Consultancy – External Project Evaluation in Ukraine in HelpAge International in Ukraine, Representative Office

Terms of Reference for Consultant/Firm 

Final evaluation of HelpAge’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and World Health Organization funded project “Improving the wellbeing of the most at risk older people through the provision of community and homebased support in Ukraine”  

Time requirement and duration: The consultancy can start by 15 January 2025 but must end by 31 March 2025 

Total budget for the evaluation: 10,000 GBP 

 About HelpAge

HelpAge International, either through direct implementation or its global network of over 170 partner organisations, is dedicated to supporting older people to live safe, dignified, and healthy lives. By fostering partnerships and collaborations, HelpAge strives to ensure the inclusion of older people in all aspects of society and works towards creating a just and equitable world for individuals of all ages.

HelpAge has been active in Ukraine since 2014. Initially, our work focused on areas near the previous line of contact. However, following the full-scale invasion, we have expanded our operations to provide support across much of Ukraine, including in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Lvivska, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi oblasts.

A cornerstone of our work in Ukraine is homebased care. This involves social workers visiting older people in their homes at least twice per month. During these visits, social workers develop individualised care plans, each focusing on two to three specific goals to be achieved over time. These goals might involve enhancing an older person’s independence or improving their psychological well-being. Beyond care planning, social workers assist older people in accessing essential services, such as healthcare or support from other humanitarian organisations. 

In addition to homebased care, HelpAge provides other forms of support, including cash assistance, hygiene kits, winterisation kits, and assistive products such as walking sticks and wheelchairs. Many recipients of homebased care also benefit from these forms of assistance, with social workers playing a vital role in the distribution process.

Furthermore, HelpAge operates 14 community centres across Ukraine. These centres serve as gathering spaces for displaced older people, offering a variety of activities such as exercise classes, choral singing, and hairdressing services. The centres also foster opportunities for older people to build social connections within their new communities.

Since February 2022, HelpAge has directly supported over 230,000 individuals in Ukraine and collaborated with more than 50 local organisations to deliver assistance.

 About the Project

This project commenced on 28 August 2024 and is scheduled to conclude on 31 March 2025. It is funded through a grant from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), managed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The project aims to directly support 2,900 older people (aged 60+) across Dnipropetrovska, and Zakarpattia oblasts.

The key activities implemented by HelpAge as part of this project are:

Homebased care:

• Over 2,000 older people will receive homebased care from 133 HelpAge social workers.
• In addition, these older people will receive the following humanitarian assistance:
  1. Hygiene kits for 2,400 older people. 
  2. Winter items for 2,000 older people.
  3. Adult diapers or urological pads for 1,025 older people.
  4. Assistive products for 940 older people.
  5. Referrals to other services for 300 older people.

Transit centre support:

• 500 older people will receive hygiene kits.
• 200 older people will receive adult diapers.

Community centres:

• 400 older people will regularly attend one of our four community centres, which provide a range of activities and support.
• In addition, some of these older people will receive additional specific activities including:
  1. Establishing two peer support groups.
  2. Providing specialised IT training to 280 older people.

 Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a final evaluation of HelpAge’s project in Ukraine, funded by the FCDO and WHO. The evaluation aims to determine the extent to which the project has achieved its overarching objective: improving the well-being and independence of at-risk older people, including those with disabilities, in Ukraine.

The specific objectives of the evaluation are as follows:

• Assess the performance of the project activities against its stated objectives, using the DAC criteria as a framework.
• Collaboratively develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) recommendations with HelpAge to enhance future projects.
• Present the findings and recommendations to HelpAge’s senior leadership team in Ukraine, as well as members of HelpAge’s global team, and facilitate the development of a management response.
• Communicate findings and recommendations through presentations to HelpAge staff in Ukraine and WHO project focal points.

This analysis should be structured according to the DAC criteria outlined below:

• Relevance: Did the project address the most pressing needs of older people?
• Coherence: Did the project align with the interventions of other actors, particularly the government? Was it consistent with sector best practices?
• Effectiveness: To what extent did the project achieve its objectives?
• Efficiency: How economically and timely were the project’s results delivered?
• Impact: What measurable changes did the project activities bring to the lives of older people?
• Sustainability: To what extent will older people be able to cope without continued support from HelpAge?

Additionally, the evaluation should focus on the inclusion of older people, both with and without disabilities, throughout the project. As HelpAge is a signatory to the Inclusive Data Charter, data collection and analysis should be disaggregated by sex, age, and disability to ensure inclusivity and comprehensive understanding.

Finally, while it is recognised that the firm/consultant may not have the capacity to undertake a detailed value-for-money analysis within the scope of this evaluation, the report should include a separate section with top-line analysis on this aspect.

