Project Final Evaluation At Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund of Georgia

ASB Armenia is seeking qualified researcher/research company to conduct the final evaluation of the project “Cash Transfers and Psychosocial Support to the Displaced Population from Nagorno-Karabakh” funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).

ABOUT ASB ARMENIA

Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) is one of the biggest and oldest German aid and welfare organization with more than one million members. Since its foundation in 1888, ASB has acted as a politically and denominationally independent association. With its first international mission in 1921, the area of foreign aid became an integral part of the organization. Currently, ASB has 11 foreign offices and implementing programs in more than 20 countries. Since 2021, ASB has operated a project office in Yerevan, Armenia for implementation of “Stronger together- Cooperative Action to Respond to Cross Border Emergencies Georgia and Armenia” project. Since July 2022, ASB has been registered as an NGO with the Ministry of Justice in Armenia. In October 2023, ASB initiated a project aimed at supporting displaced population from Nagorno Karabakh.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

ASB Armenia, under direct supervision of the ASB Georgia office together with partner organizations, Mission Armenia (MA) and ACF Armenia, is currently implementing a humanitarian aid project, “Cash Transfers and Psychosocial Support to the Displaced Population from Nagorno-Karabakh” in Armenia. The project aims to strengthen the resilience of conflict-affected people from Nagorno-Karabakh through provision of financial and psychosocial support. The project is implemented with the collaboration of the local partners – Mission Armenia (MA) and ACF Armenia

According to the initial proposal, the next criteria of vulnerable were set for the recipience:

• Persons living with a disability or severely ill and the respective caregiver if necessary;
• Older persons (60+) and caregiver if necessary;
• HHs with three or more children;
• Single-headed HHs including the caregiver.

The project duration spans from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Within the project the following key activities were/are being conducted:

MPC Assistance – Displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh are provided with the Multi-Purpose Voucher (MPV) assistance in the amount of EURO 80 in 2023 and EURO 100 in 2024. Assistance was provided to 4673 persons for four months of 2023 and – to 2375 persons per month in 2024. Overall, it is envisaged that by the end of September over 8 500 individuals will benefit from MPVA. This approach allows beneficiaries to buy food products, hygiene items or other items of primary need.

PSS – The project implements psychosocial support interventions, which are based on the idea of strengthening individuals through empowering their self-confidence and self-esteem, supporting integration in a new community. Precisely, the activities help individuals of all age groups to deal with the stress that have arisen from the shock of war, losing their loved ones and violations faced, support their psychological and social recovery and support to their adaptation to the new environment. Overall, 1266 persons benefited from the PSS component in 2023 and at least 1 500 – in 2024. Furthermore, 5 local organizations were contracted as service providers to deliver Psychosocial Support to the most vulnerable beneficiaries displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. Overall, it is expected that over 1500 beneficiaries will be reached within this activity.

EVALUATION PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this final evaluation is to (i) determine the extent to which the project has met the stated objectives and results, the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of project operations, the sustainability and impact of the project results; (ii) identify key lessons and propose practical recommendations.

METHODOLOGY

The researcher/research organization will be responsible for developing detailed methodology before field visits in accordance with project’s logical framework and other relevant documents and secondary data.

ASB expects that the researcher/research organization will conduct a participatory evaluation, providing for active involvement of all stakeholders. Detailed evaluation questions will be developed by the researcher/research organization.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The researcher/research organization will have overall responsibility for all stages of evaluation implementation with ongoing consultation with the project staff. More specifically, the researcher/research organization will:

• Conduct a review of the project documentation.
• In collaboration with the project team, develop a detailed methodology, timeline and work plan for the assignment in accordance with the overall evaluation design framework.
• Develop evaluation instruments.
• Arrange and coordinate fieldwork activities / online interviews.
• Process and analyze data.
• Develop draft and final evaluation reports in English.

The project team will be responsible for supporting the researcher/research organization, particularly providing all the necessary information, and relevant documentation as well as technical/logistical support requested and found reasonable and manageable by the project team.

DELIVERABLES

The researcher/ research organization will produce the following deliverables only in English language:

1. Evaluation design document (including methodology, identified target groups, particular stakeholders to be involved in the survey, timeline, evaluation instruments, etc.);
2. First draft of the report containing:
3. Final report (reviewed and approved by ASB)

• Executive summary
• Description of the context and the project
• Evaluation goal and objectives
• Methodology
• Main findings
• Lessons learned
• Factors affecting successful implementation of the project and achievement of the results
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Annexes including all data collection tools, list of Key Informants, etc.

These deliverables should be completed within the deadlines mentioned in the work plan to be provided by a contracted researcher/research organization.

The evaluation reports will be the sole property of Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, which will retain the right to use them for internal and external purposes.

TIMEFRAME

The expected duration of the assignment is 3 months (15 August 2024 – 15 November 2024). The Researcher/ Research Company will be responsible for developing a detailed timeframe.

BUDGET

The defined budget for the Final Evaluation is EURO 15 000.

QUALIFICATIONS

• More than 5 years of experience in conducting/leading assessments, baselines and evaluations
• Prior experience of managing/leading fieldwork
• Strong analytical, organizational and communication skills
• Fluency in English, Georgian and Russian language at the conversational level
• Strong writing skills in English required
• Knowledge of the project field would be an asset
• Ability to work independently or in a team and under tight deadlines.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The received applications will be evaluated by using the following criteria for shortlisting:

Criteria

1.Application Complete

2.Professional Experience (In the case of organization experience of the lead evaluator will be considered)

3.Sample evaluation report provided (In case of organization report developed by the lead evaluator)

4.Proposed budget including a breakdown of the costs

5.Proposed methodology

6.Understanding of the project field

7.Availability