Final Evaluation: STAR: Strengthening Trust and Relationships between Community, Security, and Justice Sector Actors for Improved Security Project in Far North Cameroon - Search for Common Ground Northern Cameroon Bookmark Share Print 110 0 0

Listing Description


Terms of Reference: Final Evaluation: STAR: Strengthening Trust and Relationships between Community, Security, and Justice Sector Actors for Improved Security Project in Far North Cameroon

Search for Common Ground (Search) is seeking a consultant who can conduct endline evaluation on a project in Northern Cameroon which is aimed at building trust and collaboration among citizens, law enforcement and justice sector actors. We are interested in understanding the current level of trust and collaboration that exists between community members and security and justice actors following the implementation of the STAR project.  Consultant’s research proposals should include a plan to analyze current context across gender, age, and religious demographics and evaluate progress made so far in the region following the implementation of a 24 month project. Candidates’ teams should have experience researching evidence to inform the connection between planned programming, the context, and the expected changes from planned programming. Candidates’ teams should also have experience transferring research skills to local partners.

Context

Search for Common GroundSearch is an international conflict transformation NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments and companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with 52 field offices in over 30 countries, Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including media and training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge and determine a positive shift in behaviors.
Cameroon faces escalating crises that threaten the relative peace and security the country has enjoyed since independence. This presents risks to impact several key overall development indicators, including education and socio-economic welfare. Search and our local partner, Local Youth Corner (LOYOC), have implemented an innovative 24-month project to foster trust building and collaboration among and between citizens, law enforcement, and justice sector actors in Cameroon. LOYOC, an experienced local civil society organization, led implementation, capitalizing on their extensive experience across Cameroon. We combined an iterative series of capacity building, trust building activities, and platforms for dialogue and joint action planning to meet the project goal and objectives. In addition, local ownership and respect to culture, religion, and traditions are streamlined throughout all activities and approaches, in order to maximize impact and promote sustainability.
Search is recruiting for a consultant/team of consultant(s) to conduct the final evaluation in the Far-North of Cameroon on the STAR: Strengthening Trust and Relationships between Community, Security, and Justice Sector Actors for Improved Security project.

The Project 

Search for Common Ground (Search) supported our local implementing partner, Local Youth Corner (LOYOC), to implement a project to foster trust building and collaboration on security among and between citizens, law enforcement, and justice sector actors within communities vulnerable to violent extremism in the Far North region of Cameroon. The aim of the project is supported by two objectives and four expected results as outlined below:

Objective 1: To improve trust and constructive dialogue among and between citizens, law enforcement, and justice sector actors.
 ER 1.1. Law enforcement, justice sector actors, and key community leaders and influencers have strengthened capacity to constructively communicate with and engage citizens on justice and security. 
 ER 1.2. Improved platforms to foster understanding and facilitate constructive dialogue among and between communities, law enforcement, and justice sector actors.

Objective 2: To strengthen collaboration among and between citizens, law enforcement, and justice sector actors on shared security issues, including VE.
 ER 2.1 Joint community-level security mechanisms and protocols are developed and advanced by citizens, law enforcement, and local authorities. 
 ER 2.2 Citizens have improved access to information on and positive examples of collaborative security, justice, and peace processes.

We combined an iterative series of capacity building, trust building activities, and platforms for dialogue and joint action planning to meet the project goal and objectives. In addition, local ownership, youth empowerment, and respect to culture, religion, and traditions are streamlined throughout all activities and approaches, in order to maximize impact and promote sustainability.  Our theory of change is that:

Theory of Change: If law enforcement and justice sector actors have improved capacity to engage constructively and collaboratively with citizens on security challenges, including VE; and If citizens have improved understanding of the mission of  security and justice sectors and priorities of law enforcement; and If these stakeholders have joint platforms for regular dialogue and trust building and are then empowered to jointly develop community security mechanisms, underpinned by newfound trust and mutual-accountability in one another; Then overall community trust of and collaboration with law enforcement and justice sector actors will improve Because these stakeholders will benefit from a holistic approach to trust building based on capacity building, dialogue, and collaborative action, and will see each other as partners in addressing shared security issues.

