Consultancy – Evaluation 121 Personal Cash Aid Project

Background

The 121 Personal Cash Aid project is a 2-years collaboration between the Netherlands Red Cross and the DRA, specifically DRA partners Dorcas (consortium Lead), Tear and Help a Child. The 121 project was developed to be a disruptive innovation that changes the way the Humanitarian sector implements cash programming. With the 121 platform, we aim to make Cash Based Aid safe, fast & fair, to help people affected by disasters meet their own needs. We Co-design with People Affected by disasters, Aid Workers and People Donating, and use robust and available technology to create the solutions needed. Key features of the vision for the 121 system have been Privacy by design, end to end traceability of funds, avoiding aid duplication, digital identity and having people affected be the owners of their data and decisions. The goal is to provide more efficient, effective, faster and safer cash support for people in need. (see: https://www.121.global/)

The project as it is has gone through different phases and revisions. Both the originally envisioned project and subsequent changes in scope have been laid down in the following documents:

• Project proposal, budget and logframe. The initial project.
• Scope change. This describes an adjustment of the scope of what would be developed and tested within the project to ensure feasibility.
• Contingency Strategy. This describes an adjustment of the scope of what would be developed and tested within the project, taking into account the Covid-19 situation and the fact that one of the private partners could no longer participate in the project.

Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is twofold. The evaluation helps to provide accountability towards the donor regarding the quality of the learning generated within the project. The evaluation also serves to capture the learning and insights generated within the project so that they can be presented and used in the future by stakeholders, within the 121 project and beyond, that are aiming to improve cash based assistance.

Evaluation Questions

In order to meet the purpose of the evaluation, the following questions – inspired by the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria – should be considered. Where the evaluator sees opportunities to address the objectives above by including additional or adjusted questions, we would welcome such proposals.

Relevance: Is the intervention doing the right things?

• Was the 121 set-up in its original vision (project proposal) and in its adjustments (scope change, contingency plan) the right thing to do in an increasingly digitalized world?

Effectiveness: Is the intervention achieving its objectives?

• Asses to what extent the 121 project contributed to learning. Consider both learning questions from the proposal and other learning, including:
  • Assess the quality of the DIF121 innovation team and the followed innovation process. Have we been good innovators?
  • Has the project setup including contractual lines, budget setup and donor regulations had an effect on innovation and how can this be improved?
  • Suggest key factors on how cooperation with private sector actors in a publicprivate innovation process can be improved
  • Which factors contributed to (partial) success and failure?

Impact: What difference does the intervention make?

• Assess the impact of the 121 project on relevant stakeholders: Aid workers, people affected and humanitarian organizations. (focus on NLRC and NL pilot)
  • How do people affected experience the aid process with regard to a) being in control and b) speed of the process c) access to third services (De Wegwijzer)?
  • What added value do Aid Workers and humanitarian organisations see in using 121?
• Sustainability: Will the benefits last?
  • Suggest key factors for a sustainable impact and scalability of current outputs
  • Asses what are key preconditions for realizing the full vision of 121 (as described in the project proposal)

Evaluation Methodology

The methodologies to be used in this evaluation will include a document review and semi-structured interviews. Other methodologies can be suggested by the evaluation team in an inception report.

• Document review of all relevant Consortium materials.
• Key informant interviews among staff involved in the 121 project at all participating NGOs. Given the number of stakeholders, we anticipate that only a targeted sample will be interviewed. Key informants from Malawi and Ethiopia should also be included in the sample.

Deliverables

Over the course of the evaluation, the consultant shall produce 3 key deliverables:

1. Inception report including

a. The evaluator’s interpretation of the assignment

b. Methods that will be used

c. Instruments that will be used such as a guide with questions for the key informant interviews d. Timeline

1. Draft report

2. Final report accompanied by data The evaluation needs to be carried out during Q1 2021.