Short-term project monitoring of Christian Aid’s humanitarian portfolio in Northwest Syria and Türkiye At

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR:

Short-term project monitoring of Christian Aid’s humanitarian portfolio in Northwest Syria and Türkiye

Country(ies) covered: NWS Syria, Türkiye

Dates: November 2024 – January 2025

Type of contract: Fixed term Consultancy

Overall objective of contract: Monitor a sample of the Christian Aid humanitarian portfolio and partnerships in Northwest Syria and Türkiye, using the Christian Aid quality framework and/or the Core Humanitarian Standards as criteria.

1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

On 6 February 2023, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye, Türkiye’s most powerful earthquake recorded since 1939. The earthquake also heavily impacted north-west Syria, a region where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance on a daily basis; at this time, Syrian communities were simultaneously hit with an on-going cholera outbreak and harsh winter events including heavy rain and snow. Further earthquake activity in February 2023 added to an existing strained humanitarian infrastructure, with an estimated 60% of the humanitarian population in additional need due to displacement in Northwest Syria (NWS). In Türkiye, OCHA estimated more than 2 million people displaced, with 1.6 million of these in informal camps (OCHA, 16 Feb 2023). Core needs were identified in both Türkiye and Syria, with improved shelters, water and sanitation services, and basic household items prioritised – disruptions to key infrastructure likewise created gaps in safe water provision, education access, livelihoods, and health services – particularly in informal settlements. (OCHA, 30 Mar 2023)

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal on 9 February. Within two weeks, the appeal had raised £100 million. The first phase of the DEC response ran for six months from 9 February to 30 July 2023. In this period, DEC member charities focused on giving vital support to the most affected communities, including providing food and direct cash payments, repairing damaged water infrastructure, and building toilets. From August 2023, activities have shifted towards longer term support, including restoring people’s livelihoods, while still helping to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the disaster (DEC, Jan 2024).

Christian Aid response:

Christian Aid support local and national partners to ensure that people and communities affected by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria have access to safe, dignified, inclusive and adapted meaningful support to meet their own needs through community-led approaches.

Christian Aid works alongside local partners and their networks to prioritise reaching those who are most marginalised and at risk, with a focus on meeting unmet needs with cash for protection and supporting communities and networks to identify and meet their own needs with a model of community led action called ‘survivor and community led responses’ (sclr).

The response is characterised by:

• management cross-border by local partner staff, allowing for linked-up and coherent results for affected communities.
• an approach to programming around education, protection, and vocational training requiring local expertise (clinical oversight of MHPSS, and Qualified technical instructors for education and vocational training).
• putting communities at the centre, allowing those most affected to define their needs.
• building on existing capacities and community structures through a locally led approach.

This consultancy will look at two phases of the Christian Aid ongoing programming in NWS and Türkiye, specifically the ongoing DEC humanitarian programming, as well as the work of one DEC-funded Collective Initiative project, which is working to establish locally led anticipatory action systems.

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONTRACT

Using the Christian Aid Quality Standards, and the Core Humanitarian Standards OR the International Humanitarian Principles where gaps exist, the consultant will conduct project-level monitoring with ongoing programming (13 projects worth in total 4.95 million GBP) , as projects begin to close ahead of the January 2025 project end.

By project-level monitoring, we wish to understand:

1. The extent to which projects have been delivered and implemented in line with what has been designed or proposed;
2. The quality with which the projects have been developed (Quality Standards as identified by the frameworks mentioned above), including but not limited to:
3. Community consultation, involvement, and implication;
4. Coordination and non-duplication;
5. Responsiveness to accurate and illustrative needs assessments;
6. Safeguarding practices and implementation;
7. The extent to which project finances have been used as designed and in-line with regional or national practices, through financial monitoring;
8. Community perspectives of project quality and relevance, collected through case studies or stories of change.

Monitoring every project activity may not be necessary, and sampling can be proposed based on commonality of implementing partner, locality, or other variable.

Any primary data collection should be conducted in line with key principles of inclusion which are reflected in the projects themselves, with enumeration and approaches in line with sensitivity and accountability to specific and/or marginalised groups (including but not limited to gender, people living with disabilities, and other groups).

2. PROCESS

It is expected that monitoring will take place in all areas where CAID is currently working with partners, including within NWS (both Idleb and Aleppo governorates, and selected districts, and sub districts in each camps and in southern Türkiye including Gaziantep, Hatay and others. The approach taken should be robust (including document review where needed), systematic, and participatory, with similar types of data available for each project or activity monitored.

This will combine quantitative and qualitative data collection, using tools such as surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and site observations to gather insights from both community members, key stakeholders, and partner staff. Where possible, data triangulation should be employed, ensuring reliability and consistency among informants; findings can be analysed to inform programme management, compliance assurance, and future improvements.

Especially for the monitoring of sclr, qualitative approaches which encourage democratised data from community sources and non-traditional methods will especially be welcomed.

Existing sources of data (PDMs, debriefs, and case-study type data) will also be provided as an input, alongside need assessments as initial documentation. The consultant(s) is/are expected to propose a suitably robust and community-accountable methodology through which questions highlighted above will be most responded to.

3. TIMEFRAME AND DELIVERABLES

The evaluation will take place in the final months alongside the close of the project November 2024-Janauary 2025, with access to communities and stakeholders planned accordingly, and especially alongside any endline data collection planned by the implementing partners.

Proposed activities include:

• Inception report outlining methodology and workplan.
• Briefing meeting(s) with CAID staff and partners’ staff.
• Individual monitoring reports (against the guiding frameworks) provided for each partner/project monitored, with contraindications or urgent areas for improvement highlighted.
• Case studies or stories of change as appropriate, with accompanying photos or imagery as appropriate and consented to.
• Financial spot checks reviews and monitoring of financial reports and supporting documents
• A synthesis summary assessment of the quality areas and concerns identified throughout the portfolio, with recommendations or actions.

All deliverables are expected to be submitted by 17th January 2025, in line with programme timelines. This date cannot be made flexible.

Location and travel involved:

It is expected that the consultant(s) will manage all travel in and between NW Syria and Turkiye, and that this cost will be included in the budget.

Services the service provider will provide:

The consultant(s) is/are expected to provide the consultancy services for as mentioned in the TOR and submit all the deliverables on time.

4. CONSULTANT PROFILE

The contact for Christian Aid is Alaa Assani, who will ensure the coordination and connection with the different stakeholders required for online, or field consultation sessions in Syria and Türkiye and within Christian Aid and its partners, with the help of the wider programme team at CA.

We value diversity and aspire to reflect this in our workforce. We welcome applications from people from all sections of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or belief. We particularly welcome and encourage applications from women and people with disabilities.

For any candidates who do not feel that meet the essential requirements as written, but can demonstrate these competencies in other ways, please do apply.

Essential

• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated professional experience delivering services in the country or the similar complex environment.
• Previous experience working in NWS and Türkiye, and a working knowledge of the context.
• Ability to speak and work in Arabic (Syrian dialect, or another commonly understood dialect) and Turkish (or research team members who can).
• Proven experience of conducting Third Party Monitoring services (we will ask for two-three sample of work) with experience of conducting field-based survey, research, monitoring, analysis and reporting, preferably in the field of humanitarian aid.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the humanitarian eco-system.
• Previous experience of working with (I)NGO’s who have a partnership approach to their work.
• Working knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standards, Charter for Change, and the Grand Bargain
• Previous experience of working with UN agencies and/or (I)NGOs
• Excellent report writing and analytical skills, including proven ability to form concise, actionable recommendations.
• Experience and understanding of responsible data management.