1. About Plan International
Plan International strives 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 they reach adulthood and enable children 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.
2. Project Background
Project Information
Consortium lead :Plan Børnefonden (Plan International in Denmark)
Project countries : Jordan
Intervention :areas Amman governorate, Mafraq governorate, Za’atari Refugee Camp, Irbid governorate, Zarqa governorate, Azraq Refugee Camp
Project timeframe : Jan 1 2022 – Dec 31 2026
Consortium members: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Dansk Industri (DI), Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS), Plan International Jordan
Main donor: Novo Nordisk Fonden
The Najahna (‘Our Success’ in Arabic) programme has the overall objective to empower 48,000 adolescent and young Syrian refugees and other conflict-affected youth in Jordan, especially adolescent girls, and young women, to become economic, social viable actors in an inclusive, healthy protective and gender responsive environment. To get to the heart of the issue, the programme targets different barriers that young people face from the systems level, with a weak educational system and a restrictive legal and policy environment for refugees, to the societal level harmful social norms, practices and traditions that stand in the way of young women’s economic empowerment, and finally, the skills and capacities that young people need at an individual level.
- Specific Objective
1: Adolescent and young Syrian refugees and other conflict-affected youth, especially adolescent girls, and young women, have access to and complete quality secondary education1 (formal and non-formal); works to strengthen the education system to ensure that all youth have equal access to, and graduate with relevant skills to entering the job market and finding decent work.
2 - Specific Objective
2: Young Syrian refugees and other conflict-affected youth, especially young women, are economically empowered, by enhanced and equal access to decent employment/self-employment, allowing them to actively engage in the Jordanian economy and labor market; works with the private sector and education institutions to provide supply and demand side solutions to youth unemployment in Jordan, enabling both refugees and Jordanians’ transition to economic empowerment. - Specific Objective 3: Adolescent Young Syrian refugees and other conflict-affected youth, especially young women, and adolescent girls, have access to youth friendly services, including quality SRHR and GBV services, and are empowered to challenge social norms; underpins the achievement of the first two objectives by establishing an enabling environment for young Syrian refugees and other conflict-affected youth, especially adolescent girls and young women, to become active citizens and enact positive changes in their communities.
While firmly anchored in the local context, Najahna introduces four signature approaches which draw on global best practices to bring about transformative, system change. First, the programme’s gender transformative approach will advance gender equality in Jordan by redressing harmful gender norms and roles to support girls and women in making informed choices, and becoming economically empowered, and active agents in reshaping unequal gender and power relations. While challenging prevailing negative gender norms is a sensitive and difficult issue, Plan will rely on its’ proven experience in transforming perceptions around gender and gender roles to create positive change. Second, evidence, research, and learning are a key component of the programme’s adaptive approach, and critical to ensuring that all interventions take a point of departure in the context, based on what works. Recognizing the role of other actors, evidencebased data and analysis will be shared with duty-bearers, policymakers, donors and implementing actors for inspiration and knowledge building. Third, private sector organizations play a vital role in society in securing stable and flexible labor markets. The programme therefore builds linkages between the private sector stakeholders and social partners such as trade unions and education institutions to find solutions that integrate refugees and vulnerable groups into the labor market while also supporting job growth and entrepreneurship within certain sectors. Fourth, Plan’s Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE) Pathways is a step-by-step approach offering a unique approach to preparing and transitioning young people into the world of work, including the most vulnerable and marginalized.
3. Purpose and Design of Impact Evaluation, Research, and Learning Impact Evaluation:
The main purpose of the evaluation is to evaluate the impact of the programme’s four key or flagship indicators through using a quasi-experimental design that includes a comparison between treatment groups and control or comparison groups (between baseline/midline, midline/endline, baseline/endline). It is also expected that the evaluation study, starting at midline, will evaluate the sustainability and effectiveness of the programme and its impact.
The evaluation research, in line with the overall programme of work, is envisaged to take place during the life of the Najahna project, will follow young people through their life trajectory starting in their 3 households and communities where they grow and develop, progressing to primary school and on to completing secondary school, undertaking vocational trainings or other non-formal education, and on to undertaking apprenticeships and finally reaching employment. This life trajectory approach allows the evaluation and research to situate these young people in these different sites and the impact they have experienced due to their participation in the programme.
