Tor: Conducting Midterm Project Evaluation

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About SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia — Harar Program

SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia, Harar Program, is a cornerstone of humanitarian and developmental support in Eastern Ethiopia. Established in 1980, it stands as the second-oldest Children's Village program in the country, bringing over four decades of experience in child welfare and community empowerment. The Harar Program currently implements eight diverse projects across five key administrative areas: Harari, Dire Dawa, Oromia, Afar, and the Somali Regional State.

About the Project

The project "Practice Peace and Live in Tranquility": Improving the Readiness and Actions to Comfort Peace Among Communities Along the Bordering Areas of Oromia, Somali, and Afar Regional States was launched in December 2024. Funded by the European Union, the project is implemented by a consortium led by SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia (SOS CVE), in partnership with Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung (DSW) and the Population Health and Environment Ethiopia Consortium (PHE).

The project targets eight bordering woredas across the Afar, Oromia, and Somali Regional States, aiming to reach 45,679 direct participants and 782,166 indirect beneficiaries. It operates through four strategic pillars:

• Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC): Targeted awareness campaigns addressing normative barriers, training youth peace champions, and organizing "Coffee for Peace" dialogues.
• Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding: Empowering women through socioeconomic activities and asset ownership workshops.
• Institutional Strengthening: Building the technical capacity of local and government institutions to transition from reactive conflict response to proactive surveillance and early warning systems.
• Participatory Resource Management: Establishing fair resource-sharing mechanisms for natural assets targeting pastoralist populations.

Objectives of the Midterm Evaluation

General Objective

To assess the project's performance to date, determine the extent to which it is on track to achieve its intended impact and outcomes, and provide actionable recommendations to optimize implementation during the remaining project period.

Specific Objectives

• Evaluate behavioral change (KAP): Assess the extent to which community members — specifically youth and women — are demonstrating improved Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice regarding peace and tolerance, tracking progress from the baseline of 68.2% (K), 64.5% (A), and 61% (P) toward the 89.6% target.
• Assess indigenous institutionalization: Evaluate the percentage of local grassroots indigenous institutions implementing functional and sustainable local fair resource-sharing mechanisms, tracking progress toward the 87.4% target (baseline: 62.4%).
• Examine government and civil society readiness: Evaluate the percentage of government structures and civil society actors that have developed and implemented security surveillance and contingency plans, tracking achievement against the 85.3% target (baseline: 60.3%).
• Assess the effectiveness of key strategies including SBCC, gender-responsive peacebuilding, and participatory resource management.
• Formulate strategic recommendations for the remaining project duration.

Project Outcomes and Outputs

Overall Goal: To contribute to the prevention, mitigation, and reduction of recurring intercommunal conflicts in Ethiopia.

Outcome: Improved peace, social stability, and cohesiveness among the three adjacent communities in the administrative borders of Oromia, Somali and Afar Regional States.

• Output 1: Enhanced inter-tribal and cultural understanding and respect among 3,324 youth (1,744 female) and 15,352 women in the target woredas.
• Output 2: Integrated inter- and intra-community understanding and natural resource management among 8,200 (4,476 female) community members in the target woredas.
• Output 3: Improved capacity of 36 local institutions in identifying emerging internal and cross-border conflicts, implementing early action, reconciliation, and management of potential risks.
• Output 4: Enhanced community mobilization, advocacy, and awareness promotion among 45,000 community members and local actors on peaceful co-existence and social cohesion.

Major Midterm Evaluation Questions

Peace Stability

• What is the current situation of peace, social stability and cohesiveness in selected woredas of Afar, Somali and Oromia Regional States?
• What major risks and protection issues are children facing in the target communities?
• What community-based peace and social stability mechanisms currently exist, and how effective are they?

Natural Resource Management

• What are the current natural resource management opportunities and income sources for households in the target areas?
• What economic challenges affect families' ability to support children's education and well-being?
• What skills, resources, or opportunities are lacking for improving natural resource management?

Governance and Institutional Capacity

• What is the current structural and governance capacity of community organizations, associations, and forums?
• How effective are family-based and community-based structures in supporting peace and social cohesion among tribal groups?
• What coordination mechanisms exist among stakeholders?

