terms of reference – MID term Review for the Country Strategy
Plan International
We strive to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organisation, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until adulthood and enable them to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years, we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

About Plan International Rwanda
Plan International Rwanda opened in January 2007 and is currently working in the Eastern and Southern Provinces of Rwanda in the districts of Gatsibo, Bugesera and Nyaruguru with sponsorship programs and grant-funded projects and in all 5 camps hosting refugees, namely Mahama, Kiziba, Mugombwa, Kigeme and Nyabiheke.
Building on its 15 years’ experience and learning in Rwanda context and guided by Plan International’s Program and Influence Approach, Plan International Rwanda is implementing programs and projects that (a) challenge discriminatory gender and social norms at the community level while (b) Influencing the development and implementation of relevant laws and policies that support children’s rights, especially girls. Based on the findings of the situation analysis, the country strategy focuses on four integrated Country Programs (CP): (i) Early Child Development, (ii) Child Protection, (iii) Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and (iv) Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Resilience.
To deliver the country's strategy cost-effectively, Plan International Rwanda has decided to work through partnership and alliance as per Plan International’s global Program and Influence Approach.
PIR Country Strategy Background

Plan International Rwanda developed a Country Strategy (CS) from July 2020 to June 2024, which presents a comprehensive analysis of the situation of children, especially girls, in Rwanda. The Country Strategy also outlines Plan International Rwanda’s intent to strategically position itself to effectively contribute to addressing some of the key child rights violations that girls and boys face during the above-mentioned period.
While one cannot ignore the fact that Rwanda has made significant progress in promoting gender equality, it is important to note that this progress is primarily driven by a strong government commitment and not necessarily by a shift in social norms in the country. SGBV and other child rights violations are still prevalent and more pronounced in disaster-prone areas and humanitarian settings, especially in refugee camps. Children, especially girls with disabilities, are the worst affected. Furthermore, even though the government has made massive progress in implementing policy instruments and institutions to support SRHR, underlying social norms that play out at community and family levels have significantly slowed down the positive SRHR outcomes for young people. This is coupled with institutional barriers that affect SRHR in Rwanda. In fact, Rwanda still has legal restrictions, making it very difficult for adolescents to access and fully utilise reproductive health services. Another challenging area is Early Childhood Development (ECD). The sector continues to lag behind other key indices. However, the government and its Civil Society Partners (CSOs) are now focusing a lot of attention and resources on this area.

A situation analysis, undertaken as part of the Country Strategy development process, noted significant child rights gaps in child protection, early childhood development (ECD) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) stood out as one of Rwanda's most significant contributing factors to child rights violations. Children and young people, especially girls, continue to experience SGBV at home and in public spaces such as schools, church and the community. SGBV and child rights violations in Rwanda are closely linked to and deeply rooted in unequal gender power relations and social exclusion that exist at all levels of the social norms’ environment. Most of the SGBV is perpetrated by men and boys on women and girls. The push factors are often complicated and intersect with each other. Cultural and religious patriarchy is one of the key underlying factors behind SGBV in Rwanda.
The overall Country Strategy’s goal is: ‘To contribute to the access to comprehensive ECD services and the reduction of SGBV so that vulnerable children and young people, particularly girls, grow up, develop and realise their rights to make decisions about their lives in protective, healthy, resilient and inclusive environments in both development and humanitarian settings. This goal will be achieved by implementing the 4 Country Programmes: Early Childhood Development, Child Protection, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, and Disaster Risk. Management and Resilience.
Therefore, to ensure that the CS’s contributions are evidence-based and as well as recorded, a baseline survey was conducted in 2020; currently, PIR is preparing a Mid-term review to evaluate halfway milestones in achieving the CS.
Evaluation Focus

Purpose of the Evaluation
The Mid-term review aims to measure the current status of Country Strategy outcome indicators and to provide guidance and tools to support the ongoing implementation of Country Programmes throughout the Country Strategy period.
The Mid-term review will include the analysis of progress against the current Annual Plan, existing projects and progress towards objectives and outcomes, including an analysis of the underlying reasons for the improvement and implications. Identifying significant changes in context or operational circumstances (e.g. Covid-19) may impact the organisation. The effects of COVID19 pandemic on the programme implementation especially looking at PIR shifting from previous planned implementation and aligning to the government priorities such as Agriculture.
Indicator values collected during the baseline will be used as the benchmark of this Mid-term review to inform progress at the end of the Country Strategy evaluation.
This Mid-term review will re-examine the approach of measurement for all Country Programmes. It will need to provide strategic recommendations for each of the areas to be delivered effectively. The Mid-term review study shall also provide tools to measure the outcome indicators in future relevant projects consistently.

