External evaluators – mid-term evaluation At International Alert

This participatory, learning-oriented mid-term evaluation is an excellent opportunity to identify key approaches and good practices around the engagement of vulnerable youth in the fight against violent extremism in the Sahelian context, from the perspective of the communities involved.

Successful candidates will design the study and write an inception report , then conduct the fieldwork , and finally write a report and present the key findings and learnings .

We are looking for a team of consultants with:

– 2 to 6 years in the design and implementation of similar assessments, particularly those focused on learning.

– 3 to 6 years of practical experience in leading participatory processes in conflict zones.

– a good understanding of the human rights-based approach as well as gender-sensitive approaches and tools

– 1 to 3 years of practical experience on topics such as peacebuilding, governance, violent extremism, etc.

– speaking French (essential) and/or Bamanakan and other regional languages ​​relevant to the assessment (desirable).

– 1 to 3 years of practical experience on topics such as peacebuilding, governance, violent extremism, etc.

– Prior experience with the Austrian Development Agency, the donor of this project, would be appreciated.

Project context

In this context, International Alert (IA) is implementing a project entitled ” Promoting the engagement of vulnerable youth in the fight against violent extremism in the border areas of Mali and Burkina Faso through a participatory governance and socio-economic reintegration approach” . The project aims to reduce high levels of violent extremism and promote more effective, accountable, trust-based and collaborative security by Malian security and defense forces to address the root causes of violent extremism in central Mali and on the borders with Burkina Faso.

This project is being implemented in Mali, in the regions of Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. Seven municipalities are targeted: Mopti and Douentza (Mopti); Ségou and Tominian (Ségou); Sikasso, Hérémanoko and Koury (Sikasso).

The project primarily targets young men and women in the communities through local and communal youth councils, representatives of the security and defence forces and local authorities as direct beneficiaries. The expected direct beneficiaries are estimated at a total of 1,000 people (divided between 500 men and 500 women). A total of 138,522 people (50% of whom are women) are expected to benefit indirectly from the implementation of the project. These include civil society organisations, traditional authorities and the target population at large.

The overall long-term objective to which the intervention aims to contribute is to “prevent and reduce violent extremism in the Sahel through a resilience-building approach”.

The theory of change on which this project is based is as follows:

If young men and women and other marginalized groups participate meaningfully in inclusive dialogue, if trust and collaborative relationships between vulnerable youth, security and defense forces, and civilian authorities are built to enable peace and prosperity, and if vulnerable youth are supported through social and economic rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives, then violent extremism that affects border security will be addressed and youth resilience to violent extremism will be strengthened in central Mali and along the borders with Burkina Faso, thereby contributing to the prevention and reduction of violent extremism in the Sahel.

This project is based on the experience and lessons learned from Alert’s work in Mali on strengthening security governance in northern and central Mali since 2013, mainly targeting the regions of Mopti, Segou, Bandiagara, Douentza, and Timbuktu, with the aim of preventing and countering violent extremism.

As part of this security governance programming, Alert focused on improving trust and collaboration between local communities and the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) through dialogue and capacity building in conflict and gender sensitivity, and on increasing the resilience of Malian women and youth and their communities to violent extremism. More specifically, the program strongly supports the transformation of intra- and inter-community conflicts, the prevention of violent extremism at the local level through the establishment and support of local forums promoting dialogue around the main sources of violence and violence mitigation strategies and actions.

As such, the project is structured around the following three main result areas, two of which have been implemented (Outcome 1 and Outcome 2), while Outcome 3 is still awaiting implementation as of mid-December 2024.

Outcome 1: Youth resilience to violent extremism is strengthened through the creation of inclusive and participatory spaces for dialogue and economic opportunities.

Under this outcome, Alert established and managed youth-led community dialogue forums in border areas at the communal level (1.1); trained dialogue forum members in conflict and gender sensitivity and analysis (1.2); and trained young people (men and women) in conflict management and resolution (1.3) and advocacy and lobbying (1.4). Alert raised awareness among young people about the risks of violent extremism by sharing testimonies and engaging with survivors of violent extremism (1.5). These activities aim to increase youth participation in decision-making to reduce grievances and build resilience.

Outcome 2: Trust and collaborative relationships between vulnerable youth, security and defense forces and civilian authorities are strengthened to promote peace and prosperity.

Under this outcome, Alert supports the development and implementation of joint civil-military actions aimed at building trust and promoting social cohesion (2.1); training of traditional community leaders, local government officials and security service providers on international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict in border areas (2.2); training of community-based organizations and local youth councils to reduce stigma related to violent extremism in local communities and promote peaceful coexistence in border areas (2.3); and awareness-raising on the rule of law, anti-incivility, anti-corruption and anti-drug policies (2.4) with the aim of building trust and collaborative relationships between vulnerable youth, the FDS and civilian authorities to foster peace.

Result 3: Vulnerable youth benefit from rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration initiatives.

Under Outcome 3, Alert will rehabilitate youth learning centres at the communal level to promote mutual exchange among young people (3.1), support income-generating activities, including vocational training, basic literacy and peer training, for identified at-risk youth to facilitate the economic reintegration of vulnerable youth (3.2 and 3.3), support the development and implementation of youth-led PVE micro-projects at the communal level (3.4), and train local NGOs, the private sector, authorities, security forces and communities to reduce and combat stigma (3.5) with the aim of supporting vulnerable youth through rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration initiatives.

Please note that these are just a few of the requirements for this position. For full job requirements, please click here to view the job description.