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Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners. In 2016. Plan International were active in 71 countries across Africa, Americas and Asia.

Plan International’s Asia Regional Office seeks an independent individual consultant or consultant team to undertake a final evaluation of its Stopping Exploitation through Accessible Services Project (SEAS of Change) in two countries: Cambodia and Thailand. The evaluation shall be conducted between April and June 2018.                                                                          

Project background

Migration is a global phenomenon, affecting not only lives of the 200 million migrants around the world but also lives of those connected to them, in particular those left behind in the countries of origin (IOM, 2003)[1]. In 2013, there were 28.2 million international migrants aged 15 to 24, accounting for one-eighth of the 232 million international migrants worldwide. According to United Nations’ data base on Trends in International Migrant Stock (2013), around 51 per cent of migrant adolescents and youth worldwide lived in developing countries with the largest number residing in Asia (10.3 million or 36 per cent equivalent) in the same year. Young migrant women account for less than half of total young migrant population yet significant in proportion. While there found higher proportion of young migrant women among young migrant in developed countries (48.9 per cent), the proportion is yet significant in developing countries accounting 44.1 per cent.[2] Employment, education, marriage, and poverty, violence, conflict and climate change are among the key drivers of youth migration.[3]

Plan International Asia Regional Office working in collaboration with Plan International Thailand and Plan International Cambodia is currently implementing the Stopping Exploitation through Accessible Services (SEAS of Change), with support from Plan International Finland, Plan International Sweden, Plan International USA, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), KESKO Corporation and the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation. The project is implemented in 2 provinces of Thailand; namely, Rayong, and Trat, and in 2 provinces in Cambodia; namely, Battambang and Prey Veng.

Through SEAS of Change, Plan seeks to contribute to a fishing industry that is free from exploitative child labour and that offers decent work opportunities for all, particular migrant workers. Cambodian migrant workers in the fishing industry in Thailand and their family members, particularly female youth and girls living in Thailand and left behind in Cambodia are the target beneficiaries of the project, working alongside civil society and community members, as well as local authorities. Project interventions include: i) education: promoting access to formal education, pre-primary teacher training and awareness raising, provision of learning materials, community participation, school improvement, and awareness raising for parents on education of and education advocacy for migrant children and left-behind children; ii) livelihoods: promoting their access to alternative skills and entrepreneurship

trainings so to improve their access to employment opportunities and livelihood services; iii) social protection: creating a safety net for vulnerable families by mobilizing and linking to existing public sector and community-based social protection options; and iv) supply chain engagement: engaging informal/formal labour brokers, local and national export suppliers, wholesale importers and retailers in order to positively impact the situation in fishing communities

Objectives of the Evaluation

The Seas of Change project is ending in June 2018. The final evaluation will evaluate project’s quality of implementation and consolidate learnings that can be used to inform the implementation of the project both in its extension year and other similar projects at Plan International.

The main objective of this evaluation is to assess effective implementation of the project following six evaluation criteria of Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability, Equity and Result:

1. Relevance:
   • The extent to which the project activities target the identified causes of the problem as perceived by the beneficiaries
   • How closely the project prioritises match the needs and expectations of the beneficiaries
   • The extent to which the project involved and consulted the beneficiaries in the design and implementation stages of the project, and the extent to which efforts were made to include the most excluded and vulnerable: children and young people, women and girls, and people with disabilities; especially in relation to migrant population that the project works with.
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2. Effectiveness:
   • The degree to which the objectives and target outcomes of the project have been achieved taking into account their relative important or priority in the eyes of the beneficiaries
   • The extent to which the project create change as perceived by the local partners, including CSOs and local authorities
   • The extent to which the project create dialogue, participation, capacities, networking of its local partners
   • How well the project responded to major external contributing factors
   • How well the project incorporated new learnings throughout its implementation
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3. Efficiency:
   • The extent to which the proportion of funds allocated by the project to each result is reflected in the level of achievement within given timeframe, taking into account the relative importance each result area holds for the beneficiaries
4. Sustainability:
   • The extent to which the beneficiaries will be able to self-sustain after funding has stopped in terms of prospects for continuity and long-term benefits of the project outcomes, and in particular if the beneficiaries will still possess the willingness, ability, and opportunity to sustain the changes
   • The extent to which the activities of the local partners will be able to continue their engagement after funding has stopped, in particular if the local partners will maintain their ownership and still possess the willingness, ability, and opportunity to continue working independently with the beneficiaries
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5. Equity:
   • The extent to which the different groups of beneficiaries and especially the most vulnerable, benefit equally from the project. Who experienced most change? Did any group experience negative change?
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6. Result:
   1. The extent to which the desired changes took place and were brought about by the project and that no undesired changes occurred as a result of the project, in particular in attitudes and behaviours of relevant stakeholders to the benefit of decent work opportunities in the fishing industry

In gathering learnings that can be used to inform the implementation of the project in its extension year and other similar projects at Plan International, following questions are to be answered through the evaluation:

• What learnings can be gleaned from implementing the project thus far? What approaches were particularly effective in promoting the fishing industry that is free from hazardous exploitative child labor and offer decent work opportunities for migrant population and the project’s target groups? What were the overall impact of the project through civil society engagement (incl. working with CBOs, NGO partners and other CSO actor)? What were the key barriers that existed which in turn prevented effective implementation and/or other aspects in the abovementioned evaluation criteria?
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• What can inform more effective implementation of the project in its extension year (and beyond) as well as other similar projects at Plan International? What elements should the Plan International team aim to prioritize to achieve maximum impact? What strategies and approches can further inform Plan International’s engagement with different stakeholders including civil society actors.

