ATTACHMENT_J_14__Reconciliation_for_Peace_Evaluation_-_Draft_SOW.pdf

Sensitive But Unclassified

Scope of Work for MSI Evaluation of CRS Project

Activity Name: Reconciliation for Peace in South Sudan (RfPSS)

Award Number: AID-668-A-16-00001

Procurement Instrument: Cooperative Agreement

Total Estimated Cost: $6,056,422

Project begin date: January 19, 2016

Project end date: July 18, 2018

Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR): Patrick T. Riruyo

1. Evaluation Focus

The evaluation will focus on Reconciliation for Peace in South Sudan (RfP) project, implemented by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The project supports implementation of the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) Action Plan for Peace (APP) in South Sudan. SSC describes APP as a “home-grown and church-led roadmap towards peace and reconciliation, taking into account the root causes and long-term effects of conflict in South Sudan.” This study will review SSCC processes, activities, and effectiveness in the current context, as well as CRS performance assisting the SSCC in these efforts.

2. Background

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended decades of civil war in Sudan failed to address long-standing inter and intra-communal conflict dynamics and a deep sense of grievance within and between communities. The outbreak of clashes in Juba in December 2013 and the continued fighting, including mass atrocities committed against the civilian population, further exacerbates tensions and fuels a pervasive atmosphere of mistrust. Compounding the situation is widespread and unaddressed trauma among the population due to decades of armed conflict.

Despite the August 2015 Agreement on the Resolutions of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) brokered between the Government of South Sudan and the opposition, led by the former Vice President Dr Riak Machar, suffering continued throughout South Sudan. The parties continually violated the peace agreement and showed no political will to implement the ARCSS. Tensions built up in Juba, culminating in another wave of violence that witnessed the ejection of First Vice President Machar from Juba in July 2016. Since then, the conflict has spread to greater Equatoria. Ethnic divisions remain even more corrosive than political differences; government opposition continues to fracture; the economy is deteriorating drastically; and poverty is increasing. Hate speech proliferates, political and civil space diminishes, and road ambushes

ATTACHMENT J. 14: Reconciliation for Peace Evaluation - Draft SOW escalate all over the country.

In June 2015, after much internal consideration and in response to calls from the public, the SSCC undertook a major peacebuilding role based on its credibility, moral authority and experience in the previous conflict. It launched the APP four pillars at a retreat in Kigali:

1. Advocacy pillar: influences opinions and policies towards peaceful conflict resolution, changing the narrative from conflict to peace, while enabling the formerly voiceless to be heard by leaders, the region and the world;

2. Neutral Forums pillar: provides an opportunity to stop or prevent violent conflict, build safe spaces for people to discuss causes of conflict and envision a peaceful future through dialogue;

3. Reconciliation pillar: supports restoration of relationships within the nation, including providing longer-term platforms for dialogue, trauma awareness, healing and networks for peace supported by training. It is only through forgiveness and reconciliation that the people of South Sudan can overcome their difficult past, secure a hopeful future and live together as one nation.

4. Organizational strengthening pillar: supports robust church structures to manage large-scale and long-lasting processes.

RfP aims to give the SSCC and its ecumenical partners skills to address communal conflicts and maintain peace through reconciliation activities. The SSCC and other faith-based organizations have a strong sense of legitimacy in South Sudan due to successful past mediation. RfP capitalizes on opportunity opened by the 2015 peace agreement, and SSCC implementation of the APP is coordinated with other donors to maximize results. The geographic focus of the project covers the former Lakes, Jonglei, and Western Equatoria states, as well as Juba County, linking to similar APP activities supported elsewhere by other donors.

The project simultaneously strengthens grassroots constituencies and various faith-based structures and organizations connected to the SSCC to undertake peace-building and reconciliation activities.

To address gender gaps in the program, SSCC includes its national women’s program focusing on mobilizing women leaders from civil society organizations, parliament and churches to unify the South Sudanese women’s agenda for peace. The program also urges other women across the spectrum to participate in addressing conflicts peacefully.

Roughly 1.25 million beneficiaries will be reached, including those engaged, trained, listened to and supported via direct consultations or mass-media channels for: (a) active civil-society participation in grassroots peace and reconciliation activities, (b) advocacy for local and international best practices in a South Sudanese-led transitional justice process, and (c) integration of the needs and views of citizens in formal peace negotiations.

