Consultant·e Evaluation À Mi-Parcours Du Projet D'Appui À La Socie`te Civile Active Dans Les Domaines De L’Environnement Et La Biodiversité Au Burundi

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

MID-TERM EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT TO SUPPORT CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVE IN THE FIELDS OF ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY IN BURUNDI

(Project “PASCALE-B IBIDUKIKIJE”)

N°: NDICI CSO/2022/438-774

Implemented by the consortium of organizations ADISCO, AGDB, AVEDEC, Join For Water, UCODE-AMR and Louvain Coopération (lead)

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1. CONTEXT

Louvain Coopération in short, LC in acronym, is the NGO of the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain in acronym). It is headquartered in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. For LC, development is a process of permanent and dynamic social transformation that gives the most disadvantaged populations the opportunity to build a fairer society where everyone feels capable of realizing their human potential. LC's specificity is to contribute to this vision of development by mobilizing the human and scientific resources of the university community. In the South, LC supports actions in sustainable agricultural food systems, entrepreneurship, environment, health, and access to healthcare, in Central Africa (DRC and Burundi), West Africa (Benin and Togo), Andean America (Bolivia and Peru), Southern Africa (Madagascar), and Asia (Cambodia). In the North, LC also contributes to Global Citizenship and Solidarity Education (GCSE) actions.

LC has been based in Burundi since 2004, where it works in the food systems and the environment, entrepreneurship, education, and health.

The project to support civil society active in the fields of environment and biodiversity in Burundi "PASCALE-B IBIDUKIKIJE" is part of the EU thematic program to support Civil Society Organizations. The project started on December 14, 2022 and will end on March 13, 2026.  

Objective and expected results of the project 

At the end of this project, the objectives and expected results are as follows:

General objective: Contribute (1) to the engagement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as actors of good governance and socio-economic development of the country and (2) to the improvement of the state of the environment and natural resources in Burundi

• Impact indicator No. 1: Percentage of CSOs in the action area implementing projects or participating in political dialogue in the implementation of strategic orientation No. 3 of the PND at the national level. Target value: 20%

•Impact indicator no. 2: Number of localities in the intervention zones showing at least one proof of environmental improvement (afforestation rate, water quality, evolution of fauna, production of untreated waste): Target value: 12

Specific objective: Strengthen the participation of civil society in the protection of natural resources and the environment

•Indicator 1: Evolution of the functionality index of CSOs in the intervention area supervised by the project in the themes of the action. Target value: 15%

• Indicator 2: Evolution of the functionality index in the themes of action of the CSO platforms operating in the intervention area. Target value: 15%

L

The project is structured around 5 main results, namely:

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Outcome 1: The capacities of Burundian CSOs (especially women and youth) working in various key sectors related to the protection and conservation of the environment, natural resources, biodiversity, etc. in the provinces of intervention are strengthened. Target: Capacity building increases the knowledge and practical skills of 80% of participants.

Result 2: A political dialogue is developed. Target value: Two national strategic positioning notes for CSOs are produced and eighteen dialogues/exchanges between CSOs and political authorities are organized.

Result 3: Population practices regarding waste management, liquid sanitation and hygiene are improved in the Action intervention areas. Target value: The adoption of improved sanitation, hygiene or waste management practices increases by 20%.

Result 4: Population practices regarding natural resource and biodiversity management are improved in the Action intervention areas. Target value: The adoption of improved land management or natural resource exploitation practices increases by 20%.

Result 5: Knowledge from the action is capitalized and disseminated for the benefit of civil society, policy makers and other stakeholders in the sector. Target value: Development of a capitalization document based on the evaluation of actions, lessons learned, and the commitment of CSOs to integrate these learnings into at least one of the intervention sectors.

