Final Evaluation of the “Enhancing and Reinforcing Rwandan Citizen Participation in existing Local Government Consultation Processes and Platforms” Ac

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Location: Remote location

Application closing: 3 January, 2021

A. Introduction

The Enhancing and Reinforcing Rwandan Citizen Participation in existing Local Government Consultation Processes and Platforms action, jointly implemented by Never Again Rwanda (NAR) and Interpeace, seeks a team of consultants (international and/or local) to conduct a final evaluation. The evaluation is expected to assess whether or not the action achieved the intended outcomes and contribution to increased participatory governance and citizen participation in local and national governance processes in Rwanda. It also aims to assess the coherence, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the action strategies and action outcomes. The evaluation is also expected to provide endline data to be compared to existing baseline data collected on key performance indicators to assess the change, provide recommendations for ensuring action effectiveness and efficiency, adapting to changes in the Rwandan context, as well as maximising action impact in any similar future programming. Interpeace anticipates that the evaluation will commence in January 2021, for a period of 50 working days, spread over a 2-month period, including a minimum of 20 days in Rwanda.

B. Background

The Enhancing and Reinforcing Rwandan Citizen Participation in existing Local Government Consultation Processes and Platforms action is a 36-month (inclusive of a no cost extension) action funded by the European Union and implemented by Never Again Rwanda and Interpeace. The action commenced implementation on January 2018 in a total of 5 districts ( Gasabo, Musanze, Huye, Nyagatare and Rutsiro ) and aims to promote participatory governance and citizen participation, building on lessons learnt and best practices observed through a governance technical support process carried out in 5 districts engaging local communities and authorities. The Objectives of the action are:

• Overall Objective: To contribute to increased participatory governance and citizen participation in local and national governance processes in Rwanda
• Expected outcomes:
  • Strategic Objective/Outcome 1: Citizens actively organize themselves and communicate their needs in governance processes, existing consultation platforms and through media
  • Strategic Objective/Outcome 2 Local leaders and local councils conduct participatory consultation processes and hold feedback sessions on district priorities and budget distribution.
  • Strategic Objective/Outcome 3: Ongoing Programs, policies and laws aimed at reinforcing good governance in Rwanda and informed and improved by the results and lessons learnt from the action.

The action builds on the results of participatory and inclusive research process on governance and citizen participation, carried out in 2016 by Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda (NAR). Among key challenges identified by 616 people in 10 districts (including representatives of CSOs and local leaders such as mayors and other administrative staff in charge of community development ), was the limited participation of the population in the design of the « performance contracts » or Imihigo, whose aim is to quicken the pace of citizen centred development activities and programs in each decentralized entity. While participants commended the performance of Local Councils in reviewing and approving programme plans, as well as Imihigo and District budgets, they were criticized for failing to consult citizens on matters affecting their lives and for failing to give feedback where it was due. Another gap was in local – central government planning and coordination, despite a clear direction and guidance provided by the decentralization policy. Instead of synchronizing plans and budgets with local priorities as expressed by citizens and consolidated in District Development Plans and Annual Performance Contracts, partly due to centralism of the state, policy measures and programs that are adopted at national level have largely been forwarded to local entities with an urgent request for immediate implementation. The action has established dialogue spaces that gather citizens to identify priorities and solutions that can inform governance policies and processes. The action was initially envisioned to run until the end of June 2020, but due to implementation challenges caused by COVID-19, Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda have requested the EU for a no-cost extension until end December. The action conducted a baseline survey to collect data on key performance indicators against which the end line survey data will be benchmarked.

The action is approaching the end of the first phase, scheduled to close out at the end of December 2020. The final evaluation is intended to not only assess the implementation of the action against key evaluation criteria, assess the results/outcomes of the action, and to document challenges and lessons learnt, but also to provide recommendations for improving action design and implementation for future programming in participatory governance.

Target groups

Community Members: The action focuses on communities in 5 districts, aiming to transform community members into active citizens who provide constructive feedback on programmes and policies and use mechanisms for participation to channel their priorities and express their grievances in peaceful, constructive ways.

Decision Makers: The program collaborates with the Central government and institutions in charge of governance (MINALOC , RGB , RMI , RALGA among others) to increase the capacities of local leaders in conducting effective consultation processes which are participatory and inclusive in order to reduce the gap between the communities and their leaders and create avenues for citizens to influence decision making.

Media: Media often plays a key role in bridging the gap between citizens and government institutions as well as in holding government accountable. The action engages local media in its consultation processes as well as in meetings between local authorities and communities so as to give them content that will interest the wider community and extend the program’s outreach.

C. Objectives and key questions of the evaluation

The main objectives of the evaluation are to assess the intended and unintended results achievements of Enhancing and Reinforcing Rwandan Citizen Participation in existing Local Government Consultation Processes and Platforms action and to provide recommendations to inform the future similar programming. The evaluation is expected to analyse the effectiveness of action strategies in achieving the intended outcomes, to assess possible deviations from the mission and suggest corrective measures, to gather lessons learned during implementation and to provide recommendations for maximising impact and achievement of progress markers and outcomes. The evaluation will be of interest to Interpeace, NAR, and the European Union as well as to international donors and policy makers engaged in Rwanda.