 Suggested Methodology of the Evaluation

HelpAge will provide flexibility to the firm/consultant to develop their own methodology to achieve the purpose of the evaluation. This will be discussed and agreed upon at the inception report phase. However, HelpAge envisions the following key activities as part of the evaluation process:

• Desk Review: Analyse relevant project documentation, including project reports, assessments, selection criteria, budgets, and other pertinent materials to establish a foundation for the evaluation.
• Key Informant Interviews:
  1. Conduct interviews with a range of HelpAge programme staff, including the Project Manager, Head of Programmes, and HelpAge Ukraine CEO.
  2. Conduct interviews with external stakeholders, including WHO project focal points, to gather diverse perspectives.
• Surveys:
  1. With oversight and input from the firm/consultant, HelpAge’s MEAL team will conduct a phone survey with older people who have benefited from the project to ensure the independence of data collection.
  2. If needed, HelpAge can develop a Power BI dashboard in English to assist with data analysis.
• On-Site Observations:
  1. Visit project sites to observe social workers delivering homebased care to older people.
  2. Visit HelpAge community centres to assess the activities and services provided.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs):
  1. Conduct FGDs with social workers to gather insights on their experiences and challenges.
  2. Hold FGDs with older people to understand the impact of the project from their perspective.
• Lessons Learned Workshop:
  1. Facilitate a one-day, in-person lessons learned workshop in Ukraine in March 2024 with approximately 20 key HelpAge staff involved in the project.
  2. Use this workshop to present and validate findings, as well as to collaboratively develop SMART recommendations for future projects. This will then be incorporated in the final evaluation report. 
  3. Logistical support and associated costs will be provided by HelpAge’s MEAL team. While conducting the workshop in Russian and/or Ukrainian is preferred, translation support can be arranged if required.
• Online Presentations:
  1. Deliver a presentation of the evaluation’s findings and recommendations to senior management in Ukraine and members of HelpAge’s global team.
  2. Facilitate a discussion to finalise a management response, ensuring a written response isprovided by the HelpAge Ukraine CEO.
  3. Deliver a presentation of the evaluation’s findings and recommendations to WHO project focal points. Additionally, conduct a presentation for all HelpAge staff in Ukraine.

Support from HelpAge’s MEAL Team

HelpAge’s MEAL team in Ukraine will/can offer various forms of support, including:

• Providing access to key documentation, such as initial needs assessment data for older people.
• Translation support for online meetings. 
• Arranging focus group discussions and assisting with their logistics.
• Conducting a phone survey for the project with guidance and oversight from the firm/consultant.
• Organising logistics for the lessons learned workshop.
• The HelpAge MEAL team is available to conduct additional visits to project locations for data collection as required.

However, the MEAL team will not be able to provide translation support for site visits in Eastern Ukraine. 

 Evaluation Deliverables and Deadlines

The evaluator will be responsible for producing the following deliverables within the specified timeline:

• January 2024: Submit an inception report, including the proposed methodology and budget, following initial discussions with the HelpAge Project Manager and project focal points at WHO.
• March 2024: Facilitate a one-day lessons learned workshop with the in-country team in Ukrainian. This workshop will focus on developing SMART recommendations to enhance the quality of HelpAge’s future projects.
• 31 March 2024: Submit the final evaluation report (maximum 30 pages) in English. Translation into Ukrainian is preferred but not mandatory. This will include a management response. 
• April 2024: Deliver a presentation of findings and recommendations to the following groups:
  1. HelpAge Ukraine’s senior management team and HelpAge Global staff (in English and Ukrainian).
  2. WHO project focal points (in English).
  3. All HelpAge staff in Ukraine (in Ukrainian).

 Evaluation Budget

HelpAge will provide a maximum budget of 10,000 GBP to conduct this evaluation. This amount is intended to cover all costs incurred by the firm/consultant throughout the evaluation, including:

• Staff salaries.
• Fees and per diems.
• Medical and repatriation insurance.
• Third-party liability insurance (if/when required).
• Travel expenses to project locations.
• Accommodation within project locations.
• Communication costs (e.g., internet connection, mobile credit).
• All applicable taxes (if/when required).

However, as outlined above:

• Costs associated with implementing the survey and logistical arrangements for the lessons learned workshop for HelpAge staff will be covered by HelpAge.
• Travel within project locations will also be arranged and covered by HelpAge.

Disbursement Schedule

Payments will be disbursed as follows, contingent upon the successful completion of key deliverables:

• 50% upon satisfactory submission of the inception report.
• 50% upon completion and approval of the final evaluation report.

 How to Apply

Interested consultant/firms are invited to submit their application to HelpAge Global HR at [email protected] with the subject line: Consultancy – External Project Evaluation in Ukraine.

Applications must be submitted in English and should include the following:

1. Proposal: A brief proposal outlining your approach to the evaluation, including a proposed budget and timeline (maximum 3 pages).
2. Curriculum Vitae: The CV of the independent consultant or consulting firm, along with key team members, particularly the individual(s) responsible for in-person data collection and lesson learnt workshop.
3. References: Contact details for one professional reference for each of the proposed team leads.
4. Evaluation Report Sample: At least one sample of a recent humanitarian project evaluation report completed within the past two years, related to a project in Ukraine.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

 Skills and Experience Required

The selected consultant or firm must demonstrate the following:

• Relevant Experience: Proven experience in conducting at least one evaluation of a similar nature within the past two years in Ukraine.
• Expertise in Data Collection and Analysis: A strong background in designing and implementing data collection processes, with the ability to deliver high-quality insights and actionable recommendations.
• Budget Management and Transparency: The capacity to manage all logistical and administrative costs associated with data collection, ensuring full adherence to the agreed budget with no hidden costs.
• Local Presence and Language Skills: Team members based in Ukraine who are fluent in Russian and/or Ukrainian, capable of conducting site visits, facilitating focus group discussions, and leading a lesson learned workshop in eastern Ukraine.
• English Proficiency: At least one team member who is fluent in English to ensure clear communication and reporting.