Tenders Are Invited For External Final Evaluation Of Special Project

Tenders are invited for External Final Evaluation of Special Project Financed by AFD. Closing Date: Monday, 09. Jun 2025 Intervention Sector(s): Children & Youth, Education, Human Rights & Protection, Training & Capacity Building Remuneration range: > 6000 (USD) Duration of Contract: 30 Days Asmaes Background & partners Asmae-Association Soeur Emmanuelle ("Asmae") is a French international NGO and registered charity, specialising in child development. Independent, secular and apolitical, it is open to all. Founded in 1980 by Sister Emmanuelle, based on her experience with rag pickers in the slums of Cairo, Asmae continues its actions in line with the values and methods inherited from its founder: listening and proximity, pragmatism, taking account of differences, professionalism and reciprocity. Asmaes actions aims to support vulnerable children and their families through personalised and continuing support for local actors working in the fields of education and child protection. Asmae has been working in Lebanon, among others, in partnership with Imam Al- Sader Foundation (ISF) organisation which has established the Strengthening Protective Early Childhood and Inclusion Approaches in Lebanon (SPECIAL) project since August 2022. Imam Al-Sader Foundations (ISF) is a Lebanese, non-governmental, non-profit association, founded by Mr. Musa Al-Sadr, and began its activities in 1963 with the mission of striving towards an advanced society that believes in social justice, free from ignorance, poverty, disease and violence, and where opportunities are equal for all. The Imam Al-Sader Foundation strives, through its vision, to empower women, youth, and children to achieve self-reliance, and to build a safe and dignified life, based on the values of tolerance, justice, and mutual trust, through educational, rehabilitative, cultural, health, social, and economic programs. Education is one of the cornerstones of the Foundations ongoing development programmes: pre-school, primary education and specialized curricula designed for children with special needs. Moreover, the School of Nursing at Imam Al-Sader Institutions has enabled thousands of graduates to find gainful employment and thus become economically independent. One of its specialized projects is the Womens Economic Empowerment Program with Intensive Vocational Training Programme, as an approach to empowering women and improving the economic and social conditions of disadvantaged populations. Additionally, the organizations pioneering curriculum for mental health professionals is the first of its kind nationally and trains workers to effectively recognize mental disorders and provide mental health services in rural Southern communities. The project is funded by the Agence française de développement (AFD). The Agence française de développement (AFD) Group funds, supports and accelerates the transitions to a fairer and more sustainable world. Focusing on climate, biodiversity, peace, education, urban development, health and governance, the AFD carries out more than 4,200 projects in Frances overseas departments and territories and another 150 countries and contributes to support the sustainable development goals. This external evaluation, sponsored by Asmae Lebanon, reflects a concern to determine if the project design addresses the needs that were identified and to assess how well the project has been implemented to meet these needs, while taking into point the criteria of validity and efficiency of the project towards its beneficiaries. 2. Project Description The project aims to enable children to reach their full developmental potential, which in the long run will have many impacts at the individual and collective levels, particularly in terms of social cohesion. The project is also part of a continuum between the different educational levels early childhood development and education (nursery and pre-primary school) to primary school entry (acquisition of prerequisite skills, support for children and parents for the enrolment in primary school). Furthermore, this project proposes a holistic collaborative approach, involving public and private service providers, relevant ministries, civil society and communities. This project is based on a strong partnership with the partner CSO, Imam Al-Sader Foundation, which is responsible for the direct implementation, with the support of Asmae. Imam Al-Sader Foundation is therefore in charge of capacity building activities in 10 early childhood centres (nurseries and pre-primary schools) in the Tyre region, as well as parent support and community mobilisation. In a child rights-based approach, another key component has been to foster inclusive services, at the level of nurseries and pre-primary schools: through the review of educational programmes, through the training of the staff of the supported centres as well as through the provision of specialised support to children identified with special needs (related to disability, protection risks, gender discrimination, origin for refugees, etc). In addition, the project was designed to promote sustainability by institutionalising a network of actors (directly involved in the project as well as other local and national actors) in order to encourage quality inclusive initiatives in the long term. Duration of Project: August 2022- July 2025 Geographical area of the project: Tyre- South of Lebanon Overall objective of the project: To improve access to inclusive, quality early childhood services for girls and boys aged 0-6 years in order to improve their overall development, in South Lebanon Main Specific objectives and expected results are listed in the attached TOR 3. Justification of the Endline Evaluation: The evaluation will measure the extent to which the projects key objectives were met according to their Specific Objectives and the indicators: 80% of children demonstrating improvement across five key developmental areas. 80% of parents showing enhanced parenting skills and well-being. 75% of ISF staff adopting recommended organizational practices. 3.1 Measure Impact: The primary justification for conducting the end-line evaluation is to measure the actual impact of the SPECIAL project by comparing the outcomes against the projects original objectives. Primary Impact: The primary, long-term effect is the improvement in the development of children aged 0-6 through quality early childhood services, as well as the enhancement of parents skills to support their children. This includes changes in cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development for the children served by the project. Secondary Impact: Secondary impacts may include increased community awareness and support for inclusive education, improved collaboration among local stakeholders (e.g., nurseries, social services, and ISF), and strengthened community networks that promote child development and well-being. Intended and Unintended Consequences: The project will also be evaluated for any unintended outcomes. For instance, a positive unintended consequence might be the improvement of social cohesion in communities due to inclusive programming. On the other hand, potential negative impacts, such as overburdening local resources, will also be considered. 3.2 Accountability: NGOs often need to provide transparent evidence of how resources were used. The SPECIAL project, especially with its specific focus on early childhood services, requires a clear, accountable evaluation to demonstrate resource allocation. 3.3 The evaluation will assess whether the project was executed within the allocated resources efficiently, 3.4 Learning & Knowledge Sharing: The end-line evaluation should provide key insights into what worked well and what didnt, allowing for learning from both successes and challenges Inform Future Projects: The SPECIAL projects end-line evaluation should guide future interventions & inform stakeholders by identifying what was effective and what needs revision and providing recommendations 3.5 Evidence-Based Decision Making: The data collected from the end-line evaluation will provide robust evidence to inform both operational decisions and policy recommendations 3.6 Sustainability Assessment: The sustainability of the SPECIAL projects impact is crucial to its long-term success. The long-term sustainability of the projects impact will be assessed by looking at how well the community, partners, and ISF have integrated and institutionalized the projects approach. For example, whether the training and awareness-raising activities lead to continued improvements in child development services or whether the partnerships and networks established are maintained beyond the project duration. The end-line evaluation will focus on whether the projects benefits will continue after its completion 3.7 Questions related to crosscutting issues: Resource Allocation: The project will be evaluated on whether the allocated resources (financial, human, and material) are being used in the most efficient way. This includes assessing the cost-effectiveness of the interventions, such as the number of children served per dollar spent, or the cost per training session delivered to staff and caregivers. Timely Execution: The evaluation will look at whether the activities and milestones were completed within the proposed timeline, or if delays occurred, and the reasons behind them. Delays in implementing key activities, such as the provision of educational materials or capacity-building workshops, could affect efficiency. Human and Material Resources: The efficiency of training and coaching sessions for staff, the provision of resources to nurseries and kindergartens, and the delivery of parenting skills sessions will be assessed in terms of the resources used relative to the impact achieved. Utilizatio Tender Link : https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/asmae-association-soeur-emmanuelle/calls/external-final-evaluation-special-project-financed-afd