Terms of Reference Independent Evaluation Company services for ‘Girls Education Empowerment Project in Somalia’ (GEEPS) Baseline Study

Terms of Reference

Independent Evaluation Company services for ‘Girls Education Empowerment Project in Somalia’ (GEEPS) Baseline Study

Summary

CARE Somalia is seeking to procure the services of an evaluation company / consultants (consultants) to conduct the baseline study of Girls Education Empowerment Project in Somalia (GEEPS) funded by Global Affairs Canada. GEEPS has high demands in terms of the quantity and quality of data to be collected, in order to generate robust evidence to be used by multiple stakeholders.

The baseline consultants will be responsible for the overall design of the baseline study including the refinement of the methodology and tools as required, manage data collection services and carry out qualitative and quantitative data analysis and prepare a comprehensive baseline report for GEEPS. The external consultants will provide an independent and rigorous baseline to enable the project to assess progress against outcomes at midline and final evaluation, and to what extent the intervention was effective in contributing to gender transformative processes that contributed to the improved education (learning outcomes) and empowerment of girls, adolescent girls, and young women, including those with disabilities.

The baseline design will require the use of mixed methods, including triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data. Described in more detail below, the baseline design will be one of two scenarios depending on the status of the project planning with the Ministry of Education at the baseline planning stage. Depending on the scenario, quantitative data will be obtained from learning assessments conducted with a student cohort, a household survey, school survey, teacher survey, head counts and classroom observations, as well as surveys with gender focal points and Regional and District Education Officers (REOs / DEOs). This data will be triangulated with qualitative data obtained through focus group discussions, interviews and participatory exercises with girls in addition to FGDs and KIIs with other stakeholders to establish baseline values for project outcomes at ultimate, intermediate and immediate levels (and outputs where appropriate), produce information to address the evaluation questions as well as to determine levels and types of marginalisation and context prior to the project implementation. The approved inception report is expected before the end of January 2021, and the final report is expected before the middle of March 2021.

Project Background

CARE is a humanitarian non-governmental organization committed to working with poor women, men, boys, girls, communities, and institutions to have a significant impact on the underlying causes of poverty. CARE seeks to contribute to economic and social transformation, unleashing the power of the most vulnerable women and girls. CARE has been providing emergency relief and lifesaving assistance to the Somali people since 1981. The main program activities since then have included projects in water and sanitation, sustainable pastoralist activities, civil society and media development, small-scale enterprise development, primary school education, teacher training, adult literacy and vocational training. CARE works in partnership with Somali and international aid agencies, civil society leaders and local authorities. CARE Somalia is currently operational in the northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland and the strategy is: adopt a program approach to demonstrate impact and promote organizational learning; reduce the impact of emergencies on vulnerable communities, particularly women and children; improve governance and access to services and resources.

The Girls Empowerment and Education Project in Somalia (GEEPS), or Hayanka Hablaha in Somali, is a two year initiative (activities beginning early 2021 through end of 2022) that seeks to address the systemic and pervasive gender inequalities that prevent adolescent girls in Somalia from the full and equitable enjoyment of their rights to a safe and inclusive education and learning in Jubaland, Puntland, Somaliland, Banaadir, Southwest, Hirshabelle and Galmudug. GEEPS is a collaboration between CARE Somalia, the Federal Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education of Somalia (MOECHE) and State Ministries of Education (MOEs).

GEEPS will work with the support of Ministries of Education in 30 urban locations in Jubaland and 20 primarily rural locations in both Puntland and Somaliland, to implement an integrated and innovative package of interventions that intend to 1) Increase equitable access to safe, secure, quality, inclusive education and learning by adolescent girls, including girls with disabilities (GwDs) and girls from traditionally marginalized groups and those heavily affected by conflict and displacement; and 2) Enhance quality, gender responsiveness and inclusiveness of the Somali education system at all levels addressing the needs of marginalized girls, including those with disabilities, in service provision. GEEPS projects to directly reach 38,857 new girls and 10,271 parents and further improve the lives of 63,062 girls and 15,972 parents already currently engaged in the UKAID-funded Girls Education Challenge projects implemented by CARE in Puntland, Jubaland and Somaliland.

