Final Evaluator, Remote, Home based
Terms of Reference for External Contractor: Final Evaluation of EC Program “Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)”
Type of evaluation
Final evaluation – (Summative)
Expected evaluation methodologies
Mixed method research combining qualitative and quantitative approaches
Expected start/end dates
Expected start date: April 15, 2024
Expected end date: May 31, 2024
Budget
20,000 EUR
Deadline for receiving applications
March 15, 2024.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT TO BE EVALUATED “Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)” is an 18-month project funded by the European Commission and implemented by Internews from 29th September 2022 – 29th March 2024.
The project aims to support the survival of trusted media outlets to ensure that citizens have access to accurate public information which will allow them to make informed decisions and to mitigate the impacts of misinformation. It achieves this overall objective through two mutually reinforcing specific objectives:
Specific Objective One: Support media outlets to safely produce and disseminate quality public interest content.
Specific Objective Two: Increase media’s ability to identify and mitigate against mis/disinformation.
The activities included content production on multiple platforms through grants provided to outlets that operate both in-country and in-exile, remote demand-led and tailored digital security support, online journalist skills training and social media monitoring to learn about disinformation trends. An important focus of the work was to ensure that women’s voices and stories continue to be heard through direct support to women journalists and women-led media organizations.
The “Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)” project is designed based on the overarching theory of change that: IF trusted media outlets receive financial support to produce reliable and accurate reporting, including ensuring the inclusion of women’s voices; AND IF men and women journalists increase their capacity and skills through high-quality flexible online fact-checking and verification training; AND IF media outlets are provided with high quality digital security mentoring and technical advice that enables them to effectively mitigate online threats and continue to report and provide information safely; AND IF media outlets are able to respond responsibly to mis/disinformation tracked through social media monitoring analysis; THEN independent Afghan media outlets will safely produce high quality, inclusive public interest information on multiple platforms that mitigates against mis/disinformation; AND THEN Afghan citizens will have access to accurate public information which will allow them to make informed decisions and they will not be adversely affected by misinformation.
The de facto authority’s takeover in August 2021 caused many leading journalists and media professionals to flee the country fearing for their lives. Harsh restrictions on the media have been imposed, coupled with threats to journalists, particularly women journalists. Furthermore, the economic collapse has limited media outlets’ access to donor funds and other income causing hundreds of media outlets to close. This has drastically limited the space for media freedom and citizens access to information.
EVALUATION OVERVIEW Purpose and Objectives of Evaluation
This final evaluation aims to review the project’s overall accomplishments and lessons learned to complement project monitoring and evaluation to give a clear and objective assessment of the project’s effectiveness. The evaluation will also give insight into how to better support independent media outlets serving the Afghan public, assessing the project’s activities’ impact on beneficiaries and the enduring nature of the outcomes. The consultant is tasked with creating various outputs, employing an agreed-upon methodology and adhering to a timeline established in collaboration with the project team.
This evaluation is tasked with assessing how this work has supported media outlets to continue to be operational and provide information to the Afghan people at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly at risk.:
Assess qualitative outcome and impact indicators as stated in the log frame
Evaluate the project’s relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and EU visibility.
Assess the quality, relevance, timeliness, and inclusivity of public interest content produced by the project, especially for women
Assess how the project has supported media outlets and journalists to continue to be safe and operational and provide information to the Afghan people at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly at risk
Evaluate the impact of digital security mentoring and technical support provided by Internews Global Tech Hub (GTH) on partner media outlets’ ability to handle online threats.
Determine the project’s impact on independent Afghan media outlets and their ability to provide high-quality, inclusive information, as well as identify and mitigate mis/disinformation.
Assess how the project has enhanced the awareness of disinformation trends in Afghan media among Afghan-based media workers
Assess how the project adapted to political and security challenges and the extent to which it validated its theory of change, including the effectiveness of its various components
Provide insights and suggestions for potential future initiatives to support independent media and improve access to information based on the evaluation findings
Scope and Evaluation Methodology: The evaluation covers the project implementation period from September 2022 to March 2024 and should encompass the entire scope of the project. Due to the current situation in Afghanistan this evaluation will be implemented completely remotely.
The evaluation should use the Development Assistance Committee of the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/DAC) criteria, which is one of the most widely used criteria to review aid effectiveness. The following questions might guide the project’s evaluation but are subject to discussion and agreement during the period of evaluation design.
Did the theory of change hold true?