3. USAID/South Sudan Strategy Alignment

Under the USAID/South Sudan Operational Framework, the Mission goal is to "build the foundation for a more stable and socially cohesive South Sudan”. RfP directly contributes to Transition Objective (TO) 2, “enabling a lasting peace” and, more specifically, to TO 2.2:

“strengthen inter-and intra-communal relations and reconciliation.”

The goal of the project is a more peaceful, prosperous and reconciled South Sudan, sustainably built on inclusive citizen engagement at all levels, attention to past wrongs, and implementation of a just and comprehensive peace accord.

The following are the strategic objectives:

SO1: Strengthened participation by South Sudanese communities in an inclusive grassroots peace-and-reconciliation process, SO 2: Improved public access to best practices in transitional justice and advocacy for inclusivity and the incorporation of these best practices into South Sudan reconciliation processes, SO 3: Significant integration of the views and needs of the South Sudanese people in a peace-negotiation process.

Theory of change: If men, women and youth throughout the country participate in an inclusive peace and reconciliation process with broad grassroots engagement, if there is systematic promotion of best practices for transitional justice, and if civil society needs and voices are taken into account in peace negotiation and implementation processes, then a just and sustainable peace and reconciliation process can take root.

4. Evaluation Purpose

The purpose of this performance evaluation is to determine the impact, effectiveness and efficiency of the Reconciliation for Peace in South Sudan (RfPSS) project implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC). The evaluation report will inform USAID/South Sudan Mission, the RfP implementing partners (Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) and other stakeholders. The findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation will determine the underlying factors for achievement and or non-achievement of project objectives and to document lessons learned and best practices that will inform Mission’s Management on future investment in grass-roots reconciliations and peace initiatives using faith-based institutions.

5. Evaluation questions

a. How effective has the RfP been in achieving its strategic objectives and in supporting the SSCC to implement its Action Plan for Peace (APP?)?

b. How relevant is the APP to peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts in South Sudan at both national and local levels?

c. What major successes and challenges has RfP encountered in: 1) meeting objectives and implementing program activities, 2) interacting with SSCC leadership and staff at national and local levels, and 3) documenting such successes and challenges?

d. Has RfP involved South Sudanese citizens and communities -- including active involvement and participation of women and youths -- in relevant project activities?

e. Did the project achieve the right focus and balance in terms of design, theory of change/development hypothesis at the time of implementation?

f. What type of institutional support to the SSCC is recommended to increase SSCC effectiveness in implementing future peacebuilding and reconciliation activities?

6. Evaluation Methods

This exercise requires mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods , and the third party may propose a suitable method/s for this study. Both primary and secondary data from multiple sources will be used to for triangulation and to inform findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The methodology will generate credible evidence to address the stated evaluation questions above. The tools (the methodology) will include individual interviews with key project stakeholders, Focus Group Discussions and desk reviews.

7. Existing Information

Key project documents below including any other as requested by the consultant will be made available to the evaluation team. The documents include:

▪ Award Agreement AID-668-A-16-00001,

▪ RfP Work Plans,

▪ RfP Performance Management Plan (PMP),

▪ RfP project Modification documents,

▪ RfP Quarterly and Annual Reports.

7. Data Analysis and presentation Plan

The evaluators will conduct Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and individual interviews.

They will transcribe and analyze the FGD and also integrate the qualitative data from different sources. In addition they will also disaggregate some relevant findings by gender, youth and geographic location.

8. Strengths and Limitations of the Evaluation Methods

This evaluation comes at a time of continued political and communal conflict around the country, including in RfP project areas. This conflict, coupled with logistical challenges posed by the rainy season, could limit in-country travel and hamper representativeness and reliability of the evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations. The evaluation team should propose a clear strategy to mitigate subjectivity and anticipated limitations during this evaluation in the explanation of the methodological approach.

9. Team Composition, qualifications and Level-of-Effort

The evaluation team will consist of three main team members: a Team Leader with minimum of eight years of core expertise in peacebuilding and evaluation of DRG projects, two technical experts, and one South Sudanese with experience in faith-based peace and reconciliations efforts in South Sudan. USAID/South Sudan representative(s) may join the exercise on a part-time basis and on selected filed trips and meetings. The Team Leader will take full responsibility for managing the team, organizing its work, and ensuring quality control and delivery of a final report acceptable by USAID evaluation standards. International (regional experience) and local subject-matter experts will be critical to the review and delivery of a quality evaluation and final report. The team is required to be in South Sudan for a period of one month beginning from June 1st 2018 including filed trips.

