zA SHORT-TERM CONSULTANT FOR evaluating the impact of StARS’ Partnership with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) serving Refugees and Migrants in Egypt
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Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.
StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to justice and fairness, StARS works as displaced people and for displaced people to respect human dignity and enhance quality of life.
StARS’ Vision: Displaced people lead in the creation and implementation of responses to different forms of migration to establish safe, just, welcoming, and inclusive communities globally.
- Purpose of Assignment
StARS has implemented two projects in partnership with a number of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to meet food, shelter, and medical care needs of displaced communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. StARS seeks a consultant to evaluate the impact of delivering assistance to displaced communities through community based structures within local neighborhoods during the pandemic that left the majority of community members with expired documentation and many undocumented.
- Background
Egypt is a destination, transit, and origin country of migration. Protection and livelihood gaps for migrants are poorly addressed at the national and local levels. Migrants face many challenges related to basic needs (housing, food, healthcare, and education), protection (psychosocial and legal support) and livelihood opportunities. The term migrant includes refugees, asylum seekers, new arrivals not yet registered, and vulnerable migrants residing in Egypt.
Migrants from different communities rely on CBOs to respond to their basic needs. These organizations have the greatest knowledge of community needs, the highest amount of community trust, and the most culturally and linguistically competent staff. They provide child and adult education, psychosocial assistance, emergency assistance, and referral services related to financial, medical, psychosocial, and legal services. Some CBOs have created entire educational centers and medical clinics. However, the majority of CBOs have inadequate operational and institutional capacities, high turnover, and insufficient financial resources. They also lack appropriate recognition by INGOs and UN agencies, resulting in their inability to develop strong and meaningful relationships with donors and funding institutions. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was estimated that 80 percent of Cairo’s refugees were living in poverty. With no right to work, refugees employed in the informal sector (as day laborers, domestic help, and in cafes and restaurants) have been made unemployed in large numbers. Because they have no right to the financial and other support provided by the government to its citizens, many refugees are in states of destitution, homelessness, and hunger. Since March 2020, in response to the outbreak, UNHCR has limited access to registration. The move has made many, particularly new arrivals to Egypt, more vulnerable. Few service providers beyond StARS will grant material or financial support to unregistered refugees, and they do not have the right to reside in Egypt and may face detention and deportation.
StARS is one of the few organizations in Cairo that partners with CBOs to provide community based services to displaced people. Through education, medical support, legal services, and psychosocial support, StARS works with refugees and vulnerable migrants (including unaccompanied children and youth) to enhance their safety and stability in Cairo as much as possible.
- Intended Impact
The partnerships with CBOs were intended to provide grassroot access to services to displaced communities in greater Cairo at a time of increased isolation. Working with CBOs ensures that services have the most significant impact possible on those communities. Through the trusted community structures, the projects aimed at (1) supporting communities to meet their food, shelter, and medical care need, and (2) mitigating the protection risks resulting from decreased access to asylum and documentation. The assistance is intended to prevent homelessness, hunger, and lack of access to medical care.
- Implementation Strategy
StARS supported CBOs to strengthen their technical capacity through training and guided supervision.ood and shelter needs. In addition, CBOs have provided awareness-raising sessions on COVID-19 prevention measures within the communities they serve.
- Project objectives and outcomes
The action’s overall objective is to ensure vulnerable migrants in Cairo have sufficient resources to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, the action ensured vulnerable migrants had access to food, shelter, and medical care.
- Expected results
Vulnerable migrants are able to meet their emergency food, shelter, and/or medical care needs with multipurpose cash grants or food and hygiene boxes obtained within their communities. StARS identified several CBOs to partner with to provide assistance to meet shelter, food, and hygiene needs and provide COVID-19 awareness within displaced communities across Greater Cairo. These CBOs have partnered with StARS in other projects focused on capacity building.
To reach a greater number of vulnerable migrants more quickly, and to promote networking amongCBOs, StARS encouraged non-project CBOs to refer vulnerable community members to StARSand the CBOs delivering this assistance within communities.
- Beneficiaries and outreach
Direct beneficiaries are vulnerable displaced people, including unaccompanied children and youth, within the displaced communities in Greater Cairo.