GEEPS Theory of Change

Annex 1 outlines the project’s logic model, listing the intermediate and immediate outcomes, outputs and activities. GEEPS seeks to contribute to improved learning outcomes for girls and adolescent girls, including those with disabilities, through increased national / state system harmonization, quality standard-setting, gender equity, and gender mainstreaming in the education sector in fragile and conflict affected situations in Jubaland, Puntland, Somaliland, Banaadir, Southwest, Hirshabelle and Galmudug. This project is underpinned by the theory that this can be accomplished if; 1) the gender, social, and economic related barriers that limit girls’ access to education and learning are addressed at the community, family and individual level; and 2) the education system in Somalia as a whole is more inclusive, gender responsive and able to provide quality education to those who are highly marginalized not only because of their sex and age but also because of their disability, minority, marital or educational status and /or pastoralist livelihood, in areas affected by conflict and crisis. The project posits that this ultimate change will be facilitated when barriers are reduced, systems strengthened and adolescent girls are able to acquire more knowledge and skills in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Two intermediate outcomes will guide the project’s interventions towards achieving the ultimate outcome. The first intermediate outcome is the increased equitable access to safe, quality and inclusive education by marginalized girls including girls with disabilities (GWDs) and those most affected by conflict, displacement and social discrimination. Improving community and family willingness, and social and economic capacity, to support gender-equitable and inclusive practices and address harmful social norms, while also supporting the capacity of individual adolescent girls to claim their rights, will contribute to the increased empowerment of adolescent girls by fostering a supportive enabling environment.

The second intermediate outcome will ensure the enhancement of the gender-responsiveness and quality of the school system through a multi-pronged approach, working at multiple levels: Ministries of Education (MoEs) at state, regional and district levels; Community Education Committees, head teachers and classroom based teachers. This approach seeks to strengthen the capacity of the MoEs to identify and respond to girls’ needs and address gendered practices which may be discriminatory and exclusionary, improve access and retention, while also supporting capacity building of the actors on the ground to identify and address girls’ needs, including those of girls with disabilities and from displaced or minority groups.

Purpose and objectives of the baseline study

The primary objective of the baseline study is to establish baseline values for project indicators (as set out in the Performance Measurement Framework – PMF). This provides the crucial reference point for assessing or measuring changes, key milestone achievements and impact by establishing a basis for comparison before project interventions take place, and also serves as the basis for setting or updating targets in the PMF. Additionally, the findings from the baseline and subsequent evaluations will be used:

• To identify factors affecting expected outcomes and if/how those align against the intermediate outcomes and outputs selected by the project, thus testing its Theory of Change (ToC);

• To gain an up to date understanding of the project context to inform ongoing project strategy;

• By the project management team, project partners and stakeholders to inform improvements in the delivery of the project during its lifetime;

• To inform the ongoing gender analysis and the development of a gender strategy for the project;

• To demonstrate accountability for the funding received to GAC, other Canada Government Departments, Canada tax-payers, Canada media;

• By the project management team to leverage additional resources from existing and new partners and stakeholders in order to scale-up and sustain the activities /benefits delivered by the project;

• By the project management team to support the on-going development and implementation of the project’s sustainability and succession strategies;

• By partners, stakeholders and the Government to learn lessons from the project for the purpose of informing education programming in country;

• By other donors, academic institutions and education networks to inform the wider policy debate concerning the education of girls and marginalised girls.

Baseline Evaluation Questions

The baseline will address the following evaluation questions adapted for the baseline from the project’s overall evaluation questions:

1. What are the current barriers to access and full participation in education for marginalized girls, including those with disabilities?
2. What is the baseline level of girls’ learning outcomes? How does this level differ across subgroups, including GwDs, minorities and girls living in rural versus urban areas?
3. What are the current gender social norms and what are perceived successful ways of shifting gender or other social norms?
4. What is the current situation related to Education system capacity to track and address gender-related barriers to education? What are potential constraints to GEEPS activities in contributing to impact in this area?
5. To what extent have localised conflict, drought and economic conditions of families impacted on attendance and learning and have girls and boys been impacted differently?
6. What is the safety and security situation in schools for girls and boys and how are activities likely to impact this area.

