deliverables and Schedules

The consultancy will be 3 months in duration and will consist of three main phases:

Number of Days of Work

National Consultant 1

National  Consultant 2

ACTIVITIES

Phase 1

Development of inception report (this will include the development of the evaluation design and the data collection tools) + Inception Meetings

5

5

Phase II

Data collection and Field work in Cameroon + Debriefing on preliminary findings on the last day of the country mission

15

15

Phase III

Data analysis, report writing (draft and final), validation and dissemination

10

10

Total

40

40

 Deliverables

Inception Report, including a detailed description of the methodology, data collection tools, data analytical plan, and suggested work plan (September 30, 2019);

Power Point summarizing key preliminary findings and conclusions (to be held before the international consultant leaves the country) (October 30, 2019));

First Draft of the evaluation report (November 15, 2019);

Recommendation validation workshop (to be facilitated remotely or by national consultant, as agreed with UNICEF) (December 5, 2019);

Final Evaluation report (max 40 pages with the rest to be placed in annexes) incorporating the commented made by UNICEF staff and the Reference Group members both in writing and during the recommendation validation workshop (December 21, 2019;

Power Point Presentation which summarizes the Evaluation Report with slide(s) of Key findings and recommendations (December 21, 2019);

Raw data in electronic medium, data collection instruments in electronic medium, transcripts in electronic medium, completed data sets, etc.  (December 31, 2019);

An Infographic summarizing the key findings and conclusions (December 31, 2019)

The consultant will need to make sure that the draft report and final report will be consistent with the international evaluation quality standards namely: the UNEG Checklist on Quality Evaluation Reports, the GEROS Quality Assessment Criteria, and the UNEG Guide on the Integration of Gender Equality and Human Rights in Evaluation.

(Cf attached ToR for more details)

Timing

The total duration of the contract is 50 days over the period from September 20, 2019 to December 30, 2019.

Reporting Requirements

In line with the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, this evaluation will be managed by the Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCARO) in close collaboration with the Cameroon CO and FO.

The Consultant will report to the WCAR Regional Evaluation Adviser.

Administrative Issues

UNICEF accepts applications from individual consultants.

All applications should contain the following documents:

I. Technical Project Proposal (max 5 pages), which would include at least the following (applicants are strongly encouraged not to repeat the text from Terms of Reference but rather to demonstrate a critical understanding of it): (NOTE FOR UNICEF: The criteria below will need to be discussed and revised accordingly)

Understanding of the evaluation purpose

An adequate conceptual framework and evaluation methodology

Consultant’s profile/portfolio

Proposed timeframes (hour/days)

Names and contact details of reference persons

List of past evaluation reports (if applicable)

Any other additional information to support the application (optional).

Financial Proposal:

Detailed budget breakdown (in US Dollars).

Applicants are strongly recommended to attach their technical and financial evaluation offers when applying.

Applicants without their technical and financial evaluation offers will not be considered.

UNICEF ins an equal opportunities employer

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Each one of the two National Consultants will need to have the following profile:

Advanced university degree in the relevant fields such as public health, WASH, and Community Engagement etc.

More than 6 years’ experience in programme evaluation and must have completed at least two high quality programme/project evaluation in that period (a copy of an evaluation report, which the applicant has been a primary author of, will need to be submitted a part of the application);

Must be familiar with emergency programming and Real-time evaluation approaches;

Excellent writing and communication skills in English;

Good work experience in conflict environments;

Good IT Skills including a good knowledge of MS Word, Power Point and Excel;

Good knowledge of UNICEF and the operational modalities of the United Nations

Good knowledge of results-based programme management;

Previous related evaluations in RRM and related modalities would be an asset

Previous experience working on evaluations with real time methodologies and geospatial analysis would be an asset

For every Child, hope

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

“UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.”

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Download File Attachment for ToR_2 National Consultants CMR_Evaluation NWSW crisis_August 12 2019 Copy.pdf

Opening Date Fri Aug 30 2019 10:00:00 GMT+0200 (heure d’été d’Europe centrale) W. Central Africa Standard Time

Closing Date Sat Sep 14 2019 00:55:00 GMT+0200 (heure d’été d’Europe centrale)