External Evaluator – Women’s Business Incubator & Mental Health Support project
Number Of positions: 1
Publishing date: 26th March 2025
Deadline of submission: 4th April 2025
Introduction
This ToR specifies the details for the interim and final technical evaluation of the Women’s Business Incubator & Mental Health Support project implemented by the Lotus Flower (TLF) organization in Duhok governorate, targeting IDP, refugee and host communities, in partnership with the If! Foundation (IF).
The evaluation will assess the implemented activities in accordance with the agreement between IF and TLF, determining whether they achieve the planned results and project objectives. Based on the evaluation, the evaluators will provide recommendations to improve the quality of this project and similar future initiatives conducted by TLF.
Background
The ‘Women’s Business Incubator & Mental Health Support’ project focuses on business creation and economic empowerment for displaced and vulnerable women, as well as mental health and psychosocial support and awareness of gender-based violence and gender equality.
The project will take place over three years in displacement and refugee camps, as well as host communities, across Duhok Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It includes a research component to provide insights on rising cases of female suicide, with the aim of identifying keyassociated factors, and identifying gaps in support. Additionally, the partnership includes an organisational strengthening element to bolster The Lotus Flower’s fundraising team and facilitate an external evaluation of the programme.
Building on the success of The Lotus Flower’s UNHCR award-winning Women’s Business Incubator, the project will deliver livelihood training and financial grants for 120 women over three years, enabling them to start their own sustainable small businesses based on market need and viability. It will also provide mental health and psychosocial support to women with chronic illnesses and cancer who have experienced the trauma of displacement, along with creative art and music therapy sessions for youth as a suicide prevention strategy. Older women with chronic illnesses and disabilities will benefit from individual and group psychological sessions in addition to yoga and meditation, while awareness-raising of GBV and protection issues will reach thousands in the community through discussions, seminars, outreach efforts and innovative theatre performance.
Purpose of the Evaluation
The evaluation aims to assess the project’s design, implementation, and outcomes to determine:
● The relevance and fulfillment of objectives,
● The efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the intervention.
The evaluation will provide credible and useful information that enables the incorporation of lessons learned into decision-making processes for TLF.
Key Evaluation Principles:
● Impartiality and Independence: Ensuring an unbiased evaluation process.
● Credibility: Engaging skilled independent experts and maintaining transparency.
● Participation: Involving stakeholders for diverse perspectives.
● Usefulness: Delivering clear, concise, and timely information to decision-makers.
Focus of the Evaluation
The interim and final reports should provide conclusions and recommendations addressing the following questions:
● To what extent did project activities meet the objectives and planned results as outlined in the logical framework?
● Have the economic and mental health outcomes been sustained over time?
● Did the project adequately meet the livelihood and MHPSS needs of beneficiaries?
● Were the result indicators and their means of verification adequate?
● How effectively was gender mainstreaming integrated into the project?
● What unmet MHPSS, Livelihoods and awareness needs should TLF consider for potential future interventions?
The evaluation team will have access to project agreements, interim reports, visibility materials, and other relevant documents.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Relevance
This criterion assesses how well the project’s objectives align with the needs of displaced and vulnerable women, youth, and the broader community in Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The intervention is designed to address the immediate and long-term needs of the beneficiaries, particularly in terms of economic empowerment, mental health and psychosocial support, and gender-based violence (GBV) awareness. It is essential to ensure that the project is context-sensitive and responsive to the specific challenges faced by displaced populations and host communities, such as rising mental health issues, suicide rates, and the increase in GBV due to displacement.
● Key Aspects:
○ How well do the project’s objectives align with the economic, mental health, and social needs of displaced women, youth, and men in Duhok?
○ Does the project design incorporate local realities, such as specific triggers for females’ suicide, mental health struggles, and GBV resulting from displacement?
○ How responsive is the project to local and national policy priorities, including government strategies for economic development, mental health, and gender equality?
○ How adaptable is the project to any changes in the socio-political or economic context (e.g., policy shifts, evolving community needs, or emerging local challenges)?
2. Coherence
This criterion evaluates the extent to which the project complements or conflicts with other ongoing efforts in the region, particularly in the areas of gender equality, mental health, and economic empowerment. Both internal coherence (synergy between different components of the project) and external coherence (alignment with the broader interventions of other actors) are assessed to ensure the project integrates effectively with existing initiatives.
● Key Aspects:
○ Does the project align with existing government policies and international frameworks on women’s empowerment, mental health, and GBV?
○ How well does the project collaborate with or complement other initiatives focused on economic empowerment, mental health support, and gender equality for displaced populations?
○ Does the project avoid duplication of efforts, and does it add value to existing initiatives and policies in the region?
○ Are there any gaps or synergies identified between The Lotus Flower’s work and other actors, including local NGOs, international agencies, and government bodies such as ?
3. Effectiveness
Effectiveness assesses the extent to which the intervention has achieved its objectives, including economic empowerment, mental health support, and GBV awareness. This criterion looks at the effectiveness of the business incubation component, the mental health support services, and the outreach efforts related to suicide prevention, as well as the organizational strengthening efforts.
● Key Aspects:
○ Has the project successfully supported 120 women in starting sustainable businesses and fostering their economic independence?
○ How effective have the mental health services, such as creative art and music therapy, been in addressing trauma, reducing suicide rates, and enhancing mental well-being among displaced youth and adults?
○ Has the project contributed to raising awareness of GBV for vulnerable groups in the community?
○ To what extent has the organizational strengthening element supported The Lotus Flower in building its fundraising capacity, monitoring systems, and program evaluation processes?
○ How has the project adjusted or responded to unforeseen challenges in achieving its intended outcomes?