ToC

1. Which factors at household and which factors at the school level are affecting the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills? How are these factors being affected by social norm change, including due to contextual shifts?
2. To what extent are baseline findings supporting the project’s ToC? Is the project’s ToC adequately reflecting the factors driving learning/ transition/ sustainability, particularly gender and gender equality related issues?

Inclusiveness

1. What are barriers to the participation, learning and retention of students with disabilities and pastoralist girls? Are the proposed interventions particularly effective in addressing barriers for some types of disability, but not others?
2. What are the underlying causes of exclusion, including inter-clan / ethnic dynamics and gendered practices limiting girls’ voice and time to study/attend class?

Teaching skills and practices

1. Are there specific literacy / numeracy skill areas that show particular poor levels? Why?
2. Are there ‘plateaus’ in the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills? To what extent are proposed project interventions likely to be effective in addressing those?
3. In a context where education provision is mostly community or privately owned, what works in engaging private sector providers in increasing equality and quality?

Governance

1. To what extent are Community Education Communities (CECs) addressing factors related to girls’ access and learning?
2. Are the activities of Community Education Communities (CECs) contribute to the changes in attendance and learning?
3. To what extent has the Community Education Communities (CECs) contributed in creating safe, inclusive and gender responsive school environments?

Community practices and girls’ empowerment

1. To what extent are girls’ roles shifting at the household/ community level? What are the opportunities and barriers emerging for girls as they take on new roles through the application of academic and leadership skills? To what extent could these new roles may be harmful for girls from extremely marginalised groups, such as minority clans and ethnic groups?

Approach and Methodology

Two Scenarios

The methods and sampling groups to be used in the baseline will depend on the timeline for the final identification of project school partners. The decision about which scenario will be used will be made following the signing of the contract with the winning bidder and before they are expected to produce an inception report – the inception report will only need to consider the decided scenario. Bidders need to take both scenarios into account when preparing their proposals and budgets. The table below provides an overview of the expectations for each possible scenario.

Scenario #1: Scenario 1 will take place if GEEPS has been able to confirm the school locations and identify beneficiaries for project enrolment prior to baseline implementation. In this scenario, in-school girls (10-19 years), including those enrolled through the project and those already in school, will be sampled from a random selection of project schools and they will be recruited for the in-school girl cohort. Schools will be randomly selected proportionally by State. The surveys will include literacy and numeracy standardized assessments (EGMA / EGRA), YLI and a girls’ questionnaire. Household surveys will be conducted with the head of household and/or caregivers of part of the girls selected for the baseline sample. School surveys will be implemented and will include a school questionnaire (including questions for CEC representatives), teacher observations (n=3 per school), teacher survey and headcounts. Surveys will also be conducted with MOE stakeholders. Qualitative focus groups will be organized and implemented in schools and in school catchment areas.

Scenario #2: This scenario assumes that the project has not been able to finalize enrolment / identify beneficiaries in targeted locations or that schools are closed resulting from a COVID-19 mitigation policy. In this scenario, the schools will be sampled randomly proportionally by State and households will be randomly selected from catchment communities around the schools, with eligibility being having girls 10-19 in school. EGRA / EGMA will not be undertaken in this scenario, but will be done at a later time after school confirmation and enrolment of out-of-school learners and GEF/BEF clubs has happened. Surveys will be undertaken with girls, their caregivers, schoolteachers and CEC members (if available), Gender Focal Points and REO/DEOs (focusing on gender dimensions to their roles). Qualitative data collection will be facilitated with teachers; in-school girls and other stakeholder groups.

