ERR EH consultant

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been working on OFDA-funded projects for a number of years in Ethiopia, focusing on drought response in Oromia Region (West Hararghe Zone) and Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) response in SNNPR, aiming to not only respond to emergencies, but to support recovery and build the resilience of these communities.

IRC wishes to retain a consultant to evaluate the effects of project work, in particular the extent to which this work has protected intervention communities from subsequent disasters, or mitigated the effects of these disasters, as compared to non-intervention sites within the same regions and zones.

The evaluation is intended as far as possible to try to capture qualitative and quantitative information, and ideally to calculate in real terms the cost effectiveness of interventions in terms of savings in subsequent emergency interventions.

The consultant will prepare a draft report and submit it to IRC Ethiopia for review. Upon receipt of comments, the consultant will revise and submit a final version of the report.

Deliverables

Desk Review

- Review IRC project documentation including project reports.
- Review existing relevant records and reports (government and third-party) on emergency response in Ethiopia
- Create an assessment design for the project for data collection and compilation.
- Meet with OFDA representatives in Addis Ababa to learn their interests and expectations for the project.

Field Component

- Visit field sites where projects have been implemented by IRC under current projects and over the past 8 years; interview members of the Water Management Committee (where relevant) and members of the community and conduct focus group discussions.
- Meet with government partners (woreda and zonal level; water and health) to discuss project performance, results and impacts.
- Obtain as far as possible data and statistics related to:
• general WASH status in project zones,
• the projects themselves (functionality of schemes, beneficiary numbers, operational performance of projects after construction
• emergency interventions both in project areas and in other non-project areas in the same zones, including actual costs.
- Meet with and interview IRC project staff.

Report Compilation

- Prepare a draft report and submit it to IRC Ethiopia for review. Upon receipt of comments, the consultant will submit a final version of the report. The report should include the following:
• An overall assessment of IRC's impact in project areas during the period of project operations, including successes and failures.
• An evaluation of the sustainability of interventions, especially of the maintenance and operation of hardware components of the schemes by community Water Management Committees.
• An evaluation of the sustainability and long-term effect of behavior change methodologies related to hygiene practices.
• An assessment (as best possible given available data) of the health impact of the IRC's work in the region.
• An assessment of the benefits (if any) of projects within the Disaster Risk Reduction framework, relating to avoided or mitigated disasters in the period subsequent to implementation.
• A cost-benefit analysis of the projects in terms of implementation costs vs avoided costs of disasters.
• A discussion of lessons to be learned.
• Recommendations for future project implementation in Ethiopia, based on the assessment.

- Consultant should have public health and/or engineering background and demonstrated experience in NGO project implementation in the WASH sector.