Centre of Research & Development in Upland Area (CERDA) is a non-profit organization, directly under the leadership by Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), the Centre is operated under the working license number A-23, issued by Ministry of Science and Technology, dated on March 12, 2004. Through International funded projects, the Centre works directly with local people and local government. Activities of the Centre’s projects aim at vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities, women, and children, to facilitate the process which help them to self-eliminate poverty; strengthening traditional cultures, reserve the national character; promote and ensure the effective participation of local people in general activities, especially participation in making decisions which affect their life; provide training and capacity building for local government and local people so that they can better integrate and participate in local self-management process at higher level.
With grant from Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO- Netherland), CERDA has implemented the project “enhancing participation of local residents towards sustainable development in ethnic minority communities in Lao Cai and Lang Son provinces”. The project implemented in four communes of Binh Gia district, Lang Son province, and Van Ban district of Lao cai province. The project term is 36 months (11/2008 - 10/2011) with total budget is 150,000EURO.
1) Objectives of the final evaluation:
Base on agreement with donor, a final evaluation will be conducted in the last six months of the project in 2011. An independent evaluation need to evaluate, measure project’s outcomes, impacts, aproaches, methodology, appropriateness and sustainability with the following details
a) Level of output
i. Local people and local authorities, Fatherland Front Committee, mas organizations aware of the vital importance of democracy, people rights and duties under the framework of GDO, laws and institution for the social-economic development, understand and are capable and willing to apply them at works.
ii. The local people understand about the land laws, policies, rights and duties when receiving the forest land. A number of households more equally access to forest land. Groups of households are capable to make income from the forest land in sustainable manner, contributes to reduce the climate change risk.
b) Level of outcome
i. Local people participate actively in public life, engage with government, are capable to better exercise their participatory democracy rights as a right holder under the framework of GDO and laws and institution, and willingly complete the duties by actively joining the public activities through self-governing groups.
ii. A number of households gets better access to forest land based on the land laws.
2) Methods and responsibilities of the consultant
The consultant will implement following activities:
- Study related documents and prepare the evaluation’s schedule together with CERDA project team.
- Design detailed evaluation method, schedule, and discuss with CERDA project team.
- Conduct the process of collecting information in the project area, work directly with partners, key stakeholders, and project’s beneficiaries.
- Analyze and synthesize findings, provide recommendations to CERDA.
- Present and discuss findings with CERDA project management team, and local partner
- Prepare a draft report with findings, analysis, and recommendations
- Finalize official report which combine comments from CERDA project management team
- Final evaluation must be implemented with participatory method, project officers, and local partners will participate in the evaluation team. This will help project officers and local partners have an opportunity to contribute to the evaluation process, but also a chance for them to learn how to better implement the project in the next phase. The consultant also can use available documents for findings. The consultant set up criteria for choosing survey samples including beneficiaries, CBO, key farmers in different project’s communes, organizations at district and commune levels.
Final evaluation report should be designed in the way that representative information to be collected analyzed and presented in a concise report
3) Requirement
The consultant is requested to write a report with about 20-25 pages (excluding appendixes) with the following contents:
i. Findings related to Part 2 (Evaluation objectives) in this TOR.
ii. Analyze findings relating to the approaches, methodology, impact, appropriateness, and sustainability compare with indicators of goal, objectives and expected outcomes, and data base of the previous project evaluations; provide explanation for project impact changes in both positive and negative prospects, also the values added for the beneficiaries: local people and local government.
iii. Provide recommendations for CERDA on strategies and also on how to implement the project in the next phase.
iv. Appendix include: TOR, evaluation’s content and schedule, evaluation method, list of interviewees, list of referenced documents.
Report will be presented in electronic version both in English and Vietnamese.
4) Timetable:
The consultant will conduct the whole project evaluation process in June and the first two weeks of July 2011; formal report will be submitted on July 15, 2011 in both English and Vietnamese.
5) Invitation for project evaluation consultant:
CERDA seeks for an independent consultant to conduct this final evaluation. The consultant must have following experience and skills:
- Experience in evaluating project with participation of related stakeholders.
- Experience in designing and conduct evaluations
- Experience and skills to work with minority communities, experience in rural livelihoods, market for farmers, community forestry, CBOs development; knowledge on policies related to land code, democracy at grassroots level in order to promote local people’s participation in common activities.
Interested candidates can send a letter indicates project evaluation experience, and following attachments before 15 June 2011
An updated CV
Proposal on evaluation method
Number of working days
Consultant fee
6) Logistics:
All information including project documents, database from initial survey, annual progress reports, and regular meeting minutes of stakeholders will be provided to the consultant before the evaluation process start. CERDA will support the evaluation support at the field.
7) Time frame for the evaluation: June and the first two weeks of July, 2011. Report submission date: July 15, 2011
Interested candidates should send a full English CV and stating the position title to email: [email protected]. Closing date to apply for this position: 15 June 2011