Scenario #1 – school based

Scenario #2 – Household based

Notes

Study locations

Sample of confirmed project schools (expected to be 70: 30 in Jubaland and 20 in Puntland and 20 in Somaliland);

In catchment areas of expected project schools (assume number of schools known to be n=35 across Jubaland, Puntland, Somaliland)

Sampling a sub-set of school locations stratified by Zone and urban/rural within Zone

PRIMARY DATA SOURCES

Quantitative Methods

Learning Assessments

510 In-school girls

Girl module

510 In-school girls

568 In-school girls

YLI

510 In school girls

568 In-school girls

Households

Households of 50% sampled girls

In sampled HHs

School Based

Teacher observations

3 per sampled school Grades 3-5 (randomly selected and done in different levels within a school)

N/A

Teacher survey

150 among sampled schools of teachers Grades 3-5

Student headcount

Sampled project schools

N/A

School Surveys

Sampled project schools

N/A

Ministry of Education

Gender Focal Point / REO / DEO Survey

50

50

Short gender focused survey can be done by phone.

Qualitative

In-school girls

4 schools

4 schools

FGDs participatory

Out of school / marginalized girls

4 schools

4 schools

Parents

8 schools

8 schools

FGDs M/F separate

CECs

8 schools

8 schools

FGDs

Teachers

8 schools

8 schools

KIIs / small group FGDs

Women’s Rights Organisations

3

3

KIIs (could do by phone/Zoom)

SECONDARY DATA SOURCES (same for both scenarios)

GEEPS project documents

Project proposal

PMF framework

Project Implementation Plan (PIP)

Logic Model

CARE Somalia Education sector projects

SOMGEP-T baseline / midline / endline reports;

Leave No Girl Behind AGES baseline report;

External references

To be sourced by consultant

Others

To be advised

Baseline Approach

GEEPS overall evaluation will use a mixed-methods, pre-post design, including longitudinal tracking of a student cohort to identify changes in the acquisition of leadership skills through time and cross-sectional comparisons of samples drawn from the same grades in different evaluation rounds to identify how the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills is changing through time. A baseline, midterm and endline are planned along with a robust monitoring system, all designed to assess the project progress, enable an in-depth analysis of factors contributing to successes and barriers and inform adaptations to the design. See Annex 2 for a list of PMF indicators relevant to the baseline.

Sampling Strategy

In order to understand the effect of the GEEPS intervention on learning, the key variable for sample size determination, two different analyses will be required: longitudinal and cross-sectional. The longitudinal analysis will provide the impact of the GEFs on learning through a comparison of girls exposed and non-exposed in addition to the impact of the GEFs on the YLI average score. The longitudinal analysis does not allow the determination of average learning gains over and above regular grade progression, this will come from the cross-sectional analysis.

To generate the sample size requirements, the cross-sectional analysis for changes in numeracy / literacy above grade level progression is the value of interest requiring the largest sample. CARE experience with SOMGEP-T provides recent and relevant data with which to make assumptions. If doing a school-based sample, and the attrition from baseline to endline is assumed to be 30% and if using a household-based sample at baseline, an attrition rate of 45% will be assumed. In SOMGEP-T’s numeracy evaluation data, from baseline to midline 2, an effect size from a difference in difference analysis was calculated to be 0.1769 in Grade 4 and .2063 in Grade 5. Using 0.2 as a target effect size, in a one-tailed t-test comparing two independent means, an alpha of .05 and Beta (power) of .8, and a DEFF of 2 (to adjust for cluster sampling) using a 30% attrition rate gives a sample size of 510 (while a 45% attrition rate in scenario #2 gives a sample size of 568).

Data Sources

Depending on the scenario, the following methods will be used in the baseline:

• Learning assessments (adapted versions of EGRA and EGMA): A sample of in-school girls, randomly selected from the sampled schools (scenario #1) or from households (scenario #2);, will be tracked throughout the life of the project. The sample will be drawn from 35 sample points, randomly selected proportionally to the distribution of implementation locations through the three States. Baseline scores will be used to create benchmarks against which progress in future years can be compared.

