Deadline: March 22, 2024
Dili
CONSULTANCY FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN AND YOUTH THROUGH CLIMATE-SMART REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND LIVELIHOODS PROJECT
Founded in 1937, Plan International is a development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners. Plan International was founded over 80 years ago with a mission to promote and protect the rights of children. Today, we are a global organization active in over 80 countries, working to advance children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been working in Timor-Leste since 2001 to promote the rights of all children and young people and provide practical support to achieve their rights to early education, water, sanitation and hygiene, employment, child protection, participation in disaster risk management, and promote gender equality. Plan International Timor-Leste operates in four municipalities: Dili, Aileu, Ainaro and Manufahi.
The project 'Empowering Women and Youth through Climate-Smart Regenerative Agriculture, Water Resource Management, and Livelihoods' is funded by the Australian NGOs Cooperation Program (ANCP-DFAT) through Plan Australia, in collaboration with local NGOs and government partners. With a specific focus on women and youth, the project aims to enhance climate resilience by promoting sustainable agricultural practices, efficient water resource management, and tailored livelihood strategies. By addressing the unique needs of the community, the project seeks to build individual capacities and foster community-wide resilience, ensuring a more sustainable and secure future for the rural residents of Ainaro and Aileu Municipalities.
The project applies a gender-transformative approach to support young men and women to purposefully engage in climate smart regenerative agriculture and water resource management to improve productivity and resilience while addressing rural youth unemployment, and women’s leadership
Water scarcity become serious issue all over Timor-Leste. Rivers, lakes, natural reservoirs, and natural spring have declined due to climate change and traditional land clearing. The underlying cause mentioned above negatively impact community’s access to clean water for drinking water, household consumption, and agricultural production. Rural women and children suffer the most from these circumstances as they must walk miles from home searching and collecting water, with this get even worse during the dry season
The project has applied concepts of climate-smart farming to improve the resource management, food security and equity of farming practices globally. Regenerative agriculture has become a commonly applied method. In TLS various NGOs and government agencies have initiated training and set policies to build agricultural systems resilience to the onset of climate change, many of which are aligned to regenerative agriculture techniques and principles. Furthermore, regenerative agriculture is a systemic farming practice that integrates multiple farming systems within a whole.
The project was implemented across two municipalities, encompassing 17 villages in Aileu and Ainaro municipalities in Timor-Leste. The project targeted a total of 2000 individuals from the youth, women, and community sectors, with a distribution of 60% female youth and women and 40% male youth and men. Throughout the project duration, various training sessions and coaching/mentoring initiatives were conducted to empower youth and women. Additionally, the project provided support for the implementation of livelihood activities among the targeted beneficiaries.
C. Overall objective of the program:
Project Name
Hakbi'it Joventude: Empowering women and youth through climate-smart regenerative agriculture, water resource management and livelihoods.
Project overall objective & outcome
By 2025, communities especially women and youth in Aileu and Ainaro municipalities enjoy improved livelihoods, food and water security, and gender equality.
Outcome 1: Women and youth (WY) including People with Disability (PWD) have the confidence, skills and decision-making agency to lead water resource management (WRM) in their community.
Outcome 2: Communities, particularly WY including PWD, are applying regenerative agriculture approaches.
Outcome 3: WY including PWD have increased confidence and improved access to financial and business skills and services that enables them to generate income for their family by engaging in agricultural/horticultural and allied livelihood opportunities.
Outcome 4: Local institutions have increased capacity to support regenerative agriculture and livelihoods with an emphasis on WY including PWD engagement and leadership.
Project Output and Indicator
Output 1:
1.1 Females and males including PWD are trained in water resource management (WRM) including recycling of waste management
1.2 In target sucos, the soil erosion is reduced and water security is improved for agriculture and domestic uses through planting trees and construction of contour swales and ponds to manage water
1.3 Women and youth represented and influencing WRM decision making forums in their communities.
Indicators:
1.1.1 # of WY and PWD trained in water management
1.2.1 # of farm land (Ha) or catchment area managed for soil and water conservation practices.
1.3.1 Level of WY confidence in WRM discussion and decision making at community level
Output 2:
2.2 Farmers are trained in soil health and quality management and applying organic fertilizers in their farming.
2.2 Farmers are trained and trial in climate smart regenerative agriculture/horticulture in target suco/villages.
Indicators:
2.1.1 # of WY including PWD trained soil health and quality management in demonstration plots by applying organic fertilizers in target villages.
2.2.1. Level of farmers’ knowledge to adopt regenerative agriculture in the groups and households.
3.1 WY including PWD in VSLA group are trained in entrepreneurship and business management to start their own business including online trading and access to financial services.
3.2 Farmers and GMF are trained in the establishment of farmers’ cooperative including diversification of livelihood options.
3.3 Events/campaigns are organized to highlight the issues that farmers face,
Indicators:
3.1.1.# of WY including PWD access to financial services undergone Business management training and start their own business.
3.2.1. # Increased participation of youth and women in farmers’ Cooperative.
3.3.1. # Of campaigns organized.
Output 4:
4.1 The leadership exchange program is organized for women to expand
women professional network and promote cross-exchange of successful practices
4.2 Community dialogues and trainings are organized for local leaders to
raise their awareness and acceptance of women’s and young women’s participation and leadership
4.3 Women and men including PWD are trained on gender equality and inclusion targeting women’s positions and conditions in society.
Indicators:
4.1.1 Level of women participation on exchange and knowledge sharing among the network
4.2.1. # Number of influencing events and trainings organized to raise awareness of local leaders on gender equality and women leadership.
4.2.2. Level of women participation and taking leadership position in community-based groups, networks, and cooperatives positions and conditions in society.
4.3.1 Level of knowledge level of men and women on gender equality and inclusion.
Location
17 villages of Aileu and Ainaro Municipalities.
