Terms of Reference: End line study and final evaluation of Jielimishe Girls Education Challenge project implemented by I Choose Life – Africa and SoS

1. I Choose Life – Africa background

I Choose Life – Africa (ICL) is a local youth-focused organization that has for the last 16 years supported the Government of Kenya (GoK) in implementing evidence-based adolescent and youth programs across 26 counties in Kenya. ICL has primarily focused on implementing holistic and sustainable development programs in four pillars: Health, Economic Empowerment, Education, Leadership, Governance, and Institutional Strengthening. To ensure maximum impact, ICL utilizes a multi-sectoral approach (Quadra Helix), which brings together the government, private sector, academia, and civil society to foster innovative and sustainable transformation in communities.

ICL was legally registered in Kenya in 2004 as a non-profit organization covering the entire country. It is one of the leading Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that has contributed significantly to socioeconomic development among different segments of the population across communities in Kenya. The organization has programs in over 234 learning institutions across 26 counties in Kenya that reaches over 1 million youth annually with a variety of services. In order to ensure maximum impact, ICL utilizes a multi-sectoral approach, the Quadra Helix development approach (which brings together the Government, Private sector, Academia, and Civil society) to foster innovative and sustainable transformation in the communities. Over the years, ICL has transformed the lives of over 1,270,357 adolescents and youth across 26 counties. ICL recognizes the critical role of the youth in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Our vision is Healthy Africa, Empowered People! While our Mission is to improve the life opportunities of youth aged 10-24 through strategic empowerment for sustainable development.

ICL shares in the Education 2030 agenda that pledges to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Achieving inclusive, quality and relevant education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. ICL asserts over 10 years’ experience implementing high impact interventions towards inclusive and equitable quality education. Its education model is grounded on improving conditions for learning, environment for learning, teaching & learning and leadership of learning. The model adopts an integrated intervention approach that seeks to empower the learner, his/her school and the community to comprehensively address all barriers of educational marginalization.**

2. Background of the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC)

2.1 The Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) was launched by the UK’s then Department for International Development in 2012 as a 12-year year commitment to reach the most marginalised girls in the world and is the largest global fund dedicated to girls’ education. The UK is committed to ensuring millions of girls in some of the poorest countries, including girls who have disabilities or are at risk of being left behind, receive a quality education.

2.2 The first phase of the GEC (2012 – 2017) directly provided quality education for over a million marginalised girls. The GEC is now in its second phase (2017-2025), with up to 41 projects in 17 countries. The second phase is enabling existing GEC beneficiary girls to complete primary school, transition to secondary education, and progress on to technical vocational training or employment. Within the second phase, a second cohort of girls are also being supported through the Leave No Girl Behind funding window, which consists of interventions for highly marginalised, adolescent girls who are out of school – either because they have never attended school or have dropped out without gaining a basic education.^[1]

2.3 Globally, 31 million primary age girls have never been to school^[2]. The majority of these girls come from the poorest and most marginalised communities in the most disadvantaged locations, ethnic groups etc.^[3] Over the last 20 years primary enrolments for girls have improved along with boys but completion rates are equally low for both sexes. At the secondary level the differences between boys’ and girls’ participation rates really start to show. Significant disparities exist within countries, with the poorest girls from rural areas most severely subject to educational disadvantage – even at the primary level^[4].

2.4 The GEC is helping the world’s poorest girls improve their lives through education and supporting better ways of getting girls in school and ensuring they receive a quality of education to transform their future.

2.5 The GEC comprises a diverse set of projects that aim to promote sustainable approaches to learning and transition for marginalised girls, in a wide range of countries and contexts. It is one of the most significant sources of data and expertise in girls’ education in a single programme globally and offers significant opportunities for understanding what works and how to structure and design education projects for marginalised girls in the most challenging and poorest countries.

2.6 The Girls’ Education Challenge is managed on behalf of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) by PwC and Cambridge Education, in alliance with Social Development Direct, Nathan Associates and Shan Globe and is collectively referred to as the Fund Manager (FM). The FM manages the relationships with the selected projects and provides guidance to support their Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning operations.

