ToR:Project External Evaluation

Handicap International

Project External Evaluation Term of Reference

Improving access of children with disabilities to quality multidisciplinary rehabilitation services in the Gaza Strip

HI is an independent international solidarity organization which works in situations of poverty or exclusion, conflict and natural disasters. Working alongside people with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations, the association takes action and speaks out in order to meet their essential needs and improve their living conditions. Handicap International is committed to campaigning to ensure their dignity is preserved and their fundamental rights upheld. Since its creation, this international solidarity organization has set up development programs in over 60 countries and works in various emergency contexts.

Handicap International Goals:
-To prevent impairment and disability linked to diseases, accidents and violence.
-To ensure that key services are available, adapted and accessible to persons with disabilities and vulnerable populations.
-To promote the social participation of persons with disabilities and vulnerable populations, and the fulfillment of their rights.
-In the time and space of conflicts and disasters, or in their immediate wake:
-To prevent and limit the consequences of crises and disasters on persons and communities.
-To help organize relief, provide adapted assistance and cover basic needs, with a special focus on vulnerable persons and those with injuries or disabilities.

Key axes of intervention in the Middle East:
Access to Services: to improve access of persons with disabilities to key services (health, education, social protection and livelihood support) through stronger cooperation between states, service providers, Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), as well as better professional training.
Disability rights and multi-stakeholders policy making process: to develop DPOs’ capacities to become credible counterparts of local and national authorities, and to be actively involved in policy making and implementation at local and national levels.

Inclusive Community Development: to engage local stakeholders of deprived and neglected communities in inclusive development processes.
Humanitarian relief: to support local stakeholders to cope with crisis situations and to limit the impact on persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations, and to rehabilitate affected communities in an inclusive manner.

Handicap International’s actions in the Middle East region are systematically led with local partner organizations to ensure their sustainability. Partner organizations are also supported to develop their technical, operational and managerial skills to ensure that they respond effectively to the needs of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. A broad network of highly dynamic partners has been developed throughout the region and continues to grow.

HI in Occupied Palestinian Territory:
Since 1996, Handicap International has implemented various actions with local partners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In a territory beset by chronic crises, political instability, and a declining economic and social situation since the second intifada in 2000, Handicap International aims to respond to the needs of persons with disabilities and to make structural improvements to their lives.

Main ongoing actions:
-Improving access of children with cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities to quality multidisciplinary services in the Gaza strip, through capacity building of rehabilitation services, support to parents/caregivers and strengthening of referral mechanisms.
-Improving access to holistic rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities in the West Bank through training and capacity building of rehabilitation professionals, and strengthening of referral mechanisms between service providers and DPOs.
-    Strengthening the disability movement in the Gaza strip and the West Bank by supporting DPOs and self-help groups to promote the rights of and equal opportunities for all persons with disabilities.
-    Fostering collaboration and coordination between local authorities, services providers and civil society organizations for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities in marginalized areas of the occupied Palestinian territory.




Project Background:
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics around 112,000 people in the Gaza Strip have a disability. Ongoing conflict and poverty are steadily increasing the risk of disability and are having a negative impact on the availability, access, quality and sustainability of disability-specific services. While civil society stakeholders have been developing rehabilitation service provision capacities, the lack of regulatory frameworks have undermined their quality and impact. Moreover, according to the service providers themselves, they are unable to cover the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) for many types of support and specific services, while mainstream services fail to include PWDs.

Children with cerebral palsy or multiple disabilities (CwCP/MD) are among the most vulnerable groups in Gaza, as their needs and rights are inadequately met by service provider and civil society. Because of their double vulnerability as children and persons with severe disabilities, a significant number of CwCP/MD are being denied their basic human rights as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Social stigma and lack of proper information on disability and rehabilitation opportunities for CwCP/MD in particular keep them marginalized and aggravate the burden on their families. Lack of access to a proper and timely rehabilitation heavily contributes to low school enrolment, high drop-out rate and low academic achievement of CwCP/MD. This, in turn, decreases their chance of employment and perpetuates the vicious circle of poverty and exclusion. 

