Peacebuilding Evaluation Consultancy for South Darfur At Concordis International

Peacebuilding Evaluation Consultancy for South Darfur

Maximum fee: €15,000

Deadline: 23.59 on 1st September 2024. Optimum Start Date: Mid to late September

Independent evaluation of a 30-month programme funded by the European Union

“Promoting peaceful co-existence in Darfur” (NDICI CRISIS FPI/2022/432-239)

Programme documents are in English and the report must be produced in English

Overview

The programme requiring independent evaluation lasted 30-months and had the Overall Objective of equipping local communities in Darfur to reduce and resolve inter and intra community conflict, to mutual economic benefit, by achieving the following Specific Objectives:

Consultation: Communities develop shared understanding of livelihood needs, root causes of conflict, barriers to economic growth and opportunities to promote peace in Darfur.
Encounters: Representatives of Darfur’s diverse communities work together to design peacebuilding interventions to address root causes of conflict and barriers to peace.
Workshops: Generate local peace agreements detailing activities and policy recommendations that will address root causes of conflict and barriers to economic growth.
Townhalls: Reduce conflict by improving understanding and buy-in to the peace process.
Pilot projects: Implement peacebuilding mechanisms chosen by local communities, delivering tangible peace outcomes whilst also generating scalable models.

To meet these objectives, the team worked impartially and inclusively with a wide range of actors.

To ensure relevance to the complex nuances of conflict dynamics in South Darfur and to generate local accountability and breadth of impact, the team consulted over 3,722 people from across 16 localities in South Darfur, analysing the results and generating three thematic briefs.

The team worked alongside Concordis’ 220 Advisory Group Members made up of local peacebuilders, as well as local partner Malam Darfur Peace and Development’s 61 Women Peace Ambassadors and 46 Peace Committee members. Advisory Group Members are from across South Darfur – they supported the design and delivery of programme activities, provided an early warning of conflicts arising, and were the first responders to prevent community tensions escalating into violence. Over 33 conflicts were resolved by members of these groups.

The team facilitated 9 workshops / peace conferences, 6 in South Darfur (1 facilitated by our partner Malam Darfur Peace and Development) and with displaced Darfuris in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. Advisory Group Members facilitated a further 2 workshops to address conflicts arising.

A total of 9 Townhalls were organized across 9 localities in South Darfur to validate the findings of the consultations, Advisory Group trainings and peace conferences.

The team sought to build confidence in and sustain the peace process through income-generating activities that improved the livelihoods of local women. 89 small grants were dispersed to support local women-led small businesses.

Background

Concordis works alongside those involved in or affected by armed conflict, helping them find workable solutions that address the root causes of conflict and contribute to lasting peace and economic development. We’re committed to finding solutions that benefit women as well as men, national governments as well as civil society, those who choose not to take up arms and those who choose to do so.

This programme was designed and implemented collaboratively with local NGO, Malam Darfur Peace and Development. Concordis has worked in Sudan and South Sudan since 2009, but this was the first programme substantively based in South Darfur.

The programme was designed and commenced before war started in April 2023, a war that significantly disrupted programme delivery and indeed the lives of the staff team and the wider community in South Darfur. The RSF and SAF fought over Nyala for many months, with civilian homes and infrastructure caught in the crossfire. Many people were killed, food and access to money became scarce and markets were looted and burned.

Nearly all the staff team are from South Darfur. They were retained throughout the war and most remained there, which meant that activities could be recommenced as soon as it became safe to do so.

In August 2023, the donor agreed to a new logframe with markedly lower ambition for programme delivery out outcomes. The staff team initially engaged with local actors in seeking to understand how the war was affecting interethnic conflict dynamics.

By October 2023, the team began planning for on-ground activities, and by January 2024, they were able to resume substantive programme activities, bringing together the people selected to form the Advisory Groups, training them and working with them to plan further peacebuilding activities, including the peace conferences.

It is important to note that, although Darfur has been hugely impacted by the war, there are conflict dynamics that have nothing to do with the SAF/RSF war. These include historic, recurring and protracted conflicts, with complex and interlocking drivers, including regional factors, power struggles at the national level, and localized conflicts over land, power and identity.

This project aims to address root causes of the more local and interethnic conflicts by fostering dialogue, building peace, generating economic collaboration and promoting resilience to conflict amongst and between diverse communities in South Darfur. The focus is on conflict-affected areas, particularly those with a history of inter-ethnic violence and economic marginalization, and those affected by conflict around seasonal livestock migration.

The maximum fee is €15,000, to include all expenses incurred. Travel to and from South Darfur is currently difficult, so it’s anticipated the lead evaluator will either be based in Nyala already, or would engage one or more sub-consultants to undertake evaluations and key informant interviews on the ground. More competitive bids will be considered.

The overarching Theory of Change is that:

IF inclusive, community-led processes can effectively address conflicts arising and resolve root causes;

THEN long-term peace and economic development will be fostered;

BECAUSE communities will have increased resilience to shocks, whether they be caused by national and international political events, local violence, or due to the effects of climate change.

By involving diverse community members in dialogue, training, and collaborative problem-solving, the programme ensures that solutions are locally relevant and widely accepted, laying a strong foundation for sustainable peace and economic growth.

