Burundi: Consultancy - Final project evaluation Phase I.Ubuntu Care Project: Confronting sexual violence against children with disabilities in Rwanda, Burundi

1. CONTEXT

In the last few decades, widespread reports of endemic sexual violence against women and children, particularly in countries ravaged by conflict and war, have become understood as an extreme violation of human rights and mobilized international attention. Despite this international attention, the plight of women and children with disabilities has been largely unrecognized in response interventions. This is a serious oversight, as research shows they are more likely to be victims of sexual violence. Yet they remained invisible among survivors due to a lack of information, research and disability disaggregated statistics, and entrenched cultural beliefs and stigma that see them excluded from social life. The majority of these survivors are not informed and aware of their rights and some, especially children, are economically and socially dependant on their perpetrators and cannot report the incidence. When they do, the cases rarely go to court, as existing prevention programs are mostly unaware of disability related vulnerabilities and lack capacities to address persons with disabilities. Thus, perpetrators tend to go free and continue to act with almost complete impunity. This entrenched cycle of violence is not an exception but the rule in many countries and has a devastating impact on the survivors, their families and their entire communities, that lives on well after the incidence.

In 2010, Handicap International and Save the Children implemented a pilot project with the support of the OAK Foundation to address the vulnerability of children with disabilities against sexual violence in four African countries (Burundi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania). A situation analysis was conducted through the collection of in-depth evidence on the modality and occurrence of sexual violence towards children with disabilities in these countries. The findings revealed that in spite of different contexts, the factors that render children with disabilities particularly vulnerable for this type of violence are similar in all of those countries. Moreover, child survivors with disabilities also face common barriers across the countries when it comes to accessing services for care and support at the medical, psychosocial and legal level. As a result, survivors with disabilities are likely to bear the full consequences of the violence (STDs, including HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, marginalization, psychological trauma, new impairments) and the large majority of perpetrators are able to escape justice.

In 2012, based on the results of this study, the “UBUNTU Care” project was designed. The word Ubuntu derives from the Bantu languages of Southern and East Africa. It can be translated to mean: "I am what I am because of who we all are.” It refers to the interconnectedness of human beings, and is strongly associated with the positive concepts of humanity, generosity and community in each of the Rwandan, Burundi and Kenyan societies. This project is called Ubuntu Care for exactly these reasons – because its ultimate goal is to end violence against children through social cohesion.

This multi- countries project aims at addressing the root causes and to mitigate the consequences of violence against children, especially those with disabilities. The strategy is to translate effectively the international commitments in regard of children’s rights, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) into practical actions on the ground through improved response mechanisms to Sexual and gender based violence against children at all levels. This project will engage with children and empower them as key stakeholders in their own protection, through a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach. This involves empowering children, their families and community regardless of gender, or type of disability, through: raising awareness, promoting inclusion, skills development, eliminating stigma, and facilitating access to health, education and legal opportunities.

The intervention focuses on the following four main axes:

1. Empowering children as actors in their own protection through education, skills development, social recreation, and participation in decision-making.
2. Empowering communities and families to better protect children through capacity building, support, and changing negative attitudes within communities/families that underpin violence.
3. Strengthening access to and quality of services: education, medical, legal and psychosocial.
4. Advocating for more effective protection systems for child survivors at the national, regional and international level, backed by evidence based data generated by the monitoring system on sexual violence against children with and without disabilities

With the above as background, the purpose of these Terms of Reference is to appoint a consultant to conduct the final evaluation of the project Phase I, in Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

1. JUSTIFICATION

This final evaluation of the project activity is foreseen to be submitted to the funders of Ubuntu Care project. The final evaluation process is also in line with the requirements of the quality and accountability approach defined by Handicap International in its Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Policy to ensure that the developed actions contribute to the implementation of its mission and vision.
The final evaluation will help to provide donors with information that would enable them to assess the performance of the project and it will also offer Handicap International and the main partners a retrospective critical analysis of the activities implemented in the project as well as specific guidance for the project phase 2.

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIRED SERVICE PROVISION

General objective: To carry out a final evaluation of the project
Expected Results
The evaluator will provide a general appreciation of the quality of work and show the strengths, challenges and the results achieved against objectives and indicators contained in the project document. The purpose of evaluation will be to measure, evaluate, verify and interpret what has been done, and to highlight the achievements of the project. It will allow checking what objectives have been achieved, both in terms of results in terms of dynamic and innovative processes.
Following this assessment, suggestions, recommendations, specific points of attention and vigilance will be sent to Handicap International and its partners to improve the overall intervention strategy.