Over the past few years, rehabilitation services for Children with Cerebral palsy and Multiple Disabilities (CwCP/MD) have been developed by some service providers in the Gaza strip – namely the partners of the proposed action. However, these services still need to be strengthened and expanded. Many CwCP/MD do not have access to these services due to limited space and transportation difficulties, and there is a lack of outreach teams to provide follow-up support or to reach CwCP/MD outside of the centers. Many CwCP/MD are not able to access assistive devices that meet their needs. Family members also lack capacities to offer basic rehabilitation exercises. In addition, the referral system between rehabilitation service providers and other mainstream stakeholders is relatively weak.
The design and operational strategy of the project is based on the combined experience of HI and its partners in the target area. It also intends to make use of best practices proven in previous projects.
The following specific problems have been identified in consultation with local partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders at project design stage:
a)Limited technical capacities of rehabilitation professionals and lack of access to assistive devices
b)Limited outreach rehabilitation teams to support children outside of centers
c)Insufficient involvement of family members in the rehabilitation process
d)Limited referral systems between rehabilitation service providers and other mainstream stakeholders
In this context, following a human rights and child rights based approach, the project’s overall objective aims to reduce the vulnerability of children with cerebral palsy and children with multiple disabilities (CwCP/MD), ensuring their protection, psychosocial wellbeing and healthy development.
The project aligns itself directly with the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC)’s General Principles which outline that the rights to life, survival and development of the child should be ensured and the best interest of the child should be a primary consideration. Furthermore the Convention highlights the specific situation of children with disabilities stating that ‘a child with physical or mental disability should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child's active participation in the community’ and recognizing “the right of the child to special care” (CRC article 23).
The protection and development of CwCP/MD  will be ensured by improving their right to access to the highest attainable standard of health (CRC article 24) and their right to physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration for children who have been victim of neglect, exploitation or abuse (CRC article 39), and (CRPD articles 19,25,26)  


Project Partners:
A)Baitona Society for Community Development / Baitona; located in North Gaza, a non-profit registered organization works to reinforce children, youth and women’s role in the Palestinian society to benefit from opportunities to increase their social participation through the different programs implemented by the organization.
Programs: Rehabilitation, Education, Remedial Education, Early Intervention, Psychological Programs, Women Empowerment.

B)Palestine Avenir Childhood Foundation / PACF: located in Gaza City and has 2 branches, a non-profit registered organization works to provide specialized caring services to persons with cerebral Palsy.
Programs: rehabilitation, vocational training, special education

C)National Society for Rehabilitation/NSR: Community Based program support organization, non-profit registered and located in 4 governorates in Gaza Strip (Gaza City, Middle Gaza, Khan Younis and Rafah). NSR works to improve the daily life and social participation of persons with disabilities, through rehabilitation programs and awareness, advocacy and capacity building activities.
Programs: Community Based Rehabilitation Services for PwDs; awareness raising programs for families of PWD, Rehabilitation services for children with disabilities.

Project Summary:

Project: Improving access of children with disabilities to quality multidisciplinary rehabilitation services in the Gaza Strip (reference: 52302/4265/0200)

Project Duration: 29 months from Aug 2013 – Dec 2015.

Project Funded by DFATD Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development – Canada 
Ultimate Outcome: Lives saved, suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crisis or that are food insecure
Intermediate Outcome: The vulnerability of Children with disabilities in Gaza is reduced through a greater access to essential rehabilitation services
Immediate Outcomes and Outputs:
Immediate Outcome 1: CwCP/MD receive quality psychological and functional rehabilitation services provided by multidisciplinary outreach and center based teams

Outputs:
-Partners are financially and technically supported to consolidate internal coordination and management of multidisciplinary outreach and center based teams’ members, and to ensure the application of quality standards
-Customized assistive devices are available for CwCP/MD according to their needs and demands
-Technical support to partners’ outreach teams to provide quality psychological, physiotherapy and speech therapy follow-up for CwCP/MD

Immediate Outcome 2: CwCP/MD’s families are empowered and have increased capacities to ensure follow-up of the rehabilitation process of their children.
Outputs:
-Parents and families of CwCP/MD are more involved in their children’s rehabilitation process planning and implementation.
-Support provided for the development of group therapy and peer counseling to reinforce parents’ mutual support dynamics


Immediate Outcome 3:
-Current referral mechanisms expanded and updated.
-Strengthened coordination amongst disability service providers, CBR, and mainstream stakeholders in the Gaza strip to ensure greater access and continuity of services for CwCP/MD
-Representation of parents of CwCP/MD within the referral networks' coordination and follow-up processes
-Improved access of CwCP/MD to specialized and mainstream services through referral networks.
-CwCP/MD needs and demands are reported and mainstreamed at clusters meetings.

Immediate Outcome 4:
Children with disabilities and their families’ psychological support needs and demands are increasingly addressed by partners’ outreach teams to prevent the post traumatic symptoms
Output:
-    Psychological support to traumatized CwDs
Evaluation Purpose
The objective of the final evaluation is to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability of the project and its services and to provide HI and partners with an independent comprehensive review of project performance, processes and results.
As HI and partners both aim at building the institutional knowledge and promoting strategic and effective programming, the evaluation results should identify and describe the lessons learned, assess progress and measure changes against planned indicators, summarize the experiences gained, both on a technical and managerial level.