Evaluation criteria
The Mid-term review survey includes qualitative and quantitative data analysis and incorporates feedback from key stakeholders. Moreover, it includes assessments of the CS’s:
• Effectiveness: to what extent and the reasons behind the achievement (or not) of the CS’s objectives, and whether these lead to unintended (positive or negative) consequences for anybody involved or affected by the CS.
• Relevance: To what extent were the CS and its approaches suited to the priorities and policies of the people and communities it intended to benefit?
• Efficiency: the extent to which financial resources were used economically and efficiently, potentially including cost-benefit ratios and alternative programming approaches to achieve the CS’s objectives.
• Sustainability: the probability of continued long-term benefits to the target populations after the CS has been completed. This might include the resource and capacity of partners or beneficiaries to continue the intervention after phase out.
• Child rights, gender and Inclusion: the extent to which the CS applies to gender and inclusion sensitive approaches and explicitly aims for results that improve the rights of children and young people and gender equality.
Evaluation Questions based on criteria
Apart from the Mid-term review evaluation questions tailored to fit each CS’s outcome indicators being evaluated, this evaluation should address the following questions too:

Questions Evaluation criteria
1. Did the Country Strategy (CS) realise what was initially planned, including the most significant changes against project indicators (compared to the mid-term review)? What factors crucial for achieving or failing the project objectives so far?
2. To what extent the expected outcomes of the CS have been
achieved or likely to be achieved?
1. What have been the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the CS (including enabling factors, barriers and
bottlenecks) Effectiveness
1. Did the original CS design target the right group of stakeholders, and were the root causes identified correctly (and whether the design is still valid)?
2. To what extent did the intervention address CS stakeholders’ needs and interests?
3. To what extent is our CS programmes aligned to the 6 AOGDs (Areas of Global Distinctness)
4. To what extent did the CS priorities (objectives, thematic focus) comply with government humanitarian and development policies and plans?
5. Are the activities and strategies of the CS consistent with its overall objectives and the attainment of the intended impact and effect?
6. Is the project intervention relevant to address the context issues, system or mechanism in the Four Country Programme Relevance
1. Could alternative activities have led to the same results by using fewer resources?
2. Could the interventions have been more cost-effective according to the initial planned budget (better value for money)?
3. Was the programme intervention delivered according to the implementation? And what are the key priorities for the remaining period?
4. Were the interventions delivered according to the agreed timeframes?
5. Are any CS approaches that can be scaled up as efficient operational models? Efficiency
1. To what extent can interventions be expected to carry on after the CS is completed? What changes resulting from the interventions implemented by partners are likely to be long lasting? To what extent can interventions be carried forward without Plan International Rwanda’s direct intervention? (by partners, communities, and local authorities)
2. What are the key barriers and bottlenecks towards achieving sustainability of the CS in terms of sustainability of results achieved and sustainability of programmes and interventions?
3. To what extent can components of the CS be integrated and implemented under the full ownership of the government and PIR’s partners, both technically and financially?
4. To what extent has Plan International Rwanda’s support contributed to enhancing the sustainability of CS? Sustainability
1. How effectively is the CS addressing/advancing children’s rights, equality for girls and inclusion? What are the remaining gaps? Does the CS lead to improvements in the rights of children, young people and gender equality?
2. To what extent was the CS gender transformative?
3. How do the vulnerable and marginalised, including people with disability, play a crucial role in the organisational decision-making process and strategy development? Child rights, gender and inclusion

Child rights, gender and inclusion
In line with Plan International’s values and organisational ambition, the Mid-term review should seek to prioritise a focus on child rights, gender and inclusion and try to understand the extent to which the CS applied to gender and inclusion sensitive approaches and explicitly aimed for results that improve the rights of children and young people and gender equality primarily focusing on assessing the Contribution of the CS programmes to gender transformative approach and to powering movement for girls.
In this regard, the consultant will work closely with the Child Protection and Gender Equality and Inclusion staff of Plan International Rwanda through the gender and intersectional lens by developing key research questions related to child rights, gender and inclusion. The consultant will apply child rights, gender and inclusion concepts while developing data collection.