Goal and Objectives of Study

As the project is ending its implementation phase, we require a consultant who will carry out an endline study of the project, measure project indicators, reassess the context to verify the relevance of project strategy, and document perceptions of various target stakeholders, including community leaders and influencers, law enforcement, and justice sector actors.  The objective of the endline evaluation is to examine the project’s impact, effectiveness, relevance as well as the sustainability. The objectives of the final evaluation are as follows:

1.Assess the following OECD-DAC evaluation criteria: effectiveness, impact, relevance and sustainability, as they apply to this project
2. Assess progress of the project towards achieving its goals and objectives in an enduring manner.
3. Document key lessons learnt around specific approaches as well as the intended and unintended  positive and negative results.
4. Highlight recommendations for improvement for future projects

In addition the final evaluation will measure the following indicators:

ER1.1, Indicator 1: % of law enforcement participants who have increased knowledge of local customs and traditions, as relevant for improved security and CVE
ER1.2, Indicator 6: % of interviewed participants engaged in trust-building and dialogue activities (i.e. sports tournaments, community peace, and justice and security dialogues) who report that these activities have supported improved relationships and/or understanding among and between communities, security, and justice sector actors.
ER2.1, Indicator 2: % of interviewed stakeholders within the target community who feel they have increased opportunities to share their perspectives on security issues and/or report positively engaging law enforcement and justice sector actors on CVE and security issues.
ER2.1, Indicator 3: % of participants (participating in joint community security initiatives) who report having more confidence in the ability of security and justice sector actors to respond effectively so community security challenges.

Key Questions of the Study
In addition to measuring the endline values for the project’s indicators, the evaluation seeks to answer the following research questions, based on the selected evaluation criteria (drawn from the OECD-DAC criteria):

Effectiveness
To what extent have the intended projects’ expected results been achieved against the selected indicators? What are the changes in attitude, perception and knowledge of the community members, security and justice actors achieved within the project? 
Was the project’s theory of change well-articulated and appropriate to the context? Were there other theories that could have contributed in a more significant manner?
Were the monitoring tools developed appropriate? To what extent were M&E processes and products useful and used in project implementation?
Impact
What changes, intended and unintended, positive and negative, have occurred in the target locations? How have these evolved?
Did the project contribute to increasing the level of trust and collaboration between community members and security/justice actors? Do communities feel safer by the end of the project? What is the evidence for these?
Relevance
How appropriate is the project design to achieve its objectives in the context in which it operates?
To what extent were the needs of the beneficiaries and stakeholders considered in the project design?
How appropriate are the project's intended results for the context within which it operates?
Sustainability
To what extent the achieved results are likely to be sustained after the project closes out?
What enables or impedes the sustainability of results?
Critical lessons learned and recommendations around specific approach
What are the critical lessons learned to draw in respect to the different approaches used for building capacity of security, justice actors and local authorities, community members for achieving enduring changes? What worked and what didn't and why? 
What recommendations will be useful for planning similar future projects



Geographic Locations
  • This evaluation will be conducted in the Far North region of Cameroon, precisely Mora and other project implementation communities. The stakeholders of interest as relevant to the area and theme of study will further be highlighted by Search and its partner LOYOC.

