Appel à candidature : Oxfam recrute un(e) Conseiller(ère) pour l’évaluation à mi-parcours du projet WEACT au Ghana.
Objectives of the WEACT Project
The broader objective of the project is to enhance women’s economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive economic growth for women in the shea and cocoa value chains. The project will address the gender-specific barriers for women, including female youth, working in agriculture and in the informal economy of the shea and cocoa sectors in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Savanna, Western and Western North Regions. The project will
- increase the ability of women and young women to individually and collectively overcome legal and social barriers;
- improve capacity for household members to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid work;
- increase access to innovative and viable gender-responsive business models; and
- enhance equal access to productive resources for women, including gender-responsive financial products and land ownership and use.
Objectives of the Mid-term Evaluation
The main objective of the midterm evaluation is to systematically assess the overall progress made in the first half of implementation towards achieving the project outcomes and provide recommendations on the overall design of the project, modifications, and specific actions that might be taken into consideration for the remaining period of the project.
Specific objectives of the evaluation
Specifically, the midterm evaluation seeks to:
- Provide key learnings and inputs to the WEACT team and its partners, as well as Oxfam in Ghana, regarding the implementation of the first half of the project, focusing on what works, what does not, weaknesses and strengths, and the factors behind performance;
- Update the midline qualitative and quantitative indicator values in the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF).
- Assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, and potential for sustainability of the project;
- Provide recommendations on project design, interconnection/linkages between result areas, interventions and processes with a view to improve performance during the second half of project implementation (2024 and 2025).
- Review of the Theory of Change
Audience
Oxfam in Ghana programme team, Oxfam Quebec, Global Affairs Canada, Project Steering Committee, co-implementing project partners, Beneficiaries
Scope of work
The Mid-term evaluation will look at the WEACT project since its inception in February 2020. It will primarily focus on the result areas implemented by Oxfam in Ghana but will also consider the linkages and intersections with other projects at Oxfam and with other projects under the IWEEG projects funded by Global Affairs Canada.
Geographically, the Mid-term evaluation will assess the interventions in the project areas as stated above.
Evaluation stakeholders include individuals, Oxfam in Ghana programme team, Oxfam Quebec, Global Affairs Canada, Project Steering Committee, co-implementing project partners, and beneficiaries – the review team will be expected to contact all these groups of stakeholders (sample) for data collection and/or consultations. Key findings and recommendations of the Mid-term evaluation will be shared with them for validation as relevant. Recommendations will be classified in immediate and medium term.
Methodology
The mid-term evaluation intends to apply a combination of qualitative and quantitative data methodology with a purposeful bias towards collecting qualitative data.
The consultants should begin with desk reviews of relevant project documents/reports as well as relevant state institutions policy and related program documents.
The field work should, among others, include qualitative and participatory research approaches such as Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), case studies and observations.
Tentatively, the following are recommended for consideration by the evaluation team:
- KIIs with WEACT project team, Oxfam in Ghana Key staff, Community opinion leaders, relevant stakeholders from the state institutions
- FGDs with key beneficiary groupings
- A case study of Two (2) WEACT project partners to assess how they implement the project; their processes, approaches and tools; the challenges they encounter; and good practices deployed by the partners.
- A case study of two (2) beneficiary groups or individuals to assess how they benefited from the project and their perception as to how the project will impact them going forward
Key criteria and Questions of the Mid-term Evaluation
In general, the OECD evaluation criteria will be the framework for the Mid-Term Evaluation.
However, the focus will be on 4 criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, sustainability), reflecting the timing, objectives and scope of the Mid-Term Evaluation.
The following are the evaluation questions which will be refined during the inception period of the Mid-term Evaluation, in close consultation with the WEACT team, selected consultant and the donor.
RELEVANCE:
- To what extent are the project interventions (i.e., the major activities) relevant to the needs of the primary change agents (beneficiaries)? Or to what extent are the interventions addressing/meeting the needs of project beneficiaries?
- To what extent are the interventions relevant to the profile of beneficiaries (i.e., Gender Model Family, Legal Literacy Volunteers, Women cooperatives/VSLA and individuals) the project is targeting?
- To what extent are the interventions relevant for the geographic locations where the project is being implemented?
- To what extent are the interventions relevant to the Oxfam in Ghana country program?
COHERENCE:
- To what extent is the WEACT project coherent internally, especially considering other women empowerment projects and the interlinkages between their respective result areas?
- To what extent is the WEACT project coherent externally, especially considering relevant state institutions in Ghana, Sustainable Development Goals, Ghana’s Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework, interventions of other Global Affairs of Canada-funded projects and other development partners active in women economic empowerment?
EFFECTIVENESS:
- What are the variations in implementation and quality of the interventions? What works, what does not, and why?
- What are the major factors (barriers and bottlenecks) influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the results so far? To what extent have the barriers/bottlenecks been reduced?
- How did the project respond to barriers/bottlenecks and opportunities? To what extent have interventions (strategies) been adapted to be more impactful?
- To what extent are the needs and expectations of people at risk of exclusion (youth, persons living with Disabilities and other marginalized groups) are being met to ensure inclusion and empowerment a?
SUSTAINABILITY:
- To what extent are sustainability considerations (environmental footprint, mitigation measures, etc.) being integrated into project implementation?
- What are the perceptions of scale and sustainability among key stakeholders of the project?
- To what extent has the project strengthened the capacities of direct partners and stakeholders?
- What components or which interventions of the project are likely to be sustainable and scalable? Why or why not?
- What policy, strategy, partnership, managerial and financial changes are needed to sustain and scale project services and interventions.
Knowledge and Experience Required
The evaluation team should (collectively) have the following qualifications, skills and experience:
- Advanced academic qualification in gender studies, monitoring and evaluation, development studies, project management or other relevant fields.
- Track record in designing and conducting project evaluations and reviews, including formative evaluations/reviews
- Proven experience in applying mixed methods designs and participatory approaches
- Work experience in and/or experience of having conducted evaluations/reviews in low and middle-income countries, preferably in Ghana
- High proficiency in understanding gender transformative and rights-based approaches and how these are relevant in evaluating civil society interventions.
- Familiarity with issues affecting women’s economic empowerment.
- Proficiency in oral and written English and good in two or more of the local languages of the project areas (Dagbani, Twi, Gonja, Sissali, Kusaal).
- Gender diversity in the team is highly encouraged and will be considered an advantage
Submission of Proposal
Kindly send your technical proposals with detailed budget (Consultant’s fees, Travel costs and other direct costs) to [email protected] by 14TH APRIL 2023 before 5:00pm (GMT).