• [For scenario #2] Household survey with parents / caregivers of 50% of the girls sampled at baseline. The household survey includes a head of household module; a caregiver module; and a girl module, to be applied with all girls participating in the learning assessments.

• Disability: The household survey includes a module on disability, which is expected to identify the number of beneficiaries with disabilities as well as the type and severity of their disability, following the Washington Group methodology. A subset of the household survey will be applied with these girls and their caregivers, provided they consent to participate.

• Youth Leadership Index, applied to all girls sampled in either cohort;

School level assessment

• A school survey will be conducted, including an assessment of school conditions; teacher data; aggregated school enrolment; and head counts in grades 1-5. This survey will be applied in all sample sites with formal schools participating in the project.

• Classroom observations using structured timed tools (applied to teachers in Grades 3-5 in sampled schools)

Qualitative data collected from:

• Parents (focus groups, separately with mothers and fathers);

• Girls (in and out of school / highly marginalized)(vignettes and risk mapping)

• Teachers (focus groups);

• CECs (focus groups);

Data collection / management

Qualitative data from parents, teachers and CECs will be collected from 10 sample sites, while participatory exercises (interactive data collection methods such as vignettes and risk mapping) with girls will be conducted in 10 sample sites. All qualitative data will be audio recorded, completely transcribed and translated.

Quantitative data will be collected using electronic tools. The consultants are responsible for the setup of electronic data collection forms, following the structure of the tools provided by CARE (KoboCollect preferred). The consultancy company will be expected to pilot tools that will be used for data collection and refine as necessary (with exception of learning assessments, which will be piloted and calibrated in advance by CARE).

The consultant will manage a randomization process to select the schools and communities to participate in the baseline study, ensuring stratification by State.

Ethical Approaches

The approach to the baseline must consider the safety of participants and especially children at all stages of the evaluation. All consultants staff and data collectors who will participate in the study will receive training on CARE’s policies on Child Protection and on Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse (PSHEA); all consultants staff and data collectors will be required to sign their compliance with both policies before deployment. The bidder will need to demonstrate how they have considered the protection of children through the different data collection stages, including recruitment and training of research staff, data collection and data analysis and report writing.

Bidders are required to set out their approach to ensuring complete compliance with international good practice with regards to research ethics and protocols particularly with regards to safeguarding children, vulnerable groups (including people with disabilities) and those in fragile and conflict affected states. Consideration should be given to:

• administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality of those participating in research;

• physical safeguards for those conducting research;

• data protection and secure maintenance procedures for personal information;

• parental consent concerning data collection from children or collation of data about children;

• age- and ability-appropriate assent processes based on reasonable assumptions about comprehension for the ages of children and the disabilities they intend to involve in the research; and

• age-appropriate participation of children, including in the development of data collection tools.

Risk and risk management

Risk management plan: It is important that the successful bidder has taken all reasonable measures to mitigate any potential risk to the delivery of the required outputs for this baseline. Therefore, bidders should submit a comprehensive risk management plan covering:

• the assumptions underpinning the successful completion of the proposals submitted and the anticipated challenges that might be faced;

• estimates of the level of risk for each risk identified;

• proposed contingency plans that the bidder will put in place to mitigate against any occurrence of each of the identified risk;

• specific child protection risks and mitigating strategies, including reference to the child protection policy and procedures that will be in place; and

• health and safety issues that may require significant duty of care precautions including COVID adaptations and safety measured during the study.

Data quality assurance

Quality assurance plan: bidders are required to submit a quality assurance plan that sets out the systems and processes for quality assuring the research process and deliverables from start to finish of the project. This plan should include the proposed approaches to:

• Piloting of all research activities;

• Training of enumerators and researchers conducting the mixed-methods primary research, including in research ethics;

• Logistical and management planning;

• Field work protocols and data verification including back-checking and quality control by supervisors; and

• Data cleaning and editing before any analysis.

