Consultancy Service: Mid-Term Evaluation of the Pan Africa State Accountability Project (PASAP II) at Plan International

1. About Plan International

We strive to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organization, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

2. About the Commissioning Office

Plan International African Union Liaison office (the commissioning office, referred to here as AULO) formally set up an office in 2010 to engage the African Union in acknowledging the fact that the African Union can work as a positive force for recognizing social, economic, political and cultural rights of Africans. Plan AULO has been carrying out advocacy activities with the African Union and its different organs in relation to protection and promotion of children rights in Africa. Specifically, Plan AULO has been engaging with the Africa Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of a Child (ACERWC) in supporting and collaborating in its efforts for promoting and protecting children’s rights in Africa. As an excellence center for Plan International in engaging at the Pan Africa level and the African Union, and also the coordination and management office for PASAP, Plan AULO strategized itself in giving support to other offices and partners.

3. Project Background

The Second Phase of Pan African state Accountability Project (PASAP II) is a multi-partner, multi-level Pan-African project that runs from July 2019-June 2024. The first phase of the project ran through January 2015 to June 2018 and with an extension period that ran from July 2018-June 2019. The project aims to make a sustainable impact on the realization of children’s rights across Africa by targeting State mechanisms, mainly within the continental and sub-continental levels of decision making, particularly within the organs of the AU & Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The project operates by engaging civil society actors, improving their ability to hold States accountable for upholding child rights and to effectively engage in child rights monitoring and advocacy based on evidence and research. Africa has made significant progress in the promotion and protection of children’s rights and gender equality over the last many years. The continent has put in place legal and policy frameworks to further strengthen Africa’s commitment to protect and promote the rights of boys and girls. However, a lot of challenge remains in the protection and promotion children’s rights in Africa, specifically ensuring the rights of girls.

The premise is that the African child rights landscape can be further strengthened if civil society organizations for and of children and youth at continental, regional and national levels are supported to enhance their institutional and technical capacities, legitimacy and representativeness. As well as if given a platform to coordinate amongst themselves for advocating for realization of children’s rights and to monitor the implementation of child rights instruments by African states. Through the support of civil society organizations and networks working on child rights, PASAP thrives to ensure that member states are accountable to the various regional and continental legal instruments that they have signed to in the promotion and protection of child rights in Africa. Engaging with the African Union and its principal human rights institutions (ACERWC and ACHPR) is, therefore, crucial for the advancement of accountability for the implementation of the rights of children. As the principal custodian of the children’s Charter, engagement with the ACERWC and its mandate to monitor member States implementation of the Charter provides an important entry point for civil society to influence decision making pertaining to children’s rights in their respective countries. PASAP Phase II builds mainly on the experiences and lessons learnt of PASAP phase I implemented since 2015 with more or less the same project goals and outcomes. Learning from Phase I of the project, it was apparent that more coordination and networking should be made to advance child rights in Africa and support CSOs to advance their influencing in a systematic and strategic manner was incorporated in the development of the project for Phase II. However, some of the activities planned during PASAP phase II are similar to those implemented during phase 1 (ex. child rights monitoring mainly using ACERWC).

A number of key lessons from the first phase of the project have been identified; and considerable efforts has already been made to factor those into the design of PASAP Phase II. Plan African Union Liaison Office, as the body responsible for the overall coordination of the PASAP, has driven the project with assistance from Plan’s regional office of Eastern and Southern Africa (RESA), and Western and Central Africa (WACA); and in partnership with eight Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across the continent.

The project’s overall outcomes, and the overall aim of mid-term review is further articulated below in four inter-related outcomes:

Outcome 1: CSOs, including children & youth led organizations and networks have engaged with relevant mechanisms of the AU and RECs to push forward their agenda on children’s rights & gender equality

Outcome 2: The networking and collaboration among CSOs and other relevant stakeholders resulted in collective actions for monitoring & advocacy towards the AU & RECs on children’s rights & gender equality

Outcome 3: The institutional and technical capacity of regional & sub-regional CSOs and their constituencies’ within the PASAP project strengthened with particular focus on effectiveness; legitimacy and inclusion

Outcome 4: Knowledge and learning generated by the PASAP group and their respective constituents around child rights and this is imbedded into ongoing PASAP work

To achieve these outcomes, Plan International works in partnership with CSOs and their networks at different level (national, regional/sub-regional and pan-Africa) namely the Institute of Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), African Movement for Working Children and Youth (AMWCY), University of Pretoria, Centre for Human Rights (CHR), African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), East African Child Rights Network (EACRN), Child Rights Network for Southern Africa (CRNSA), West Africa Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) and Social Change Factory (SCF).