The overall design of the evaluation will consist of a mixed method approach critical for triangulation, adding both breadth and depth to the evidence generated. Thus quantitative and qualitative methods will be used. At midline, it is suggested that Outcome Harvesting is used alongside other methods.
Nested Research Studies:
Smaller /nested pieces of research are proposed throughout the life of the programme. The topics of these research pieces will be identified as the programme proceeds and will likely emerge from areas that are being identified as needing further exploration and in consultation with the consortium partners. Once the focus of these pieces are clarified, it is likely that the research lead team will provide advice and guidance for the roll-out of these studies and will then identify, together with all consortium partners, where there may still be remaining gaps in knowledge and evidence.
Methods and designs for these nested research pieces will depend on the thematic area of focus but could include qualitative studies or case studies, qualitative cohorts, small quantitative surveys, analysis of service user data and political economy analyses.
Learning:
Learning is at the centre of this programme. Learning is critical to, amongst other things, building an evidence base of what works, adapting programmeming based on ongoing and often changing needs, priorities, and contexts, and not least, to continue to generate evidence for both the programme and beyond. For this programme, the partners have proposed an integrated monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) system. The MERL system draws on innovations for adaptive programmeming and adaptive development that have emerged over the last few years.
The specific purposes of the MERL in Najahna is to ensure that:
• Learning is central to the programme both in terms of informing strategic decisions and layering over time different types of evidence from programme implementation.
• Research activities generate high quality and rigorous evidence that can inform strategic decisions in the programme.
• Synergies between research and teams' reflections are established so that together they can inform programme implementation and adaptations.
• Conditions for safe sharing and documentation of activities and interventions that fail to deliver outputs and results, are provided.
• Clear and appropriate quantifiable and gender equality and social inclusion disaggregated indicators are designed to measure output, performance and contribution to outcomes and impact.
3 Responsibilities and Key Deliverables
1. Learning and Adaptation
1.1. Facilitate at least 3 in-person Learning Workshops in 2023, 2024 and 2025 in Amman, with following key outputs:
1.2. 3 ‘Key Insights’ slide decks with presentation to management
1.3. 3 Actionable Recommendation Briefs from management consultation based on workshop learnings
1.4. Use of best practice learning workshop methodology
1.5. Meetings with partners to develop an action plan reflecting the learnings extracted in the workshops, with follow-up reporst in 2024 and 2025
1.6. Consultant responsible for tool development, implementation, data management and facilitating and following up on the closure of feedback loops (converting insights to action) and adaptation processes
1.7. Use of After Action Reviews and Process Evaluation
2. Impact Evaluation
2.1. A research protocol outlining the detailed design, methodology, methods, sampling, and procedures of the midline study and endline evaluation.
3. Midline Study
3.1. Conduct a midline analysis using baseline data and mixed methodologies including quasiexperimental (Propensity/Coarsened Score Matching and difference-in-difference) and other methods such as Outcome Harvesting in the latter half of 2024
3.2. Hold validation sessions with partners and participants
3.3. Publish Midline Report
4. Endline Evaluation
4.1. Conduct an endline evaluation, using baseline, midline and endline data in 2026
4.2. Follow the same qualitative and quantitative data tools and collection and analysis protocol as that used by baseline and midline, including Propensity/Coarsened Score Matching and difference-in-difference
4.3. Collect control data through local partner from approximately 1500 households, drawn through probability sampling with a statistical power of at least 95% and 4% margin of error
4.4. Use of baseline and midline data for control and treatment
4.5. Validation sessions with partners and programme participants
4.6. Presentation of findings at international conferences
4.7. Presentation of findings amongst implementing partners in Jordan and other relevant stakeholders
5. Research and Dissemination
5.1. Publish 3 pieces of research, 1 in 2024, 1 in 2025 and 1 in 2026
5.2. Research questions co-developed with implementing partners and youth participants in close collaboration with the PMU Advocacy Advisor and Plan Denmark Advocacy Lead that support the Communications and Advocacy Strategy
5.3. Consultant responsible for participatory data collection and analysis
5.4. Intentional balance of qualitative and quantitative methods is expected.
5.5. Presentation of findings amongst implementing partners in Jordan and other relevant stakeholders
5.6. Presentation of findings at international conference
5.7. Support implementing partners in the development / reviewing of the ToRs and results for the studies or research related to Najahna programme
4 Sample and Methods for Data Collection and Analysis It is expected that probability sampling methods will be used when it is not possible to survey all participants. Sampling and methods for data collection and analysis should be consistent with indicator guidelines in Annex 5: MERL Results Framework and instructions in Annex 4: Ethical MERL Guidelines
5 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, in accordance with Ethical MERL Framework and our Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy. 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, 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.