4. Efficiency
Efficiency evaluates how well the project has used its resources (financial, human, and time-based) to deliver results in a cost-effective and timely manner. The focus is on the optimal allocation of resources to achieve the desired outcomes, including training, grants, mental health support services, and capacity building.
● Key Aspects:
○ Are the project’s financial and human resources being utilized in the most cost-effective way, with minimal waste or inefficiencies?
○ Has the project met its timelines for delivering training, grants, and mental health services, and are any delays or adjustments accounted for with clear rationale?
○ How well has the project managed its budget, particularly with regard to balancing different components (business incubation, mental health support, and awareness campaigns)?
○ Were there any cost-saving measures or resource reallocations that improved project efficiency?
5. Impact
Impact evaluates the longer-term and broader effects of the intervention. It examines the transformative changes in social, economic, and cultural spheres, particularly in empowering women, improving mental health, and raising awareness on GBV. The project’s impact is also measured in terms of its contribution to broader societal changes, such as improving the status of women, enhancing community resilience, and changing social norms around mental health and gender-based violence.
● Key Aspects:
○ What are the potential long-term impacts of the business incubation component on women’s economic independence?
○ Has the project contributed to long-term improvements in mental health and suicide prevention for displaced youth and adults?
○ How effective have the community awareness efforts been in reducing stigma and raising knowledge on GBV and mental health?
6. Sustainability
Sustainability assesses the likelihood that the benefits of the project will continue after the intervention ends. This criterion evaluates the financial, social, and institutional capacities required to sustain the project’s impact. The resilience of the beneficiaries, the institutional capacity of The Lotus Flower, and the community’s ability to maintain changes in mental health and economic empowerment are crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the intervention’s benefits.
● Key Aspects:
○ Will the women who have received business training and financial grants be able to sustain their businesses independently after the project ends based on the knowledge they gained from the training?
○ How likely is it that the mental health and suicide prevention support systems will remain accessible and effective after the intervention concludes?
○ What measures are in place to ensure that GBV awareness and mental health education continue to have an impact in the community after the project?
Methodology of the Evaluation
The consultancy should be carried on the basis of a desk study and a field visit. The desk study should include the following:
• Project contractual documents and further amendments;
• Documents produced throughout the project;
• Evidence of impact collected by the project, including mid-term reports;
• Other relevant documentation;
Furthermore, the evaluation should be built on interviews with beneficiaries as well as TLF staff, and any other relevant stakeholders to be defined.
The evaluator/s should adopt a methodology coherent with the participatory approach of the project, providing for meaningful involvement by TLF, the project beneficiaries and other interested parties. Stakeholder participation is to be an integral component of the evaluation design and planning, data gathering, drafting of findings, evaluation reporting and results dissemination. The evaluation should focus not only on quantifiable results but also analyse processes and dynamics generated by the project, their scope (in terms of people and other actors involved) and their sustainability. This includes understanding the context in which women and girls in Kurdistan, Iraq live, and to assess the support brought to them by this project. The proposed framework of the evaluation may be subject to change based on the agreement with TLF, which approves the work plan.
Deliverables
Deliverables are to be approved by a steering committee which includes a variety of interested parties, including a representative for the beneficiaries. All deliverables are to be submitted to TLF headquarters in Duhok in English, electronically and in hard copy format (3 copies).
Deliverables include:
•Inception Report: To be submitted two weeks after the beginning of the evaluation, explaining the methodology, work programme and timetable for the evaluation.
• Final Report: To be submitted at the end of the evaluation with a maximum extension of 30 pages
excluding annexes. The final evaluation report will be structured as follows:
1. Executive Summary
a. Introduction
b. Project description
c. Evaluation objectives and methodology
d. Analysis of the findings according to the evaluation criteria
2. Conclusions and recommendations
3. Lessons learned
4. Annexes:
a. ToR Evaluation
b. Names of the evaluators
c. Logical framework of the project
d. Map of the programme area
e. List of actors consulted
f. Literature and documentation consulted
g. Other technical annexes
5. Indicative timetable
The evaluation period will last four months, and it is expected to be carried out during May 2025 and December 2026.
The tentative schedule is as follows:
- May/June 2025 – conduct the real time evaluation and provide an initial inception report.
- November/ December 2026 – conduct the final evaluation and provide the final evaluation report.
Budget
The budget for this evaluation will be discussed and finalized with the selected candidate during the contracting phase.
Evaluation team
The Evaluation team is expected to:
- Be composed of a team leader with documented extensive experience on similar evaluations of civil society projects in the field of human rights, protection and women empowerment, ideally in Iraq or the Kurdistan region or other countries with similar context in the Middle East. It is anticipated that an additional consultant/team of enumerators will assist with the evaluation.
- Have extensive experience in conducting external evaluations in the context of cooperation for development and a proven record delivering professional results.
- Have sound knowledge of evaluation and data-collection methods.
- Be able to communicate effectively in Kurdish and English and preferably Arabic too.
- Have process management skills, such as facilitation skills.
How to apply
Interested candidates or agencies are requested to submit an electronic copy of their expression of interest/proposal, with the subject ref ‘TLF Evaluation’ to the following email address careers@thelotusflower.org
Candidates must supply:
- A letter of motivation (five A4 pages maximum) indicating:
● The evaluator/s suitability for the assignment and match with previous experience, qualifications, etc.
● How the team will be composed and the division of work between team members.
● Details of work methodology to be used.
● Draft work plan and timetable.
● Economic offer and budget breakdown.
● Provisional availability to fulfil the evaluation as per the time frame indicated in this ToR.
● Professional profile of the evaluating team (including CVs of all individuals involved).