ThaiNGO

ToR for Final Evaluation

 Executive Summary

Background to the Project

On January 1^st 2015, ADRA and ACTED started a 30 months EU-funded project that aims to develop the employability skills and livelihood opportunities for at least 6,050 Myanmar refugees residing in camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border through 150 hours of technical vocational training and 60 hours of life skill development. Technical vocational skill development is offered in line with Myanmar labour market needs (10 courses have been designed to meet Myanmar labour market demand needs) so that refugees upon their safe and voluntary return from the camps in Thailand can be easily absorbed by the Myanmar labour market. The project is implemented within the context of preparedness for return.

Although Thailand has not ratified the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the country currently hosts approximately 98,754[1] refugees from Myanmar in nine government administered camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. The first refugees arrived in Thailand in 1984 and over the following 30 years, a large number of Myanmar refugees fled to Thailand at different moments, and under different circumstances.  These refugees and asylum-seekers are mainly ethnic Karen and Karenni though many of the more recent arrivals originate from other parts of Myanmar. The situation of refugees from Myanmar in camps in Thailand is one of the most protracted in the world. The Thai government does not allow these refugees to move outside the camps or to seek local integration in the surrounding Thai communities; those found outside the camps are subject to arrest and deportation. The prolonged encampment of the refugees from Myanmar and the policies of the Royal Thai Government (RTG) have resulted in most of the refugee population having no occupation or employable skills. Furthermore, it has led to significant protection and security concerns and has had a profound psychosocial impact on the refugees. The refugees have become increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, shelter, health, education and other relief items. Feelings of frustration, borne from the inability of refugees to realize their full human potential, together with the restrictive nature of the camps, has led to increasing incidences of rape, domestic violence, and other sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), alcohol, drug and substance abuse, and serious psychosocial problems. There is limited psychosocial support offered within the camps to combat these issues.

Positive political progress in Myanmar has continued throughout 2015, including the signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 15 October between the Government of the Union of Myanmar (GoUM) and eight Ethnic Armed Groups (EAGs), including the Karen National Union (KNU), and the successful election of the National League for Democracy (NLD) on 8 November. These events have laid the foundations for substantive political dialogue aimed at achieving sustainable peace within the country and hence pave the way for potential large-scale voluntary repatriation of refugees.

The changes in Myanmar have led to the development of the CCSDPT-UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Operation plan (Draft November 2015), which emphasizes the need for long-term livelihood objectives in preparedness efforts. Relatedly, the CCSDPT-UNHCR Strategic Roadmap for Voluntary Repatriation 2015-2017 (Update January 2016) indicates that an essential component of sustainable reintegration is access to livelihoods. Underpinning both is the CCSDPT-UNHCR Framework for Durable Solutions 2013-2015, which calls for the continued pursuit of strategies that promote self-reliance and empowerment. Vocational training (VT) as implemented by this intervention is an integral part to achieve a measure of self-sufficiency and a reasonable livelihood in a wide variety of contexts (i.e. the three options for durable solutions: return, integration or resettlement).

Project Activities

• Provide quality capacity building of camp-based VT staff in collaboration with OVEC and KRC-VT/KnED-VTNFE
• Regular review VT curricula to improve quality, relevance and employability
• Provide 150 hours of VT to 6,050 camp-residents
• Maintain VT facilities and equipment
• Provide 480 VT graduates with internship opportunities in Thailand and /or Myanmar

• Provide quality capacity building of camp-based life skills trainers
• Provide 60 hours of life skills training to 5,050 VT trainees
• Provide 15 hours “Return to Myanmar” and “Migration to Thailand” information sessions to at least 8,000 camp residents;
• Provide 50 hours of SED training to 4,300 VT graduates
• Provide start-up grants 7,000 THB to 450 selected SED applicants
• Regular mentoring and monitoring of small businesses
• Facilitate 3 working level meetings between OVEC, DTVE and NSSA to implement provisions of the Thai-Myanmar TVET Framework of Cooperation on curriculum development and certificate accreditation
• Facilitate 4 exchanges between Thai and Myanmar VT colleges in border areas to strengthen capacities to deliver short VT courses

Key Project Stakeholders

The Karen Refugee Council – VT (KRC-VT) and the Karenni Education Department VT and Non Formal Education (KnED-VTNFE) are the officially mandated institutions to oversee, manage, implement an monitor VT in the seven Karen camps and two Karenni camps respectively.  KRC-VT and KnED-VTNFE unit provide technical management and oversight of vocational training program in nine camps.

Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) under the Thai Ministry of Education is responsible for management of technical and vocational education in Thailand in order to produce manpower at various levels - semi–skilled workers, skilled workers, technical workers and technology workers.  The consortium has signed a framework of cooperation with OVEC and OVEC facilitates linkages and contacts between the consortium and relevant Thai vocational training institutes in order to develop VT course curricula for a refugee camp context, provide Training of Trainers (ToT) to camp based VT trainers, certify courses and provide certificates to refugees graduating from VT courses.

Thai Vocational Colleges: Maesot Technical College, Kanchanaburi & Ratchaburi Polytechnic College, Nawamintrachine Mae Hong Son Industrial and Community Education College and the Mae Sariang Industrial and Community College are local vocational colleges, under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC).  They are responsible for providing the technical and vocational education to produce and develop the skillful labours for their local provincial labor market. These colleges train the camp-based vocational trainers on an annual basis, provide technical monitoring of the VT courses and issues graduates with a certificate.

Department of Technical Vocational Education (DTVE) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Government of the Union of Myanmar, is responsible for the production of technicians, skilled and semi-skilled tradesmen in Myanmar. ACTED cooperates with DTVE on developing linkages between Thai and Myanmar VT colleges in the border areas and on the acceptance of VT certificates issued by Thai TVET authorities to refugees in the camps in Myanmar once they return.