In some cases, ethical approval is required for data collection. This may be a government requirement in the country, because the consultant works for an academic institution, or because the topic is deemed as high risk by the project manager. Details about the processes or requirements for ethical approval should be included here and incorporated into the timeline.
5.1 Conducting Safeguarding Risk Assessment Safeguarding, and in particular child safeguarding, is an important task for all data collection activities. Child safeguarding policies and guidelines will be in place and will be strictly implemented in all settings and for all activities involving children and adolescents. Visits to project sites and communities will always follow the safeguarding policies. It is the responsibility of the reserach lead to ensure that all relevant staff including enumerators are oriented by Plan International, sign, and strictly adhere to Plan’s safeguarding policies as well as the research lead’s policies..
Conducting a risk assessment for a an ERL initiative is mandatory. It is a critical step in ensuring that participants and data collectors can safely and ethically participate in the ERLinitiative. The purpose of the risk assessment is to map the potential risks of harm to all participants and data collectors involved in the ERL initiative and to identify the appropriate measures needed to mitigate these risks.
A thorough risk assessment must be completed at the start of a ERL initiative and before any engagement with participants takes place. The risk assessment should be completed and signed off by the appropriate Director, at the beginning of a ERL initiative. But it is important that this risk assessment is revisited throughout the initiative and is updated to document any new or changing risks.
Expected Qualifications Key Selection Criteria:
• Experience in facilitating learning in multi-year programmes.
• Experience in Evaluation and Research on economic empowerment interventions in development projects
• Experiece doing advocacy research including policy research
• Experience in leading quasi-experimental studies and using quasi-experimental methods for causal inference in development projects and proficiency in descriptive and inferential statistics
• Experience using research Qualitative Methods and Participatory Methods
• Experience doing research in Jordan in the education and/or youth economic empowerment sector
• Research Ethics and Safeguarding considerations are consistent with Plan International standards
• Physically located in Jordan or has representation in Jordan through partner institution (essential)
• Quality of evaluation research technical proposal (i.e., how well it addresses the ToR in terms of methodology (quasi-experimental), sample size, sampling methodology. coherence, etc)
• Quality of advocacy research technical proposal (i.e., the coherence of the suggested advocacy agenda and research methods) Additional criteria considered as an advantage :
• Experience in research, learning OR evaluation in programmes aiming for gendertransformative interventions
• Experience in facilitating learning on youth economic empowerment.
• Experience in facilitating learning on education.
• Experience doing Evaluation Research on education interventions
How to apply
Deadline for submission : May 3, 2023, 12 :00 Central European Standard Time Submit applications to : marianne.kaae@planbornefonden.dk Please note that applications will not be viewed or reviewed until after the deadline for submission.
Deadline for question submission : April 26, 2023 Submit questions to hanadi.riad@plan-international.org and andrew.christensen@planbornefonden.dk.
Questions with responses will be made publicy available on this Q&A Page.
Responses will be posted within up to 4 business days of receiving them.
Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:
- Detailed response to the TOR
- Proposed methodology for the three mentioned workstreams, including indicative sample sizes and number of surveys/interviews to be conducted in the impact and nested research studies.
- Ethics and child safeguarding approaches, including any identified risks and associated mitigation strategies
- Proposed timelines, by month
- CVs
- Evidence and examples of previous work
- Detailed budget, including daily fee rates, expenses, etc.
- Police Certificates of Good Conduct or equivalent official safeguarding background check
- A registration certificate with the proper authorities if based in Jordan.
Annex 1:
Global Policy: Safeguarding Children and Young People
• Annex 2: Programme Document
• Annex 4: Ethical MERL Guidelines
• Annex 5: MERL Framework with indicators
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