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Implementing partners

This project is implemented by the consortium of organizations ADISCO, AGDB, AVEDEC, Join For Water, UCODE-AMR and Louvain Coopération (lead) in the provinces of Bubanza, Kirundo, Makamba and Rutana. The roles and responsibilities of the consortium members are distributed as follows:

Co-applicant

Thematic responsibility and coordination

Louvain Coopération

General coordination of the project (lead); Training of consortium members' managers in project management tools, monitoring and evaluation and in the use of the Environmental Integration Tool approach (OIE: producers) and the Question de résistance des capacité des partenaires (QRCP) tool; Coordination of capitalization actions.

Join For Water

Support for the overall coordination of the project (co-lead); Training of consortium members' managers in project management tools, monitoring and evaluation and capacity building on water resource conservation and advocacy; Capacity building on the use of digital tools and the conduct of capitalization actions.

ADISCO

- Kirundo: Implementation of local environment and sanitation themes

- Bubanza: Implementation of biodiversity and natural resources themes

Specifically, for the entire consortium, ADISCO will be the lead for advocacy aspects (development of a strategy and definition of advocacy themes; advocacy training and development of an advocacy guide)

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AGDB

Kirundo: Implementation of biodiversity and natural resources themes

Specifically, for the entire consortium, AGDB will be the lead for natural resources and biodiversity aspects (development and delivery of training modules / guides).

AVEDEC

Bubanza: Implementation of local environment and sanitation themes

Specifically, for the entire consortium, AVEDEC will be the lead for local environment and sanitation aspects (development and delivery of training modules / guides).

UCODE-AMR

Makamba and Rutana: Implementation of all aspects of the project with the support of the consortium members.

Specifically, for the entire consortium, UCODE-AMR will be the lead for watershed protection and agroforestry aspects (development and delivery of training modules/guides).

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Typology of beneficiaries

a. The project target groups are:

•

Civil society organizations:

o

A total of 80 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) (i.e. 20 CSOs/province)

o

16 CSOs that have received financial support (4 per province)

•

3 CSO platforms

•

Policy makers/Public institutions: 27 executives from the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security, 24 executives from the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock OBPE (national, provincial and municipal levels), 4 executives from the Ministry of Health and 5 executives from the Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines

b. The project beneficiaries are:

•

2,111,111 inhabitants of the 4 provinces (direct beneficiaries);

•

11,759,805 indirect beneficiaries (Burundian population).

2. Objective, scope and users of the evaluation

2.1 Objectives

The evaluation will focus on the progress of the project's performance, whether the expected changes can be achieved by the end of the project, particularly in terms of the active participation of civil society in the protection of natural resources and the environment in the project intervention area.

The evaluation aims to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the activities carried out so far, measure the progress made in relation to the initial objectives of the project, identify factors facilitating or limiting implementation, and formulate operational recommendations to improve the continuation of the project.

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The evaluation will also analyze the institutional set-up in terms of sharing responsibilities between the consortium members in implementing the project and formulate recommendations.

2.2 Main users

-

The organizations ADISCO, AGDB, AVEDEC, Join For Water, UCODE-AMR and Louvain Coopération, all involved in the implementation of the project;

-

The European Union, the main donor;

-

The Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock (including OBPE and DGREA), which signed a project implementation agreement with Louvain Coopération and will use the results of the evaluation to develop strategic and operational documents;

-

The Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security (including local administrative entities), responsible for the approval of non-profit organizations within its responsibilities;

-

Other national and regional LC directorates that have the environmental component in their program;

-

Actors involved in the environmental sector in Burundi, who will use the results of this evaluation.

2.3 PERIOD COVERED BY THE EVALUATION

This mid-term evaluation takes into account the period from April 1, 2023 to May 30, 2025.

3. OVERALL APPROACH AND TYPE OF EVALUATION

This is a mid-term evaluation of the project to support civil society active in the fields of the environment and biodiversity in Burundi.

The evaluation criteria to be prioritized are:

-

Analysis of the institutional set-up in terms of sharing responsibilities between the members of the consortium in the implementation of the project

-

Analysis of the logical framework

-

The following DAC criteria: effectiveness, impact, sustainability, efficiency, coherence and relevance, with particular emphasis on the first 3 criteria.

