Final Evaluator- Middle East and North Africa

OVERVIEW
Internews is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to empower local civil society worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard.
For more information about the organization, please visit this link .

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Azadi Zanyari (Information Freedom) is a 28‐month project implemented between September 2019 and December 2021. The project advanced human rights and the rule of law in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) by enhancing both freedom of expression (FoE) and independent media. Internews built the capacity of journalists by equipping them with tools to report more safely and raise awareness of their government’s actions and attempts to suppress information.
Internews has operated the Azadi Zanyari project out of its project office in Erbil and held trainings there. Journalists and media attendees from across the IKR were engaged to attend to ensure the full national reach of the project.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
A free press is vital to good governance and social justice because public access to high quality information engenders accountability. To promote a more informed citizenry, Internews will use a multifaceted approach combining capacity building for journalists, awareness raising campaigns, safety training for journalists, and engagement activities for media, government stakeholders and civil society. Journalists will be able to report more safely, produce content that exposes violations of their rights and raise citizens’ awareness of their government’s actions and attempts to suppress information.
The goal of this project is to advance human rights and the rule of law by promoting respect for and commitment to FoE and independent media in IKR through the mutually reinforcing objective:
Objective 1: IKR journalists are better equipped to safely gather information and report and are able to better detect, prevent, and counter digital, physical, and legal threats.
The project is designed on the basis of a robust Theory of Change:
IF journalists are better able to defend themselves against digital, physical and legal attacks AND IF improved coverage of violations against rights of journalists increases citizens’ awareness of the actions of their government, THEN citizens will be better able to hold the IKR government accountable to respect and uphold freedom of expression and access to information rights, AND THEN the enabling environment for media and civil society will increase transparency, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

EVALUATION PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE
The purpose of this final evaluation is to assess the performance and potential success of the project against expected outcomes and impact, suggesting ways of improving where relevant. It should also look at signs of potential impact of project activities on beneficiaries and sustainability of results. More specifically, this evaluation has the following principal tasks:

• Assess the project implementation approach and processes adopted throughout the project lifecycle;
• Analyze various feedback points from the various stakeholders involved in the project, whether internal staff, external partners, or potential beneficiaries;
• To assess the program’s M&E design and its effectiveness;
• Analyze underlying factors beyond Internews’ control that affect the achievement of the project results; and
• Identify areas of improvements and recommendations for future programming in country.

Internews envisions a theory‐driven evaluation that speaks to the international evaluation criteria (relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, potential for impact and sustainability, OECD/DAC).
We welcome the use of creative evaluation methods and approaches that will help substantiate project objective and outcomes.

EVALUATION SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
The methodological approach and design of the evaluation will be developed and agreed between Internews and the evaluator. The evaluator will then be responsible for its objective implementation. The methodological approach should be_ inclusive, gender-sensitive participatory and culturally appropriate_. The evaluation should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following tools:

• Desk review of relevant documents;
• Individual and/or group interviews with internal and external stakeholders;
• Online meetings with external stakeholders; and
• Survey questionnaires to internal and external stakeholders, if relevant.

The evaluation will be for one objective, six activities in total. The activities are outlined below:
Project Objective: Increase the capacity of IKR journalists to safely gather information and report and better detect, prevent, and counter digital, physical, and legal threats.

• Activity 1.1: Safety Lab for Journalists on Digital, Physical and Legal Defense (135 Beneficiaries) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – February 2020 until June 2021
• Activity 1.2: Community Digital Security Awareness Trainings (308 Beneficiaries) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – January 2021
• Activity 1.3: Advanced Security Mentoring for Investigative Journalists with Increased Risk Level (20 Beneficiaries) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – September 2020 until March 2021
• Activity 1.4: Psycho-social Support for Journalists in Distress, Including Training on Self-care and Information About Resources (104 Beneficiaries) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – September 2020 until August 2021
• Activity 1.5: Small Story Grants to Produce Content on Violations of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press (60 Beneficiaries) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – June 2020 until August 2021
• Activity 1.6: Produce a Short Film About Freedom of Expression Violations Against Women Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan Region – November 2021