The evaluation will be used to ensure accountability towards donor and communities by reflecting the voices, opinions and experiences of the beneficiaries and stakeholders involved in this project.
The final project evaluation findings will also be used by HI for future project development based on recommendations and the lessons learnt to be concluded within the evaluation stage.

1-Evaluation criteria and questions
Through the final project evaluation, HI would like to focus on the following areas:
A)Relevance:
-To what extent the support to outreach and center-based teams offered an adequate response to the priority rehabilitation needs of the CwCP/MD?
-Did the multi-disciplinary rehabilitation services approach supported within the project meet the complete functional and psychosocial rehabilitation needs of CwCP/MD?
-Which approach of services delivery (outreach – center-based) was more adequate and preferable for the beneficiaries and reasons?
-Which approach of services delivery (outreach – center-based) was more adequate and preferable for the partners’ interests and reasons?
-Did the planned services realistically meet the CwCP/MD priority needs in the rehabilitation field?
-Assessment of the project services’ geographical coverage to CwCP/MD in the three target governorates.
-Were referral networks coordination mechanisms relevant to the context?
-Did the promoted services within referral system adequately meet CwCP/MD specialized and basic needs?
-Were the measures taken to address the risks realized in the project relevant?

B)Effectiveness
-Quantitative overview of the planned and achieved outputs and outcomes.
-How did the project supported services contribute to achieving the planned ultimate outcome and the intermediate outcome of the project?
-Qualitative review of the planned and achieved objectively verifiable indicators per each outcome.
-Assessment of HI and partners timely implementation of project activities as planned.
-Were HI & partners’ management / operational procedures effective?
-What were the management/operational challenges met by HI and partners during the project implementation?
-Were the planned monitoring system and proceedures applied timely and regularly updated according to the needs?
-What is the degree of quality of performance of the project team, partners’ outreach teams?
-Assessment of partnership effectiveness between HI and partners.
-What are the main non-planned achievements within the project?
-What were the key internal and external constraints and challenges affecting positively or negatively the project implementation? Were the mitigation or solutions put in place adapted and responsive?
-What was HI key contribution and added-value to partners out of the project?
-To which extent did families / users get involved in the action?
-What are the areas that partners think HI should improve in future partnerships or collaboration?
C)Efficiency
-Cost effectiveness in resources utilization;
-Management of budget overspending or under spending and impact on project objectives maximization?
-Day-to-day management of HI and partners - Operational work planning and implementation (input delivery, activity management and delivery of outputs); risk management; respect for planning and deadlines.
-The quality of relations/coordination/communication of HI/partners with local authorities, institutions, beneficiaries, and other donors and stakeholders.
D)Sustainability
-Assessment of project components ownership by HI partners?
-Assessment of improved institutional knowledge and capacity through the project input and investments ( trainings, technical and managerial support),
-Assessment of opportunities for referral networks sustainability after the project ends

E)Impact
-Assessment of impact of supported multidisciplinary center-based and outreach team services on beneficiaries.
-Assessment of impact of supported psychological support services to reduce PTSD on CwCP/MD and their families.
-Assessment of impact of supported assistive devices on CwCP/MD and their families?
-Assessment of referral networks coordination impact on CwCP/MD and their families?
-Assessment of referral networks impact on coordination amongst members and other stakeholders? 
-Impact of involving families in the rehabilitation process?
-Identify the unintended impact of the project on the target group and stakeholders if any.
2-Scope of the evaluation and approach and methods, establishing the basic methodological requirements
HI values the contributions of the external evaluator towards proposing appropriate, innovative, and robust methods of evaluation. The evaluation methodology will be a criterion for evaluating candidatures.
Some basic methodological requirements, however, are:
-All evaluation tools should be accessible for the use of Persons with disabilities.
-The evaluation must be a participative and interactive process.
-The methodology should combine quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and analysis.
-The proposed methodology should also describe how cross-cutting issues of gender, and disabilities will be addressed and incorporated throughout the various stages of the evaluation.
The evaluation should consist of 5 phases:
1-Preparatory phase (briefing with stakeholders, document review, appreciation-review of the evaluation feasibility), sampling, preparation of data collection tools, logistic arrangements
2-Produce inception report and submit to HI for revision and validation.
3-Field work - data collection
4-Data analysis and presentation of preliminary findings (meeting with stakeholders to present analysis, conclusions and recommendation and debating)
5-Report drafting phase and finalizing the report.
The evaluation methodology proposed by the evaluators will be reviewed by HI after the closure of the selection process. The inception report and evaluation methodology must be approved prior to the commencement of any field work or any other substantive work.
HI will provide all the relevant project documents/reports, and make necessary appointments for meetings with partners, teams, beneficiaries and other respondents. The Evaluator will start with a meeting with HI project team and project partners.

3-Evaluation consultant Profile
The consultant (an expert or a team of experts) should be a specialist in monitoring and evaluation with no prior involvement in the project, enjoying the following qualifications:
-Post graduate degree in social sciences, development, management or similar field; Additional educational background in the field of rehabilitation, public health is highly desired;
-At least 10 years of progressively responsible positions in planning and management of humanitarian and / or development programs;
-Demonstrated knowledge in evaluation methodologies and data collection techniques.
-Extensive proved experience in leading monitoring and evaluation of international donor funded project;
-Relevant technical expertise and experience disability rights and rehabilitation projects, including experience in evaluating community involvement;
-Experience in knowledge management and learning in a non-government organization or similar;
-Excellent facilitation and communication skills;
-Excellent analytical and report writing skills;
-Fluency in English (excellent level of written English) and Arabic.
4-Deliverables
By end of the evaluation, the consultant should include the following in English in word electronic format:
a)Inception report
b)Methodological framework for evaluation including all tools produced;
c)Full transcripts of all in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in an electronic format;
d)Evaluation report (Max. 35 pages plus annexes; font: Arial 11) that include the following main sections:
-Table of contents
-Abbreviations list
-Executive summary (that can be used as a stand-alone document)
-Brief on General context of the Palestinian context in Gaza focusing on children with CwCP/MD health services and rights, rights of people with disability
-Introduction that include the objectives of the evaluation, methodologies and techniques used and limitations of the evaluation, where relevant.
-Presentation of the evaluation analysis and findings, covering the five focus areas (Relevance; Effectiveness; Efficiency; Impact; and Sustainability) clearly showing response to the evaluation questions included in this TOR.
-Lessons learnt
-Conclusions and recommendations with a clear relationship between them.
-Report annexes that include: The Terms of Reference of the evaluation; the techniques used for data collection; the program adhered to; the list of people met; list of document and bibliography and composition evaluation team.

5-Time line
The consultant is expected to complete the evaluation process and submit the evaluation report during two months duration starting from 1st September 2015 until 31st October 2015. A detailed action plan will be submitted by the selected consultant as part of the inception report.
6-Ethics and consent
It is essential that the process of data collection, as well as storage of data, is supported by careful ethical practice, including informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality, no-harm and protection of data and data storage. Informed consent needs to include awareness of the evaluation data collection process and that the evaluation report may be published and publicly disseminated. Extra precaution must be taken in involving project beneficiaries considering the sensitivity of the thematic issues tackled by this project. To protect the anonymity of communities, partners and stakeholders names or identifying features of evaluation participants (such as community position or role) will not be made public.
The evaluator should engage in respecting the following ethical principles:
-Child protection principles
-Integrity (respect of gender sensitivity issues, especially when performing interviews/focus groups, religion and beliefs)Anonymity and confidentiality
-Independence and objectivity
-Veracity of information
-Coordination spirit
-Intellectual property of information generated during and by the evaluation (including report and annexes) will be transferred to the evaluation commissioner.
-Quality of report and respect for timelines. Should the quality of the report be manifestly below the expected level, or in case of late in submission the report, HI reserves the right to terminate the contract.

7-Consultancy Fees
Maximum of 20,000 Shekels (Twenty Thousand Shekels Only) including transportation, communication, taxes, and insurance. 

8-Process of the selection of the evaluator or evaluation team and expectations for evaluation proposal
HI invites bids from individual consultants or firms. Tender should not be received later than 25th August 2015 and should include:
-Technical offer that include the basic methodology and evaluation plan, and timeframe;
-Financial offer that covers all major anticipated costs (taxes, travel, accommodation, transportation, insurance, translation, etc.);
-A CV detailing relevant skills and experience of the consultant and her/his team of no more than 3 pages, including contactable referees; and
-One sample of a relevant previous evaluation preferably for international donor funded project.
Tenders should be sent by email or mail:
-Address: Gaza City, 17 Square, Al Rasheed st., the Sea Road, Abu Sha'ban Building, 4th Floor.

 

Email: [email protected]

The selection criteria that will be applied will focus on three levels:
-Quality of methodology proposed by the applicant (40%);
-Profile of the evaluator / evaluation team: knowledge and experience, skills and competences, composition of the team (30%);
-Quality and relevance for financial offer considering the activities proposed in the methodology and budget available for the evaluation (30%);

Selected consultants might be invited for a complementary interview.

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