Terms of Reference for an
Evaluation of Pilot Cash for Work Project
Save the Children in South Sudan:
Improving Income and Food Security through Cash Transfers, and Contributing to Active Learning on Cash Transfer Programming and Safety Nets in Southern Sudan.
- Background
Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal (NBeG) is a food insecure state where more than 20 years of war has meant that agricultural production lags behind the rest of the region resulting in vulnerable communities that cannot meet their own food needs without external assistance. During the war, the State saw some of the heaviest and widespread conflict resulting in massive population displacement, depletion of communities’ food production capacity and erosion of production assets.
Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, NBeG has been the entry point for returnees from Khartoum and Darfur and received more than 40,000 people in the first half of 2008 alone. This steady return of displaced families has been going on for years placing additional strain on communities and the resources they depend on. The result is a situation of repeated, and largely predictable, cycles of chronic humanitarian need during which the population regularly requires external assistance to meet their most fundamental needs. As these populations are settling and stabilizing there is also a need to assist in the rehabilitation of community and household livelihoods and asset building.
NGO’s and other agencies have been meeting emergency needs as well as establishing recovery processes, but without yet producing a tangible peace dividend for the people. The government has been pre-occupied with numerous tasks and processes of strengthening decentralised systems of government and addressing inherent government weakness that accumulated over 20 years of war.
The southern Sudan humanitarian context, therefore, remains one of predictable emergency, followed by crisis assessment and then a delayed response. There has been very little progress in moving the debate and policy responses forward to tackle predictable problems in a systematic manner and at a structural level. Inadequate economic activities, food intake, poor access to water and sanitation facilities, gaps in human knowledge and resources mean that hygiene, feeding and caring practices constitute an obstacle to ensuring adequate nutrition for significant sections of society and in particular children1.
A situation of chronic food insecurity among the returnees and vulnerable host community exists because of inadequate capacity of people to meet their food requirement on their own and insufficient programmes to meet both emergency food needs while also addressing strategic livelihood needs. The situation reaches a climax during the seasonal hunger gap during May – August as food access is limited. The chronic food insecurity means that large sections of vulnerable households will continue to require external assistance in order to meet their food needs as well as strengthen their capacity to protect and achieve sustainable livelihood security and prevent further destitution.
The situation of cyclical chronic food insecurity among both returnees and the host communities continues because of several gaps in the recovery response to date:
- There are no mechanisms beyond the community level that provide social protection as a foundation to improve longer term resilience
- The repeated need to convert assets into cash for food during critical periods undermines both the ongoing capacity of households to cater for their daily needs and the capacity to invest in the future food security. The result is a downward spiral of asset depletion and reduced productivity capacity (only 75% of household annual needs are produced during farming seasons and this production rate is further threatened by asset depletion)
- Insufficient resources have been invested in replacing the skills and knowledge that existed in adult community members whose lives were lost or who were displaced during the war.
There is need for:
- Sophisticated safety nets (in the form of cash transfers for those both with labour capacity and the more vulnerable) that can be used to improve dietary diversity and increase food consumption.
- Protection from cyclical food insecurity to create the space and opportunity for households to both protect and rebuild assets and livelihoods.
- Improved knowledge of, and confidence in, more diversified diets that better meet nutritional needs, especially of children under five years of age.
- Innovation in responses to large scale population displacement and resettlement appropriate to the southern Sudan context.
The responses listed above not only need to be established but also need to be directed and sustained sufficiently to protect the most vulnerable households, non asset-holding returnees, and the most vulnerable members of the family, namely children, especially those under 5, and women.
Save the Children in South Sudan’s (SCiSS) Pilot Cash Transfer project directly target approximately 1,400 households in Baac Payam, Aweil East County, NBeG. This is equivalent to 10,840 people, or 6% of the population of Baac Payam. Each household expected to receive monthly transfer of € 27 for seven months
The project is designed so that unconditional transfers are disbursed to a maximum of 400 beneficiary households (approximately 2,409 people) and the opportunity to participate in a Cash For Work (CFW) programme given to 1,000 beneficiary households (approximately 8,445). All household were identified using agreed criteria and through a participatory approach of community based and administrative targeting.
The project recognises the importance of generating an evidence base for cash transfer programming approaches in southern Sudan, and as such the project includes a proactive undertaking of both baseline and ongoing impact studies – which cover nutrition, dietary diversity, child care and feeding practices, gender and women’s empowerment, as well as household economy. During the course of project implementation, Save the Children UK compiled regular and timely progress monitoring reports and financial statements.
- Purpose of Evaluation
The purpose of the external evaluation is three fold:
- To evaluate the impact of the SCiSS Cash Transfer Program in Malualkon, Northern Bar el Gazal State, on the target community with an emphasis on its impact on children
- To ensure critical project lessons and experiences are captured and made available to provide evidence based information to inform design and funding of future cash transfer and safety net programming,
- To evaluate effectiveness of Save the Children’s monitoring, data and report systems for the cash transfer project
- Scope of Work
To provide an independent evaluation of the progress of the project against its intended objectives and targets and to measure the impact of the project on both beneficiaries and the wider communities in which it operates. The final evaluation should:
- Comprehensively review and evaluate the project with regard to:
- Relative cost-effectiveness
- Technical performance (effectiveness of targeting and delivery),
- Capacity of the implementing agency (SCiSS),
- Quality and appropriateness of project monitoring,
- Use of transfers by beneficiary population,
- Overall program impact with regard to poverty reduction, improving access to income and household food security as well as impact of reducing child malnutrition and improving children and women welfare Including access to basic services, asset building and spontaneous livelihood options that emerged as a result of cash transfer project on direct beneficiaries and the wider communities in which the project operates.