Beneficiaries: Refugees in nine camps who have been attending vocational training courses, life skill training, internships, and information sessions under this project.

Key Components of the Final Evaluation

The main objective of this evaluation is to provide the consortium and the European Union (EU) with a review of the status, relevance and performance of the project as compared to the project document, and recommend ways in which the activities of the project and future project(s) can strengthen the livelihood and life skills of the refugees in the days ahead –returnees, migrants, and closing out of camps.  The evaluation results are envisaged to identify and describe the lessons learned, through measurements of the changes in the set indicators, summarize the experiences gained, technically and managerially, and recommend the approaches and methodologies for their further dissemination.

To achieve the above objective the Final Evaluation is to address the following:

• Assessment of the project progress towards attaining its objectives and results using logical framework matrix and indicators;
• Assessment of the performance of the project in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of the activities undertaken;
• Assess the prospects of the sustainability of the project outcomes and benefits and recommend measures for its further improvement;
• Assess the relevance of project in addressing the problems stated in the proposal;
• Assess the impact of the project in achieving the overall project goal;
• Identify and describe the main lessons learned from the project performance.
• Provide recommendations on ways in which the activities of the project and future project(s) can strengthen the livelihood and life skills of the refugees in the days ahead –returnees, migrants, and closing out of camps.

Methodology of the Final Evaluation

The evaluation will be based on the findings and factual statements identified from review of relevant documents including the project document, interim report to the donor, quarterly progress report, in addition to the technical reports produced by the project and the different promotional materials.  A list of the above reports will be shared with the evaluator before the beginning of the mission. The mission will also undertake field visits and interview the stakeholders including the target beneficiaries, government officials, etc. Participation of stakeholders in the evaluation should be maintained at all the times, reflecting opinions, expectations and vision about the contribution of the project towards the achievement of its objectives. In particular, the following stakeholders should be visited and interviewed:

• ADRA’s Project Team including Program Director, Project Manager and Program Coordinator for a detailed overview about the project progress, successes and challenges encountered;
• Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) and Camp Committee (CC) about general camp context, preparedness for return, livelihood programming for refugees, general coordination and communication with ADRA, relevance of VT courses;
• Mae Sot Community Industrial College about cooperation with ADRA, partnership with Hpa-an GTHS in Myanmar, training and monitoring of camp-based trainers and trainees, general coordination and communication with ADRA;

• ACTED Project Team including Country Representative, Project Manager and M & E officer for a detailed overview about the project progress, successes and challenges encountered;

• Nawamintrachine Mae Hong Son Industrial and Community Education College about cooperation with ACTED, partnership with the Loikaw college in Myanmar, training and monitoring of camp-based trainers and trainees, general coordination and communication with ACTED;
• Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC) and Camp Committee (CC) about general camp context, preparedness for return, livelihood programming for refugees, general coordination and communication with ACTED, relevance of VT courses;
• Karenni Education Department (KnED-WTNFE) about program coordination, support to KnED-VTNFE, relevance of VT courses, quality of training, challenges;
• Camp-based VT and life skill trainers about perception of the project, relevance of the courses, quality of training (ToT, refresher, monitoring by VTCs), quality of supervision by the consortium staff, challenges
• Graduate students (6% of graduates will be followed up): quality of the teaching (VT and life skill), how VT courses and life skill training is relevant to their lives, current utilization of the skills – income generation, perspectives on durable solutions;
• Camp Leaders: coordination and communication with ADRA and ACTED, perception about the project and how it contributes to livelihoods and their preparedness for return to Myanmar, challenges for livelihood programs

Products expected from the evaluation

The evaluator shall provide the consortium with a comprehensive draft report for review and comments. The report should be preceded by an executive summary. The report shall include:                                                                                      

• Purpose of the evaluation and the methodology.
• The main findings: project relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact of project activities, sustainability with recommendations for improvement.
• Lessons learned: Assessment of attainment of indicators, operational and developmental lessons.
• Conclusions and recommendations.
• Annexes: TOR, Itinerary, List of people met, List of documents reviewed.

Timeframe and duration of the evaluation

A total of 15 payable working days are planned for this evaluation:

• 1 day desk review
• 1 day designing the interview questionnaires
• 6 days field assessment (visiting the camps and interview stakeholders including travel)
• 7 days writing of the final report

A field itinerary is suggested as the following but can be discussed and adjusted before the contract is awarded:

Day 1: Travel to Mae Hong Son with stop over Chiang Mai to meet ADRA Thailand Program Director

Day 2: Meet ACTED project team and visit Camp 1 in Mae Hong Son and meet relevant stakeholders

Day 3: Meet MHS VTC and travel to Mae Sot

Day 4: Meet ADRA Thailand project team and travel to Nupo Camp (stay overnight near Nupo Camp

Day 5: Meet stakeholders in Nupo Camp and stay overnight

Day 6: Travel back to Mae Sot, debriefing with ADRA and ACTED team (via skype), and fly back to Bangkok

Background of the consultant undertake the evaluation

• At least 10 years’ experience in development field, particularly in livelihoods and technical and vocational skill sector
• Experience in working with refugee communities would be beneficial
• Experience in conducting similar scale evaluations
• Concrete experience in providing written reports

Submission of application

Applications should be submitted no later than 16 April 2017.

Applications in the English language, including i) a resume of not more than 3 pages; ii) a cover letter; iii) detailed budget to carry out this evaluation, costs including consultant fee, international or domestic flight, accommodation in the field and in Bangkok (ground transportation during the field assessment will be covered by ADRA and ACTED; iv) contact details of 2 references should be submitted by email to linda@adrathailand.org and cc to matthias@adrathailand.org

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

[1] TBC Monthly Population Report, 18 January 2017.