Who is the Danish Refugee Council?
Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO (non-governmental organization) present in 40 countries, with over 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers. DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement-affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: in acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance, supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included in hosting societies. It works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote the protection of rights and peaceful coexistence. DRC has been operational in Kenya since 2005 and is one of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) largest implementing partners in the refugee response. DRC is present in Garissa (Dadaab & Garissa), Turkana (Kakuma, Kalobeyei & Lodwar), Nairobi, Isiolo, Marsabit, Lamu, and Mandera counties.
Project Background
Funded by the European Union), the Area-Based Livelihood Initiatives, Garissa (ABLI-G II) is a two and half-year (33months) programme designed to strengthen self-reliance and resilience among refugees and host communities in Dadaab, Garissa County. The project adopts an evidence-based and phased approach to pilot scalable, market-driven solutions that address systemic barriers to sustainable livelihoods.
ABLI-G II is implemented through a consortium led by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with the Refugee Council of Kenya (RCK), Pastoralists Girls initiatives (PGI), Rights Organization for Advocacy and Development (ROAD), Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS). Delivered as one integrated programme, the consortium draws on the complementary expertise of its members, with DRC leveraging the diverse capacities and contributions of partners to facilitate the transition from traditional aid-based models toward market-oriented livelihoods programming that enables sustainable income generation and long-term economic resilience.
The project’s objective is to enhance displacement affected communities’ access to decent employment in Garissa County – through a holistic intervention that provides assistance to 7,640 direct final beneficiaries to access employment through business development, skills development, agricultural development and market linkages.
Alongside the immediate results, the proposed action builds sustainability by working alongside the government and private-sector partners to improve the enabling environment through evidence-driven advocacy and support for more participatory planning at all levels.
Guided by its Theory of Change, the project delivers three interconnected outcomes:
- To strengthen the capacities of refugees and local individuals to build and utilize their skills to find and sustain employment and link into market systems
- To create sustainable and expanded linkages to finance for MSMEs in Dadaab
- To address the enabling environment and systemic barriers that limit self-reliance of refugees and host individuals
Objectives of the Consultancy
The consultant is expected to conduct the end-line evaluation to the required standards. S/he will be expected to lead in the day-to-day management of the activities, including coordinating field-level data collection, analysis, and report writing. The consultant is expected to regularly consult DRC staff while implementing the assignment.
The specific objectives of this evaluation are:
- Assess the project's performance against the OECD DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability, including the extent to which the project achieved its intended results, objectives, and overarching goal, and whether the resources invested were used efficiently to deliver the desired outcomes.
- Measure changes over time by comparing end-line findings with baseline data and other available monitoring information to determine the magnitude of achievements and changes in key indicators, including livelihoods, income, employment, business performance, and financial inclusion outcomes.
- Identify key lessons learned, good practices, implementation challenges, and evidence-based recommendations to inform organizational learning, future programming, and the potential replication, adaptation, or scaling of successful approaches.
- Conduct an outcome harvesting exercise to identify, verify, and document significant intended and unintended behavioral, social, and economic changes among targeted participants and stakeholders, including changes in business performance, monthly income levels, income consistency and stability, actor's behaviors, and relationships between market actors.
End-line Evaluation Criteria
The end-line evaluation will employ specific OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) evaluation criteria for humanitarian action, to guide the study, with special emphasis on sustainability.
Key Objectives/Evaluation Criteria
Key Questions to be Asked
1. Relevance/ Appropriateness
The extent to which the intervention objectives and design responded to the needs, priorities, and context of refugees and host communities.
- Were the programme strategies, assumptions, and Theory of Change realistic and contextually appropriate?
- To what extent did the interventions respond to the priority needs and constraints of refugees and host communities?
- Were the selected target groups, sectors, and livelihood opportunities relevant and appropriate to the local context?
- To what extent were refugees, host communities, women, persons with disabilities, and other stakeholders meaningfully engaged in programme design and implementation?
- Were interventions conflict-sensitive and implemented in accordance with Do No Harm principles?
2. Coherence
The compatibility of the intervention with other interventions, policies, and stakeholder priorities.