Purpose of the evaluation

The independent evaluation consultant is expected to:

Use the indicators and sources of verification detailed in the logframe to assess the extent to which the programme met its Overall Objective and five Specific Objectives.
Test and comment on the theories of change.
Measure the extent to which activities have contributed to positive changes in local conflict dynamics, including peaceful resolution of conflict linked to farmers and herders. This should include documenting specific examples and assessing the impact of interventions by Advisory Groups, Peace Committees and Women Peace Ambassadors in the context of ongoing conflict and instability.
Identify unintended impacts, both positive and negative, and generate lessons learned opportunities for improvement in future programming.
Produce a report that will demonstrate accountability of Concordis’ work, both to the donor and to the wider population in the region.
Comment on the sustainability of the programme beyond the implementing period.

In fulfilling this purpose, the evaluator might seek to answer six specific evaluation questions:

Was the programme successfully designed and implemented?
How has the project in South Darfur changed the perception of different groups of herders and farmers towards one another, particularly at the level of the 220 Advisory Group members, 46 Peace Committees, and 61 Women Peace Ambassadors? To what extent do these actors now recognise the legitimate interests of each other? Are there any notable examples of improved relationships or collaboration between these groups as a result of the project?
To what extent did the projects strengthen the capacity of local actors (Advisory Group members, Peace Committees, Women Peace Ambassadors, local authorities etc.) to respond, prevent, manage, and transform conflict, as well as promote peace in South Darfur?
What was the impact of the livelihoods and small grants to local women?
How did these grants affect the economic stability and independence of the women who received them?
Are there any success stories or notable outcomes from these grants that can be highlighted?
How responsive was the project action to the evolving conflict dynamics, i.e., did it adapt to the war that started during the project implementation period?
Did the project succeed to deliver this programme in a fair and inclusive way, having regard to the views, needs and aspirations of women as well as men, young and old, herder and farmer, and people from different ethnic groups?

Evaluation Methodology

The Evaluation Consultant will conduct the following activities:

Desk Review: Documents to be reviewed include:

Project Proposal and logical framework
Donor reports including a draft final report
Activity reports on each activity
Feedback evaluations of key activities
Recommendations of Workshops
The three thematic briefs from the Consultation, with accompanying datasets (analysed summaries are available)
Photos
Training materials

Interviews with project staff team members
Key Informant Interviews and Focus Groups with:

Members of the Advisory Group, Peace Committees, and Women Peace Ambassadors
The local authorities
Traditional leaders (Oumdas, Sheikhs, Ageeds, Imams, and School Head Teachers)
Protagonists from conflicts flagged and addressed by the Advisory Groups.

Due to the onset of the rainy season in South Darfur, several roads are impassable. Interviews will be in Nyala and in 8 out of the 16 localities of South Darfur (Mershing, Al Malam, Nitega, Kass, Shattaya, Beleil, Ed Al Fursan, and Tullus). Interviews will also be undertaken with two staff members who facilitated workshops with displaced Darfuris in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region.

The Evaluation Consultant will have regard to their findings in the Desk Review in selecting appropriate interviewees, and the Concordis staff will be able to support and advice in this and in getting access to those selected.

Deliverables and timeframes

The optimum start date would be the middle to end of September 2024.

The evaluation is anticipated to take 40-50 working days over approximately six to ten weeks. This must include engagement of any sub-consultants used, who will be recruited, selected, paid and managed by the evaluator.

Briefing with the Concordis Staff: Introductions, verbal briefings, discussion of the scope of work and other emerging issues that may affect the evaluation

1 day

Desk review of the project documents

5 days

Evaluation plan submitted to Concordis

Day 6

Interviews with members of the staff teams of Concordis and of Malam Darfur Peace and Development (MDPD)

Key South Darfur staff are Concordis’ two community liaison managers and MDPD’s project manager. They are reachable online.

Concordis used two liaison managers and one project manager, based in South Sudan. They are reachable online.

The programme manager is in Kenya, the research manager is in Tanzania and the Programme Director is in London.

Concurrent with the below

Key Informant Interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted in Nyala plus eight localities.

If the Lead Consultant is unable to be present in South Darfur, sub-consultants will lead the on-ground discussions, while the Lead Consultant can conduct interviews with respondents who are available online.

If two sub-consultants are used, they could work concurrently and visit different localities.

18 days (or two people working concurrently for 9 days)

Final interviews with members of the Concordis Staff Team

1 day

Draft report submitted to Concordis

8 days after the final staff interviews

Reception of Concordis’ comments (written or verbal)

7 days after submission of the draft report

Submission of final report

5 days after receipt of comments from Concordis

Presentation of the key findings of the final report, with slides, to the European Union and Concordis staff

1 day

Logistics

The quoted fee will be a maximum of EUR 15,000 and must include provision any sub-consultants used, all international travel, visa costs, in-country travel, accommodation, medical and evacuation insurance. Concordis can offer logistical support in booking accommodation and internal transport if needed.

Required Skills and Experience

The evaluation team will be comprised of one or two lead experts, plus any sub-consultants who will be recruited, selected, paid and managed by the evaluator.

Qualifications of the lead evaluation consultant:

Experience evaluating conflict transformation projects worth and more than 1 million EUR for major international donors, including the European Union.
Demonstrated knowledge of the theory and practice of evaluating peacebuilding programmes, including desired evaluation approaches.
Strong working knowledge of conflict dynamics in South Darfur and Darfur in general.
Robust understanding of grassroots mediation and peacebuilding.
Professional level English language skills are essential. Programme reports are in English, key informant interviews will be in Arabic and English.
Arabic skills are desirable for the lead evaluator and essential for those undertaking interviews.
The report must be produced in English.

Application process

Send the following documents to office@concordis.international before 23.59 hrs on 1st September 2024: