Third Party Evaluation of 3 Projects funded under JPF Locust Infestation Emergency Support Program

The Japan Platform (hereinafter referred to as “JPF”) is an international emergency humanitarian aid organization which offers the most effective and prompt emergency aid in response to humanitarian needs, focusing on issues of refugees and natural disasters. JPF conducts such aid through a tripartite cooperation system where NGOs, business communities, and the government of Japan work in close cooperation, based on equal partnership, and making the most of the respective sectors’ characteristics and resources.

JPF serves as an intermediary support organization providing various types of assistance to member NGOs in Japan to deliver quick and comprehensive aid on their own. JPF has supported aid activities of 44 member NGOs, each with its own set of diverse strengths. It has delivered humanitarian assistance to 55 nations and regions about 1,500 project, with a total financial contribution of 60 billion yen. JPF has built a strong reputation based on trust by promoting cooperation among private sectors and NGOs and by accurately reporting all of its activities. Please find attached JPF Information Leaflet as Annex 1. More information on JPF can be found at http://www.japanplatform.org/E/.

In order to provide immediate relief for tremendous damages on crops that locusts caused in East Africa and South Asian counties, JPF mobilized 330 million Japanese Yen under the Locust Infestation Emergency Support Program 2020 (Period 1^st April 2020 – 30^th Oct. 2021) for three countries: South Sudan, Pakistan and Kenya. These are the countries where agriculture is the main industry and therefore the serious damages and repercussions were seen on their economy. The economy of these countries has been in already fragile state and further deterioration reaching the level of acute food shortage due to damages on crops by locusts. With aforementioned JPF funding, four member NGOs completed already seven assistance projects with their activities varying from foods and seedling distribution, provision of pesticide, assistances to farmers and community. With two additional projects ongoing, all together nine projects are financially supported by JPF funds. A full list of projects can be seen at the Annex 2. Operations of these projects was challenged as they were carried out under various restrictions such as entries to the targeted countries and limited movements within the targeted areas due to COVID-19 prevention. In principle, local partners and local representations of the member NGOs undertook the everyday management of the project activities.

The purpose of this request for proposals (RFP) is to solicit competitive offers for the provision of evaluation services for the Locusts Emergency Support Program. The evaluation services will include; desk review and evaluation of selected three (3) projects under the Locust Emergency Support Program, which are implemented by two member NGOs through their local partners in Pakistan. JPF seeks to contract a Third Party Evaluation (TPE) entity to extract and document lesson learning, good practices and assistance gap using robust information collected from desk review and field data collection. Projects implemented under the program mainly entails activities about either locust control activities or recovery assistance. JPF intends to use the outcome of this TPE to understand effects of both immidiate outputs and impact of the projects on the recovery and capacity building of target benefciaries to learn and improve the future projects.

The main evaluation activity is;

• To verify that the humanitarian principles and standards including but not limited to CHS are respected
• To conduct desk review for selected 3 projects
• To collect and analyse the beneficiary satisfaction and effects of intervention around recovery assistances and capacity development for selected 3 projects
• To collect and analyze feedback and comments from variety of stakeholders
• To document and extracts lessons learned, best practices and assistance gap and provide robust recommendations to improve the future projects

The TPE entity, and in particular the assigned team, is expected to be competent and have proven experience in the following;

• Desk review of the implementing partner’s project documents; including but not limited to approved project proposal, project log-frame, needs assessments, beneficiary selection criteria, latest project progress report and any other relevant document.
• Sample selection methodologies
• Beneficiary surveys to verify that;
  • HHs received the proposed service or input;
  • Measure project outcomes;
  • Post Distribution Satisfaction
• Key indicators as defined in the proposal and relevant clusters
• In depth interviews with beneficiaries to collect success stories
• Key Informant Interview with stakeholders
• Focus Group Discussions