Request for proposals for DCASS Country Programme Evaluation 2023-2026. Closing Date: 24 Apr 2026 Background South Sudan has continued to grapple with recurrent humanitarian crisis since independence in 2011. This is mainly triggered by the ongoing political and inter-communal tensions that have left over 7.8 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Persistent displacements have destabilised communities, damaged the economy and crippled the government capacity to provide basic services. The collapse of the power-sharing agreement, delays in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan have also contributed to the humanitarian crisis. Moreover, persistent human rights abuse amid the ethnic mobilisation and political grievances, widespread arming and repression of civic freedoms have exacerbated the instability. Deep mistrust, resource-driven conflicts, and focus on power hinder reconciliation and endangering fragile peace efforts. DanChurchAid (DCA) has been operating in South Sudan since 2007, providing humanitarian support to the most vulnerable communities across Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, and Greater Pibor Administrative Area States of South Sudan. DCA is also implementing humanitarian response programme in the regions (A1). DCAs Country Office programming is guided by the three global goals: save lives, build resilient communities, and fight extreme inequalities. The programme is implemented through two diverse approaches namely, partner-led implementation with greater technical backstopping, and direct implementation (mainly for the humanitarian mine action activities). In the current strategy period, DCA has collaborated with nine local partners in South Sudan and four local partners in the regions. DCA is part of efforts to strengthen localisation and has continued to strengthen the capacity of the local and faith-based actors. In line with DCAs focus on localization and increased focus on the survivor and community-led responses, humanitarian, development, mine action, and peacebuilding responses are largely implemented through local and national partners. DCA developed a four-year Programme Strategy (2023-2026) for South Sudan aimed at guiding the Country Office (CO) efforts in aligning with the organisational goals, responding to the local needs, and driving impact over the years. The main objective of the programme strategy is to ensure people are self-reliant and have access to basic goods and services, live in dignity in peaceful and resilient communities and enjoy equal rights. This is centred around the three goals of save lives, build resilient communities, and fight extreme inequality, achieved through the following sub-objectives: Support communities through improved, coordinated, timely and high-quality humanitarian assistance that enables them to recover from disaster and conflict. Increase access for crisis-affected communities -including displaced and returnees to basic services, food and livelihood opportunities. Support the development of peaceful communities with equal opportunities for all through community-based initiatives. The programme aims to achieve these objectives through a range of sectoral focuses. The primary focus areas include cash assistance, protection, livelihoods, peacebuilding, climate and disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian mine-action, among others. DCA South Sudan, and A1 is approaching the end of the 2023-2026 country programme strategy. The next country programme strategy shall be developed in the third quarter of 2026 and will incorporate lessons learned from the last four years. 2. Overview of the Country Programme The strategic focus of the Country Programme is to build self-reliance while ensuring access to basic goods and services, dignity, peaceful and resilient communities, and equal rights for all. It prioritizes immediate relief (cash-based and protection measures, shelter assistance) alongside long-term resilience (village savings and loan associations, market linkages, value chains, and sustainable natural-resource management), with a focus on localization, inclusive governance, and accountability. The approach links conflict sensitivity, climate adaptation, and crisis-modified governance to reduce vulnerability and support systemic peace, while empowering communities, partners, and local authorities and promoting dialogue with duty-bearers and evidence-based advocacy on climate impacts. In South Sudan, the short-term focus of the country programme is on supporting the vulnerable households to meet their basic needs through cash assistance and increasing area under agriculture production by clearing ERWs and ensuring that the cleared land is utilised for agricultural production (From Hazard to Harvest). In the medium and longer term, the programme seeks to strengthen community-led protection approaches, including through mainstreaming and integrated protection, diversity, and inclusion practices, while DCAs human rights-based approach aims to increase community safety and peaceful coexistence. The programme also aims to increase the inclusion of gender-based violence survivors in targeting frameworks and strengthen its support for a community-led response approach (sclr/GCT). Diversifying livelihoods to increase income through agricultural production and market linkages, income-generating activities, the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA), and community-managed disaster risk and reduction (DRR) will increase the individual, household and resilience. The resilience-building activities focus on adopting the agroecological practices, value chain analysis, and DRR. DCA equally seeks to integrate conflict sensitivity analysis throughout the programme cycle, support policy dissemination at the community level, support vocational and life skills training, strengthen access to gender and protection services, financial inclusion, and promote inclusive participation in the decision-making process. This is aimed at addressing unequal power relationships and decision-making structures. DCA South Sudan works with other agencies to build the national authorities capacity to coordinate and support non-state service providers. In the Regions, DCA has continued to respond to the food security needs by providing multi-purpose cash, agricultural inputs and market support; shelter/settlements support, protection (EORE and protection), and integrated natural resource management (INRM). This focuses on supporting both the IDP and host communities in the response to Sudan war that broke out in April 2023. In addition, the programme contributes to the core services by supporting humanitarian coordination. The operational environment is expected to continue to be challenging, as the arrival of returnees and the political uncertainty stretches existing systems and resources in both regions. DCAs Programme in South Sudan, A1 primarily targets conflict affected populations including IDPs, refugees, returnees and the host communities; women and girls at the risk of gender-based violence; children; persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups; smallholder farmers, pastoralists and rural households; and survivors of violence including SGBV. Secondary stakeholders include local communities and leaders, government authorities, faith actors, NGOs, UN agencies, donors and supporters, service providers, and humanitarian clusters, who coordinate, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and monitor outcomes. DCA has made substantial progress towards achieving the key strategic objectives and outcomes. This has been demonstrated through the following: Food security and livelihoods: DCA collaborated with the local partners to address the food security and livelihood needs of the vulnerable communities through the market and cash-based interventions, as well as promoting agro-ecology principles in farming *Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA):*DCA focused on building safer communities and saving lives by clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war and raising safety awareness through explosive ordnance risk education. Specifically, DCA employed an integrated approach to Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), combining with food security under the theme from Hazard to Harvest. *Peace and conflict mitigation:*DCA supported the local partners working with community structures to prevent and mitigate conflict through peacebuilding and social cohesion activities in conflict-prone areas. *Saving lives through community-led response:*In response to the humanitarian needs of disaster-affected households, DCA has continued to support the local structures in developing and implementing action plans for timely and appropriate responses. This focuses on helping the communities to become more resilient to future disasters. *Womens empowerment:*Through local partners, DCA has continued to promote womens economic, political, and social empowerment in South Sudan/A1. This involves supporting organisations that aid victims and survivors of gender-based violence and rape, including providing psychosocial support. DCA has also worked with traditional leaders and other stakeholders to foster a sustainable attitude change towards women and girls. The programme faces a convergence of volatile contexts that threaten implementation: ongoing conflict, institutional weakness, and ethnic and political tensions that fuel displacement and limit civilian access; a collapsing economy with hyperinflation, capital shortages, and reduced public spending that undermines service delivery and project sustainability; climate shocks and recurrent flooding that disrupt livelihoods, infrastructure, and markets; a deteriorating humanitarian crisis with millions in need and persistent protection risks, including gender-based violence; an Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4206175/request-proposal-dcass-country-programme-evaluation-2023-2026