4. Key evaluation questions

This evaluation aims to analyze in depth the logical framework as well as all the DAC criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability) of the strategies and approaches implemented by LC, the other members of the consortium, in order to achieve the specific objective of the project.

Specific questions to be explored:

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Effectiveness:

1. Achievement of Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVI): What is the degree of achievement of the OVI?

2. Challenges and obstacles encountered: What were the main challenges and obstacles that hindered the implementation of the project? Did the project demonstrate good adaptability? 3. Good practices and lessons learned: What good practices can be identified and what lessons learned to improve future interventions? What should have been done differently for greater effectiveness?

Impact:

4. Impacts observed among beneficiaries: What are the tangible and observable effects of the project on the beneficiaries and on local governance at this stage? How has the project promoted the active involvement of civil society in the protection of natural resources and the environment?

5. Impact on the state of the environment and natural resources: To what extent has the project contributed to improving the quality of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources in the intervention areas, and more generally in Burundi?

6. Improvement for greater impact: What should have been done differently for greater impact?

Sustainability:

7. Sustainability of the effects observed among beneficiaries: To what extent are the effects of the project sustainable on organizational, economic, technical, social and political levels?

8. Strengthening partners: Does the capacity building of partners carried out within the framework of the project enable them to become autonomous and to continue the actions beyond the duration of the project?

9. Improvement for greater sustainability: What should have been done differently for greater sustainability?

Efficiency, consistency and relevance:

10. Sharing of responsibilities: What lessons can be learned from the institutional set-up in terms of sharing responsibilities between the consortium members in implementing the project? Were the allocated resources used efficiently to maximize results?

11. Consistency with other initiatives: How does the project fit in with public policies and sectoral plans, particularly those related to the sustainable management of natural resources?

12. Improving added value: What should have been done differently to achieve greater efficiency, coherence and relevance?

In addition to the questions mentioned above, the evaluator should develop specific questions related to the logical framework and the expected results of the interventions, which are:

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o Result 1: The capacities of Burundian CSOs (especially those of women and young people) operating in various key sectors concerning the protection and conservation of the environment, natural resources, biodiversity, etc. in the provinces of intervention are strengthened.

o Result 2: A political dialogue is developed

o Result 3: Population practices regarding waste management, liquid sanitation and hygiene are improved in the Action intervention areas.

o Result 4: Population practices regarding the management of natural resources and biodiversity are improved in the intervention areas of the Action.

o Result 5: Knowledge from the action is capitalized and disseminated for the benefit of civil society, political decision-makers and other stakeholders in the sector.

5. Desired method and tools

While respecting the evaluation criteria, the consulting team has the freedom to develop its own methodology and evaluation tools, which it must present in detail in its technical offer. Louvain Cooperation will, however, pay particular attention to proposals incorporating a participatory approach, actively involving partners and beneficiaries in the collection and analysis of data relating to the elements evaluated.

It should be noted that, in addition to discussions with the Bujumbura-based Management team, field data collection will be concentrated primarily in the project's provinces, namely Bubanza, Kirundo, Makamba and Rutana, as well as with central and decentralized government bodies of the supervisory ministries, including the ministry responsible for coordinating civil society (MININTERSCP), the ministry responsible for the environment (MINEAGRIE) and the ministry responsible for water (Ministry of Energy and Mines). It would be appropriate to highlight the provincial and municipal administration, the DGEREA, the OBPE, the Provincial Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock (BPEAE), the Provincial Coordination for Water and Basic Sanitation (CPEA), the Burundian Agency for Hydraulics and Sanitation in Rural Areas (AHAMR), the Provincial Coordination for the Promotion of Health (CPPS), civil protection, etc.

The evaluator should ensure that the information collected is triangulated and that the collection tools are diversified as much as possible in order to ensure the reliability and richness of the data.

6. Restitution and sharing of evaluation results

At the end of the mission, the evaluator will have to formulate operational recommendations for the Louvain Coopération (LC) team and the implementing partners. In addition, strategic recommendations will be presented during a restitution workshop bringing together the managers of the

supervisory ministries

. This meeting will also bring together other actors involved in supporting civil society and environmental protection.