Key evaluation Questions:

Relevance:

• To what extent was the overall strategy of the action relevant for the context of governance and Peacebuilding in Rwanda?
• To what extent the action was and still relevant to the Vision 2020, Decentralization policy , National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) especially under Transformational Governance Pillar, Priority Area 5, Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Rwanda?
• To what extent was the overall strategy of the action relevant for the action’s target groups?
• To what extent was the intervention logic/overall strategy relevant in pursuing the action’s overall objective?
• To what extent were the activities consistent with the overall objective and results?
• To what extent are the objective and results of the action still valid in relation to the context and to the main stakeholders involved?
• Was the choice of target groups relevant in relation to the action’s activities?

Effectiveness and Impact

• To what extent did the project meet its expected results, specific objective and overarching goal?

• What have been the major accomplishments of the action?

• To what extent has the action contributed to Intentional and unintentional changes among target groups?

• How has the action contributed to changes in behaviour among targeted groups?

• What were the main factors that influenced whether the action reached its expected objectives/outcomes in behaviour or not?

• To what extent has the action contributed to the achievement of Vision 2020, National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) especially under Transformational Governance Pillar, Priority Area 5, Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Rwanda?
• To what extent did the action integrate gender into the its strategy?
• What unintended results (positive and/or negative) have been generated by the action.

Sustainability

• How likely are achievements and changes among target actors generated by the action to be sustained beyond the life of the action?
• To what extent are the action’s established processes and systems likely to support the continued implementation of the action? To what extent have the targeted groups in the action undertaken their own self-initiated activities as a result of the action?
• How likely are target groups in the action to continue organizing their own initiatives or use the acquired knowledge and skills to further the goal and objective of this action?

Efficiency

• To what extent were the action’s strategies, approaches, activities and resources (financial, human and administrative) sufficient for meeting expected outcomes?
• How did the project adapt to changes in the context and emerging challenges during the implementation of the action?
• Were the appropriate implementation methodologies applied in the different contexts and circumstances of the action?
• Was the project implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?

Cross cutting issues:

• To what extent has the action integrated gender equality into its strategy?
• How effective are the action’s efforts to integrate gender equality into its strategy?
• To what extent has the action integrated youth empowerment into its strategy?
• How effective are the action’s efforts to integrate youth empowerment into its strategy?
• To what extent has the action integrated marginalised groups (People with disabilities, historically marginalised people, other marginalized groups) into its strategy?
• How effective are the action’s efforts to integrate marginalised groups (People with disabilities, historically marginalised people, other marginalized people) into its strategy?
• To what extent does the action adhere to the principles of Do No Harm and employ conflict sensitivity while implementing and adapting its strategies?
• To what extent is the action peace responsive?
• How effective are the strategies for sustainability of impact following withdrawal of external support?

Lessons learnt, challenges and recommendations

• What gaps identified and challenges were faced in the implementation of this action, and which mitigation measures should be implemented in response to these as part of any future similar project?
• What are the best practices and lessons learnt from the action which should be taken into account in the design of future similar action?
• What should be the focus or goal of a future similar project, based on identified gaps of this activity and/or needs and priorities of its participants?
• Which strategies and approaches should a future similar activity employ in order to sustainably broaden and/or deepen the impact of this Action?
• What do the outcomes of the action imply for initiatives for governance in Rwanda?

Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda anticipates that these key evaluation questions will be further refined with the selected evaluation consultants.

D. Timeframe and Methodology

The anticipated duration of the evaluation is 50 working days with a minimum of 20 days spent in Rwanda as possible. The anticipated start date is 11^th January 2021 with submission of the final draft on 8^th March 2021. The final timeframe will be agreed upon with the selected consultants.

The evaluators are expected to apply a mixed methods approach, which may include but are not limited to, end line survey, outcome harvesting, theories of change, contribution mapping/contribution analysis, interviews, focus group discussions, etc. The methodology used should also be gender sensitive, conflict sensitive and respect the principles of Do No Harm. The evaluators are expected to apply the conceptual framework of assessing outcomes and changes in behaviour and relationships among boundary partners as a result of engagement in action’s activities. The evaluation will be both an objective and a consultative/participatory exercise, and is expected to involve the following elements:

Initial planning process: in conjunction with Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda, finalize the methodology, guiding questions and indicators, and workplan.

Documentary review: a review of relevant documentation, including the original and revised action document; action logical framework; action reports and updates; reports of workshop proceedings; research outputs; and relevant audio-visual material produced for the action.

Stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions: including with employees of Interpeace; Never Again Rwanda staff; authorities in Rwanda as possible; institutions engaged by the action; donor representatives; civil society organizations engaged by the action and community members/youth/citizens/decision makers/media participating in action activities. Indicators to assess the progress and impact of the action, complementing existing progress markers and outcome statements, will be developed in consultation with Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda.