Key Outcome Indicators
The CS’s outcome indicators reflect the most critical changes for key actors that the programmes aim to achieve. The cross-cutting indicators are measured across all the country's programs
Country Strategy Indicators cross-cutting issues that will be measured across all programmes
• The proportion of young people participating in VSLA who report an increase in personal income.
• The proportion of communities who have an effective disaster preparedness plan in place.

Country programmes Core AOGD indicators
Early Childhood development
• % of parents/caregivers that adopt essential nurturing care practices for their children’s healthy development
• The degree to which the government has increased budget allocations in critical sectors/areas for ECD (health services, nutrition services, Early Childhood Education)
• The degree to which community leaders and members support and sustain community-based ECD services
Gender Responsive
Child Protection


• The degree to which young people feel confident and able to speak out and raise concerns about sexual and gender-based harassment and violence
• The degree to which girls and young women feel they would receive positive response and support in their families or their communities if they were to raise an issue or report incidences of SGBV.
• District authorities establish a specific budget for concrete action to improve protection and response to SGBV.
• The decrease in SGBV incidences in the country.
Sexual

Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
• The degree to which young people attending young people spaces talk with their peers and discuss issues related to their SRHR.
• The degree to which children and young people report that their parents/ caregivers provide them with positive guidance and supports for their sexuality and reproductive health
• The extent to which community opinion leaders have positive, and gender equal attitudes to young people’s sexuality and SRH

Disaster Risk Management and Resilience
• The degree to which children, young people benefit from fast, useful and relevant humanitarian and disaster responses that meet quality standards to address their core humanitarian needs
• % of families the ability to deal with, and reduce the impact of disasters on their own
• Degree at which communities develop and use social capabilities to deal positively with adverse shocks and stresses that affect them
• Increased budget allocation for disasters and emergencies at all levels.
Users of the Mid-term review
The Mid-term review findings will be used by Plan International staff (Rwanda Country Office and Programme Unit and Area Offices, and National Organisations) to: Inform the approach for the delivery of the Country Strategy,
• Identify key programme priorities for the remaining period of the CS
• Set the direction for fundraising and programme design,
• Support the start-up of new projects by providing Mid-term review data and data collection tools for key outcome areas.

Methods for Data Collection and Analysis
The detailed methodology and data collection tools will be developed by the consultant and reviewed and approved by Plan International Rwanda staff. The consultant will identify the most appropriate tools to measure each indicator and develop the necessary tools and methods. It is expected that the approach to data collection will include:
• Desk review
• Focus group discussions
• Key Informant Interviews (KII)
• Observational tools
• Most significant changes (MSCs)
By the end of the Mid-term review, all outcome indicators should have separate and replicable tools to enable ongoing monitoring of the outcome indicators and to form the basis of the evaluation methodology.
All tools, methods and an analytical framework (at least in draft) are expected to be supplied as part of the Inception Report after the Conceptualisation Phase. Note that PIR will provide data collectors and tablets for the midterm review Process.

Sample
After consulting the Country Strategy, the consultant should develop and suggest a sampling strategy. Including a description of the sample size, necessary respondents disaggregated as per Plan International guidelines, location and the sampling approach.
The PI standards on Minimum Project Participants Disaggregation will be shared with the consultants. The minimum requirement is a disaggregation according to gender, age, location, and Inclusion for all categories, but how this standard needs to be applied in this specific study will need to be discussed with the PIR.
Participant Selection and Recruitment
The Mid-term review will be carried out in Plan International Rwanda’s sponsored areas, namely Gatsibo, Bugesera, and Nyaruguru districts, in refugee camps located in Mahama, Nyabiheke, Mugombwa, Kiziba, and Kigeme. The consultant will refer to the number of the Country Strategy beneficiaries indicated under each country programme to propose a sampling strategy to the Plan International Rwanda programme team (See the corresponding section of the Country strategy).
• The consultant should outline the intended participants based on the information needs of the indicators. It is expected that the participants will include:
• Children and young people (girls and boys)
• Parents and caregivers both in the Communities and Refugee Camps.
• Teachers and school management in ECD Centres
• Government officials, Community Leaders and representatives at different levels
• Plan International Rwanda staff and partners
Note that the sample strategy and approach and the participants will be confirmed throughout the Conceptualisation Phase.
Ethics and Child Protection

Plan International is committed to ensuring that the rights of those participating in data collection or analysis are respected and protected following the Framework for Ethical MERL and our Global Policy on Safeguarding Children and Young People. All applicants should include details in their proposal on how they will ensure ethics and child protection in the data collection process. Specifically, the consultant(s) shall explain how appropriate, safe, and non-discriminatory participation of all stakeholders will be ensured and how special attention will be paid to the needs of children and other vulnerable groups. The consultant(s) shall also explain how confidentiality and anonymity of participants will be guaranteed.
All staff working with children throughout the Mid-term review should, where possible, provide a criminal certificate of good conduct. No work will start without the consultant's signature of Plan International’s Child and Safeguarding policy.

Key Deliverables
The conformity of the report to the MERL standards and requirements of Plan International will be assessed and confirmed by Plan International Rwanda. The text of the report should be illustrated, as appropriate, with maps, graphs and tables.
The consultant will submit the following documents in English:
Deliverable Format Length Due Detail
Inception Report Microsoft Word Document Maximum 12 pages 31-Oct-2022 Inception Report must include: an updated timeline; detailed methodology, including draft sampling methodology and size; draft data collection tools; ethical considerations; consent forms for any primary data collection; (draft) methods for data analysis; and a brief justification of the methods and techniques used (including relevant underlying values and assumptions/ theories) with a rationale for the selections made (e.g. of persons interviewed).
Final Sampling methodology (including unit of sampling and sampling frame) and size Microsoft Word Document To be determined by the consultant 31-Oct-2022 Referring to the draft sampling methodology and size presented in the inception report and drawing on the inputs from Plan International Rwanda, the consultant will submit the final sampling methodology (including unit of sampling and sampling frame) and size to Plan International.
Completed Consent Forms Microsoft Word or PDF 1 page 31-Oct-2022 Consent should be presented to Plan International for filing.
Final Data Collection Tools A consultant can suggest the format A consultant can decide on the length 31-Oct-2022 Final data collection tools must be submitted to Plan International Rwanda for review and input and for acceptance before the data collection activity.
These tools shall be used for all future monitoring activities during the project duration to ensure consistency in measurement.
Cleaned Data as result of the CS Mid-term review Excel, Microsoft Word for a transcript of qualitative data To be determined by the consultant 24-Nov-2022 Cleaned data in English should be submitted to Plan International Rwanda. For data expressed in Kinyarwanda, a raw dataset will be presented to allow Plan International Rwanda to keep both the original and translated dataset.
Draft Mid-term Review Report
Microsoft Word Document Maximum 40 pages 8-Dec-2022 The report should be submitted within 10 working days from the conclusion of the data collection to Plan International Rwanda for review and inputs
The report should include an Indicator tracking table with Mid-term review data inserted.
A validation workshop In-person workshop at Plan International Rwanda Country Office 1 day 14-Dec-2022 A validation workshop will be conducted and the draft report will be presented and discussed to the Project team
Final Mid-term Review Report Microsoft Word Document Maximum 40 pages 22-Dec-2022 A final Mid-term review report must be presented to Plan International Rwanda staff for acceptance.

