Job Description

Lead Individual Consultant  to undertake the end of project evaluation on Harnessing the Power of Sports to Prevent GBV in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Host Community 

 

Background and Context:

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Turkana is the poorest County in Kenya. Turkana is a predominantly pastoral and patriarchal society, where they have recently faced severe drought between 2021 and 2023. Women in Turkana work in agriculture as farmers, as unpaid workers on family farms and/or offer cheap paid labour on other farms and agricultural enterprises. Girls do not gain ownership of assets with transition to womanhood as land, livestock, farms, fishing nets and the income from them belong to men and are then inherited by the man’s family after his death. Traditionally, women in Turkana are neither decision makers nor do they attend any decision-making assemblies in the community, restricting their ability to voice their concerns.

Furthermore, Turkana is a host county of Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement which is located in Turkana County, approximately 120 kilometers from the County Headquarters in Lodwar and 95 kilometers from the Lokichoggio Kenya-Sudan border. 212,283 of refugees reside in Kakuma Refugee Camp and 73,786 refugees reside in Kalobeyei as of 31st May 2024. An assessment conducted in 2017 by UNHCR, before the project started, identified insecurity posed by both sides of the communities which results in gender based violence, drug abuse, sexual exploitation and abuse, petty theft and community disputes.^[1]Refugees in Kakuma refugee camp are vulnerable to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) due to continued conflict in South Sudan coupled with the protracted nature of their stay in the camp.^[2] 

To strengthen prevention of gender-based violence among adolescent girls and young women in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, UNFPA has implemented a project titled “Harnessing the power of sports to prevent Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and host community” dubbed “Play2Protect”. The project was implemented from 2020 to 2024 with funding from the Olympic Refuge Foundation  (ORF) and UNFPA. The overarching goal of the project was to reduce vulnerability to gender-based violence among adolescent girls, young women and boys in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Turkana West Sub-County by 2022. The outcomes of the project focused on self-efficacy and psychosocial well-being of young people through sport-related platforms. The project aimed to broaden the participation of adolescent girls, young women and boys in sports activities through engagement with community leaders and parents, training of coaches and other duty bearers, and psychosocial and life skills support to the youth. The project directly targeted 13,000 adolescent girls and young women (15-24 years) in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (5,000) and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement (3,000) and the host community (5,000). The project also targets 11,000 adolescent boys and male youth in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (3,000) and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement (3,000) and the host community (5,000). Collaborative sports programmes and activities that seek to reduce the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women and boys to gender-based violence through the strengthening of self-efficacy and psychosocial well-being of young people were implemented through sport related platforms. Furthermore, the sport avenues were used to promote access to GBV services, including psychosocial support.
 

^[1] UNHCR. Kalobeyei Protection Strategy Kenya. September 2017.

^[2] UNHCR (2017). Kakuma Sexual and Gender Based Violence Protection Strategy. 

 

Evaluation Purpose:

The Sport for Protection Project evaluation will serve the following purposes:

(i) Demonstrate accountability to stakeholders on performance in achieving development results and on invested resources; 

(ii) Support evidence-based decision-making to inform humanitarian response programming; 

(iii) Aggregating and sharing good practices and credible evaluative evidence to support organizational learning on how to achieve the best results; and The end-of-project evaluation will assess the extent to which the project harnessed the power of sports to prevent Gender-Based Violence in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, and host community.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of  the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for all technical aspects (review of deliverables), in close consultation with the Deputy Representative.

 

Objectives:

The objectives of the Sport for Protection project evaluation are: 

(i) To provide the UNFPA, ORF, county and national stakeholders and rights-holders, as well as a wider audience with an independent assessment of the project on “Harnessing the power of sports to prevent Gender Based Violence in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and host community.

(ii) To broaden the evidence base to inform the design of humanitarian response programmes.

(iii) To provide an assessment of the effectiveness of the sport for protection toolkit in designing GBV prevention programmes in humanitarian settings.

(iv) To assess the geographic and demographic reach of UNFPA's humanitarian assistance within the "Harnessing the power of sports to prevent Gender Based Violence in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and host community" project, specifically evaluating its ability to bridge immediate, life-saving GBV prevention through sports.

(v) To draw key conclusions from current partnership and provide a set of clear, forward-looking and actionable recommendations for similar humanitarian response programmes.

 

Project Evaluation Scope:

Geographic Scope:

The evaluation will cover Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and the host community in Turkana County where UNFPA implemented interventions.

Thematic Scope

The evaluation will cover the following three outcomes of the project:

(i) Adolescent girls, young women and boys in targeted communities experience improved social inclusion.

(ii) Reduction in gender based violence against adolescent girls and young women and boys in public and private spheres.

(iii) Psychosocial well-being among adolescent girls, young women and boys in target communities improved.