Intended audiences and users

The primary users of the report are Plan International staff, the donors, partners and governments working to improve living and working conditions of the migrants, in particular children, and adolescent and young women migrants. While the report is aimed at being an internal learning document, it should also be framed in a way that is useful to other practitioners such as NGO’s, academia and institutions interested in or working on improving living and working conditions of migrant workers. Equally, findings from the report would inform other projects being implemented and being developed in the pipeline at Plan International.

The consultant(s) are expected to work closely with a reference group in Plan International who will provide necessary guidance throughout the process and feedback on inception draft and final reports. Members of the reference group will include:

1. Head of Youth Employment Solutions
2. Regional Program Advisor of Youth Employment Solutions
3. Regional Youth Employment Solutions Associate
4. Regional Head of MER
5. Regional Gender Advisor
6. Country Director (Plan International Thailand Country Office)
7. Deputy Country Director (Plan International Cambodia Country Office)
8. Project Manager of SEAS of Change Project (Plan International Thailand Country Office)
9. Child Protection Specialist (Plan International Cambodia Country Office)
10. Programme Manager Plan International (Plan International Sweden National Office)

Methodology

The methodology for this evaluation will include:

• Desk review of project background materials. Relevant materials will be shared by Plan International.
• Interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with Plan International staff at various levels: Finland National Office, Sweden National Office, USA National Office, Asia Regional Office, Cambodia and Thailand Country Offices, and Field-Level staffs in Cambodia and Thailand.
• Field observation in selected communities where the project has been implemented in the two countries.
• Key informant interviews (KIIs) and FGDs with local partners, teachers, parents, children, youth, community members, heads of communities, and relevant local and national authorities as well as relevant private sector in the two project countries
• Target beneficiaries of the project include vulnerable children laborers aged 4-17 and young parents and youth aged 18-25 of both gender, but with particular emphasis on girls and female youth population:

• Vulnerable children labourers aged 4-17 who engaged in educational interventions

           - Children aged 4-6 year old engaged in pre-primary education

           - Children aged 7-14 engaged in formal school

           - Children aged 15-17 engaged in alternative skills building and entrepreneurship training

• Vulnerable young parents and youth aged 18-25 who engaged in employment and livelihood services interventions.

The evaluation is to take into consideration the requirements stated in Plan Evaluation standards and Programme Quality Procedures (PQP), which have been designed to support a consistent and coordinated approach to quality and accountability across all of Plan International's programme work. 

Expected outputs

• An inception report to outline agreed approach and work plan
• An ethical application
• A draft report with preliminary findings and key recommendations
• An edited, proofread and reader-friendly final evaluation report, no more than 70 pages, which include:
• Executive summary
• Findings, evaluation methodology, analysis, and key recommendations
• An annotated bibliography of documents
• Full annexes with staff and stakeholder interviews and documentation
• Synthesis report of the report of no more than 20 pages.The evaluation report is expected to be circulated to Plan International for inputs and approval before finalization. All documents and presentation must be in English.

Ethics and Child/Youth Protection

It is understood and agreed that the researchers shall, during and after the effective period of the contract, treat as confidential and not divulge, unless authorized in writing by the Plan, any information obtained in the course of the performance of the Contract. The ethics process and research will ensure compliance with:

1. The requirements of Plan International Child and Youth Protection Policy and Implementing Standards
2. Plan International’s Research Policy and Standards in relation to: informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality and anonymity; steps to minimise discomfort and harm, including intervention and support; feedback of study findings to participants/communities; participation of children under 18 years, and appropriate safety measures for researchers.

Ethical approval will be determined through an Ethics Review process undertaken in one of three ways: from a research institution/university to which the consultant is attached, from local ethical approval in the country in which the research is to take place, or from Plan International. This process will comply with expectations and requirements outlined under the Plan International Research standards.

Management

The research will be carried out by a consultant/consultant team, managed by the Asia Regional Office’s Regional Programme Advisor of Youth Employment Solutions and Regional Youth Employment Solutions Associate. In-country arrangements for meetings, field visits, and logistics will be organized by the relevant Plan Country office. However, the consultant team will be responsible to hiring in-country research assistants if needed (support in identifying local candidates can be provided by Plan country office upon request).

At least one in-country staff member from Plan International will accompany the consultant for the duration of the field work in both countries. Plan staff involved in the project will support the organising of the evaluation field visits.

Qualifications

• Track-record of high profile and high-quality desk and field research on the topic of gender and migration, ideally in Asia.
• At least 10 years of experience on child rights, gender and migration in the Asia region.
• 5-10 years of experience evaluating child rights, gender and migration projects.
• Strong research skills, including experience in the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative in-country primary research.
• Proven ability to manage multi-country analysis
• Strong critical analysis skills
• Excellent communication skills including fluency in written and spoken English and a proven ability to publish concise, focused and easily understood research reports
• Ability to communicate in Thai and Khmer is an advantage
• Previous knowledge of and working relations with Plan International is an advantage
• If a team of researchers is proposed, previous experience of working together is preferred.

Budget and logistics

The consultancy fee shall be subject to local tax requirement. Travel and insurance associated costs to and within destination countries will be covered by the evaluators.

The consultant is expected to secure the appropriate visa for visits to both countries, with guidance from Plan International in each respective country. Visa letters can be provided by the Plan International offices in each country.

Duration/Timeframe

The duration from this consultancy will be 12 weeks, between April - June 2018.

Application

Interested consultants should prepare and submit a financial and technical proposal including: to planasia.jobvacancies@plan-internaitonal.org by 5 April 2018 COB.

• a description of the proposed research methods
• a proposed work calendar
• a detailed budget, including professional fees of the consultant(s)
• a CV of the proposed consultant(s)
• two pieces of pervious research work on relevant topic
• two references of previous clients