Terms of Reference (ToR) for
Mid-term Evaluation

Organization: Mukti Nari-O-Shishu Unnayan Sangstha

22/1 Titumir Road, Thanapara, Kushtia

Duration: 60 days

Deadline for application is: 15 June 2023

Project Title: Establishing Women Rights by Reducing Violence against Women Project

Donor Agency: Bread for the World (BftW), Germany

Project duration: 1^st April 2021 – 31^th March 2024. (36 months)

Budget: BDT 750,000

Period covered by the evaluation: 1^st April 2021 – 31^th March 2023

Date of Evaluation: 25 June’23 to 25 August’23

Rationale for evaluation

Mukti Nari-O-Shishu Unnayan Sangstha established as a Human Rights Organization on 1^st January 1990 by some courageous, committed, dedicated and hard working women leaders, led by Momotaz Ara Begum, with a view to overall development of distressed and under privileged women and children.

 The founder of the organization, Momotaz Ara Begum actively participated in the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971. After liberation she was actively engaged in student movement as she was the V.P. of Kushtia Girls College and led several movements to protest against violence & torture. Since student life, she was always inspired girls to participate development initiatives.

Since 1974 Momotaz Ara Begum, has organized a considerable number of activities against social injustice. From her personal initiatives, provided legal help and counsel to the poor and distressed women who are the victims of dowry, illegal divorce, separation, torture and cruelty, child marriage etc. She has been endeavoring to organize and raise awareness amongst the oppressed women with a view to enhance their socio economic status and bringing them mainstream development. From this spirit, she mobilized likeminded women leaders and form Mukti Nari-O- Shishu Unnayan Sangstha (MNSUS) as a Non-Government, Non-political and Non-profitable voluntary development organization in 1990.

Since inception in 1990, organization works to protect Human Rights especially Rights of Women and Children to build just society that economically balanced, environmentally sound, democratically effective where all citizens regardless of religion, caste, creed, and gender ethnicity enjoy equal rights in every sphere of life. MNSUS determined to support and to create opportunities for vulnerable people through their effective participation and to enhance accountability of the duty bearers. To this end, organization strengthened its advocacy activities with legitimate authority and brings lot of success.

Motto of the organization: “Every Woman is an Equal partner in Development.”

Vision: To establish an exploitation free just society for women, men and children.

 Mission: To establish a fair society that is free from superstition, ignorance, diseases, human rights violation and hunger.

Development Philosophy of the organization:

1. MNSUS believes that sustainable development and change must start at/from grass-roots level. It is, therefore, focusing its efforts on working with the poor and marginalized people to increase their knowledge and skills so that they can make their voices heard in the broader society.

Goal and objectives of the organization: To establish human rights focusing women and children’s rights and a congenial atmosphere for woman development through ensuring good governance and developing skilled human resource.

Mukti Nari has been implementing this project since 2006. Lastly April’2018 the project continues with BftW & BMZ fund. It is funded by the Bread for the World (BftW), Germany. The mid-term evaluation is planned at the 24^th month of implementation. The evaluation will be conducted to review the project performance. The findings and recommendations of the evaluation will enhance learning within Mukti Nari implementation team and among key stakeholders. Its help guide the project team in adjusting the project’s approach and scope for implementation during the project’s remaining period.

Project background and brief

The Mukti Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangstha (MNSUS), Kushtia has been implementing a project titled ‘The Establishing Women Rights by Reducing Violence against Women Project’ in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia district, Gangni upazila of Meherpur district, and Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga district with supports from the Bread for the World (BftW), Germany since April 2021. The duration of the current phase of the project is three years. This phase of the project is working with 1,080 families and 540 selected adolescents & others secondary beneficiaries as below;

Project Development goal:

The project Development goal is ‘Women are leading a dignified life and their equal rights are established.’

The project envisions to ‘improved situations of direct target beneficiaries’ through gender sensitivities in DTBFs (direct target beneficiaries’ families) and communities and incidents of (a) equal treatments to girls and boys; (b) child marriage; (c) VAW; (d) dowry; (e) illegal divorces. And have three indicators to measure the result which are as following-

Project Objectives: 

Objective 1: Reduced incidents of physical, mental and structural Violence against Women in the project areas. 

Indicator: 1.1 By end of project period, incidents of VAW, dowry, child marriage, illegal divorce and unequal treatment to daughters (as compared to that to sons) reduced in DTBFs by at least 75% of old operation areas (Villages) and by at least 45% in DTBFs at new operational areas (Village)

Indicator: 1.2 By end of project period, reunion of husbands and wives of at least 65% of total cases handled by the project through its four offices have been affected. (Cases of separately living couples because of lack of adjustment, women driven out from their house with or without children after torture.

Objective 2: Youth in the project area are active in promoting Gender Justice and reduction of VAW.

Indicator: 2.1 By end of project period, at least 40% of Male and 50% of female DTBAs (direct target beneficiary adolescents) have disseminated importance and necessity of equal treatment to daughters and sons and reduction of EVE teasing and harassment to girls in project operation areas.

Purpose, Scope and Clients of the Evaluation Purpose

The overall purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to ensure that progress and results of the project are monitored, analyzed, understood, communicated and acted upon in a timely, efficient and result-oriented manner by a comprehensive assessment of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project intervention. The specific objectives of the assignment are to-

1. Assess progress of the project objectives and results identify key challenges and factors that might have impact over the project and its implementation process.
2. Provide findings and recommendations to adjustments of the project’s strategy and plan in the second half of the current span of the project

Scope           

The evaluation will cover the period from April’21 to March 2023, to create an accurate and  comprehensive picture of the project progress status consultant/firm should work within the following

areas-

• Review the existing document of the project;
• Project periodic reports;
• Baseline report;
• Discuss with the targeted beneficiaries and relevant stakeholder;
• Discuss with MUKTI management and project personnel.

Evaluation criteria and key questions

The evaluation will examine the project implementation against the hereunder criteria by addressing the following questions. The evaluator will use a detailed framework to extract the ground reality based on the given questions.

Methodology

The evaluator should adopt a mix method consisting of participatory approach to collect necessary data, analysis and produce a quality report. The intendant methods could be FGD, KII, IDI, document review, case story collection and multi-stakeholder consultations.

Deliverables

The evaluator should come up with the following deliverables-Detailed evaluation plan with methodology and data collection tools (survey questionnaire/checklist) and get endorsement from the project team before commencing the data collection process.

• An inception report outlining the approach/ methodology and execution of programs/timetable. This report shall be submitted for review and approval by project holder five working days after the signature of the contract before commencement of the work.
• A comprehensive and analytical Evaluation Draft Report with in-depth description shall be submitted within five days after completion of the field work.
• Presentation of the key findings of the draft report through workshop
• All materials produced for the Evaluation and raw data of SPSS, Excel and Word in soft form in CD Rom.

Evaluation report

The evaluation report should be comprised of at least the following chapters:

1. Title page
2. Table of contents
3. Executive summary
4. Body of the report:
   1. Project background
   2. Evaluation background
   3. Methodology
   4. Main findings
   5. Coordination and communication assessment
5. Conclusions
6. Lessons learnt and emerging good practices
7. Recommendations
8. Appendices

The main evaluation report should be concise and not exceed 25 pages, excluding annexes (supporting data and details can be included in annexes).

Supports from the Mukti Nari and work plan

Supports from the Mukti Nari

1. Mukti Nari will provide all necessary documents, data and information felt necessary and asked for the purpose of carrying out this assignment by the consultants.
2. The project staffs will extend required cooperation in carrying out the evaluation and arrange all meetings with all concerned as mentioned in this ToR and a required by the evaluation team during the process of performance of the assignment.
3. The Mukti Nari will extend all necessary cooperation and supports to the consultant evaluation team for proper execution of the assignment.

Time frame for the evaluation

Budget

Mukti Nari has a budget provision of BDT 750,000 (Seven lac Fifty thousand) taka including Vat & Tax for the said evaluation (All others cost like fees of the consultant, travel, food, accommodation and printing & stationeries etc.)

Payment Method

Payment mode for the consultancy service will be on the following basis:

• First installment of 40% upon submission of the inception report
• Second installment of 40% upon receipt of the draft report.
• Final installment of 20% upon satisfactory acceptance of the final report

Relevant experience of the evaluator/firm

• Bachelor or master degree in a relevant discipline
• At least 5 years of experience in evaluating international cooperation projects
• Experience in evaluating BftW projects to be added as an

Required document

 All applications must include the following documents:

• An outline of the Evaluation design,
• Detailed work plan,
• Detailed budget,
• Up to date CVs of the involved researchers,
• Cover letter
• At least two references for all involved researchers,
• And work samples of at least one report/academic paper that was completed for a recent evaluation of a development cooperation project.

Applications should be sent to Mukti Nari before 15 June 2023,

using the following subject: Mid-term evaluation – EWRRVW by muktiorg@gmail.com .

If you do not receive a response one month after the application deadline, please consider that your application has not been shortlisted.