Scope of work:
To be able to deliver the various documents, it is expected that the consultant will lead this in respect of policies in force at Handicap International related to the protection of beneficiaries against exploitation and sexual abuse and the Child protection policy.
Besides, it is expected from the consultant to include the views of children and other beneficiaries in the final evaluation.

1. METHODOLOGY AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The Final Evaluation of Ubuntu care regional project will focus on the following main criteria from HI quality framework: relevance, changes, capacities, sustainability, administration, effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, participation, cooperation, synergy and ethics. A toolkit has been developed and could be used to assess the mentioned criteria through a participatory approach of project teams, partners and beneficiaries.

In Rwanda and Kenya, an Endline assessment was conducted to assess some specific issues (Accessibility, quality of services…). The consultant will have to consider the results of this assessment to make sure not to collect already collected data.

In Burundi, a research partnership has been set up with the University of New South Wales Australia according to a specific methodology and to assess some project objective. The first part of the research was carried out. The second part of the research, under the guidance of University researchers, will also have to be included in the final evaluation as some specific data will have to be collected. In Burundi, taking into consideration the instability of the current political context, an assessment of the situation will be done before the implementation of the final evaluation to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the mission by the consultant.

1. MAIN EVALUATION STEPS:

To guide the evaluator in its methodology and in the construction of its work schedule, the following activities will have to be considered:
• Collection, study and analysis of the documents available on the project.
• Interviews with resource persons in the Handicap International program
• Meeting with project teams in their respective areas of intervention. (Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya).
• Validation of evaluation tools proposed by the consultant.
• Meeting with project teams in their respective areas of intervention.
• Meeting with national partners.
• Field trips - collecting data from actors and beneficiaries at local level. (through focus groups)
• Data analysis and drafting of a preliminary draft report.
• Restitution meetings with partners and Handicap International teams.
• Integration of comments to the draft report.
• Drafting of final report and its transmission to Handicap International.

1. DELIVERABLES:

Handicap International expects that the following deliverable will be produced during and at the end of the consultancy:

a) A detailed survey methodology (approved by HI) including the evaluation of qualitative and quantitative indicators included in the project log frame.
b) Precise list of sample to be identified
c) Work schedule for each country with the detailed activities for each day
d) Appropriate qualitative tools
e) Oral Restitution made the team of Handicap International and partners at the end of the field mission.
f) A preliminary report by the evaluator and sent to the Handicap International team for review and comments.
g) Final Report outcome to HI written in French, which must include the following parts: an executive summary, a detailed description of the methodology used, observations, conclusions and recommendations.

1. CONSULTANT’S PROFILE:

Handicap International expects that the successful consultant will need to have the following qualification and skills proven through technical references:

• Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in social sciences, law or public health
• Experience in the field of child protection, sexual gender based violence, disability.
• Proven experience in the evaluation of multi-stakeholder projects, multi-country or regional project especially on similar themes
• Prior knowledge of the socioeconomic and cultural context of the project area.
• Knowledge of French and English languages, knowledge of the language Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Swahili spoken in the area of intervention would be an advantage.

1. SERVICE DURATION AND LOCATION

This Contract shall last between one to 2 months maximum, including preparatory phases, mission in each of the 3 countries, writing of report and validation of the final report.
The consultancy can occur between February to April 2016.

1. WORK SCHEDULE

 On the basis of the proposed timetable laid down in these Terms of Reference, the Consultant must set up a work schedule for the performance of the service and send it to the respective project managers at least 1 week before its arrival of the field.
 The work schedule must clearly specify the manner in which the Consultant will approach the activities required to perform the service.
 The schedule must indicate the progress and/or the standard of service performance, including the criteria and/or indicators to check that the service provision is proceeding smoothly.

1. RESOURCE PERSON
   Within the framework of the service provision, the Consultant will be asked to collaborate with Handicap International’s teams and partners.

2. BUDGET

The total budget for this consultancy is estimated at 19 400 Euros for three countries, inclusive of taxes, international flights, accommodation, translation, and all others costs of the mission).

Those interested in this offer should send their applications including a technical and a financial offer, a CV, a motivation letter and professional references, to the following address: coordo-ubuntu@hi-rwanda.org before January 27th, 2016.