Has the project responded to the needs of the target groups and continued to do so when circumstances have changed? (Relevance)
To what extent were lessons learned from what worked well and less well applied to improve and adjust project implementation? (Relevance)
To what extent have other interventions (particularly policies) supported or undermined the project intervention, and vice versa? (Coherence)
How compatible is the project with other interventions in the region or organization where it was being implemented? (Coherence)
How compatible is the project with other EU-funded interventions, particularly with UNESCO and IMS? (Coherence)
Have the right things been done to achieve the project’s aims? Have the planned project objectives and outcomes been achieved (or are they likely to be achieved)? If not, what is needed to close the gap and improve potential for impact? (Effectiveness)
Were the resources and inputs converted to outputs in a timely and cost-effective manner? Did the project achieve the planned outputs? Could the outputs have been achieved with fewer resources? (Efficiency)
What results have been achieved in the implementation of the project? What were the contributing factors to the achievement of the project? What were the main challenges/barriers to achieving the implementation of the project? How well did the project adapt to the significant political and security challenges during implementation? (Achievement)
What are the tangible outcomes (positive and negative) as a result of this project? Has there been a positive or negative impact on beneficiaries as a whole? How has this impact been ascertained? What specific, real difference has the activity made to the beneficiaries? Have certain groups benefited more or been negatively impacted more? (Impact)
Are the results sustainable? If so, how? (Sustainability)
To what extent do the project beneficiaries recognize and acknowledge the support provided by the EU through the project? (EU visibility)
The methodological approach and design of the evaluation will be developed and agreed between Internews and the evaluator. The evaluator will then be responsible for its objective implementation. The methodological approach should be participatory, inclusive, gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate. The exact evaluation methodology (including the proposed sampling of stakeholders to be engaged) should be presented by the evaluator and defined, discussed, and agreed upon with Internews during the first week of the evaluation period. Internews is aware that the current context in Afghanistan limits the possible evaluation tools available for a remote evaluation. However, the evaluation should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following tools:
Desk review of relevant project documentation.
Individual and/or group interviews with project stakeholders online.
Online survey with stakeholders, if relevant
The evaluator should find ways to ease logistical and time challenges and adapt to the respondents’ schedules and needs, to the extent feasible. The evaluation and related research should abide by Internews’ policies and protocols related to data protection and security and be conducted in line with ethical protocols including participant confidentiality and privacy. The secure transmission of data is of great importance and must be ensured at all stages of the evaluation. A non-disclosure agreement will be included in the consultancy contract.
EXPECTED ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES TIMELINE
Key Activities and Deliverables
Timeline
Evaluation kick-off meeting with Internews
Immediately after signing contract
Inception report, including literature review, detailed methodology and an outline of the final report
April 25, 2024
First draft – final report
May 15, 2024
Sense-making workshop of the first draft of the report with Internews
To be determined
Final evaluation report
May 31, 2024
The evaluator is expected to submit an inception report outlining the evaluation methodologies and approaches prior to the field work and an evaluation report that documents the evaluation activities and results, following a clear structure. The evaluation report will contain the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations as well as a recording of the lessons learned. The evaluator will initially prepare a draft report, which will be submitted to Internews for comments. While considering the comments provided on the draft, the evaluator shall use their independent and impartial judgement in preparing the final report.
The final report should be no longer than 20 pages, excluding the annexes and executive summary. The report must include:
An executive summary highlighting the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
A detailed methodology section, making explicit the limitations to the evaluation.
An analysis of the performance of the project in terms of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and EU visibility
An analysis of the technical aspects and main achievement of the project.
Analysis of the underlying factors that affected the achievement of the project results; and
Recommendations, being specific and action-oriented, and tailored to all relevant stakeholders
All written deliverables are expected to be in English.
QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Knowledge of implementing projects in Afghanistan or in other complex fragile states
Demonstrated familiarity with EU-funded actions, including a deep understanding of their operational frameworks, funding mechanisms, and compliance requirements.
Master’s degree in social sciences, international development, evaluation, or related field
At least 5 years’ experience conducting evaluations
Experience with qualitative and quantitative M&E data collection and analysis methods
Fluency in spoken and written English
Excellent inter-cultural communication skills/cultural sensitivity and the ability to forge strong cross-cultural relationships demonstrated through previous experience
Strong facilitation, presentation, writing and communication skills
DESIRABLE
More than 5 years’ experience as professional evaluator for international development projects
Experience conducting evaluations for media development projects
Experience working in different country across Asia
TO APPLY Interested parties should apply through Internews’ website. Applications should include the below documentation.
A 2–3-page statement of interest/draft proposal, highlighting how your methodological approach will address the scope planned for this evaluation as well as describing how your profile and experience meet the criteria
A CV and 2 references
Evidence of evaluation work (e.g. link to evaluation reports or PDF attachments), highlighting evaluation theories and approaches
A short cost justification (not included in the 2–3-page limit) – including your salary history and/or daily rate for your last 3 consultancies
OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING: We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.
While the deadline for accepting application is March 15, 2024, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, interested candidates are encouraged to apply soon.
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