    • Methodology and Data Collection Tools
  • The consultant in submitting the proposal should outline the research approach and methodology for data collection to be used, including justification for these methods related to the research questions. The applications submitted must clearly explain why the proposed methodology is the most appropriate to achieve the study objectives; they must also clarify the different tools that will be used and how each of these tools contributes to meeting the established lines of inquiry. 
  • The consultant will be responsible for finalizing the literature review, designing the final methodology, developing tools, training of enumerators, data analysis, and drafting of the report and actionable recommendations. Proposals should include clarity on data triangulation and key methodologies for data collection. The proposal will also include sampling strategies associated with the proposed methods, methodologies for data analysis outlined with justifications and reasoning for any key methods mentioned, Do No Harm strategies, and any proposed strategies for sharing the findings of the study. 
  • In addition, the proposal should clearly state how the study would be conducted with Search’s partner, LOYOC, such that it provides an opportunity for research skills transfer to LOYOC.
  • The final methodology and tools will be approved by Search’s Institutional Learning Team (ILT)  and DMEL team before data collection begins.

    • Logistical Support
  • The consultant(s) will be responsible for organizing their own logistics for data collection (vehicles, fuel, and drivers), and this must be budgeted into the study. At least one LOYOC (partner) staff member may be available to support data collection and logistics for this study.
  • In addition, Search and partners will share the following elements with the external consultant: background materials including the project proposal and logframe, M&E plan, background materials including the project proposal and logframe, conflict analysis and reports produced throughout project implementation, etc.

    • Timeline and Key Deliverables
  • This study will take place from July 2022 - September, 2022 with the final deliverables due by 9th September 2022 at the latest.
  • Final deadlines will be agreed by Search and the consultant upon finalization of the contract.

    • Deliverables
  • Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget:
  • An inception report detailing the methodology, data collection tools and timeline;
  • Any necessary training of data collectors or set-up of systems for data collection;
  • Supervision and participation in data collection;
  • Oversight of data coding and analysis;
  • All original data submitted to Search;
  • A draft evaluation report in English language for review by Search staff and partners;
  • A final report in English (40 pages max in length, excluding appendices) consistent with Search branding and standards for evaluation. The report:
  • Uses the Search evaluation template unless otherwise agreed in the contract
  • Provides a clear connection between the conflict or context assessment and the intended and unintended results
  • Fully explains the objectives and research questions of the study, limitations and methods chosen for analysis, 
  • Findings respect Search’s evaluation standards, are structured around the main objectives of the study, and are presented in relation to the intended target groups. The findings should speak to the link between the project, its Theory of Change and its contribution to our strategy. It should explain adaptations that occurred during the project and their impact on results.
  • Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific, accessible, and actionable. 
  • Indicator table showing all measured indicators
  • Appendices should include detailed research instruments, list of interviewees, terms of references and evaluator(s) brief biography


    • Budget
  • A detailed budget should be provided, including daily rates for personnel, and costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables.
  • This budget should include all planned costs for the study as no additional costs will be borne by Search for Common Ground and/or LOYOC.


    • Requirements of consultant
  • The following skills and experience are expected by Search for the selected evaluator for this project:
  • Proficiency in English and French (written and spoken);
  • More than 7 years of experience in project evaluation, including collecting data in interviews, surveys and focus groups;
  • Experience in conflict analysis and working with justice and civil society sectors;
  • Experience working with international organizations;
  • Experience conducting quantitative surveys and analysis;
  • Evaluation methods and data collection skills;
  • Strong analytical and report writing skills
  • Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the study will take place.

    • In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:
  • 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 respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.
  • 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 


    • Selection Criteria
  • Consultant proposals will be selected for:
  • Relevance of proposed methodology to the goal, objectives, and research questions for the project.
  • Quality of proposed methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and quality control measures.
  • Qualifications of the candidate(s).
  • Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team.
  • Timeline for proposed activities.

    • Applications
    To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents:
    Curriculum vitae and one example of a past baseline and/or evaluation conducted;
    A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the evaluation together with a financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables and a short cover letter.
    Note: Only two documents can be submitted, so the technical and financial proposals must be combined, along with the short cover letter.

    Applications must be submitted on or before 15th July 2022


    As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

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    Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.

    Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.
    -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
    Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.

    Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.
    Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.
    Consultez notre code de conduite ici et notre politique de confidentialité ici.

    Listing Details

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