- To what extent was the programme aligned with county and national priorities, refugee policies, and durable solutions frameworks?
- How effectively did the programme complement and coordinate with other initiatives and actors operating in the same context?
- To what extent were stakeholder perspectives and feedback incorporated throughout programme implementation
- Were there any overlaps, duplication, or missed opportunities for collaboration and synergies?
3. Effectiveness
The extent to which the intervention achieved, or is expected to achieve, its objectives and results.
- To what extent did the programme achieve its planned outputs, outcomes, and overall objective?
- What factors facilitated or constrained the achievement of intended results?
- To what extent did programme participants improve their livelihoods, employment prospects, business performance, and access to financial services?
- Which interventions were most and least effective, and why?
- To what extent are the achieved outcomes likely to continue beyond the project's lifespan?
4. Coverage
The extent to which the intervention reached the intended beneficiaries and the geographical areas targeted.
- Did the intervention cover all the geographical regions identified as priority areas for assistance?
- What proportion of the intended beneficiary population was reached by the project?
- To what extent did the interventions cover the range of services intended for the targeted population?
- What were the key challenges or barriers that affected the coverage of the intervention?
5. Efficiency
The extent to which the intervention delivers, or is likely to deliver, results in an economic and timely way.
- To what extent were financial, human, and operational resources utilized efficiently to achieve the intended results?
- Which implementation and delivery approaches represented the most cost-effective means of achieving programme outcomes, and why?
- How effectively did consortium partners and other stakeholders collaborate and coordinate to optimize resources, avoid duplication, and maximize results?
- What opportunities existed to improve efficiency and reduce direct implementation costs without compromising the quality or sustainability of programme outcomes?
6. Impact
The extent to which the intervention has generated or is expected to generate significant positive or negative, intended, or unintended, higher-level effects.
- What positive and negative, intended and unintended changes has the ABLI II project generated at the individual, household, community, and market systems levels?
- What tangible and intangible changes has the ABLI project contributed to in the lives of beneficiaries, including changes in income, employment, business performance and growth, income stability, and access to and use of financial services? How have financial services influenced these livelihood and business outcomes?
- To what extent has the ABLI project contributed to strengthening community and stakeholder resilience, including the improvement of livelihood strategies, increased access to formal financial services, strengthened linkages with market actors and institutions, and the creation of an enabling environment?
- What broader changes, if any, have occurred within the entrepreneurship and financial inclusion ecosystem in Dadaab and surrounding areas (e.g., financial institutions, local markets, service providers, or policy and practice shifts) as a result of the ABLI project’s Market Systems Development approach?”
- How likely is it that the observed positive changes will be sustained in the short- and medium-term at both beneficiary and systems levels, and what factors may enable or constrain sustainability?
7. Sustainability
The extent to which the net benefits of the intervention continue or are likely to continue.
- Which programme services, practices, and functions are likely to continue beyond donor support, and why?
- To what extent do key stakeholders and institutions have the capacity, resources, and incentives to sustain programme outcomes and continue engagement?
- Which interventions or outcomes remain dependent on project support, and what factors contribute to this dependency?
- To what extent has the programme sustainably strengthened local capacities, institutions, and systems to support long-term self-reliance and resilience?
- What factors are likely to enable or constrain the long-term sustainability and potential replication of programme outcomes?
8. Learning and Replicability
What worked well, lessons learned, and potential for replicating successful approaches.
- What are some of the key lessons learned as a result of this project that can be shared and replicated?
- What are the recommendations for similar future interventions?
- What mechanisms have been established to capture, document, and share the lessons learned and the best practices from the project within the community and other stakeholders?
- Can the knowledge and skills acquired through this project be easily replicated and used in similar contexts in other regions?
- How have the project activities contributed to building the capacity and knowledge of the community members?
- What evidence exists to support the replicability of the project’s approach and outcomes in other settings?
Responsibilities
The general responsibilities of the consultant are:
- Propose an evaluation methodology and tools aligned with the ABLI II objectives.
- Develop a detailed ABLI II operational areas.
