Evaluation And Needs Assessment At Dorcas Aid International

Terms of Reference: Consultancy to conduct a joint evaluation of Dorcas activities and a needs assessment in the Zakapattia and Zaporizhzhia oblasts and wider eastern/southern region.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. Dorcas Ukraine is seeking proposals from individuals or teams of consultants / companies to teams to 1) Conduct a lite and forward-looking evaluation of our activities since the beginning of 2023; and 2) Conduct a needs assessments and gap analyses in the Zakapattia and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as well as the wider easter/southern region of Ukraine. The evaluation should be conducted first so that its findings can help shape the trajectory of the needs assessment. The evaluation and needs assessment will support Dorcas Ukraine’s strategy development process.
   1. The assignment should commence early February 2025 with the final report submitted by 07th April 2025.
3. DELIVERABLES
4. Submission of Inception Report including methodology, data collection tools, workplan and refined / agreed roles and responsibilities between consultant and Dorcas Ukraine team.
   1. Conduct a Lite Evaluation of the Dorcas Programme

• The evaluation will cover Dorcas’s programme in the East and West of Ukraine for the period January 2023 to December 2024.
• The 1st year of emergency response operations, 2022, is not covered as this was an atypical period of rapid scale up, evolving needs and organisational change. The period 2023/2024 was a relatively more stable period with greater relevance to the possible future trajectory of Dorcas programming.
• The evaluation will cover our humanitarian, livelihoods and mental health / psychosocial support operations, Community Safety Nets (CSN) and Future for Children (F4C) projects in both the Zakapattia and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. The evaluation for each project should a) Determine the program’s degree of achievement, including unintended results, of its project results and indicators; b) Ascertain the effectiveness of the projects’ implementation strategy in delivering interventions, achievements of results and synergizing with Dorcas Ukraine’ partners; and c) Surface lessons learned from the Projects and determine recommendations for future programming and development.
• The evaluation should use qualitative and quantitative research methods such as a survey with program participants and then in-depth interviews with those that have shown significant change (positive and negative), triangulate the data with Key informant interview with Stakeholders and partners.
• The evaluation should follow the six OECD DAC evaluation principles of Efficiency, Effectiveness, Relevance, Coherence, Impact and Sustainability.
• It should also look at the challenges Dorcas in particular, and humanitarian assistance in general has faced in the target areas. What are our strengths and weaknesses as an organisation? What opportunities and constraints exist for the future?
• The overarching evaluation should be a lite exercise. We are not looking for a deep dive into each programme component but rather a broad brush across the programme as whole to determine whether we have been doing the right things in the right areas the right way.
• We are interested also in how we are perceived by peer organisations, donors, UN clusters, local government, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
• Finally, the evaluation should be forward looking in examining how our operations over the past two years have helped position us for what lies ahead. What gaps exist that Dorcas might be positioned to fill. We are also interested in how these component parts might fit together for the future in responding to the findings of the needs assessment.

1. Conduct a Needs Assessment in Zakapattia, Zaporizhzhia and the wider Eastern/Southern region of Ukraine

• Conduct a needs assessment (informed by the findings of evaluation) of the key sectors of strategic interest to Dorcas in Zakapattia and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts using mixed methods that may include a desk review, questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussions etc.
• The needs assessment for Zakapattia should focus specifically on following areas: a) livelihoods, b) MHPSS, c) support for elderly, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, d) social inclusion/social cohesion; and e) children (in-school and out of school). The needs assessment should include a mapping and capacity assessment of key stakeholders in relation to these thematic areas. It should also identify any key sectors outside of the above that present significant needs and gaps in the target oblast.
• The needs assessment for Zaporizhzhia should focus specifically on following areas: a) livelihoods, b) MHPSS, c) support for elderly, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, d) social inclusion/social cohesion; e) children (in-school and out of school); f) MPCA; g) winterisation; h) shelter; g) WASH; and h) protection. The needs assessment should also identify any key sectors outside of the above that present significant needs and gaps in the target oblast.
• Recognising the needs of the conflict-affected population and the prioritisation of donor investment in the eastern and southern oblasts the needs assessment should additionally take a broad look at the following oblasts as areas of possible expansion for Dorcas: 1) Kharkivska, 2) Donteska, 3) Dnipropetrovsk,4) Kherson, 5) Poltava and 6) Mykolaiv Oblasts. The focus for examining expansion options should be a) Dorcas current and possible future capacities and thematic interests; together with b) prevailing and anticipated service delivery gaps; and c) potential donor priorities.
• In both of the main Oblasts special attention should be given to the following: 1) opportunities and gaps for transition from humanitarian assistance to longer term recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction; 2) the potential for transforming Dorcas’s Community Safety Nets and Future for Children programmes as possible replication / scale-up models, social franchising and income strands in a transitional and post-conflict context.

1. Submission of a report with the following proposed structure:

• Executive Summary (Max 5 pages`)
• Part 1: Evaluation Lite (Max 10-20 pages excluding annexes)
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Relevance
• Efficiency
• Effectiveness
• Coherence
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Part 3: Needs Assessment Zakapattia (Max 10-15 pages excluding annexes)
• Sector headings
• Stakeholder mapping
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Part 4: Needs Assessment Zaporzhzhia (Max 10-20 pages excluding annexes)
• Sector headings
• Stakeholder mapping
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Part 5: Needs Assessment Other Eastern/Southern Oblasts (Max 5-10 pages excluding annexes)
  • Sector headings
    • Stakeholder mapping
    • Conclusions
    • Recommendations

1. ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
2. The consultant team will be responsible for the provision of all deliverables.
   1. The consultant team will adhere to the principles of Do No Harm, PSEA, GDPR and obtain informed consent for research participation.
3. The consultant team will update Dorcas on progress and any issues at regular intervals (TBC).
4. Dorcas will appoint a focal point for coordination with the consultants.
   1. Accommodation and transport to field locations will be arranged by Dorcas Ukraine. Meals / Per Diems will be in accordance with Dorcas policy.
5. Dorcas MEAL team and enumerators can be deployed by the consultant team in consultation with Dorcas Ukraine to conduct questionnaires and for access to Dorcas MEAL data.