Consultancy work (Afghanistan Programme)

  • CAFOD
  • Jun 20, 2025
Full time

Job Description

Consultancy work (Afghanistan Programme)

Terms of Reference for a Final Evaluation and Report

ToR

Consultancy work: Final Evaluation and Report

Commencement date

4 July 2025

Duration

c. 8 weeks (subject to change)

Accountable to

CAFOD Afghanistan team Grace How and Kitty Chevallier

Overview: Conduct a Final Evaluation for a project entitled Provision of humanitarian and livelihood support , also known as HELA (Humanitarian and Economic Livelihoods Assistance ). The 3-year project is funded by Misereor / Katholische Zentralstelle für Entwicklungshilfe (KZE), with co-funding provided by CAFOD. It is implemented by two local partners in Afghanistan, in three provinces, between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2025.

CAFOD has been supporting local organisations in Afghanistan, including the two implementing partners for this project, since the 1980s to help tackle issues of poverty and injustice and to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

Background and Context

Project Brief: This project is a result of partnership and joint work between CAFOD and the consortium members. The project builds on CAFOD s existing programming in Afghanistan which strengthens the capacity of at-risk households by diversifying their livelihood options. The project focuses on meeting basic needs as well as promoting inclusive development, with the objective of strengthening resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable. As the project approaches the final few months of implementation, CAFOD is seeking to engage an external consultant to conduct a participatory final evaluation for this project. This will evaluate how effectively the project has been implemented, its major impacts and lessons learned, and recommendations for future similar programming. It is expected that the final evaluation will have a particular focus on the consortium partners ways of working: the strength of their collaboration, the efficacy and suitability of monitoring and evaluation approaches, and the benefit of learning events and strategies used through the project.

CAFOD and our partners are working with the same target group throughout the duration of the project, not only providing humanitarian and livelihood support, but also raising awareness amongst participants of families' rights from an Islamic perspective. Over the past two decades, much work has been undertaken to empower Afghan households and enable them to exercise their agency. Partners are taking a variety of approaches to further these aims in the project.

Ultimately, the project aims to support and ensure that the rights of poor and vulnerable people in Bamyan, Kabul, and Kunduz provinces are upheld and they have increased agency in their social and economic development.

Directly, the project has been planned to achieve programme outcomes:

  1. The basic needs of targeted households are met.
  2. Targeted participants have improved resilience through diversified livelihoods.
  3. Targeted community leaders and members (male and female) are equipped and empowered with the knowledge and skills to promote and uphold their rights from an Islamic perspective.


Project Target Group and Location: The project will reach a total of 350 participants in three provinces of Afghanistan (Bamyan, Kunduz and Kabul) with a combination of humanitarian assistance, livelihoods training and other activities.

Project Duration: September 2022 August 2025 (36 months)

Scope of the Final Evaluation:

The purpose of this final evaluation is to assess the overall performance and objectives of the completed project, in relation to the specified objectives, logical framework, and work plans. The evaluation will examine the extent to which project outcomes have been achieved, the quality and sustainability of results, and the relevance and appropriateness of strategies employed and ways of working. This participatory evaluation will analyse not only what has been achieved, but how it was achieved, how it was measured, and what could have been improved. This will include an examination of accountability measures, and how participants and other stakeholders were engaged throughout the implementation process, including how participants were given the opportunity and encouraged to share feedback and help shape the design of the project. The consultant will make and explain recommendations for consideration in implementing future projects of a similar nature.

The evaluation should include a review of the project s monitoring data, secondary documents, a workshop with staff, and some direct data collection from key stakeholders including targeted participants taking part in the livelihoods training activities, as well as their relatives and community members. Findings of the evaluation will be used to guide and improve future project design and implementation. They should be written up into a final evaluation report (no more than 30 pages) which will be made available to CAFOD, Misereor and both partners.

As well as assessing progress towards logical framework indicators, the evaluation should focus on capturing, documenting and assessing lessons learned to inform future project design and implementation.

The assessment will be conducted in close coordination with CAFOD s Afghanistan team, including the Country Programme Representative, Programme Officer, and Programme Support Officer.

Objectives of the Final Evaluation:

  1. To assess the project and its effectiveness in meeting its three outcomes and supporting targeted Afghan households, through material assistance, livelihoods skill training and associated support, advocacy initiatives, and other activities.
  2. To evaluate the strength and appropriateness of the projects MEAL systems:
    1. To what extent did project monitoring and evaluation help track project progress and achievements?
    2. How effectively was participation and accountability built into project design and implementation, and partners ways of working with stakeholders?
    3. How effectively were learning opportunities used throughout the project (including peer learning and exchange visits, learning workshops, regular progress workshops, etc.)?
  3. To assess and review consortium functionality, partnership dynamics, and collaboration.
  4. To capture and assess key lessons learned from the project from various stakeholders including project staff, participants, civil society groups involved in the project, community leaders and other community members.
  5. To assess the sustainability and impact of project achievements, including:
    1. Changes in participants social and economic agency and participation
    2. Shifts in community attitudes and behaviours
    3. Capacity built among local partners and stakeholders.
  6. To produce a high-quality report, no longer than 30 pages, which will be shared with CAFOD, Misereor and implementing partners.
Deliverables and proposed deadlines:
  • Develop a short inception report with proposed methodology, plans and tools for collecting data from stakeholders, for the final evaluation (1st and 2nd week of contract), to be discussed and agreed with CAFOD and partners.
  • Gather data from relevant stakeholders (3rd and 4th week of contract)
  • Submission of draft report (6th week of contract)
  • Review and revision of report based on feedback (6th and 7th week of contract)
  • Submission of final report (8th week of contract)
  • Presentation of report to CAFOD and partners date to be confirmed.

Methodology:
  • The evaluation should adopt a participatory mixed-methods approach, beginning with a desk review before integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that data collected is triangulated and can be communicated, explained and contextualised.
  • It is expected that the consultant will combine surveys/questionnaires with structured interviews, FGDs and KIIs. Note that to enable the open and unrestricted sharing of opinions and information, the data can be anonymised where relevant and appropriate.
  • Evaluation team members are encouraged to use innovative methods to collect and analyse data. The qualitative component will allow for more in-depth data gathering to gain more insightful findings from relevant target groups regarding their experience of the project and its impact.
  • Data is expected to be gathered from key project stakeholders, including:
    • Targeted participants (in vocational training, first aid training, and Local Leaders Committees).
  • The midterm evaluation will be supported by two workshops: an initial developmental workshop in which the data collection methods will be discussed with CAFOD staff and representatives from partners to obtain feedback and input; and a feedback and validation workshop after submission of the draft report, to obtain input on findings and recommendations.
  • The consultant(s) are expected to propose the most suitable method of sampling/randomisation and the sample size will be determined in collaboration with CAFOD and partners. Information shall be collected from across specified beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders.
  • All data collected during the baseline study will be disaggregated by age, gender, disability, and location.
Ethical Considerations

The below ethical considerations will be adhered to during the midterm evaluation:
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