An exciting consultant vacancy for a TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING A FINAL-TERM EVALUATION FOR THE KNH/BMZ FUNDED PROJECT is now available at Nafis Network, Somaliland. The ideal candidate will have 5 - 6 years of professional experience in the Assessment/evaluation/audit field. The application deadline is Jun, 18 â early applications are encouraged.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
FOR
CONDUCTING A FINAL-TERM EVALUATION FOR THE KNH/BMZ FUNDED PROJECT
Project Title
Empowering local communities to combat FGM/C in Somaliland
Project Number
69024
Country
Somaliland
Duration
42 months (3 years and 10 months)
Start date
November 2022
End date
October2026
Project sites
Awdal, Togdher and Marodijeh â Somaliland
Type of evaluation
Final-term evaluation
Donor
KNH/BMZ
1.
Background
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) remains one of the most pervasive harmful practices in Somaliland, sustained by deepârooted social norms, gender inequality, and community expectations around purity, marriageability, and cultural identity. Despite decades of advocacy, a significant proportion of girls and women continue to undergo FGM/C, particularly in rural and marginalized communities where traditional beliefs remain strong.
Over the past years, local civil society organizations, womenâs groups, and international partners have intensified awareness efforts to highlight the severe health risks, psychological consequences, and humanârights violations associated with FGM/C. These initiatives have contributed to growing public dialogue and emerging grassroots movements advocating for abandonment of the practice. However, resistance persists, and progress remains uneven due to limited enforcement of protective frameworks, inconsistent community engagement, and the absence of a national AntiâFGM law.
In response to these challenges, NAFIS Network, with funding from
Kindernothilfe (KNH)
and the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
, has been implementing a multiâyear community empowerment project across
MaroodiâJeex, Togdheer, and Awdal regions
.
The project adopts a
multiâlevel social norms change approach
, working through:
Through this integrated model, the project seeks to shift harmful social norms, strengthen community structures, improve service delivery, and contribute to national efforts toward the abandonment of FM/C in Somaliland.
2.
About the project
The project tackles FGM/C in Awdal, Togdheer, and Marodi_jeh by working through grassroots CLAs to shift norms, raise awareness, and push communities to abandon the practice. It strengthens NAFIS member organizations to embed FGM/C advocacy in their work, while amplifying civil society voices to drive national anti-FGM/C legislation. At the same time, it supports survivor care through counseling services, and pushes for stronger coordination between NGOs, government, and local authorities.
Overall objective:
FGM/C is considered a violation of child protection and women's rights. Communities are willing to abolish it through a grassroots movement supported by NAFIS affiliates and other civil society organisations in the three project regions of Maroodijeeh, Togdheer and Awdal.
Key outputs:
3.
Purpose of the Final-term evaluation
The Final
â
Term Evaluation aims to generate an independent, credible, participatory and evidence
â
based assessment of the project âEmpowering Local Communities to Combat FGM/C in Somalilandâ at the end of its implementation cycle (November 2022 â August 2026). The evaluation will determine the extent to which the project has achieved its intended results, contributed to social norms transformation, strengthened civil society and health
â
system capacities, and influenced national policy and legislative processes related to FGM/C.
The evaluation should not only assess project performance, but also generate strategic learning on community-based social norms transformation approaches for FGM/C abandonment in Somaliland. Particular emphasis shall be placed on:
- Social norms transformation;
- Community ownership and sustainability;
- Gender and power dynamics;
- Institutional strengthening;
- Survivor-centered approaches;
- Contribution to policy and advocacy processes;
- Scalability and replicability of the CLA/SHG approach.
The evaluation should apply a contribution-oriented approach, recognizing the influence of multiple actors and contextual factors affecting FGM/C abandonment efforts.
4.
Scope of the evaluation
The FinalâTerm Evaluation will assess the full implementation period of the project from
November 2022 to July 2026
across the three implementation regions,
MaroodiâJeex, Togdheer, and Awdal
.
The evaluation shall assess:
- Activities, outputs, outcomes, and emerging impacts;
- Quality of project implementation and adaptive management;
- Community-level social norms transformation;
- Institutional and policy-level contributions;
- Sustainability prospects;
- Unintended positive or negative effects;
- Contextual factors including political, economic, environmental, and social developments.
Fieldwork is planned for
01â30 July 2026
, beginning with an inception briefing at the NAFIS Network office, and the overall assignment is expected to take
30 -40 working days
.
Geographical scope:
the project was implemented in Marodijeh, Togdher and Awdal regions in Somaliland and the evaluation scope
will be based on these regions.
- SelfâHelp Groups (SHGs) and Cluster Level Associations (CLAs) to strengthen womenâs collective agency and communityâled advocacy
- NAFIS member organizations and civil society partners to enhance institutional capacity for coordinated FGM/C prevention
- Health workers in Mother and Child Health Centres to improve survivorâcentered care, counseling, and medical response
- Policymakers, legislators, and government institutions to advance legal and policy reforms aimed at protecting girls and women
- CLAs in all communities advocate at grassroots level, understand FGM/C as a human rights violation and work to end the practice.
- The capacity of NAFIS member organizations (NMOs) and other civil society organizations to advocate for an end to FGM/C has increased.
- Health workers in mother and child health Centres better understand the human rights and medical dimensions of FGM/C
- Politicians and legislators have a full understanding of how FGM/C violates the rights of girls and women and are ready to approve the FGM/C law and directive.
About Somaliland
Somaliland is a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa with a relatively stable political environment and growing economy. Employment opportunities are concentrated in the main cities of Hargeisa, Burao, and Berbera, spanning government, NGOs, telecoms, and the private sector.
Ereyada Soomaaliga (Somali Keywords): Shaqo Cusub ⢠La-talin ⢠Shaqo Soomaaliya