- Review all relevant project documentation, including the logframe, baseline data (including SRI index where applicable), MEAL frameworks, progress reports, and market systems studies; and prepare an inception report with refined methodology and data collection tools for review and approval.
- Review existing secondary literature and project-generated studies (e.g., labour market assessments, value chain analyses, financial inclusion studies, social capital frameworks, and policy briefs) to inform the evaluation framework and tools.
- Develop a comprehensive endline data collection plan, including sampling of Direct beneficiaries, Indirect stakeholders and Project partners.
- Design and implement data collection tools and conduct data collection in line with ethical standards and data protection regulations.
- Conduct field visits and interviews with project stakeholders, beneficiaries, and partners.
- Perform data quality assurance checks, including validation, triangulation, and verification of quantitative and qualitative data.
- Conduct data cleaning, processing, and analysis, ensuring comparison with baseline data where available and assessing progress against project indicators and targets.
- Analyze the effectiveness of key project components.
- Prepare and submit a draft evaluation report presenting key findings structured around OECD DAC criteria, including actionable recommendations.
- Facilitate a validation workshop/presentation with DRC and consortium partners to present preliminary findings and gather feedback.
- Participate in a project learning and dissemination event organized by DRC to showcase key achievements, lessons learned, and best practices from ABLI II implementation.
- Incorporate feedback and submit a comprehensive final evaluation report, including annexes (tools, data tables, list of respondents, methodology details, and case studies).
The general responsibilities of DRC are:
- Provide the consultant with timely access to all relevant project documentation, data, and reports required for the evaluation.
- Facilitate efficient access to project locations, beneficiaries, partners, and key stakeholders
- Ensure that relevant stakeholders are informed and engaged on the purpose and process of the evaluation.
- Support the evaluation process through active participation in key consultations and interviews, where appropriate.
- Review and provide technical feedback on the evaluation design, including methodology and data collection tools, to ensure alignment with project objectives and standards.
- Review the draft evaluation report and provide consolidated feedback to enhance quality, accuracy, and usefulness of findings.
- Lead internal processes to disseminate findings and integrate recommendations into future programming, learning, and strategic planning.
- Ensure timely contractual management and payment to the consultant in accordance with agreed deliverables and milestones.
Scope of Work
The endline evaluation will conduct a comprehensive mixed‑methods assessment of the ABLI project across all areas of implementation, covering the full project period from January 2024 to June 2026. The evaluation will measure performance against stated outputs and outcomes and assess changes in livelihoods, resilience, knowledge, attitudes, and practices among targeted beneficiaries. It will analyze the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and coherence in alignment with national frameworks and international best practices.
The evaluation will include a representative sample of the project’s target population, ensuring adequate inclusion by sex, age group, living status, and geographical coverage. The consultant will develop a robust sampling strategy that guarantees statistical validity and meaningful comparison with baseline and midline data where applicable. The evaluation will further undertake a critical review of the project’s design, implementation, coordination, and management processes. It will ensure deliberate and inclusive participation of key stakeholders, including beneficiaries, implementing partners, local authorities, private‑sector actors, and community‑based structures. The final deliverable will be a comprehensive evaluation report presenting key findings, detailed analysis, evidence‑based conclusions, and actionable recommendations. All data collection and analysis processes must adhere to the highest ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding principles.
The evaluation must be completed within 30 days, starting from the date of contract signing with the selected consultant.
Methodology
The methodology will be designed by the consultant in line with this ToR and relevant international standards for evaluating humanitarian and development programmes, ensuring rigor, validity, and ethical compliance. It will be further refined during the inception phase in consultation with DRC and consortium partners.
Key Deliverables
- Inception report (describing):
- A detailed methodology on how the information and data will be collected and analyzed. The conceptual framework should be included as part of the methodology.
- A detailed sampling framework for location, respondents, and relevant documents for review.
- A detailed plan of action on quality control measures to be applied.
- Detailed work plan and indicative workload.
- Presentation of the methodology, sampling, data collection tools, and action plan.
- First draft evaluation report, submitted for review by DRC Kenya.
- One validation workshop to present key findings and recommendations to DRC for validation.
- The consultant shall also be required to make a presentation on the key findings of the end-line evaluation and outcome harvesting activity to a larger stakeholder audience during the project results event.