Timeline
Activity Time Days of Work Responsible Individuals Involved
Tendering 3-Oct-2022 up to 11-Oct--2022 7 days Plan International Rwanda staff Plan International Rwanda staff
Background Checks and Contracting 13-Oct-2022 up to 17-Oct-2022 3 days Plan International Rwanda staff Plan International Rwanda staff and consultant
Inception Call/ Inception Workshop 19-Oct-2022 1 days Plan International Rwanda staff Plan International Rwanda staff and consultant
Preparation and Submission of Inception Report 20-Oct-2022 up to 31-Oct-2022 8 days Consultant Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
Preparations for Data Collection 1-Nov-2022 up to 3-Nov-2022 3 days Consultant Consultant (mandatory) and Plan International Rwanda staff (optional)
Data Collection 4-Nov-2022 up to 17-Nov-2022 10 days Consultant Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
Data Entry and Cleaning 18-Nov-2022 up to 24-Nov-2022 5 days Consultant Consultant
Data Analysis and Report writing 25-Nov-2022 up to 8-Dec-2022 10 days Consultant Consultant
Submission of draft CS Mid-term review report 8-Dec-2022 1 day Consultant Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
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Validation of findings 14-Dec-2022 1 day Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
Submission of Final Report 15-Dec-2022 up to 22-Dec-2022 5 days Consultant Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
Submission of other deliverables 23-Dec-2022 1 day Consultant Consultant, Plan International Rwanda staff
Budget
The payment will be made in three instalments and due on approval of key milestones by Plan International Rwanda instead of on submission of key milestones by the consultant. Plan International Rwanda reserves the right to withhold payment until the organisation is satisfied with the output.
Milestone Detail Amount to be Paid (%) Expected Timeframe
Inception Report (including an updated timeline, a review matrix; detailed methodology, including draft sampling methodology and size; draft data collection tools; ethical considerations; consent forms for any primary data collection; (draft) methods for data analysis; brief justification of the methods and techniques used (including relevant underlying values and assumptions/ theories) with a justification of the selections made (e.g. of persons interviewed) and final Sampling methodology The first instalment of 25% will be paid following the milestones reception as itemised in this table's first column. 25% 31-Oct-2022
Cleaned Data as result of the CS review and Draft CS Mid-term Review Report The second instalment of 50% will be paid following the reception of cleaned data and Draft Mid-term review Report.The second instalment of 50% will be paid following the reception of cleaned data and the Draft Mid-term Review Report. 50% 8-Dec-2022
Final Mid-term review Report and submission of other deliverables The third, which is also the final instalment of 25%, will be paid following the presentation and approval of the final Mid-term review Report by Plan International Rwanda and submission of other remaining deliverables. 25% 23-Dec-2022
The total budget for this Mid-term review study includes VAT/taxes and other related costs. The consultant must pay all obligations, for example, VAT/taxes, travel costs, expenses / per diems and translation costs, among others.

Expected Qualifications
• The individual consultants should have at least a Master’s degree in a relevant field of economics and project management, development Studies, Social sciences or other related fields
• A minimum of seven years of experience in conducting studies in development and humanitarian settings, including Mid-term review studies
• Technical M&E skills, including demonstrated knowledge and experience in undertaking Mid-term review studies; or other research-related assignments.
• Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection
• Proficiency in statistics and proven experience with data analysis.
• Excellent report writing and data interpretation
• Ability to conduct research independently.
• Knowledge of English and/or French and Kinyarwanda
• History of published articles, studies, or research work.
Companies with relevant experience with evidenced proof of expertise of staff on this assignment are also eligible to apply.
Submission of proposal
Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:
Administrative documents:
Consulting firm must submit the following administrative documents:
1. Copy of Registration certificate(RDB Certificate)
2. VAT Registration
3. RRA and RRSB clearance

b)Technical proposal to include:
Requirements for the format of the bid; The structure of the offer must correspond to the structure of the TOR. It must be legible (font size 11 or larger) and clearly formulated. The offer is drawn up in English. With the following:
1. A Cover letter expressing interest in this assignment;
2. A one-page Consultant’s understanding of the TOR;
3. Proposed methodology, activities and expected outcomes;
4. Ethics and child safeguarding approach, including any identified risks and associated mitigation strategies
5. A detailed activities schedule/work plan with a time frame (including a Gantt chart);
6. A profile of the individual consultant or consulting firm, including the full names, physical addresses, telephone numbers and contact person of the form/company;
7. Copy of CVs of all the consultants who will undertake the Mid-term review survey;
8. Two previous examples of similar work entrusted by a well-srecognised Organisation/NGOs(Good completion certificates)
Financial proposal detailing:
1. Itemized consultant’s fees;
2. Itemized field data collection expenses;
3. Itemized administration expenses;
4. The validity period of quotation;
5. Expected payment plan and method;

Applications
Kindly submit your offers clearly marked “terms of reference – MID term REVIEW FOR The COUNTRY STRATEGY ” separating Technical and Financial Proposals in sealed envelop by not later than 20th OCTOBER 2022 at 2:00 pm.
Done on 07th October 2022
Submissions should be addressed to
The Chairperson -Tender Panel
Plan International Inc. Rwanda
Golden Plaza Building, Floor # 4, KG 456 St
P.O.Box 6211, Kigali, Rwanda.
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