- Overall program impact to children of the beneficiary communities
- Document lessons learned and propose possible future linkages to complementary programmes,
- Identify and analyse the causes for performance deficits and, if appropriate, propose options for improving the project approach while also considering the right level of transfer and period of transfer to sustain the impact.
- Make recommendations to ECHO, SCiSS and, if appropriate the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and State government and development partners, with regard to the contribution of this project approach to the evolving national social protection system and complementary development project that will ensure income, food and nutrition security as well as sustained access to health and basic services.
Specifically the consultant should assess:
- Performance of the project: (e.g. cost-effectiveness; transparency of administration and accounting; internal monitoring and control; external communication and cooperation; integration with other programmes; assessment of management and performance by stakeholders (SCUK, LGA, Community, traders and other agency involve in nutrition project; quality of technical assistance)
- Effectiveness of targeting: (e.g. vertical and horizontal effectiveness of targeting; transparency and fairness of the targeting process as assessed by stakeholders)
- Effectiveness of delivery: (e.g. accessibility, reliability and timeliness; incidence of fraud and of any form of corruption; client satisfaction)
- Use of transfers by beneficiaries: (e.g. share of consumption, investment, debt repayment, savings and transfers; expenditure by type of products and services purchased; child related expenditure, seasonal variations; intra household distribution of benefits; extent of misuse of transfers)
- Impact on livelihood and poverty status: (e.g. change in sources and level of income/expenditure; share of transfers received compared to total household income/expenditure; extent to which gap between ultra poverty line and household expenditure has been closed; impact on food stocks, asset endowment, asset sales, debts and coping mechanisms). Though the achievement is beyond the scope of a 9 month pilot project, it is worthwhile to measure the project against the criteria as well as determine the right level of transfer, targeting and for how long.
- Beneficiary children’s views and perceptions on impact (positive or negative) to their own welbeing: (e.g. health status, school enrolment; attendance and performance; drop out rate, nutrition, social security, and self esteem)
- Impact on nutrition: (e.g. number of meals per day; quality and quantity of food intake; dietary diversity; nutritional status of under 5s)
- Impact on health: (e.g. disease incidence; number of work/school days lost due to illness; mortality rates of different age groups)
- Impact on self-esteem: (e.g. change in perceived status and acceptance by community; incidence of begging; incidence and other risky behaviour/copping strategy; incidence of gender violence; appearance in terms of clothing, hygiene and shelter; other behavioural changes)
- Impact on community: (e.g. incidence of jealousy and conflicts; positive and negative perceptions and concerns; positive and negative effects for non-beneficiaries; economic multiplier effects on community and traders)
- Any other positive and negative effects and impacts of the project
The approach and final scope of work will be agreed with ECHO and Save the Children within the first week before the appointing the independent M&E consultant(s) and a work plan will be agreed within the 3 days of appointing the independent M&E consultant(s).
- Methodology
A proposed methodology and draft tools should be submitted along with the study concept note. While the consultant will take the lead on methodological design and tool development, the s/he will be expected to work with the M&E Advisor in Juba, the Program Manager and the M&E Officer to finalize the methodology and tools. SCiSS envisions the evaluator will employ a mixed methods approach that is tailored to the specific aims of the evaluation and capture overall program impact, effectiveness, lessons learned and recommendations while working with key program stakeholders including program staff, adult and child beneficiaries, and state, local and national government representatives as appropriate.
- Inputs & Timing
- The independent evaluation component of the project requires the service of one consultant (or a team leader supported by enumerators) for a period that will be agreed. The work should be completed by June 30th 2010.
- The input requires specialist services of an economist or social scientist that has proven skills and experience of designing and undertaking progress and impact evaluation of Cash for Work and social protection schemes in the context of post conflict recovery. Fluency in English and excellent report writing skills required.
- Outputs & Reporting
A work plan will be agreed with ECHO, SCiSS and the consultant. Progress updates will be provided to SCiSS and ECHO representative in Sudan by e-mail. A draft evaluation report will be required one week after the end of evaluation activities, and a final report will be required by 15th July 2010.
- Requirement for consultants and next steps
- Post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Policy Studies, or Development Studies with proven experience in data collection and analysis
- Experience in working with ECHO; preferably in Southern Sudan, on topics including cash transfer and experience in related field is an added advantage.
- An understanding of small rural Market systems, Excellent understanding of the cash transfer project in post conflict situation is a plus
- An excellent analytical, communication and report writing skills is a necessity, sensitivity to culture and diversity, Resilient and security conscious person.
Interested candidates should submit a concept note regarding this study which includes the following:
- Description of company/organization profile
- Previous relevant experience – listing previous relevant projects and role
- CVs of professionals which will be carrying out the study
- Contact details
- Current contact details of three referees
- Proposed methodology and proposed work plan
- Timeline of study
- Activity budget including all costs related to the consultancy, including travel costs.
The consultants/firm should submit a concept note by highlighting research design and methodology, proposed budget and action plan.
Berhanu Haile
RRP Project manager
Gianluca Galli
SCiSS Bhar el ghazal APM
Laura Cardinal
M&E Advisor
l.cardinal@savethechildren.