The evaluation report will then be distributed to the various LC departments involved in these themes, in order to promote mutual and cross-functional learning. Finally, a managerial response will be developed based on the conclusions of the evaluation, in order to guide and improve interventions for the remaining period of the project.

7. Required skills

The assessment will be carried out by an individual consultant or a team of consultants (individuals or legal entities) with the following skills:

• Hold at least a university degree in a field related to the project, such as the protection and conservation of the environment, natural resources and biodiversity, waste management, liquid sanitation or hygiene. The consultant must have proven experience in organizational and institutional development of CSOs, advocacy and related fields (community development, leadership, etc.);

• Have a good knowledge of the themes targeted by the project;

• Demonstrate significant experience of at least 5 years in the design, analysis and evaluation of development projects and programs;

• Benefit from proven expertise in the management and evaluation of projects linked to civil society and/or the environment

• Fluent in quantitative, qualitative and participatory evaluation methods;

• Have solid experience in results-based management approaches, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis and report writing;

• Have already led facilitation workshops to encourage discussions around evaluation results;

• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills in French;

• Be familiar with the project’s intervention areas.

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8. Financial offer

The budget allocated to this evaluation is between 10,000 and 15,000 euros1 including all taxes and transport costs. The financial offer must be presented according to the model below:

I

EXPERTS' FEES

Unit

Quantity

Unit price

Total (excl. VAT)

VAT

1.1

Consultant fee for the preparation of the mission and for the drafting of the report

Man day

1.2

Consultant fee for the duration of the mission

Man day

1.3

Expert 2 fee for the duration of the mission (if proposed)

Man day

S/Total I: Experts' fees

Total 1.1 + 1.2 + 1.3

II

EXPERTS' PERDIEMS

2.1

Consultant

2.2

Expert 2 ?

2.3

Expert 3 ?

S/Total II: Experts’ Per Diems

Total 2.1 + 2.2 + 2.3

III

OTHER SPECIAL COSTS (EXAMPLE WORKSHOP, PARTICIPANTS’ PER DIEM, ROOM RENTAL, INTERVIEWERS, ETC)

S/Total III

IV

ADMINISTRATIVE AND REPORTING COSTS

S/Total V

GRAND TOTAL OF THE OFFER (I) + (II) + (III) + (IV)

1 For local offers, the financial amount must be expressed in Burundian francs (BIF), equivalent in euros according to the seller’s exchange rate in effect on the day the contract is signed.

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9. Contractual and selection procedures

A formal contract will be established to govern the performance of the evaluation. The payment of fees will be made in three installments as follows:

•

40% upon signing the contract,

•

30% upon submission of the interim report,

•

30% after validation of the final report.

Each payment will be made upon presentation of invoices corresponding to the various stages of the service.

10. Terms of the expertise

10.1 Desired content for the technical and financial offer

Proposals must include the following elements:

•

A note demonstrating understanding of the terms of reference, including an analysis of the context and the evaluation questions;

•

A detailed description of the methodological approach envisaged to answer the questions and objectives defined in the terms of reference, specifying the information collection tools that will be used during the evaluation;

•

A provisional timetable for the mission accompanied by an estimate of the costs in man-days;

•

A presentation of the references and experience of the expert(s), highlighting the skills particularly relevant to this assessment;

•

The profile of the expert(s) involved (if applicable), with a clear distribution of responsibilities between the team members (with a maximum of 3 pages per CV).

10.2 Selection procedures for the evaluation team

Offers for consultants' applications will be sent by email to the following email addresses: "info-bur@louvaincooperation.org" and "subsidie.pascaleb@louvaincooperation.org"

The evaluation of proposals will be carried out according to the following grid:

Criteria

Relative weight

Profile of the expert(s)

50

Qualifications, experience and skills

25

Experience with the problem to be evaluated

15

Knowledge of the local context

10

Technical and methodological offer

30

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Presentation of the problem and understanding of the subject

15

Proposed methodological approach

15

Financial offer

20

Price of the service

10

Realism of costs in relation to the proposed methodology

10

Total

100

10.3 Documents to consult

For the drafting of the offer:

•

The logical framework of the program;

•

A brief description of the partners.