3. Project Background / Context

I Choose Life – Africa (ICL) in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Kenya, is implementing Girls’ Education Challenge Transition Project (GEC T) currently in its second phase. The first phase ran between April 2012 to March 2017 with a focus on improving enrolment, attendance, and learning among 10,170 marginalized girls. The Second phase which is a five-year project commenced in April 2017 and will run till March 2022. The target beneficiaries are girls from marginalized communities in Laikipia, Meru and Mombasa Counties. Building on the lessons learnt from Jielimishe GEC 1, the overall goal of GEC T is to improve the life chances of 10,123 marginalized girls (2,390 in primary school and 7,730 in secondary school) using a holistic and integrated intervention approach to complete a full cycle of education, transition to the next level and demonstrate learning. Besides targeting girls as direct beneficiaries, the project also reaches out to a total of 6,980 boys (3,190 boys in primary and 3,790 in secondary schools).

Following the rich experience and vast understanding of the contextual barriers behind educational marginalisation for these girls, the potential that exists amongst them and their communities, JGEC project put forth a design that sought to empower the girl, her community, and her learning environment, with gender equality and social inclusion at the core to ensure differentiated and targeted programming. The project put forth strategic and targeted interventions aimed at addressing educational and learning barriers as well as enabling the girls achieve even more.

In its endeavour to improve life chances for these girls, the project aimed at achieving three key outcomes: 10,123 marginalised Girls supported by GEC with improved Learning (where learning is defined as acquisition of relevant literacy and numeracy skills); 10,123 Marginalised girls transitioning through key Education Pathways; and enhanced sustainability in the quality of learning and transition in key education pathways.

The main contextual factors that influenced the project design included:

3.1.1 Low The prevalent Gender inequalities in the three communities that marginalise girls educationally.

3.1.2 Low household income that render caregivers unable to support girls to learn and transition through different pathways.

3.1.3 Limited community responsiveness and support for girls.

3.1.4 Limited men involvement in girls’ education coupled with low value of girls education.

3.1.5 Boda boda riders menace of contributing to girls’ school drop-out due to pregnancies.

3.1.6 Inadequate teaching approaches that are teacher and content centered.

3.1.7 Fewer secondary schools to accommodate the high numbers transitioning from primary as the current secondary schools can only accommodate up to 80%, thus 20% miss secondary school opportunities.

3.1.8 Low value of TVET education thus caregivers unwilling to support girls to access TVET education as a key pathway; and last but not least.

3.1.9 The distances to and from schools that affect girls’ willingness to extend their reading time in the evening, thus opt to go home early as boys remain behind to study.

Summary of Project Outcomes, Intermediate outcomes and outputs

Project Outcomes

In its endeavour to improve life chances for the marginalised girls and boys, the project aimed at achieving three key outcomes:

3.2.1 10,123 marginalised Girls supported by GEC with improved Learning.

3.2.2 10,123 Marginalised girls transitioning through key Education Pathways; and

3.2.3 Enhanced sustainability in the quality of learning and transition in key education pathways.

Project Intermediate Outcomes

The five key project pre-conditions, otherwise referred to as Intermediate Outcomes, to achieving the three (3) outcomes are:

3.3.1 Improved quality of teaching among teachers for enhanced curriculum Delivery.

3.3.2 Improved attendance for 10,123 marginalised girls supported by GEC.

3.3.3 Improved motivation of 10,123 marginalised girls to transition through key pathways.

3.3.4 Improved Community support to girls’ education and transitioning through different pathways

3.3.5 Improved education management, governance and accountability for sustainable quality teaching and learning.

Project Outputs

To achieve the outlined intermediate outcomes the project put forth 6 key outputs as enlisted:**

3.4.1 60 Schools with improved teaching skills and practices

3.4.2 10, 123 girls motivated to stay in schools, learn and transition due to mentorship and life skills.

3.4.3 Improved access for marginalised girls to TVET as an alternative pathway to education

3.4.4 60 communities with improved responsiveness and involvement in girls’ education

3.4.5 Increased household income for parents to support girls’ education.

3.4.6 Strengthened Collaboration with MoE for increased sharing and use of evidence for better education management.

Detailed EOI in the below link

https://ichooselife.global/news-events/tenders/