Final evaluation – Terms of reference and call for expression of interest
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Title
Final evaluation – Terms of reference and call for expression of interest
Salary
Gross 4,000 EUR (including applicable taxes, contributions, or 27 per cent Hungarian VAT depending on the applicant’s status, travel costs etc.).
Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE), a Budapest-based non-governmental organization, has implemented a two-year EU-funded programme called ‘Promoting Roma Equality in Slovenia and Slovakia (PRESS)‘ to promote and protect the rights of Roma facing discrimination by raising society and stakeholders’ awareness, enhancing the implementation of non-discrimination legislation and empowering Roma to seek legal remedies in Slovakia and Slovenia. The programme aims to improve the knowledge of anti-discrimination legislation and access to justice among legal practitioners, civil society organizations (CSOs), Roma mediators, activists and decision-makers; strengthen the capacity and willingness of legal practitioners to provide legal aid for Roma and challenge discrimination incidents; strengthen the capacity of CSOs to support and represent Roma communities facing discrimination; and improve access to justice for Roma communities in both target countries.
Results originally foreseen for the programme
The overall objective is to promote and protect the rights of Roma facing discrimination by raising society and stakeholders’ awareness, enhancing the implementation of non-discrimination legislation and empowering Roma to seek legal remedies in Slovakia and Slovenia.
The programme’s expected results were:
- Enhanced knowledge of anti-discrimination legislation and access to justice among legal practitioners, civil society organizations (CSOs), Roma mediators, activists and decision-makers
- Strengthened capacity and willingness of legal practitioners to provide legal aid for Roma and challenge discrimination incidents
- Strengthened capacity of CSOs to support and represent Roma communities facing discrimination
- Improved access to justice for Roma communities in both target countries
Evaluation objectives of the final evaluation
- To assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact of the programme in relation to the objectives and outputs set out in the ‘Promoting Roma Equality in Slovenia and Slovakia (PRESS)’ Programme Document and to provide MRGE with an opportunity for ‘structured evaluative learning’, with the aim of learning from the programme design and implementation processes.
- Based on the evaluation findings, develop a set of suggestions and key recommendations for MRGE and its partners’ future and continued activities.
- To report to the EU on the usage of their resources in the programme.
Key evaluation questions
Outcome level
Where completed as planned, did the activities contribute to the intended results? Where this was so, refer to evidence. Where not so, explain what factors intervened and their impact. Explore ways that MRGE tried to overcome any problems and how successful this was (or not). Document any changes in the external environment that may have helped or hindered the programme. If there were any unplanned results (positive or negative), explain what these were and how they came about. The evaluation should pay attention to and comment on the mainstreaming of gender and other forms of intersectional discrimination and cross-cutting issues in the programme.
Impact level
Define the programme’s expected results (short, medium, and long-term). What tangible and intangible impact did the programme have on the target groups? What impact did the programme have on Roma women? In what way was the gap identified reduced? How did the activities improve the situation (the difference between the situation at the programme’s start and after its completion)? Did the programme bring innovative solutions?
Guiding principles of the evaluation
The evaluator should take into consideration and respect gender and cultural sensitivity throughout the whole evaluation process. Appropriate ethical procedures should be established and included in the inception report, and a formal ethical statement should be submitted. The evaluator is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all the information gathered during the evaluation, particularly the personal data of the beneficiaries and programme staff and the content of programme documents. Data which permits personal identification should be deleted once MRGE and the donor have approved the evaluation.
Key deliverables
- Evaluation work plan/inception report
- Preliminary findings (max. 3-5 pages) at the mid-term of the evaluation period
- Final evaluation report (20-25 pages, excluding annexes), including an Executive Summary (2-3 pages) in an accessible, easy-to-read format. The final evaluation report will be full and detailed for internal use and for submission to the donor
All deliverables should be written in English.
Key tasks
- Read all programme materials and review feedback from programme partners (including notes of meetings, publications, media coverage, training evaluations, and monitoring reports).
- Hold detailed discussions with MRGE and partner staff regarding programme implementation, results, and impact.
- Meet with/speak to Roma mediators.
- Visit programme locations and speak to community members and officials. Visits should be arranged independently and should not rely on programme staff, nor should programme staff be present.
Please note: The evaluator is tasked with handling issues related to security, weather conditions, logistical challenges, limited access to resources, and other relevant matters.
Experience and expertise required
- Extensive knowledge of and experience in human rights, minority rights and Roma rights
- Good knowledge of Slovakia and/or Slovenia, including political, social, legal, and media context, particularly concerning the situation of Roma.
- Experience with comparative evaluations and a strong track record of evaluations carried out in similar legal, advocacy and capacity-building programmes, preferably funded by the European Commission
- Ability to speak, read and write English fluently.
- Ability to speak, read and write Slovak and/or Slovenian at a good level is desirable
- Experience in training, legal aid, advocacy and work with smaller Roma NGOs and equality bodies would be an asset.
The evaluator must be independent of MRGE and its partner organizations, its donors, and the beneficiaries and demonstrate that no perceived or actual conflict of interest would arise during the evaluation. The evaluator will need to work within the timeframe outlined below.
The evaluator must demonstrate the ability to gain the trust of the partner organizations and beneficiaries targeted in this programme.
Report submission, timetable and budget
The evaluator will start working before the programme ends, but some data will only be available after the programme has closed (31 March 2024).
- The evaluation should be carried out between 15 February 2024 and 30 April 2024
- An inception report should be submitted by 1 March 2024
- A draft evaluation report should be submitted no later than 15 April 2024. MRGE and partners will have eight working days to comment on the draft. A final report must be submitted no later than 30 April 2024.
Visits to two programme countries to discuss the programme with relevant groups and individuals are essential. The budget includes evaluators’ fees, travel, communication, and all other related costs.
How to apply
If interested, please send the following documents to [email protected] by 25 January 2024, 23:59 CET.
- CV (if a team will carry out the evaluation, all team members’ CVs should be submitted)
- Cover letter – indicating relevant experience, knowledge and how you meet the candidate’s requirements
- Workplan – including evaluation approach and methodology, work plan including data collection strategy, data analysis plan, the plans for country visits (number and types of people and groups to be contacted), timeline, team composition (if the evaluation is going to be conducted by a team), and budget. These plans will be finalized in the inception report phase.
- Examples of, or links to, evaluations completed by the team members with similar elements
- Declaration of absence of conflict of interest