Project Evaluation

ADRA Sudan, a branch of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), an international humanitarian and development organization, is seeking qualified consultants to conduct an external evaluation of its project "Improving the Livelihoods of Conflict-Affected Communities" (Project No. A-SDN- [Click the Apply button below to apply, and Create my CV to build a CV tailored to this offer, professionally] ). This project is implemented in West Darfur State, Sudan, specifically in the localities of Kerenik, Jebel Moon, Sirba, and Geneina.

The project, funded by Bread for the World, runs from 1 November 2024 to 31 January 2027 (27 months) and targets 11,901 direct beneficiaries (5,788 female, 6,113 male). It aims to improve the resilience and well-being of conflict-affected households through integrated food security, livelihoods, and WASH interventions. The context is marked by prolonged humanitarian crisis, displacement, and deteriorating food security and access to basic services.

The project has two overarching objectives with specific indicators:

Project Objective 1: Conflict-affected target communities’ livelihoods are enhanced.

Indicator 1.1: At least 560 (336 female) households increased their acceptable Food Consumption Score (FCS) by 65% (i.e., from 0 to 65%).

Indicator 1.2: At least 450 (225 female) households have diversified their livelihood options (by engaging in small-scale farming, livestock rearing, petty trade, artisanal work, and participation in local cooperative businesses).

Indicator 1.3: At least 525 (250 female-headed) households in the target areas have reduced their food gap from 2 months to zero months.

Project Objective 2: Target communities' Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices have improved.

Indicator 2.1: At least 70% out of 1000 households have got access to potable drinking water.

Indicator 2.2: 90% of the community representatives (community leaders, elders, and women) reported that changes in sanitation and hygiene practices within the targeted communities and IDP sites.

To achieve these objectives, the project implements a comprehensive package of interventions across three main technical components:

Food Security component: Provides unconditional restricted food vouchers to 750 vulnerable households, accompanied by beneficiary identification and verification processes, community sensitization, and regular Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) to assess the effectiveness and accountability of food assistance.

Agriculture and Livelihoods component: Focuses on strengthening productive capacities through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), Pastoralist Field Schools (PFS), provision of seed and agricultural tool vouchers, establishment of tree nurseries for environmental restoration, and support for irrigation rehabilitation and solarization through Community Action Plans (CAPs). These interventions aim to increase agricultural productivity, diversify income sources, improve climate resilience, and enhance sustainable natural resource management.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) component: Aims to improve access to safe water and promote healthy hygiene practices through rehabilitation and solarization of water yards, rehabilitation of hand pumps, installation of handwashing stations in IDP sites, distribution of hygiene kits, production and dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, and capacity strengthening of Water User Committees and Hygiene Promoters.

The project is implemented in close collaboration with local authorities, government institutions, community-based structures, and beneficiary communities. Key partners include the State Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Animal Resources, the Forestry Unit, and the State Water and Sanitation Project. At the community level, partners include community leaders, women and youth groups, small farmer groups, Water User Committees, hygiene promoters, lead farmers, and pastoralists. Conflict-affected households and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are the primary beneficiaries.

A baseline assessment was conducted at the beginning of the project to establish benchmark values for outcome and output indicators. No previous independent mid-term or final evaluation has been conducted under this project.

Purpose of the External Evaluation:

The project is approaching the end of its implementation period (01.11.2024 – 31.01.2027). ADRA Sudan has commissioned an independent external evaluation to provide an independent assessment of the project's performance and determine the extent to which it has achieved its intended objectives and indicators. Specifically, the evaluation will:

• Assess the overall performance of the project against its objectives, expected results, indicators, and Theory of Change or intervention logic, where applicable.

• Determine the extent to which the project has achieved its intended outcomes and contributed to the well-being and resilience of the target population.

• Assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the project's interventions in accordance with the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria.

• Examine the quality of project design, implementation, management, coordination, and monitoring systems, considering the operational context.

• Identify good practices, lessons learned, implementation challenges, and factors that facilitated or constrained the achievement of results.

• Generate practical, evidence-based, and forward-looking recommendations to inform future programming in West Darfur and similar contexts, potential scale-up or replication of successful approaches, and ADRA Sudan's broader strategic programming and organizational learning.

The evaluation is being conducted at this stage because the project is nearing completion, providing an opportunity to assess achievements and document lessons. The findings will be used for strategic decision-making, organizational learning, accountability reporting, and future project design, not for continuation funding decisions.

Key Evaluation Questions:

The evaluation will use the OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability) and assess cross-cutting issues including gender equality, disability inclusion, environmental sustainability, conflict sensitivity, accountability to affected populations (AAP), protection, and community participation.

Relevance: Assess the extent to which the project's interventions responded to the needs and priorities of target communities. Questions include: To what extent were activities relevant? Were objectives aligned with priorities? Were targeting criteria appropriate? Did the project adapt to changes?

Coherence: Assess complementarity with other interventions and coordination. Questions include: Were activities coherent with policies? How effective was coordination? Did components complement each other? Were there opportunities for synergies?

Effectiveness: Assess achievement of objectives and indicators. Questions include: To what extent did interventions improve food security, livelihoods, and WASH? What led to over/under achievement? What factors facilitated or constrained results? Were vulnerable groups effectively reached? Could alternative approaches have been more effective?

Efficiency: Assess resource utilization. Questions include: Were resources used efficiently? Were activities implemented on schedule and budget? Were management and monitoring systems efficient?

Impact: Assess broader changes. Questions include: What positive changes resulted? To what extent did the project enhance resilience? Were there unintended effects? How were negative effects managed? Did the project strengthen capacities?

Sustainability: Assess likelihood of benefits continuing. Questions include: Are benefits likely to be sustained? Have capacities been developed? What factors support or hinder sustainability? How can hindering factors be mitigated? Did the project promote ownership?

Cross-Cutting Issues: Assess integration of gender, disability, environment, conflict sensitivity, AAP, and protection. Questions include: Were gender and women's empowerment integrated? Were persons with disabilities included? Were environmental and conflict-sensitive approaches used? Were accountability mechanisms effective? Were safeguarding and Do No Harm principles integrated?

The evaluator(s) may refine these questions during the inception phase in consultation with ADRA Sudan, provided modifications remain aligned with the evaluation's objectives and scope.

Evaluation Design and Methods:

The evaluation shall be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized standards, including OECD-DAC criteria and quality standards. The evaluator(s) shall propose an appropriate design in the inception report, using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The inception report should describe the design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, analytical framework, quality assurance, ethical considerations, limitations, and mitigation measures.

At a minimum, the evaluation shall include:

• A comprehensive desk review of all relevant project documentation.

• Collection and analysis of both primary and secondary data.

• Field visits to selected project locations, subject to security and accessibility.

• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with relevant stakeholders.

• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with project beneficiaries and community representatives.

• Direct observation of project activities, infrastructure, and household-level conditions, where appropriate.

• Development of case studies to document significant achievements, good practices, lessons learned, or implementation challenges, where appropriate.

• Triangulation of data from multiple sources and methods to ensure validity, reliability, and credibility.

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