Project Title: Right Here Right Now (RHRN) programme end-term evaluation

Duration: Approx. 20 days between April – August 2020

Countries/Regions:  Nepal 

Introduction:

The overall goal of the Right Here Right Now (RHRN) programme is respect for, and protection and fulfilment of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people. The programme is implemented in 10 low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and in the Caribbean sub-region. The programme focuses on: freedom from stigma, discrimination and violence; access to comprehensive youth-friendly services; access to comprehensive information; and space for young people’s voices. 

At the national level, each country involved has formed an advocacy platform (a coalition of different CSOs) to achieve its own aims. At the global level, Right Here Right Now is a strategic partnership between Rutgers (lead), the Asian-pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality (CHOICE), Dance4life, HIVOS, International Planned Parenthood Federation African Region (IPPF AR), the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme’s implementation period is five years: from 2016 to 2020. 

The RHRN programme is developed around two key strategies: advocacy and capacity strengthening for advocacy. Its Theory of Change (TOC) is developed around these two key strategies, with the capacity strengthening of CSOs and advocacy platforms as short and intermediate level outcomes, and policy advocacy changes – improved policies and legislation, increased knowledge and political will of decision-makers, broader spaces for CSOs and young people and increased public support through champions – as intermediate and long-term outcomes. The programme brings together diverse and complementary organisations that build on each other’s strengths, not only at the national level, but also at regional and international level. 

In order to evaluate the RHRN programme in Nepal, YUWA, host organization of Right Here Right Now Nepal and Wereld in Woorden Global Research and Reporting (WIW), a Netherlands based consultancy firm, are looking for national consultants. Details concerning this assignment are listed below.

Purpose of the consultancy

The end-term evaluation is set up to assess the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the RHRN programme, and will identify lessons for learning and adaptation. This evaluation will be carried out at all levels of programme implementation: national, regional and international level. WIW is appointed by the global coalition (led by Rutgers) to lead the evaluation process, in close collaboration with the national consultants and PMEL focal points of the platform members. National consultants are expected to collaborate with the international consultants in the process of data collection, analysis, and country/region report writing. This evaluation will consist of the following key elements:

• Outcome Harvesting (OH)
• Substantiation/validation of outcomes harvested by using the Sprockler OH feature
• Stories of Change

Outcome Harvesting is a participatory M&E method that enables users to identify, verify, and make sense of outcomes with or without reference to predetermined objectives. The aim is to understand how individual outcomes contribute to changes through advocacy, campaigning and/or policy work. In the previous years, the RHRN programme partners have harvested outcomes. Ideally, these outcomes describe who and what has changed, when and where change has occurred, why the change is important (significance) and how the programme contributed to the change (contribution). 

The core of this consultancy will be to carry out the outcome substantiation (validation) process by using the Sprockler tool. The objective of substantiation is not only to confirm the outcomes, but also to add another level of accountability, credibility, truth and accuracy of the changes. 

Sprockler is an online platform that enables the collection and analysis of stories or outcomes (qualitative written, audio, or visual data) in complex social contexts. A Sprockler substantiation inquiry is short and takes limited time for respondents to complete. Sprockler also includes an online tool to visualize data, compare different outcomes, analyse patterns across countries, and identify deviants. It also allows the production of an online interactive report (website). The national consultant will be responsible for collecting data through an inquiry process with key respondents.

Stories of Change: After the substantiation process through Sprockler, the international evaluators will write 3-4 in-depth stories about the change processes of the RHRN programme. These stories will portray personal narratives and link the outcomes. The national consultant could be requested to support by providing the input for these stories, for example by presenting information about the context, providing interview excerpts, writing, or taking photos. Exact expectations on deliverables for this part of the work will be made during the recruitment phase. 

Scope of work

The main tasks of the consultant are as follows:

• Study programme documentation
• Participate in an (online) introduction meeting with RHRN and the international consultant(s)
• Participate in a global training on the methodology (3 days, 15-17 April, Kenya) 
• Lead the process of data collection: planning and mobilization of respondents
• Data collection among key informants (social actors) and other stakeholders
• Contribute to regular updates with the international consultant(s)
• Analysis and reporting
• Support in research and providing input for Stories of Change development

Planning & availability: Approx. 20 days between April – August 2020

Region/country of origin: Consultants are preferably from or based in the Nepal

Region/country of work: Nepal

Travel: Travel to Kenya for the global training. Data-collection will be in consultants’ home country/region, with national travel depending on availability of respondents

Expected deliverables:

• A workplan containing a short overview of the programme context and the data collection approach and planning
• Sprockler dataset
• A national report describing key findings and observations from the key informant interviews; (short) methodological reflection on the data-collection process, and description of the national SRHR context.
• Input for stories of change, based on further agreements made

The national consultant will work closely with and report to the international consultants. In order to assure consistency in data collection, a global training will be organized at the start of the assignment. 

At national level, the PMEL focal point will be the main contact person. National consultants will be contracted by PMEL focal point of Right Here Right Now Nepal, YUWA.

Qualifications, experience and skills required

• University degree in Social Sciences, Public Health or International Development Studies and at least 5 years of relevant working experience
• Proven work experience in SHRH/human rights/child protection/youth participation, and in lobby and advocacy (policy influencing)
• Proven work experience in conducting qualitative research, including key informant interviews and digital survey tools
• Writing experience (storytelling/reporting/communications) is an advantage.
• Experience with Outcome Harvesting and evaluating partnerships and platform governance is an asset
• Fluency in Nepali and working proficiency in English are required.
• Ability to travel in-country for data collection, and internationally for global training in April
• Ability to commit to at least 20 working days between April and August 2020

Furthermore, national consultants should not have a Conflict of Interest, and should have a progressive stance on sexual and reproductive health and rights, specifically young people’s sexual rights and diversity. 

In addition, we require all consultants to embrace the following key principles/values: human rights based approach, inclusivity and diversity, youth / LGBTIQ participation and gender transformation. Furthermore, selected candidates will be asked to sign and endorse the code of conduct – in order to assure safeguarding and confidentiality of all information and respondents involved in this evaluation.