- Responsibilities of the consultant
The consultant is tasked with developing an evaluation of the impact of delivering assistance through CBOs within displaced communities through:
- Detailed impact analysis of the impact the assistance had in addressing the needs of community members accessing services.
- Detailed analysis of the impact of delivery of assistance within communities in mitigating protection risks of displaced communities that resulted from COVID-19 restrictions.
- Detailed analysis of the impact of delivery of assistance within communities in alleviating financial burdens associated with movement within the city.
- Detailed evaluation of gender mainstreaming in delivery of assistance through CBOs.
- Evaluation of accessibility to assistance through CBOs within local areas in comparison to UN agencies, INGOs, and NGOs.
- Evaluation of the impact of the partnership between StARS and CBOs on both parties to the partnership.
- Comparing the value for money when implementing projects through CBOs in comparison to international humanitarian aid structures.
- Evaluation of the CBOs’ ability to identify most in need community members for assistance.
- Drafting, amendment, and finalization of a comprehensive evaluation report assessing impact in the areas specified in previous bullet points.
- Supervision
The consultant will work under the supervision of StARS Director of Programs and in close collaboration with the Director of the Community Outreach Department. The consultant will sign a confidentiality agreement with StARS.
- Outputs/Expected Deliverables
The consultant shall deliver to StARS:
● A detailed evaluation plan relying on a desk review of project documents and meetings arranged with StARS staff. To be submitted by 10 January 2022.
● Develop all materials to be used in key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys. To be 20 January 2022.
● A draft of the evaluation report. To be submitted by 10 March 2022
● A final evaluation report. To be submitted by 26 March 2022.
StARS will provide to the consultant full access to all information it holds on refugee CBOs in Greater Cairo and will introduce the consultant to CBO leaders as required. StARS Community Outreach Department will provide the consultant with all appropriate support and advice in completing the above.
- Duration
The consultant will be expected to work for 10 days between 1 January 2022 and 27 March 2022. A proposed schedule, subject to negotiation, is as follows:
Task Allocated Days Date range (later date is deadline) Desk review 0.5 days 1-10 January 2022
Meeting project staff 1 day 1-10 January 2022
Submission of evaluation plan 1 day 1-10 January 2022
Submit key informant interviews, 1 day 10-20 January 2022 focus group discussions, and surveys materials
Identify in collaboration with 0.5 days 10-20 January project staff key informants, survey respondents, and focus group discussions
Conduct key informant interviews, 3 days 20 January – 28 February 2022 surveys and focus group discussions
Draft and submit evaluation report 2 days 28 February – 10 March 2022
Finalize, and submit evaluation report 1 day 16-26 March 202
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- Terms of Compensation
The consultant will be remunerated at EGP5,000 per day with a total of no more than EGP50,000. The consultant will receive payment according to the following schedule:
- 20%, i.e., EGP 10,000 upon satisfactory presentation of a detailed evaluation plan by ????;
- 30%, i.e., EGP 15,000 upon submission of the first draft of the evaluation report by ????;
- 50%, i.e., EGP 25,000, upon submission of the satisfactory final evaluation report to StARS by 26 March 2022.
All payments of fees made to the Consultant will be inclusive of transportation, accommodation, and meal costs and any other out of pocket expenditure. The Consultant is responsible for the proper payment of all taxes, social insurance, and other regulatory payments..
The consultant is required to maintain and provide a detailed timesheet showing hours and tasks. The timesheet must be submitted three times, each prior to a payment being made as specified above.
- Required Expertise and Qualifications
Excellent oral and written communication in English. Arabic is an advantage.
Relevant university degree and at least five years of work experience with refugees and migrants.
Thorough and demonstrable understanding of the situation of displaced people in Egypt including the legal and protection context as well as the services provided to refugees.
Thorough understanding of StARS and its work.
Appreciation and understanding of the importance of community based
interventions. Ability to understand the multi-cultural context of StARS and the CBOs operations.
Proven track-record of evaluating impact and success and delivering project documents for community-based services and partnerships.
Financial proficiency and familiarity with activity-based budgets.**
How to apply
To apply: Please send your Cover Letter and CV to applications@stars-egypt.org using the subject line “Evaluating the impact of Partnership with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) serving Refugees and Migrants”