 

Evaluation Criteria and Preliminary Evaluation Questions:

Preliminary Evaluation Questions Based on OECD/DAC Criteria

Relevance:

• To what extent did the Sport for Protection Project align with the priorities and needs of the target communities, including adolescent girls, young women, and boys in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, and Turkana West Sub-County?
• How well did the project align with UNFPA’s policies, strategies, and global priorities, particularly concerning gender-based violence prevention and youth empowerment?
• Did the project complement other existing initiatives and interventions in the target area?

Effectiveness:

• To what extent were the Sport for Protection Project’s objectives achieved?
• What factors contributed to the achievement or non-achievement of the project’s objectives?
• How effective were the project’s various activities, such as collaborative sports programs, training of coaches, and psychosocial support, in achieving the intended outcomes?

Efficiency:

• Were the resources allocated to the Sport for Protection Project used efficiently and effectively to achieve the intended outcomes?
• Were there any unnecessary costs or delays in the project’s implementation?
• Could alternative approaches have achieved similar results more efficiently?

Impact:

• What are the overall effects, both intended and unintended, of the Sport for Protection Project on the target communities?
• What are the main changes that occurred as a result of the project, and how significant are these changes?
• How has the project contributed to reducing vulnerability to gender-based violence and increasing self-efficacy among adolescent girls, young women, and boys?

Sustainability:

• To what extent are the positive outcomes and benefits of the Sport for Protection Project likely to continue after the project ends?
• What factors contribute to the sustainability of the project’s outcomes?
• What steps have been taken to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project’s benefits?

Coherence:

• How well did the Sport for Protection Project integrate and align with other relevant projects and programs in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, and Turkana West Sub-County?
• Were there any synergies or conflicts between the project and other interventions in the target area?
• How did the project contribute to the overall coherence and coordination of efforts to address gender-based violence and promote youth empowerment?

Coordination:

• How effectively was the Sport for Protection Project coordinated with other stakeholders, including UNFPA, implementing partners, local authorities, and community organizations?
• Were there clear communication channels and mechanisms for collaboration among stakeholders?
• How did the project contribute to strengthening coordination mechanisms and partnerships in the target area?

Coverage:

• To what extent did the Sport for Protection Project reach the most vulnerable and marginalized groups within the target communities, including those at risk of gender-based violence?
• Were there any groups that were unintentionally excluded or underserved by the project?
• How did the project address the specific needs and vulnerabilities of different groups within the target communities?

Connectedness:

• To what extent did the Sport for Protection Project consider and address the broader social, economic, and cultural context in which gender-based violence occurs?
• How did the project contribute to strengthening community resilience and promoting long-term solutions to address gender-based violence?
• What lessons can be learned from the project about the importance of a holistic and integrated approach to addressing gender-based violence?

Evaluation Approach and Methodology 

Evaluation Approach

Theory-based approach

The Sports for Protection project evaluation will adopt a theory-based approach that relies on an explicit theory of change, which depicts how the interventions supported by UNFPA are expected to contribute to a series of results (outputs and outcomes) that contribute to reduced vulnerability to gender-based violence among adolescent girls, young women and boys in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Turkana West Sub-County.

As part of the theory-based approach, the evaluator(s) shall use a contribution analysis to explore whether evidence to support key assumptions exists, examine if evidence on observed results confirms the chain of expected results in the theory of change, and seek out evidence on the influence that other factors may have had in achieving desired results.

Participatory approach

The SFP evaluation will be based on an inclusive, transparent and participatory approach involving a broad range of partners and stakeholders at the national level and in Turkana County. Stakeholder validation shall be conducted which will comprise of UNFPA, implementing partners and other key stakeholders who supported the project.

Mixed-method approach

The evaluation will primarily use qualitative methods for data collection, including document review, interviews, group discussions and observations during field visits, where appropriate. The qualitative data will be complemented with quantitative data to minimize bias and strengthen the validity of findings. Quantitative data will be compiled through desk review of documents, websites and online databases to obtain relevant financial data and data on key indicators that measure change at output and outcome levels. The use of innovative and context-adapted evaluation tools (including ICT) is encouraged.

These complementary approaches described above will be used to ensure that the evaluation: (i) responds to the information needs of users and the intended use of the evaluation results; (ii) upholds human rights and principles throughout the evaluation process, including through participation and consultation of key stakeholders (rights holders and duty bearers); and (iii) provides credible information about the benefits for duty bearers and rights-holders (women, adolescents and youth) of UNFPA support through triangulation of collected data.

Methodology

The evaluation team shall develop the methodology in line with the evaluation approach and guidance provided in the UNFPA Evaluation Handbook. This will help the evaluators develop a methodology that meets good quality standards for evaluation at UNFPA and the professional evaluation standards of UNEG. It is essential that, once contracted by the UNFPA, the evaluators acquire a solid knowledge of the UNFPA methodological framework, which includes, in particular, the Evaluation Handbook and the evaluation quality assurance and assessment principles.

The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation,^[1] Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation,^[2] Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN System^[3], and Guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations.^[4] When contracted by the UNFPA Kenya, the evaluators will be requested to sign the UNEG Code of Conduct^[1] prior to starting their work.