Impact Study for BLRS

Introduction

CARE International in Syria is implementing a 2-phase 6-years project, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS) is in its 3rd year of phase 1 currently, up until the 31st of March 2025.

The Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS) objective is to support Syrians in need feed themselves and their families and be less reliant on harmful coping behaviors. It aims to enable Syrian communities to be less dependent on emergency aid, and more economically and socially resilient to prevailing shocks and stresses. It targets the most vulnerable, particularly women, young people, and those with disabilities with agricultural inputs and support, small business development, and gender activities.

Objectives and Scope of the Impact Assessment

CARE Syria is looking to contract an external consultant or consultancy firm to conduct an impact assessment of the work that has been done during the first 3-year phase 1, to understand the impact on the benefitting communities and to ensure learning and impact measurement for the next phase of the project.

The impact assessment should have a special emphasis on the sustainability of the interventions from the Year 1 cohort:

1. The impact of the livelihood interventions on the production, food security, welfare and resilience of the targeted households.

There are four workstreams/packages of intervention to look at:

• Farmer field schools (training, cash, and in-kind): increase in productivity, increase in income, increased sustainability of business, change in knowledge practice and skills, change in FCS – how has CARE support ensured their business is more profitable and better adapted for the future, and provided access for women to the industry and to markets.
• Farmer cooperatives (training, cash, and in-kind): increase in productivity, change in knowledge skills and practice, increased access to resources as a collective – especially access to water for irrigation. how has CARE support ensured their business is more profitable and better adapted for the future, access for women to the industry and to the market
• SME support (training, cash, and in-kind): increase in income, sustainability of business (still operational, still profitable?), change in skills, increased agency for women to make business decisions and access to market, sustainable energy? access for women to non-traditional areas
• Vocational training (training and cash): change in knowledge practice and skills, sustainable job opportunities, has the training been leveraged to have better income and more choices? Are women in non-traditional areas, where are the growth areas?
• Electric transformation

1. The impact of the gender mainstreaming interventions on women’s empowerment, household decision-making, gender norms and violence against women & girl.

Additionally, the impact study should highlight the following focus area:

• Lessons Learned: What are the key results (both positive and negative), insights, stories, and messages from the BLRS project that can improve the design and implementation of the next phase?
• Impact of provided assistance on household level and community level.

Methodology

This impact assessment employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. A statistically valid sample size of the target beneficiary groups in the implementation areas will be selected. The qualitative aspect will involve in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, Meanwhile, the quantitative component will include structured surveys and data analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact.

The consultant/consultancy firm will develop the data collection tools in collaboration with CARE NES staff. The consultant/consultancy firm will be responsible for providing the sampling methodology used to identify target groups for the data collection activity.

CARE Responsibility

CARE Syria MEAL Unit will be responsible for managing the consultancy and coordination between CARE Syria and the consultant/firm. The following responsibilities will be under CARE Syria:

• Ensure that the consultant/firm have access to relevant information sources and documents related to the project.
• Validate the assessment questions and the data collection tools.
• Quality reviews of work delivered by the consultant/firm.
• Provide feedback on the methodology, tools, findings, conclusions, and recommendations for the assessment report.

Deliverables

The Impact Assessment should result in the following list of deliverables:

1. Impact Assessment Inception Report including top-level information on data collection tools and sampling methodology per proposed data collection activity, data protection protocol, top-level work plan, data quality insurance, and the analysis of the secondary data.
2. Data collection tools and raw data, in addition to any field photos or documentation if and as requested by CARE NES.
3. Data Analysis Plan and actual analysis of the collected data.
4. Weekly updates: email on the status/progress of each program monitoring activities.
5. Final Report Draft: highlighting the results of the data collection activity performed during the timeline of the assessment, including a comprehensive analysis of the data.
6. Final Debrief and Presentation of the key results and outcomes included in the final report.

Timeline

The timeline for the consultancy will take place from November 17, 2024, until February 17, 2025

The major milestones you can find it in the TOR. ToR_for_Impact_Study_for_BLRS.docx

Any changes to the dates should be reported and discussed with CARE Syria before making any amendments.

Expertise Required

The impact study consultant/team should possess:

• Proven experience in conducting impact evaluations of complex development programs
• Strong expertise in food security, agriculture, and gender equity
• Proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills
• Familiarity with the local context and language skills as necessary
• Access to Northeast Syria
• Understanding of Hasakeh value chains
• Experience in agricultural, resilience and early recovery measurement
• Consultant staffing should be under gender requirements.

Ethical Considerations

The consultant/firm should ensure the following ethical considerations while carrying out study activities:

• Informed Consent: Participants should be fully informed about the purpose, procedures, and use of research data. They must voluntarily agree to participate, and consent must be obtained without coercion.
• Confidentiality and Privacy: Personal information of participants must be protected. Data should be anonymized or de-identified, when possible, to ensure privacy, and participants should be aware of how their data will be used, stored, and shared.
• Minimizing Harm: Consultant/firm should minimize any potential physical, psychological, or social harm to participants.
• Integrity and Honesty: Honesty in data collection, reporting, and interpretation is crucial. Consultant/firm should avoid falsifying, fabricating, or misrepresenting data and ensure that results are presented transparently and accurately.
• Peer Review and Accountability: Consultant/firm should be subject to peer review and scrutiny to ensure validity and ethical adherence. Consultant/firm are accountable for their work and should be open to feedback and correction.
• Zero Visibility: CARE Syria has zero visibility in Northeast Syria, no visible logo or emblem directly showing any sign of CARE or any information/introduction mentioning CARE or affiliating with CARE during data collection or field activities.