Country: Somalia
Closing date: 14 Oct 2017
Project Summary
‘High-quality research support(HQRS) programme’ is research training programme designed to for the mid-career researchers from and living in the Somali regions who are eager to enhance their research skills and competencies , and became the country’s next generation of researchers and researcher leaders. The programme is implemented by the Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP, www.ocvp.org ) in partnership with Transparency Solutions (TS) and the University of Bristol (UoB), and funded by DFID-East Africa Research Hub in partnership with Somalia Stability Fund (SSF). It equips participants with the highest theoretical and practical research knowledge and skills necessary to undertake research on issues of significance for Somali society.
The programme is rooted in an understanding of the fundamental role high-quality research plays in enabling communities and wider society to critically analyze their social problems, attain a deeper understanding of social realities, and hopefully achieves positive social transformation. Aware of the potential challenges that government, business, the education sector and civil society may current face with regard to extremely limited research capacity in the country, this programme is aimed to contribute to the strengthening their research capacity.
The programme aimed to train 60 mid-career researchers recruited from the Somali regions and from different types of local public, the education institutions and civil society for a period of two years. The essential structure of the HQRS programme is two twelve-month part-time cohorts in the following phases:
· Training Phase( 4 months): During this phase, the trainees are provided with six one-week research training modules delivered by UOB staff or Ph.D. candidates
· Internship phase (3 months): During the second phase of the programme trainees work n groups on a research project and engage with a guided practice in doing actual field research that involves research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
· Mentorship Phase(4 months): Trainees work on their individual research projects mentored by the same trainers who engaged with them during the training phase of the programme
· Dissemination Workshop and Completion Ceremony: This last and final phase of each cohort involves two-minute speed presentations by the trainees and followed by a poster session in which the trainee stands by their poster on the wall so that members of the audience can discuss their work with them informally. Afterward, trainees who successfully completed all the phases of the programme are provided with a certificate of completion
The purpose of this Terms of Reference (ToR) is to define the work that should be carried out by the external evaluator to assess the programme implementation against intended results and programme Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
Programme Beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries of the programme were the trainees who were recruited from different regions of the country. The secondary beneficiaries of the programme were the institutions/organizations who nominated the trainees from the first place and who will benefit from the services of the research training graduates.
Purpose of the Evaluation
The Programme has been implemented from (September 2015 to August 2017). Focusing on the entire Programme implantation period, the overall objective of the end of programme evaluation is to assess the impact of the programme on the beneficiaries and whether the overall programme goals and objectives were met. It should inform the programme implementing partners the innovations and achievements that need to build on strength to develop existing achievements for the future expansion and extension of the programme.
Audiences for the Evaluation Report
The primary audiences for this evaluation report are programme team, implementing partners, trainees as well as funding agencies (SSF/EARTH). The secondary audiences include the broader academics, policymakers, and practitioners working on the field research and evidence-based programming and policymaking in the country.
Evaluation Methodology
The end of the programme evaluation will use a qualitative approach including review of programme documents – quarterly reports, programme monitoring and evaluation framework, tracer study report for the first cohort and trainees research publications posted on the OCVP website- as well as interviews with key programme team representing the three implementing partners, trainers and trainees. The project evaluator will work closely with Abdullahi Odowa to obtain the relevant programme documents and contact details of key informants.
Scope and Focus of the Evaluation
The evaluation will look at the following areas:
· Relevance: Assess design and focus of the programme
To what extent did the programme achieve its main goal and objectives?
What and how much progress has been made towards achieving the overall outputs and outcomes of the programme?
To what extent were the results (impacts, outcomes, and outputs) achieved?
Was the programme relevant to the identified needs?
· Effectiveness: Describe the management processes and their appropriateness in supporting delivery
Was the programme effective in delivering desired/planned results?
How effective has the programme been in responding to the needs of the benefices, and what resulted were achieved?
How effective were the strategies and tools used in the implementation of the programme?
· Efficiency: Of Programme Implementation
Was the process of achieving results efficiently? Specifically, did the actual or expected results justify the cost incurred? Were the resources effectively utilized?
Are there more efficient ways and means of delivering more and better results?
Could a different approach have produced better results?
Location
The evaluation process will include conducting face-to-face individual/focus group interviews with programme team and beneficiaries in Hargeisa, as well as interviews via telephone/Skype/or emails with target groups who may be outside of the country.
Expected Deliverables
The external evaluator is expected to submit a final evaluation report that incorporates comments from the programme team and funding agencies (16-20) pages excluding appendices. The final report should include the following:
· Executive Summary
· Introduction
· Description of the evaluation methodology
· Presentation and analysis of the qualitative data collected during field research(key stakeholders interviews)
· Key findings, including best practices and lessons learned
· Conclusions and recommendations
· Appendices
Required Expertise and Qualification for the External Evaluator
The External Evaluator shall have the following expertise and qualification
· At least masters degree in Social Sciences
· Extensive knowledge and experience in the field of social research, peacebuilding, and education
· Knowledge and understanding of the international and country-level implementation of development aid in post-conflict situations.
· Experience of project formulation and evaluation in the Somali context
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluent in spoken Somali will be added advantage
Budget Allocated
OCVP will pay an inclusive consultancy fee of $ 4000 upon the completion of the assignment. In addition, the OCVP will provide local transportation for the evaluator while in Hargeisa.
Terms of Contract
The duration of the contract will a total period of 15 days, starting from the 20th of October with the final evaluation report due on 3rd of November 2017.
How to apply:
Application Requirements and Procedure
Interested parties are required to submit their CV, a short proposal, and a sample evaluation report. The proposal should briefly (for not more than 4 pages) highlight the proposed evaluation methodology, relevant experience, capacities and skills of the evaluator as well as a proposed timeline for evaluation. Interested and qualified candidates can apply by submitting their application to hr@ocvp.org , with the subject line ‘HQRS External Evaluation,' by latest 3pm (East Africa Time) on Saturday, the 14th of October 2017. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