Deliverables and Schedule

Expected Tasks

1. Review the project’s MEL framework and project proposal;
2. Submit an inception report (draft and final), that outlines the research methodology, including data collection tools, detailed analysis framework, ethical approach, quality control plan, limitations, enumerator training plan, and detailed work plan outlining all tasks to be completed by each of the members of the baseline team;
3. Finalization of tools, including back-translation supervision;
4. Enumerator training toolkits, and training on data collection tools and their application to enumerators;
5. Implement and supervise enumerators’ work in the field during data collection (qualitative and quantitative) ensuring quality of data, including overnight checks of electronic datasets;
6. Validate all datasets and collate data as necessary for analysis;
7. Analyse the collected data in accordance with the agreed analysis framework.
8. Prepare a comprehensive draft and final baseline report, according to the format provided by the CARE.

Deliverables

In reference to the expected tasks above, the consultant team led by a quantitative research expert is expected to accomplish and submit the following:

1) An inception report including:

o Research methodology including the sampling methodology and the analysis framework,

o Draft data collection tools,

o Detailed work plan outlining all tasks to be completed by each of the members of the consultant team for the duration of the baseline.

o Ethical approach, quality control plan, limitations, enumerator training plan,

2) Data collection protocols;

3) Training guidelines for enumerators incl. training tool kits, and training session plans;

4) In depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of data;

5) Complete clean datasets in SPSS, inclusive of complete codebooks, and where applicable, consolidated datasets (household survey + learning assessments);

6) Completed cohort tracking tool for baseline samples, to be used at midline and endline, including unique identifiers for all girls;

7) Complete transcriptions and translations of qualitative data, as well as sound (audio) files;

8) SPSS syntax and output files reflecting the analysis conducted;

9) A draft report (in MS Word), following the format required by CARE.

10) Presentations of preliminary findings and recommendations validation and feedback with CARE and other stakeholders.

11) Final report with corresponding finalized annexes in English.

12) Updated PMF with all the baseline value for the indicators

13) Summary reports for each State (2-3 pages long), in a reader-friendly format, for dissemination with stakeholders.

Professional Skills and Qualifications

Qualifications: bidders are required to clearly identify and provide CVs for all those proposed in the Evaluation Team, clearly stating their roles and responsibilities for this baseline. The lead consultant should have a Masters degree (PhD preferred) demonstrating thematic and/or research qualifications and a minimum of five years experience in delivering rigorous program evaluations. The consultants’ proposed evaluation team should include the technical expertise and practical experience required to deliver the scope of work and baseline evaluation outputs, in particular, with regards to:

• Study design: the team should include skills and expertise required to design, plan and conduct mixed-methods impact evaluation, using quasi-experimental techniques;

• Skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, drawing findings from multiple sources and handling potential contradictions between data sets; using justified approaches for analysis of qualitative data.

• Relevant subject matter knowledge and experience: knowledge and experience required on conducting research with children, the education sector, disability, gender and gender equality to ensure that the evaluation design and research methods are as relevant and meaningful as possible given the aims and objectives of the project and the context in which it is being delivered;

• Evaluation management: manage a medium-scale and complex research process from end-to-end including baseline studies;

• Primary research: gender-sensitive design, management and implementation of primary quantitative and qualitative research in potentially challenging project environments, such as fragile and conflict affected states – this could include the design of longitudinal household panel surveys, advanced versions of EGRA /EGMA tests, in-depth interviews, focus groups, participatory qualitative exercises with children, etc.;

• Country experience: it is particularly important that the team has the appropriate country knowledge /experience and ability to interpret findings from a contextual perspective, as required to conduct the research;

• Information management: design and manage sex- and disability-disaggregated data and information systems capable of handling large datasets for MEL purposes, including cross-referencing different datasets;

• Statistical analysis: a range of statistical modelling and analysis of impact data; highly proficient user of: SPSS or STATA; and qualitative data analysis techniques.

• Data management and data cleaning. Ability to supervise the collection, entry (if required), cleaning and management of large data sets. Digital data collection processes are preferred.

• Safety considerations: Ensuring the whole evaluation process adheres to best practice for research with children including the implementation of child protection policy and procedures to ensure safety of participants. Note that all bidders are expected to be able to show that they have a child protection policy in place to safeguard children that the research team would come into contact with through the research activities.