10. Schedule and Logistics

Management Systems International (MSI/MESP) team will provide overall management and support to the evaluation team, including office and meeting space where the team can access internet and print documents. This support will also include coordinating and arranging team meetings with key stakeholders. MSI/MESP will also provide other logistical arrangements, e.g., travel, and accommodation needed by consultants in the course of this evaluation including safety measures i.e., advance security briefings for any planned field trip prior to travel. Participating USAID/South Sudan representatives will make their own arrangements for travel and attendance at specific meetings.

11. Evaluation Deliverables

USAID/South Sudan DG team expects the following deliverables from the evaluation team:

(a) Pre-Field Work Briefing and Inception Report

1. The team will present the inception report and approaches detailing the evaluation design to USAID/South Sudan DG team including the Missions

ARE&E Specialists during a review meeting that will include an oral briefing.

During this meeting, USAID/South Sudan DG team and other parties involved in the evaluation may raise questions and issues and request adjustments, if necessary, to the plan prior to start of field work. The inception report will include a summary of the key findings that emerged from the team review of existing documents organized to answer each study question.

2. A comprehensive list with citations of all documents and reports that were reviewed and included.

3. Clearly identified gaps, if any, the team will fill through field data collection and analysis.

4. A detailed description of the study design, including --

a. Any suggestions from the evaluation team about changes in the methodological approach proposed in the SOW

b. A detailed description of the methodological approach and tools

c. A detailed data analysis plan that describes data analysis methods in relation to each study question.

d. A draft work plan that includes the timeline for the study as well as scheduled field location visits and interviews.

The AOR will review and approve or request adjustments of the team’s inception report within one to three work days after this meeting is held.

(b) Draft Report

The full draft of the 27- to 30-page comprehensive study report based on the USAID evaluation report template.

(c) Debriefings

The second debriefing will be held with a wider audience that includes USAID DG and other Mission offices, and any other invited stakeholders. USAID reserves the right to ask the team to omit any findings it deems sensitive during presentations to a wider audience.

After the debriefing, all quantitative and qualitative data sets, including debriefing slides and soft copies of all documents and reports reviewed, will be transferred to USAID DG team.

(e) Final Report

The evaluation team is required to produce the final report within five working days after the evaluation team receives USAID comments on the draft report.

The final reports include:

a) A six-page summary report that has an overview of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and

b) A 27- to 30-page comprehensive study report.

The final versions of the study reports will be submitted to USAID electronically and in compliance with the below requirements:

12. Evaluation Report Requirements

USAID requires that evaluation reports are 30 pages, maximum. The report text shall be in 12 Garamond, and arranged as follows:

1. Executive Summary: concisely state the most significant findings, conclusion and recommendations (one to three pages), per format developed by MESP for previous Executive Briefs;

2. Table of Contents: (one page);

3. Introduction: Purpose, audience and questions: (one page);

4. Background: brief overview of the project, strategies, and activities (two pages);

5. Methodology: describe evaluation methods, including detailed limitations, constraints and gaps (one page);

6. Findings/Conclusions/Recommendations (FCR): organized by questions, highlighting data quality, and reporting as bases for verification of spot checks, issues, and results as applicable (17 to 20 pages);

7. Issues: Provide list of key technical and administrative issues (one page),

8. Lessons learnt and future directions: (one page);

9. References: (including bibliographical documentation, meetings, interviews and focus group discussion(s));

10. Annexes: annexes that document the evaluation SOW, tools, schedules, interview lists, and list of tables/charts

13. USAID/South Sudan Mission Contacts

Mr. Lee K Forsythe Democracy and Governance TeamLeader Tel (VOIP): 202-216-6279 Ext. 246 Mobile: +211 91 211 7899 (Zain) Email: LForsythe@usaid.gov

Mr. Patrick Riruyo AOR for RfPSS Project Democracy and Governance Office Zain: 1+211-912-154-030 Tel (VOIP): +1.202.216.6279, ext. 211 Email: priruyo@usaid.gov about:blank mailto:LForsythe@usaid.gov mailto:priruyo@usaid.gov