1. CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EVALUATION
Action Against Hunger (ACF), with financial support from the French Development Agency (AFD), is implementing the YERETALI project – Community Recovery and Resilience Support Program – a cross-border program deployed in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. The project aims to strengthen, in an integrated manner, the livelihoods and access to basic social services of vulnerable households, while consolidating their resilience to security, economic, climate, and social shocks.
The intervention takes place in contexts marked by significant security instability, forced displacement, intercommunal tensions, and increased pressure on essential resources and services. In response, the project adopts a multisectoral, integrated, and conflict-sensitive approach, linking immediate needs response, recovery, and progressive local capacity building. The components cover food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support, as well as risk reduction and shock preparedness. Activities are implemented in close collaboration with communities, decentralized technical services, and local authorities, with a focus on ownership and sustainability in line with the project’s objectives.
A structured Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system was implemented, including baseline, midline, and endline surveys, two Iterative Evaluations with Mini-Seminars (IEMS), and ongoing monitoring and complaint management mechanisms. These tools enabled the documentation of results and adjustments made.
As the project nears completion, a final external evaluation is planned to provide an independent perspective focused on a thorough qualitative analysis of the observed changes, their coherence, and their sustainability. This evaluation will not generate new quantitative data but will critically analyze existing data to inform the mechanisms of change and strategic lessons learned. Action Against Hunger will recruit an independent consulting firm with proven expertise in qualitative evaluations of recovery and resilience projects in fragile contexts for this purpose.
2. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION
The purpose of the final external evaluation of the YERETALI project is to provide Action Against Hunger, its partners and the donor with an independent, in-depth and contextualized qualitative analysis of the overall performance of the project, its perceived effects and the conditions for the sustainability of the changes undertaken.
The evaluation aims to assess, independently and ex post, the performance of the project by analyzing the final changes attributable to the interventions, their added value, their effects on resilience and their sustainability prospects.
The specific objectives of the evaluation are to:
- Evaluate the final changes attributable to the project, the explanatory mechanisms and the factors that influenced the achievement of the results.
- Analyze the coherence and added value of the multi-sectoral and cross-border approach.
- Examine the differentiated effects and the integration of cross-cutting issues (gender, inclusion, social cohesion, conflict sensitivity, accountability).
- Analyze the contribution to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and to strengthening the resilience of households and communities.
- Assess the sustainability of the achievements and the level of ownership by local stakeholders.
- To draw strategic lessons for future interventions in fragile and cross-border contexts.
3. SCOPE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF THE EVALUATION
The evaluation will cover all intervention areas of the YERETALI project in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account access and security constraints. The evaluation will adopt a comparative approach to analyze local specificities and measure the added value of the cross-border approach. Study sites will be defined in the preparatory phase, in consultation with Action Against Hunger, according to criteria of analytical relevance and feasibility.
The evaluation will cover all components and sectors of intervention of the project:
- food security and livelihoods;
- access to water, sanitation and hygiene;
- health and nutrition;
- mental health, psychosocial support and protection;
- risk reduction and strengthening capacity for preparedness and response to shocks.
It will be necessary to examine the internal coherence and combined effects of the integrated multisectoral approach.
The evaluation will cover the entire project implementation period, from November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2026, taking into account the evolution of contexts and programmatic adaptations.
It will involve direct and indirect beneficiaries, community stakeholders, authorities and technical services, partners, and project teams. Specific attention will be paid to the diversity of profiles and to the dynamics of gender, age, and vulnerability.
4. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
The final evaluation will adopt a purely qualitative approach, without the collection of any new quantitative data. Baseline, midline, and endline data will be critically analyzed to identify convergences and discrepancies between measured results and perceived changes.
The analysis will be based on the project’s Theory of Change and will employ a contributory analysis approach to examine the project’s contribution to the observed effects. It will focus on the perceptions of beneficiaries and stakeholders, the mechanisms of change, and the contextual and operational factors that influenced the results.
Lessons learned from the EIMS (Emergency Response Management System), accountability mechanisms, and knowledge-sharing efforts will be integrated into the analysis, avoiding any redundancy. The methodology must ensure rigorous triangulation, consideration of conflict, gender, and inclusion dynamics, as well as explicit management of limitations related to access, memory bias, and the security context.
5. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
- Methodological note
Submitted at the start of the project, it will specify the qualitative approach adopted, its compliance with these Terms of Reference, the data collection methods and tools, the criteria for selecting sites and participants, the triangulation strategy, the ethical and security measures, and the detailed timeline. It must be formally approved by Action Against Hunger before the actual launch.
- Provisional report
He will present the methodology used and its limitations, the main findings and analyses, their contextualization with baseline, midline, and endline data and adverse events following medical incidents (AEMI), as well as preliminary conclusions with recommendations. A presentation of the results will be organized in consultation with Action Against Hunger. A deadline will be set for submitting consolidated comments.
- Rapport final
The final report will present a structured qualitative analysis, reasoned conclusions, and prioritized operational and strategic recommendations. It will be written in French, using the template provided by Action Against Hunger, in a format suitable for both technical and decision-making audiences. The expected length is 40 to 50 pages, excluding appendices. The technical appendices will include, in particular, the data collection tools used, the list of individuals interviewed, and any relevant methodological documents.
- Strategic summary note
Strategic document intended for institutional dialogue, including an executive summary, key lessons learned and prioritized recommendations.
The indicative duration of the mission is estimated at sixty (60) calendar days, organised in successive phases guaranteeing analytical rigor, methodological consistency and operational feasibility.
6. PROFILE AND SKILLS EXPECTED FROM THE DESIGN OFFICE
Action Against Hunger wishes to recruit an independent consulting firm with proven expertise in qualitative evaluations of humanitarian, recovery and resilience projects, particularly in fragile and volatile contexts.
The design office will need to provide justification for the following:
- Institutional experience
– Minimum five (5) years of experience in conducting external evaluations of humanitarian and/or resilience projects; – Proven experience in West Africa and/or in fragile or cross-border contexts; – Experience with international NGOs and/or institutional donors is appreciated.
- Methodological skills
– Proven expertise in qualitative approaches (semi-structured interviews, focus groups, case studies, thematic analysis, change narratives, triangulation); – Ability to critically analyze existing quantitative data without conducting new data collection; – Mastery of recognized evaluation frameworks, including OECD/DAC criteria and approaches related to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
- Sectoral and cross-cutting expertise
– Good knowledge of the sectors covered by the project (SAME, WASH, health-nutrition, protection, PMMS, RRC); – Understanding of gender issues, inclusion, conflict sensitivity, social cohesion, accountability and community participation.
- Operational capabilities
– Experience working in secure, controlled environments; – Ability to adapt to access and contextual realities; – Respect for deadlines, contractual requirements and quality standards.
The proposed team must present complementary profiles adapted to the requirements of the mission, with a clear distribution of roles and responsibilities in the technical offer.
How to apply
Interested engineering firms are invited to submit a separate technical and financial offer.
Offers must be submitted electronically before 23/03/2026 at 17:00 GMT, with the subject line DA-ABJ-01668, to the following email address: offres@ci-actioncontrelafaim.org