The day–to–day project management of the baseline will be the responsibility of the Impact Measurement Technical Advisor, CARE USA as well as CARE Canada who will provide input on the tools; review training materials and proposed approaches to analysis; review emerging datasets; and provide input to the interpretation of findings.

Project milestones

Bidders are required to include in their detailed work plans the milestones set out below. The project is under a tight timeframe to complete the study and report by mid-March 2021.

Milestone

Deadline dates

Draft Inception Report submitted for review and comments

Final Inception Report + Revised tools submitted

Translation of tools from English to Somali and back translation

Electronic versions of tools

Training and Pilot testing

Baseline research starts

Baseline research completed

Draft Baseline Study Report submitted for review

Review by Project Management and stakeholders completed / comments provided to Supplier

Supplier addresses comments and revises third evaluation round Report

Final third evaluation round Report submitted

The bidder will be expected to identify a Team Leader for communication and reporting purposes. At the Inception meeting the Evaluation Team Project Manager will be expected to submit a full contact list of all those involved in the evaluation.

The Evaluation Team will be expected to report to the Evaluation Steering Group and attend all meetings as agreed with the Project Evaluation Manager. The Team will be required to submit to the Project Evaluation Manager bi-weekly progress reports (by email) during the study periods summarising activities /tasks completed to date (per cent achieved), time spent etc.

Financial Proposal

The budget prepared by the bidder should cover all the activities outlined above, including baseline evaluation design, data cleaning, analysis and reporting. This budget is inclusive of all costs covering team member costs, travel, research costs and any other costs associated the completion of the work including where required costs for reasonable adjustment. Bidders are required to organise and fund their own duty of care arrangements as required.

Bidders are required to provide a fully costed proposal in the form of a price schedule that as a minimum should include:

• Sub-total of fees for the delivery of any task or deliverable;

• Sub-total for number of days per partner organisation (as applicable);

• Expenses and overheads broken down by the project cost categories;

• Reasonable adjustment costs; and

• Total costs before and after any taxes that are applicable.

Submission Information / How To Apply

Please send your complete technical and financial proposal, as separate attachments to the same email to Som.Consultant@care.org clearly marking the subject line “Baseline Evaluation of GEEPS.” no later than 13 January, 2021 12:30PM.

Any questions about the TOR can be emailed to Todd.Ritter@care.org copying CARE Somalia procurement (somconsultant@care.org) clearly marking the subject line with ‘Question GEEPS Baseline’.

Proposals should include the following:

• Technical proposal – bidders approach to the baseline; workplan with milestones.

• Qualifications – how does the bidder meet the qualifications, including CVs of all key involved persons

• Financial proposal

Annex 1: Project Logic Model

ULTIMATE OUTCOME

Improved learning outcomes for girls, adolescent girls and young women, including those with disabilities, in fragile and conflict situations in Somalia

INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES

1100

1200

Increased equitable access to safe, secure quality inclusive education and learning by girls, including those with disabilities and affected by displacement, in conflict and disaster-affected areas of Somalia

Improved equitable and coordinated provision of innovative, safe, quality, gender-responsive and evidence-based formal and non-formal education to the end of secondary school for girls, including those with disabilities and affected by displacement, in conflict and disaster-affected areas of Somalia

IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES

1110

1120

1130

1210

1220

1230

Increased knowledge and skills of stakeholders (government, non-government and community) to promote girls’ access to inclusive, quality education in Somalia

Increased capacity of schools and vulnerable households to reduce social, cultural and physical barriers for adolescent girls, including girls with disabilities (GwDs), to participate in education

Increased capacity of girls, adolescent girls and women in conflict-affected areas to claim their right to education and make their voices heard in decision making processes that affect them

Enhanced capacity of education stakeholders (local governments and low-cost private schools) to integrate adolescent girls, including GwDs and girls from highly marginalized groups, into education systems to the end of secondary school or its non-formal equivalent

