RFP – Result Based Management, Monitoring Based Results and Theory of Change Consultancy At Diakonia Sweden

Introduction

1.1 Introduction

Diakonia is an international Faith Based development organization rooted in two churches in Sweden, the Swedish Alliance Mission and the Uniting Church in Sweden. The organization currently works through local offices in 24 countries in Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia by supporting local partners. Diakonia’s vision is a Just, Equal and Sustainable world. Our mission and goal are to change unfair political, economic, social and cultural structures that cause poverty, oppression, inequality and violence.

The basis for all our work is the will of people to change and improve the world. Our efforts are aimed at people whose lives are compromised by poverty, oppression and/or violence in various ways. Our strategy for change is to raise the awareness of individuals of their rights and empower vulnerable groups in society to come together and organize themselves to work for sustainable change. As a result, Diakonia organizes its strategies into the levels of knowledge/awareness, organizing, action and influence. Diakonia wants to give a voice to the poor and seeks to empower the rights holders to be the agents of change and owners of the process of demanding their rights.

We work in strong partnership with local organizations, based on common values, open dialogue and trust. With few exceptions, Diakonia does not implement projects but strengthens and empowers civil-society organizations to change their own reality. The concept of “good donor ship” is key to our work, characterized by partners’ ownership, support to partners’ own agendas and strategies and long-term predictable funding.

In each country the partners form a country program. Diakonia promotes cross fertilizations, encourages synergy and coordination within the partner group in a country program. In each country we identify central obstacles and problems within our thematic areas, as well as forces for change in civil society. We search to find our specific niches, and with whom to build strategic alliances for greater impact.

Diakonia focuses on 6 thematic/intervention areas namely Human Rights, Democracy, Gender Equality, Social & Economic Justice, Conflict and Justice and Emergency Response and Disaster Resilience.

1.2 Program Background

Diakonia regional MENA office covers Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Egypt.

In Egypt, Diakonia prioritizes support to reform and democratization processes, where women, people with disabilities and children at risk are in focus for the work of the partner organizations seeks to achieve lasting improvement in people’s lives, the organization supports work carried out on different levels of the Egyptian society by local civil society organizations. With the aim of promoting human rights, democracy and gender equality.

In Occupied Palestine territory, Diakonia works towards promoting peace and security, increasing respect for human rights, building local democracy, and eradicating the multidimensional aspects of poverty. Through the partnerships with around 40 Palestinian and Israeli non-governmental organizations that together cover five thematic areas: Democracy, human rights, social and economic justice, gender equality and conflict and justice.

In Lebanon, Diakonia’s work aims to ensure that the rights of people living in poverty and vulnerability are respected through improved accountability, democratic culture, and gender justice. Where Diakonia seeks to increase accountability of public institutions in their fulfilment of obligations towards the most vulnerable rights holders, to improve Gender Justice through coordinated advocacy efforts of civil society organizations, and to strengthen and support civil society organizations in their mobilization and advocacy work towards sustainable and systematic change.

The Lebanese partner portfolio includes a combination of field experience and strong networking and advocacy capacity. With a strong thematic focus on Palestinian refugee rights, socio-economic rights, prisoners’ rights, rights of worker and employees, rights of people with disabilities, and women’s rights.

In order to advance the adoption of results-based management, monitoring-based results among operation civil society organizations operating in the MENA region, as well as building their capacity to be able to develop their own Theory of Change. Diakonia is recruiting a consultancy service to conduct a capacity-building workshop for Diakonia partners in the MENA region. The workshop venue will be decided later.

1.3 Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to improve the capacity of partner Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the MENA region. The consultant will provide training and support to these organizations, enabling them to develop a robust Theory of Change and to adopt Results-Based Management (RBM) and Monitoring-Based Results (MBR) frameworks. By strengthening these capabilities, the assignment aims to ensure that partner CSOs can effectively plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate their programs to achieve sustainable development outcomes.

1.4 Scope of the Assignment

In order to successfully complete this assignment, the awarded consultant/s must:

• Review relevant documents, including the Global Strategy, Country Strategies, and existing frameworks used by the partner CSOs.
• Assess the current capacities and needs of the partner CSOs regarding Theory of Change, RBM, and MBR.
• Create comprehensive training modules on Theory of Change, RBM, and MBR tailored to the MENA region context.
• Focus on all RBM tools (problem analysis, results chain, log frame, etc) with a special focus on Risk analysis and risk mitigation.
• Ensure training materials are adaptable to various levels of knowledge and capacity among partner CSOs.
• Organize and facilitate a workshop to build the capacity of partner CSOs.
• Use interactive and participatory methods to engage participants and enhance their understanding and skills.
• Provide follow-up support and mentorship to partner CSOs as they implement the Theory of Change and RBM/MBR frameworks in their projects.
• Create practical tools and templates that partner CSOs can use to develop their Theory of Change and implement RBM and MBR in their work.
• Ensure these tools are user-friendly and relevant to the local context.
• Compile a detailed final report summarizing the activities undertaken, the outcomes achieved, and recommendations for further capacity building.

Terms of Reference

2.1 Deliverables

• A five-day workshop in late September, upon Diakonia MENA program approval of the training materials and program.
• Review and finalize 10/12 project and theory of change documents, which will be developed by Diakonia partners as a practical model to apply what they learned from the workshop.
• Provide final assignment comprehensive report including recommendations and future plan of the data, and synthesizing findings and recommendations across.

2.2 Qualification of the Consultant and Team Composition

The Consultant should have the following qualifications:

1. Advanced understanding of international development cooperation, particularly preconditions for civil society development.
2. Advanced degree in social sciences, development, sociology, business administration or other relevant/related fields.
3. A proven track record of conducting beneficiary capacity building of a similar nature.
4. A minimum of ten years of professional expertise in international development cooperation, with a focus on capacity building, gender equality, women’s rights, and advocacy.
5. Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing Theories of Change, Results-Based Management (RBM), and Monitoring-Based Results (MBR) frameworks.
6. Proven track record of conducting capacity-building initiatives for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), especially in the MENA region.
7. The consultant shall be a fluent Arabic speaker and have extensive experience in the MENA region context.
8. Team members proposed to be involved in this consultancy should have relevant experience for the consultancy assignment.
9. Extensive experience working with donors.
10. Demonstrated analytical and excellent report-writing skills in the English language.
11. Excellent communication and presentation skills.

2.3 Time Schedule

Trainers / Consultants are expected to be available from 1 September 2024 till 30 November 2024. Kindly note that these are projected dates and are subject to rescheduling based on specific dates for each training.

• Desk Review: 1 day
• Training and Material Preparation: 1 day
• Workshop Implementation in late September: 5 days
• Reviewing the project and theory of change documents developed by the partners: 10 days
• Final Report: 1 day
• Total: 18 days

The numbers of days here are estimated numbers.

2.4 Terms of Payment

Payment will be made and received in USD via bank transfer.

2.5 Contract Type

Consultancy Contract