Reference persons who can be consulted if necessary:

​​- Léonidas MBANZAMIHIGO: lmbanzamihigo@louvaincooperation.org

- Jean Claude NKESHIMANA: jcnkeshimana@louvaincooperation.org

After selection:

After selection, the project will make the following documents available to the selected consultants:

•

The project document;

•

Technical reports (narrative and financial);

•

Project-specific productions

•

Any other available document deemed useful by the evaluator.

10.4 Procedures for carrying out the field mission

The mid-term evaluation team of the program must also provide, before leaving for the field, a framework note describing the methodological process that it intends to apply on the basis of its familiarization with the documentation that will be provided to it and the initial interviews conducted at the Louvain Coopération Management Office in Bujumbura.

The Louvain Coopération operational team will be available to facilitate the smooth running of the evaluation (contacts, general information, etc.).

Expected deliverables

The following deliverables are required for this mission:

•

At the beginning of the mission, a methodological note including the approach chosen for the field mission and the field data collection plan as well as the detailed timetable with the deadlines for each stage;

•

A provisional report;

•

An oral restitution of the provisional report to Louvain Coopération and the other members of the consortium;

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•

A final report;

•

The report must include an annex with illustrations (diagrams, photos, graphs, drawings, etc.) and some testimonies from beneficiaries;

•

A restitution presentation to the Ministry executives.

The documents will be written in French. These documents will be sent in electronic format. A paper version of the final version of the report will also be provided.

Each report (interim and final) will be constructed as follows:

•

5-page summary of the main findings and recommendations;

•

Objective;

•

Context;

•

Definition of the main concepts used;

•

Methodological approach and its justification and the constraints encountered;

•

Assessment of the understanding of the intervention logic/theory of change;

•

Observations and results of the evaluation based on the terms of reference and questions above;

•

Answers to the evaluation questions with mention of the sources of information used to do so;

•

Concrete and operational reasoned recommendations, to be implemented in the continuation of the program or in future interventions;

•

Conclusions and other reflections;

•

Annexes: (i) Anonymous raw data; (ii) Illustrations (diagrams, photos, graphs, drawings, etc.); (iii) and some testimonies from beneficiaries.

The report will present separately the findings, conclusions and recommendations and lessons learned using a logical approach. Any underlying analysis will be formulated explicitly.

10.5 Provisional timetable

The period planned for the completion of the evaluation mission is between July and September 2025.

Main activities

Dates

✓

Publication of the call for tenders

20/06/2025

✓

Deadline for additional questions (only in writing) to subvention.pascaleb@louvaincooperation.org while copying info-bur@louvaincooperation.org

04/07/2025

✓

Deadline for receipt of offers

21/07/2025

✓

Examination of offers and choice of evaluator

23/07/2025

✓

Notification of selection to the selected Consultant

25/07/2024

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✓

Working sessions with the consultants for understanding and validation of the proposed methodology

From 30/07 to 01/08/2025

✓

Discussion on the practical arrangements for the conduct of the mission

✓

Signature of the service contract

✓

Transmission of necessary documents

✓

Meeting of consultants with partners and beneficiaries

From 08/11 to 08/22/2025

✓

Collection of data in the field by consultants

✓

Debriefing of the field phase

✓

Analysis of the data collected

09/05/2025

✓

Production of the provisional evaluation report

✓

Transmission of the provisional report to LC management

✓

Return of the provisional results to LC management and partners

09/12/2025

✓

Reading and amendment of the provisional report by the national management and LC headquarters and transmission of the amendments to the consultants

09/19/2025

✓

Preparation of the final evaluation report and transmission to the national management

09/26/2025

Applications should be sent to:

• Info-bur@louvaincooperation.org and
• Subvention.pascaleb@louvaincooperation.org