The key evaluation questions are:

• Did the theory of change hold true?
• How did the program potentially enhance participants’ ability to mitigate digital, physical, and legal threats?
• What has the program contributed to the communities exposed to digital risks across IKR? Did their practices change? If so, how?
• Do journalists with an increased risk profile feel their capacity has increased in addressing situational risks and mitigating specific risks related to sensitive investigation, as a result of the program implementation?
• How did the program potentially enhance participants’ awareness of their mental health as journalists and information producers? If yes, how?
• How has the program contributed to the change in the participants’ resilience with regards to stresses and traumas involved in reporting from the field?
• How has the program contributed to citizens’ awareness of the actions of their government against journalists with regards to FoE?
• Has the program contributed to enhance beneficiaries’ ability to advocate for FoE?
• What are some of the key recommendations and lessons learned from the project for further media development programming in the target country and potentially other similar contexts? What could be done better in the future?
• Are the results sustainable? If so, how?

TIMEFRAME AND DELIVERABLES
We anticipate around 25‐35 full working days [1] will be needed to conduct this evaluation in a flexible working manner. A detailed timeline needs to be agreed at the beginning of the assignment. The final report is expected to be completed by 20 December 2021.

Activity

Timeframe

Comments

Launch of ToR and bids reception

Deadline for applications: 20 September 2021

Internews will review applications and interview applicants.

Appointment of evaluator and initial briefing

Appointment: by 1 October
Briefing: as soon as possible upon appointment.

The consultant is expected to
have initial meetings with staff
in order to inform inception
report (see below)

Inception report

By November 15

Relevant documentation will
be made available and the
inception report will include:

• Literature review
• Draft methodology
• Data collection tools
• Outline of final report structure

First draft report

By December 10

Internews staff will review the draft for further clarification, comment and structure.

Final draft report

By December 20

Evaluation findings is shared with other project and non-project teams.

Note that the draft and final reports should be presented in English and be no longer than 30 pages (excluding any relevant annexes) and contain a concise Executive Summary of core findings and recommendations, the latter being specific and action‐oriented, and tailored to all relevant stakeholders (i.e., Internews and the donor). It should also include a methodology section, making explicit any limits to the evaluation.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in media, journalism, international development, evaluation or related field;
• At least 5 years’ experience conducting evaluations in difficult contexts, particularly for USG Donors;
• Proven experience in conducting evaluations in Iraq. Familiarity with the Iraqi context, media landscape and FoE environment;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative M&E data collection and analysis methods;
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic;
• Excellent inter‐cultural communication skills/cultural sensitivity and the ability to forge strong cross‐ cultural relationships and build trust demonstrated through previous intercultural experience;
• Sound judgment and ability to objectively evaluate the program in terms of results achieved as well as processes (evidenced through previously conducted evaluations and references);
• Strong facilitation, presentation, writing and communication skills.

Preferred

• Masters’ degree or PhD in relevant field;
• Experience in evaluation of grants funded by the US State Department;
• Experience in evaluating and analyzing social media presence and online audience engagement;
• Proficiency in Kurdish;
• Experience conducting evaluations for media development, or more than 5 years’ experience as professional evaluator for international development projects.

HOW TO APPLY
Applications should include the below documentation:

• A 2‐3 page statement of interest/draft proposal, highlighting how your methodological approach will address the scope planned for this evaluation as well as describing how your profile meets criteria;
• A CV and two professional referees;
• Evidence of evaluation work (e.g., link to evaluation reports or PDF attachments), highlighting evaluation theories and approaches;
• A short cost justification (not included in the 2‐3 page limit) and estimated level of effort (number of days) – including your salary history and/or daily rate for your last 3 consultancies.

[1] Please note that the total award for this consultancy project will be calculated based on working days and daily rates.

Job Type: Full-time