Data collection and analysis of end line survey: a baseline survey was conducted with members of citizens forums. The questionnaire was developed by Interpeace and NAR staff and those elements responding to the indicators in the logical framework are expected to be applied in the end line survey. While data collection costs will be covered by NAR and Interpeace, the evaluators are expected to train enumerators, coordinate the data collection and conduct analysis to compare baseline and end line data. Changes to the survey instrument will be coordinate with Interpeace and Never Again Rwanda.

While Interpeace anticipates the use of the elements listed above, the list is not exhaustive. The evaluation may include additional elements and approaches as appropriate for responding to the final evaluation questions. The applicant is encouraged to suggest a comprehensive methodology that includes these elements and others that the evaluators deem fit for meeting the evaluation objectives. The methodology for data collection should be described in the proposals. The final list of elements will be discussed with the selected team of consultants.

Deliverables and times here

Interpeace and its partners will be responsible for:

• Providing a focal point for the evaluation, who may or may not travel with the consultants (time and funds permitting)
• Providing a focal point at each partner organization
• Providing logistical support in Rwanda including the cost for enumerators and data entry clerks where needed.
• Providing standard Interpeace security support for the evaluators (responsibility rests with the consultants)
• Arranging meetings with stakeholders
• Providing relevant action reports and documentation in advance.

E. Deliverables, Reporting and feedback

The evaluators will provide:

• A brief inception report (no more than 5 pages) at the end of the initial planning phase, setting out a timetable for the evaluation, an overview of the final agreed upon methodology, the names of people and groups to be interviewed, a detailed workplan and a list of documents to be reviewed. Data collection tools are expected to be reviewed by and finalized together with Interpeace and NAR.
• The evaluators will provide a brief evaluation progress report and presentation for Interpeace and NAR management and relevant staff at the end of the fieldwork phase (no more than 10 pages) summarising the progress of the evaluation, highlighting any changes to the evaluation schedule, and providing tentative findings.
• The evaluators will submit a draft report within 15 days after completing the fieldwork.
• The evaluators will provide a final report taking into account comments on the draft report within 5 days of receiving such comments.

The evaluators will hold a feedback meeting (or meetings) for the Interpeace East and Central Africa office and Never Again Rwanda. This will be an opportunity to debrief on the evaluation, and to exchange views on preliminary findings and recommendations.

The evaluation report will include a main text of no more than 40 pages with findings and recommendations. The report will be expected to be structured in the following manner:

Acronyms

Executive Summary

1. Introduction and brief background
2. Context analysis
3. Methodology
4. Major findings
   • Relevance
   • Effectiveness and Impact (including major accomplishments to date)
   • Efficiency
   • Sustainability
   • Cross-cutting issues
5. Overall Assessment
6. Challenges
7. Best Practices and lessons learned
8. Recommendations for improvement

Annexes:

• Terms of Reference
• List of documents assessed
• List of persons interviewed
• Evaluation Matrix
• 5 Most significant change stories
• Updated logical framework with baseline, targets and end line data
• Dataset for qualitative and quantitative data collected
• Sample of Data collection tools

F. Qualifications

The evaluation will be undertaken by a team composed of international and local consultants. The consultants will be expected to have the following skills and experience at a minimum:

International consultant:

• Experience conducting and leading evaluations/assessments
• Experience in conducting gender sensitive evaluations
• Strong analytical skills and experience working with the Outcome Mapping approach, participatory approaches,
• Previous experience in using Mixed methods in evaluation,
• Conversant with democratic processes, citizen participation, participatory governance, etc.
• Master’s degree or PhD in policy analysis, democracy, participatory governance, Human Rights, law, or other relevant field in social sciences.
• Proven record of delivering professional outputs (2 samples of previous similar assignments will be required) before contract award
• Experience working in Rwanda, the Great Lakes region and other conflict or post-conflict environments
• Proven record of delivering professional outputs
• Strong skills and experience in quantitative data analysis using SPSS and Excel required
• A willingness to travel to Rwanda
• Excellent French and English speaking and writing skills.
• The local consultant will be expected to speak Kinyarwanda.
• An ability to work within tight deadlines
• Experience in data collection and analysis

Local Consultant:

• Experience conducting and/or leading evaluations/assessments
• Experience in conducting gender sensitive evaluations
• Strong analytical skills and experience working with the Outcome Mapping approach
• Demonstrate strong experience in conducting mixed methods research in thematic areas of participatory governance, and human rights, policy analysis,
• Have strong experience in documentation of evidence-based case studies/evaluations especially in the governance and Rights or related domains.
• Strong background in using Participatory Action Research Methodologies
• Strong understanding of the Rwandan context and public governance policies
• Experience in gender and inclusion analysis
• Conversant with democratic processes, citizen participation, participatory governance, etc.
• Master’s degree or PhD in policy analysis, democracy, participatory governance, Peacebuilding, Human Rights, law, or other relevant field in social sciences.
• Demonstrate capacities to analyse quantitative data using SPSS and Excel
• Skills to set up questionnaire in Tablets and capacity to troubleshoot technical issues that enumerators may face
• An ability to work within tight deadlines
• Experience in leading evaluation data collection, data entry, and data using Tablets
• Proven record of delivering professional outputs
• Excellent English and Kinyarwanda speaking and writing skills.