Tenders Are Invited For Strengthening Gender Inclusive Initiatives Project - Impact Evaluation

Strengthening Gender Inclusive Initiatives Project - Impact Evaluation Approval Date: 02-Dec-2022 Estimated Commencement Date: 400,000 Usd Engagement Period: 9.5 Month Objective And Purpose Of The Assignment Objective And Purpose Of The Assignment To Design And Undertake An Impact Evaluation Of The Maldives Strengthening Gender Inclusive Initiatives Project. The Impact Evaluation Will Contribute To Government Of Maldives Policy And Institutional Development, And The Learning And Future Programming Involving Relevant Stakeholders Including Government, Local Councils, Women Development Committees, Civil Society Organizations And Adb. The Impact Evaluation And The Process Of Engagement With Stakeholders Will Therefore Need To Take Into Consideration Different Stakeholder Evaluation And Learning Needs And Appropriate Methods Of Communication And Dissemination. Background The Government Of MaldivesS Strategic Action Plan 20192023 Recognises The Importance Of Addressing Gender Inequalities Towards Achieving Long-Term And Sustainable Development. The Strategic Action Plan Seeks To Improve Gender Equality As A Governance Concern By Increasing Women S Representation In Decision-Making, Minimising Sexual Harassment, Domestic Violence, Eliminating Barriers For Women To Participate In Economic Activity Including Cultural Barriers By Promoting Shared Care Work And Household Responsibilities. The Project Aligns With The Intentions Of The Strategic Action Plan And Will Support The Government Increase Access To Sustainable Gender Responsive Services That Support Gender Equality By Reducing WomenS Unpaid Care Burden And Minimising Domestic And Gender-Based Violence (Dv/Gbv). Sgii Responds To Sustainable Development Goal 5 Transformative Gender Agenda And Specifically, 5.2 Eliminating Violence Against Women And Girls Lives, 5.4 Recognize And Value Unpaid Care And Domestic Work, And 5.5 Ensure WomenS Participation And Leadership In Decision-Making. The Project Takes A Holistic And Multidisciplinary Approach To Tackling Gender Inequalities In The Maldives Through (I) The Improved Availability And Use Of Quality Gender Equality And Social Inclusion (Gesi) Data And Statistics, (Ii) Gender Responsive Budgeting Integrated Into Government Planning And Budgeting Systems, (Iii) Strengthening The Capacity Of The Social Service System For Aged Care And Early Child Care, And Delivering And Piloting Dv/Gbv Shelters, (Iv) Establishing Partnerships To Support Dv/Gbv Prevention, Access To Quality Dv/Gbv Services And Aged Care, And (V) Building Three Climate-Resilient Shelters For Domestic And Gender-Based Violence Survivors. Sgii Is A Five-Year Grant Project Of Us $7.51 Million. The Project Executing Agency Is The Ministry Of Finance (Mof). The Lead Government Agency Is Ministry Of Gender, Family And Social Services (Mgfss) Which Is Responsible For Gender Equality And The Protection And Promotion Of The Rights Of Vulnerable Groups Including Women, Children, And The Elderly. Other Implementing Agencies Include Family Protection Authority (Fpa) And Maldives Bureau Of Statistics (Mbs) And The Ministry Of National Planning, Housing And Infrastructure (Mnphi) For Infrastructure. A Project Management Unit Has Been Established In Mgfss. Mgfss Will Oversee The Overall Supervision Of The Project And Coordination Of Other Implementing Agencies. The Project Includes A Small Grants Scheme To Support Partnerships On Dv/Gbv With Civil Society Organisations, Local Councils And Women Development Committees And A Parallel Small Grants Scheme On Aged Care Open To Civil Society Organisations. Scope Of Work The Impact Evaluation Will Apply Oecd Dac Evaluation Criteria And Be Designed To Meet The Impact Evaluation Needs Of Adb And Government Of Maldives. It Will Evaluate Performance Of The Project Against The Project Design And Monitoring Framework (Dmf) And Contribute To Government And Adb Decision-Making At The Mid Term