- Final report: A comprehensive evaluation report highlighting the findings and practical recommendations (incorporating feedback from DRC), stakeholders and project participants.
- Annexes including:
- Datasets (raw data, photos, etc.)
- Validation workshop presentation.
- Feedback from the project outcome event.
Process and Timeframe
The consultant will submit the following deliverables as mentioned below:
Phase
Expected deliverables
Indicative description tasks
Maximum expected timeframe
Phase 1: Inception
Approved Inception Report
- Prepare a detailed work plan with clear timelines and deadlines.
- Review key project documents and reports.
- Refine the evaluation framework and methodology.
- Develop data collection and analysis methodology, including the conceptual framework.
- Design a detailed sampling framework for locations, respondents, and document review.
- Deliver a presentation on methodology, sampling, data collection tools, and the implementation plan.
7 days
Phase 2: Field Work, Analysis, and Report
- Draft end-line evaluation report.
- Final end-line evaluation report.
- Conduct data collection.
- Perform data quality checks to ensure accuracy, validity, and integrity of the data collected.
- Conduct data cleaning, processing, and analysis.
- Prepare and submit a draft evaluation report and other products for review and feedback.
- Address feedback and submit the final evaluation report and annexes.
22 days
Phase 3: Validation of Findings
- One validation workshop facilitated.
- Validation workshop presentation
- Present key findings and recommendations to DRC and other stakeholders.
1 day
Budget
The budget should include the consultant’s fee and taxes, any travel and expenses that might be required for data collection (keeping in mind that data collection will also be conducted in Garissa-county), and any costs related to telephone, transcriptions, software licenses, and office material.
Payment for the Service
DRC Kenya will pay the full consultancy fee in Kenya shillings, as agreed upon in the contract. Payment will be made on approval of the key deliverables, to DRC Kenya in the following distribution:
- 30% of the fees will be paid upon submission of a satisfactory Inception Report.
- 30% upon completion and submission of the first of the Final Report.
- 40% will be paid after submission and acceptance of the final report, which shall include additional contributions from the validation workshop and project outcome event.
Proposed Composition of Team
The consultancy team should comprise of:
- Lead and assistant consultant.
- Enumerators.
- Data Analysts.
Eligibility, Qualification, and Experience Required
The desired specification and qualities of the consultant(s) are:
- Must be registered under the Laws of Kenya;
- At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience in conducting endline evaluations or surveys, with a strong track record in livelihoods programming, market systems development (MSD), MSME development, financial inclusion, and Social capital, preferably in refugee and host community contexts.
- Advanced degree in Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, or related fields; with extensive experience in research and data management.
- Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of Somali will be an added advantage.
- Good data analysis, presentation, and visualization skills.
- Excellent written and speaking skills with ability to articulate ideas clearly and accurately.
- Expertise in preparation of reports.
Technical Supervision
The selected consultant will work under the supervision of the:
- ABLI II Project Manager.
- DRC MEAL team.
Location and Support
The assignment will be coordinated from the DRC Dadaab field office program office. The consultant will use his/her computer and telephone to do the exercise.
DRC will provide relevant documentation and background information, approve data collection tools and reports, participate in data collection as one of the informants, support in the mobilization of community-level stakeholders, provide consolidated feedback/guidance on draft reports and stakeholder mobilization during the validation workshop.
Travel
The Consultant will be expected to arrange for his/her own transportation, meals, and accommodation in the field areas (Dadaab and Fafi, for data collection). The consultant is also expected to make adequate provisions for this in the Financial Proposal.
Submission Process
Interested applicants who meet the requirements are invited to submit an expression of interest, including:
- A suitability statement including CV(s) of participating consultant(s) with details of qualifications, skills, and experience.
- Technical proposal that summarizes understanding of the TOR, methodology, and tools to be used.
- Work plan indicating the activity schedule.
- Financial proposal providing cost estimates and consultancy fees.
- At least two sample reports presented for a previous end-line consultancy assignment conducted in the recent past.
- Contact details of three organizations that have recently contracted the consultant to carry out an end-line evaluation.