4. Objective/Justification of Mid-Term Evaluation

The mid-term review aims to achieve the following:

• To assess the project’s progress against objectives for PASAP Phase II to date
• To solicit and evaluate the extent to which the project is on-track vis-à-vis expected result and intended impact
• To identify current project potential, challenges, and lessons learnt
• To generate concrete conclusions and recommendations that can feed in to the implementation of the Project until end June 2024
• Assess the extent to which the project is achieving gender transformative implementation

5. Expected Deliverables

The consultant, during the course of this assignment, will report to the PASAP Project Manager who will in turn coordinate with a small group of key PASAP stakeholders for input and guidance. The consultant(s) are required to deliver the following:

i. At the end of the inception phase, the consultant(s) is expected to submit an inception report of less than 10 pages highlighting operational methodology and detailed work plan (indicating all the stages of the mid-term review process) and data gathering instruments (survey questionnaires, etc.) attached to the inception report.

ii. At the end of the mid-term review phase, the consultant(s) is expected to submit a draft report, of maximum 20 pages (without annexes) which includes:

· Executive summary,

· Description of the Project’s achievements at the time of review as well as the pathways to these achievement

· Status of implementation vis-à-vis expected results, including any significant achievements or deviations

· Other unexpected significant changes

· Findings on project effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability

· Reflection on potential for gender transformative implementations of the project

· Lessons learned and recommendations

The consultant is expected to present the report to PASAP stakeholders for validation and some more input, which will be incorporated in the final report

iii. As the final deliverables of the mid-line study, the consultant(s) are expected to submit:

· A final comprehensive mid-term review report (in which stakeholder comments are adequately reflected) submitted in electronic version

· Power point presentation of the methodology, key results and recommendation of the mid-term review (to be presented by the consultant(s) to project stakeholder

· All data collected, cleaned and in readable format, including recommendation of targets for performance evaluation

6. Approach and Methodology

The consultant will design an approach for this mid-term assessment, utilizing primarily qualitative methods, which align with the project’s expected results and outcomes. The tools and methodologies from the Project’s baseline study can be used as a starting point, and further revised as needed. The consultant(s) will be responsible for updating any of these tools as necessary for the task, in conversation with the PASAP Project Manager.

The consultant must be prepared to work with dispersed teams covering multiple stakeholder groups across West, Eastern and Southern Africa. French language will be an asset.

7. Time Frame and Budget **

The mid-term review is expected to take place between May to July 2022. A maximum of 20 working days shall be allocated by the consultant for the entire task. The estimated budget for the baseline study should include:

· Consultancy fees

· Tax and any other relevant cost related to and required for the proper conducting of the mid-term evaluation.

The evaluation must have a strong gender perspective, examining differences in the situations and experiences of girls and boys. All data should be gender-disaggregated.

8. Consultant(s) Qualifications Summary

The consultant team should consist of at least 2 persons representing the following skills:

• Post graduate /Advanced degree in Social science fields, development and other related fields and must have extensive experience in similar evaluations, specifically qualitative research. PhD preferred
• Proven experience in carrying out development research, including project evaluations
• Proficiency in qualitative methods of data collection
• Proven experience with qualitative data analysis and in document review
• Thematic expertise working with child rights mechanisms, policy monitoring and advocacy, and civil society organisations
• Experience with gender-inclusive data collection, as well as awareness on child protection methodologies
• Demonstrated technical expertise, methodology and tools in measuring and evaluating advocacy results, including for geographically dispersed programs
• Familiar with participatory and partnership approaches, including empowerment of civil society.
• Advanced knowledge of English. Knowledge of French language would be an asset.
• Previous work in the field of evaluation of pan-African advocacy and experience with AU mechanisms is an asset

9. Applications

The proposals for this mid-term evaluation will include two submissions as electronic files (in PDF format) with a subject line ‘Mid Term Evaluation of the PASAP II as follows:

i. A technical proposal, containing;

• An understanding of the ToR: the main goals and tasks of this mid-term review and the proposed study questions
• Proposed methodology
• Ethics and child safeguarding approaches, including any identified risks and associated mitigation strategies
• Proposed timeline and steps for the mid-term evaluation
• CVs of proposed consultants (education background, expertise and experience in relation with the scope of the mid-term evaluation and the geographical location); with a description of why experience is relevant to the task and using a matrix to indicate how the proposed team complements each other as well as how they correspond to the profile
• Example of previous work

ii. A financial proposal for the provision of the services

• Detailed budget line for the consultancy fee. Proposed fee should clearly state the professional fee and Withholding (WHT) or Value Add Tax (VAT);
• Please note that the rate of non-residence (International Consultant) tax for a management or technical fee is subjected to 15% withholding tax of the service value. For National Consultant’s who have Tax Identification Number (TIN) and renewed business license, 2% withholding tax will be applicable. In the absence of these documents, the Consultant’s is obliged to pay 30% of withholding Tax.

All proposals must be submitted to the Plan International African Union Liaison Office to the following address: AULiaisonOffice@plan-international.org

The proposals will be reviewed by a team of technical experts and the project procurement team. The following annexes will be shared with shortlisted candidates

Annex 1: Project Details (Full Phase II Project Document) along with draft results framework

Annex 2: Full Report of baseline study

Annex 3: List of project stakeholders and partners contact details

Annex 4: Project Log Frame and/or list of indicators to be assessed with indicator definition

Annex 5: Ethical MERL Framework

Annex 6: Gender Transformative Marker for the project

Annex 7: Global Policy: Safeguarding Children and Young People