Stakeholder Coordination and Service Delivery

• How do different stakeholders collaborate in delivering the project objectives in terms of peace, social stability and cohesiveness?
• What gaps exist in coordination and service delivery among stakeholders?

Monitoring and Evaluation

• What are the current midterm values for the outcome and output indicators?

Scope of the Midterm Evaluation

The evaluation covers implementation progress from December 2024 through mid-2027 (the first 18 months of the 3-year cycle) across eight bordering woredas:

• Afar Regional State: Amibara and Haruka Woredas.
• Oromia Regional State: Mieso, Gumbi Bordode, and Doba Woredas.
• Somali Regional State: Mieso Somali, Gota Bike, and Afdem Woredas.

Project Participants

Target Group	Afar	Oromia	Somali	Total
Women	4,104	6,992	4,104	15,200
Youth	4,580	7,802	4,580	16,962
Opinion Makers	54	92	54	200
Government Representatives	167	285	167	619
Grassroots Organizations	16	28	16	60

Evaluation Methodology

The consultant is expected to use a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) to answer the midterm evaluation questions. Data should be disaggregated by sex and age. Methods should include KAP survey questionnaires, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and desk review of project documents. The evaluation must be conducted using a participatory approach, with a mandatory gender-sensitive lens. All data collection tools must be tested before actual utilization.

Work Plan and Expected Deliverables

The midterm evaluation is expected to be completed within 45 working days from the date of contract signing.

Expected Deliverables

• Inception Report: Detailed methodology, sampling frame, final data collection tools, and comprehensive work plan. Must be approved before field mobilization.
• Draft Midterm Evaluation Report: Preliminary report presenting initial findings and data analysis for review and feedback.
• Final Evaluation Report: Comprehensive report (max. 30–40 pages excluding annexes) incorporating feedback, with an executive summary and strategic recommendations section.
• Presentation of Findings: Validation workshop or slide presentation delivered to the consortium and key stakeholders.
• Cleaned Datasets: All raw and cleaned quantitative data (Excel/SPSS/STATA) and qualitative transcripts or field notes.
• Success Stories/Case Studies: Minimum three narrative-based success stories highlighting the project's impact.

Duration of Contract and Terms of Payment

Payment will be made in Ethiopian Birr by bank transfer as follows:

• First instalment (30%): Upon submission and approval of the Inception Report, including finalized data collection tools.
• Second instalment (30%): Upon submission of the Draft Evaluation Report and presentation of preliminary findings to the consortium.
• Final instalment (40%): Upon approval of the Final Evaluation Report, submission of cleaned datasets, and delivery of at least three narrative success stories.

Qualification of the Researcher/Research Team

• PhD degree (at least the team leader) in Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, Psychology, Social Work, Economics, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, or related fields.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive professional experience conducting evaluations for peacebuilding or resilience projects in Ethiopia, specifically within the Afar-Oromia-Somali context.
• Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods including KIIs, FGDs, surveys, and case studies.
• Previous experience working with international NGOs in Ethiopia or the broader Horn of Africa is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills, with proficiency in data analysis software (SPSS, Stata, R, or Excel) and mobile data collection tools (Kobo Toolbox, ODK Collect).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Fluency in English required; knowledge of local languages (Afaan Oromo, Somali, or Afar) within the team is highly desirable.
• Legally registered firm with renewed license, VAT registration and TIN number.

Required Skills

• Quantitative and qualitative research

How to Apply

Interested consulting firms are required to submit both technical and financial proposals electronically to procurement@sos-ethiopia.org.

Subject line: Terms of References (TOR) for Conducting Midterm Project Evaluation

Technical Proposal should include:

• Understanding of the assignment and context
• Detailed methodology and approach
• Workplan and timeline with clear deliverables
• Description of team composition and roles
• Relevant experience and past assignments
• Risk analysis and mitigation measures

Financial Proposal should include:

• Detailed budget breakdown including professional fees and fieldwork/logistics costs
• Clear linkage between costs and deliverables

Supporting Documents:

• Company profile
• CVs of key personnel
• Samples of previous work (if available)
• Legal registration and relevant certifications

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