Enhanced capacity of schools and respective Community Education Committees (CECs) to provide quality gender-sensitive and innovative teacher training, quality teaching and learning materials and safe, inclusive working spaces

Improved capacity of education ministries to collect and use data to monitor the barriers and
progress in marginalized girls’ learning, participation and completion

OUTPUTS

1111

Families (f/m) sensitized to support girls’ enrolment, through enrolment drives and door-to-door campaigns led by community education committees in partnership with regional and district education offices

1121

Scholarships provided to girls from ultra-marginalized groups, including girls with disabilities, covering school fees, uniforms, basic school supplies and sanitary kits

1131

Girls (ages 10-19) mentored through Girls’ Empowerment Forums (GEFs) on their right to education, leadership skills (self-confidence, voice, decision-making, organization, vision) and advocacy to address barriers to girls’ enrolment

1211

Education stakeholders (local officials, gender focal points, head teachers, CECs, REOs and DEOs) trained on the barriers to attendance and learning faced by girls, in particular GWDs and other highly marginalized groups, and how to address them

1221

Head teachers and Community Education Committees trained on gender-responsive school management & working with male teachers to create safe and inclusive environments

1231

Regional and District Education Officers trained to collect and aggregate data on Education Sector Strategic Plan indicators linked to marginalized girls’ education outcomes

1112

Gender-sensitive media campaigns (television and radio spots) conducted, promoting girls’ education and addressing gender barriers to education

1122

CECs have taken action to address social, cultural and physical barriers for girls (including GwDs) to enroll in school

1132

Exchange visits conducted between Girls’ Empowerment Forums and Somali female role models sharing positive messages on girls’ leadership and education

1212

MoEs (Federal and Member State levels) supported on gender-responsive budget planning and establishment of resource centres for girls with disabilities

1222

CECs coached to develop action plans to identify and address gaps in gender equity in attendance, participation, learning and safety in their schools

1232

Ministries of Education Gender Focal Points supported to conduct bi-annual dialogues to assess progress on marginalized girls’ education with Heads of Department and development partners

1113

Awareness- raising meetings conducted with community education committees, community leaders and dissemination of messaging to families (f/m) to promote participation of girls in non-traditional roles

1123

Girl-centred renovations carried out in school infrastructure.

1133

Boys mentored on gender equity and positive masculinity in Boys’ Forums, seeking to reduce aggressive, violent, inequitable behaviors in school and on the way to school

1213

Develop inclusive education policy to promote equitable treatment for girls and children with disabilities

1223

Teachers trained and coached on quality, inclusive, gender-sensitive, non-violent curriculum delivery, including improved, inclusive methodologies in literacy and numeracy teaching, gender-responsive lesson planning and techniques to support crisis-affected students facing mental health issues, particularly girls

1233

MoE officials supported to carry out actions towards gender-sensitive education

1124

Crisis modifier established to enable early action and rapid response to new humanitarian needs in targeted project areas in order to protect development gains of the project

1224

Girls’ empowerment forums supported to work with CECs on gender-sensitive, inclusive, participatory school management

Annex 2. PMF indicators relevant to the baseline (full PMF will be supplied to contracted consultant).

In addition to the context and situational information suggested by the evaluation questions, calculating values for the following key project indicators will be a focus of the baseline:

• # of marginalized girls supported by GEEPS who demonstrate improved literacy/numeracy scores

• % improvement in attendance rates

• % of girls who consider that their teachers treat girls and boys equally in the classroom

• % of teachers who apply improved teaching practices in literacy and numeracy

• % of parents who express support for girls’ regular attendance to school (including for girls with disabilities)

• # of community and religious leaders stating support for marginalised girls’ right to education in targeted areas, including for girls with disabilities

• % of schools and classrooms that demonstrate social and physical learning environments that are gender-sensitive, healthy, safe, protective, and include adequate facilities

• % of girls receiving scholarships who remain in school

• % of girls who feel comfortable expressing themselves at school, in the community and at home

• % of change in the average youth leadership score among marginalised girls