Project Period
1st of July 2021-30th June 2024
Targets Groups & Program Participants
Key stakeholder groups
Implementing partner
F-RYA (Fundasaun-Rural Youth Action)
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the performance of the project and capture project achievements, challenges, and best practices to inform future similar programming. The evaluation will also ensure accountability towards the Australian NGO Cooperation program (ANCP) as a donor and the project participants (beneficiary) of the program. On the other hand, it offers a learning aspect for all stakeholders. The evaluation will also identify key lessons learned, challenges, and the flexibility of the program to adapt and respond to changes and sustainability of the program in Aileu and Ainaro Municipalities.
The end line evaluation will focus on the past 3 years of the project’s implementation, including the activities, outputs and outcomes articulated in the project’s logframe (and associated indicators in the MERL) and taking into account the data from the baseline survey completed at the beginning of the project. The evaluation will focus on the evaluation criteria and questions outlined in Section 5. Data collection will be carried out in 2 Municipalities of Aileu and Ainaro, as a project area using the appropriate sampling method defined based on the project context.
The aims of the endline Evaluation are:
The endline study will focus on assessing the project's outcomes and impacts after its completion. It will measure changes in key indicators related to the project's goals and objectives, such as improvements in knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and socio-economic status among the target beneficiaries. Additionally, the endline study will evaluate the sustainability of project interventions and their lasting effects on the community. It will also identify any challenges or barriers that may have hindered the achievement of desired outcomes and provide recommendations for future programming
At the start of the evaluation in collaboration with M&E and project team. For the results finding of the evaluation, it will be used by Plan International Staff and Offices, Beneficiary, Donors, and Wider Audiences, Stakeholders.
In addition, the evaluation should focus on the following aspects:
6.1 Efficiency
How efficiently has the Program been implemented and managed?
Suggested questions to address:
6.2 Relevance
To what extent were the planned program results relevant to the context and needs?
Suggested questions to address:
6.3 Effectiveness
How effective has the program been in achieving its intended results?
Suggested questions to address:
6.4 Sustainability
How sustainable and enduring are the outcomes of the program likely to be?
Suggested questions to address:
6.5 Equality and Non-Discrimination
How has the program been undertaken to promote equality and non-discrimination?
Suggested questions to address:
This end-line Evaluation will apply a combined qualitative and quantitative approach through secondary and primary data collection. The methodology will be developed by the consultant, in consultation with the Plan project team, based on the objectives and questions that have been suggested and align with the project proposal (consider the situation analysis, impact, outcomes, and output) and log-frame.
It is expected that the consultant will develop a detailed methodology for data collection, data management, and analysis in their proposal. This methodology should be in direct response to the Evaluation questions.
The consultant is expected to draft and present the methodologies and appropriate tools for the intended evaluation and consider the following guidance notes:
The expected deliverables/output that needs to consider by the consultancy as below:
The end-line approach should be participatory and use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The approach should pay particular attention to appropriate methods for including and consulting with Boys/Girls, young women, vulnerable youth, women/ men and community leaders; youth-led CBOs, local implementing partners, local leaders and communities.
Consultant need to identify target population for the evaluation, with guidance from the Plan project team, which typically includes individuals or groups directly affected by the project's interventions. In this case, it would involve Boys/ Girls, Young men and women, women / men, traditional leaders, and other stakeholder involved in the project.
The sample size of the end-line evaluation will be based on a discussion with a consultant. Plan International will have a deep discussion with a consultant to decide the number sample size and municipalities.
Plan International is committed to ensuring that the rights of those participating in data collection or analysis are respected and protected in accordance with Ethical Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Framework and our Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy. All applicants should include details in their proposal on how they will ensure ethics and child protection in the data collection process and do not harm. Specifically, the consultant(s) shall explain how appropriate, safe, and non-discriminatory participation of all stakeholders will be ensured and how special attention will be paid to the needs of children and other vulnerable groups. The consultant(s) shall also explain how the confidentiality and anonymity of participants will be guaranteed during the process.
This research will carry out over 26 days starting from 25 March – 27April 2024. Approximately around 2 months for the survey, and HR process around 3 weeks.
Task
Days of work
Responsible
Individuals Involved
Tendering / Interview Candidate
2
Plan
HR, Project team
Background Checks and Contracting;
Endline evaluation Consultant
1
Plan
HR & Security Focal point
Initial meeting:
Update from Project team and Desk review: review relevant project documents, project proposal, & relevant documents
1
Plan
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Preparations for Data Collection / Orientation (Develop tools And Enumerator Training)
2
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Data collection in the field
11
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Compile & analyses the data both in quantitative & qualitative
5
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Draft evaluation report for comments and inputs
2
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Final Report
1
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Workshop presentation End-line evaluation report
1
Consultant
MERL Team, Project Team, and partner
Total days
26 days (not included HR process
Note:
Formal qualifications (required):
Masters level degree (or undergraduate level coupled with appropriate practical experience) in a relevant field, such as Social and culture, political science, law, ideally with an additional qualification in M&E.
Technical competencies and experience requirements:
The Consultant will report to the Plan International. Additionally, the MERL Manager will be involved to support reviewing of evaluation tools and reports. All reports must be written in English & Tetum and provided in an electronic format (Microsoft Word for draft, PDF for final).
All tools created and data collected for this project is expected to be provided in an electronic format that allows future editing, as the midline and endline evaluation will be utilizing the same tools created during the baseline
13.1 Submission of Proposals
Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:
Note: The financial proposal should specify a total lump sum amount and breakdown of daily professional fee and communication cost etc. Applications without a financial proposal will be regarded as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment
Please send queries and applications to Plan International through email to:
CC:
The submission deadline is March 22, 2024
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