Evaluation. The Impact Evaluation Will Measure Performance Of The Various Thematic Areas Of The Project Individually And How They Have Worked Synergistically And In An Interconnected Way To Achieve Project Outcome And Related Dmf Indicators, And Sustainable Change In The Pursuit Of Gender Equality Impact. Dmf Outcome Indicators: The Impact Evaluation Will Measure Achievement Of The Dmf Outcome Indicators By Drawing On Government Information Systems Where Available, And By Designing Appropriate Data Collection For Indicators As Necessary, And Specifically For Outcome Indicator C Which Is At Least 20% Of Target Government Policy Makers Reported Readiness For Change Adopting New Policies And Applying New Competencies. Output Level Results: Most Indicators Of Project Outputs Use Government Or Project Specific Monitoring Sources To Track Performance. A Limited Number Will Require Evidence Collection As Part Of The Impact Evaluation. This Includes The Community Baseline And Endline Surveys For Output 4 To Measure The Outcomes Of The Cso Partnerships And Grants For Dv/Gbv And Aged Care. Other Output Level Result Areas Requiring Measurement By The Impact Evaluation Will Be Discussed And Agreed With Ministry Of Gender, Family And Social Services And Adb During The Design Of The Evaluation Framework. Thematic Deep Dives To Measure Impact: Institutional Strengthening And Capacity Development To Build Leadership And Staff Commitment, And Capacity And The Systems For Strengthening Gender Responsiveness Is Central To The Project. This Includes Strengthening Coordination Within And Across Government Agencies And Partnerships Between Government And External Stakeholders Including Civil Society Organizations, Local Councils, And Women Development Committees. Given The Breadth Of The Project, The Impact Evaluation Will Include Selected Deep Dives Into A Small Number Of Thematic Areas To Evaluate Change Processes And Outcomes, This Includes: (I) Evaluation Of The Functioning Of Dv/Gbv Shelter Services And Supporting Management And Coordination Systems And Sustainability; (Ii) Evaluation Of The Aged Care Contribution Of The Project From Policy Level To Aged Care Changes At The Community Level; And (Iii) Evaluation Of The Quality Of Coordination Achieved And Identification Of What Has Worked And Why. Impactful Dissemination: A Key Focus Of The Impact Evaluation Will Be Ensuring Evidence Is Disseminated To The Various Stakeholder Groups Participating In The Project In Accessible And Impactful Ways, And Creative Collection Of Data To Enable Impactful Dissemination. This Will Include Formal Validation Events And High-Quality Reports As Well As The Use Of Video And Listening Dialogues To Collect And Share Findings With The Variety Of Local Stakeholders Engaged In The Project. Knowledge Products Will Also Be Tailored To Audience And Include A Range Of Mediums Including Short Briefing Papers, Video, And Social Media, To Support The Translation Of Evidence Into Policy Development, Advocacy, Programming, Service Delivery And Community Organization To Sustain Project Achievements. Points Of Engagement: The Impact Evaluation Will Include Three Key Points Of Engagement With The Project: A Baseline Survey, Mid-Term Evaluation, And Endline Evaluation. The Complexity Of The Project Means That The Methodology Will Include Quantitative And Qualitative Data Collection. At Each Point Of Engagement, The Impact Evaluation Agency Will Engage With Government Stakeholders, Adb And Technical Specialists To Align The Evaluation And Accommodate Changes Of Significance, And To Ensure Stakeholders Are Sighted And Endorse The Scope And Process Of The Evaluation. There Is A High Level Of Political Interest In Advancing Gender Equality In The Maldives And The Impact Evaluation Will Add Value To The Evidence Base On What Works And Why. There Is Also A High Level Of Interest Within Adb And Development Partners, And The Impact Evaluation Will Be Framed To Respond To The Demands Of These Multiple Stakeholder Groups. Tender Link :