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Field Evaluator for Canadian Co-operative Association

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Canadian Co-operative Association

Terms of Reference for

CCA Women’s Mentorship Program Evaluation

Field Evaluator - Africa

Introduction

The Canadian Co-operative Association is seeking a qualified local consultant to carry out field work in Ghana and Uganda for the evaluation of CCA’s Women’s Mentorship Program. The Field Evaluator will work closely with the Lead Evaluator based in Canada who is responsible for the overall evaluation of the Program. There will also be a second Field Evaluator for fieldwork done in Asia.

The Women’s Mentorship Program is an annual training program for women leaders of overseas financial co-operatives that provides a unique opportunity for professional development. Every year since 2002, CCA has delivered a Women’s Mentorship Program for women credit union managers from Africa and Asia where CCA works in partnership with credit union movements. The mentorship program is a mutual learning opportunity for Canadian and international co-operators.

There have been many positive changes and improvements reported in women’s leadership capacity as a result of this program, but CCA is also aware that barriers still exist. The purpose of this evaluation will be to formally evaluate the program, in order to identify both positive and negative impacts, what barriers women credit union managers still face and how the women’s mentorship Program can address them in the future.

This Evaluation will be part of a larger study on the impacts of CCA’s Women’s Leadership and Gender Equality programming.

Objectives of the Evaluation

The primary objective of the Women’s Mentorship Program Evaluation is to capture the impact of the program on women credit union managers over the past 10 years. Specifically, the objectives are:

To review the operations of the Women’s Mentorship Program in order to make the program as effective and efficient as possible
To assess the positive and negative impacts of the Women’s Mentorship Program over the last 10 years
To make recommendations on how the program can be improved and how it can/should evolve.

Proposed Evaluation Components

The full evaluation will be comprised of an Operational Review and an Impact Assessment

1. The Operational Review will look at efficiency and effectiveness of the program, including logistics, relevancy of training modules and field placement and how the program can be improved in this regard. It will also capture immediate impacts from this year’s program participants and hosts.

The Operational Review will be carried out by the Lead Evaluator in Canada.

2. The Impact Assessment will be an evaluation of the goals and objectives of the program – looking at whether or not participant credit union managers improve their skills in managing their financial co-operatives in their communities. The evaluation will also look at longer term impacts of the program on women’s leadership and empowerment personally, professionally and in their community, as well as how this program contributes to CCA’s work in women’s leadership and gender equality.

Key Lines of Inquiry for the Impact Assessment

What changes have occurred at the personal, Credit Union and community level as a result of women’s participation in the program? (make sure to get at actual learning from the program and experience of travelling to Canada for a month)
What barriers and challenges did participants face upon return to their home countries? Which do they still face? (How)Can the program address these challenges?
Have there been any negative impacts of the program? (instances of male jealousy, follow up on instances of women being asked to leave CUs)
How can the program be improved? How can the program evolve? What does the WMP program look like in the future? (ex. expanding IN country mentorship?, Alumni associations or events? Managers mentorship program for men and women?, WMP held in Africa? Governance women’s mentorship program?)
How does the Women’s Mentorship Program contribute to CCA’s work in Women’s Leadership and Gender Equality?

Methodology for Impact Assessment

Document review of testimonials and stories etc.
3 Alumni workshop in-country (one in each country – Ghana, Uganda and Philippines)

comprised of focus group discussions of roughly 10-15 participants, sharing of experiences and other participatory methodologies.

Interview/questionnaire with past WMP participants, in-country.
Interviews with partner organizations on benefits/challenges/changes needed in the program.
Key Interviews in Canada

The local Field Evaluator’s main role will be to help facilitate the in-country Alumni Workshops and interviews with past participants and partners.

Carrying out the Study in Africa

This Evaluation will be led by a Lead Evaluator who will co-ordinate all the components of the research and compile all findings in to a final report. Both Field Evaluators (Asia and Africa) will work closely with the Lead Evaluator and CCA in the design and implementation of their field work. Some evaluation components can also be completed by CCA staff or interns (in the field)

The specific role of the Africa Field Evaluator will be to:

Support the Lead Evaluator in the development of the Focus Group Discussion guide for Alumni Workshop, Interview Questionnaires for individual participant interviews and Interview questionnaires for partner interviews (via e-mail, phone and skype)
Work with the Lead Evaluator to set up a workplan for the in-country work and the Agenda for the Alumni workshop (via e-mail, phone and skype)
Liaise with the Partner organizations in-country to arrange the logistics of the Alumni workshop (selection of participants, invitations, venue, accommodation, materials and supplies, and other preparations as needed)
Co-facilitate 1 Alumni Workshop in Ghana of 2-3 days, using methodologies designed in conjunction with the Lead Evaluator
Act as a lead facilitator for 1 Alumni Workshop (Uganda) with virtual support from the Lead Evaluator
Conduct interviews with individual WMP Alumni, and Partner organizations as part of field work
Prepare a report on each of the Alumni Workshop findings and interview responses and submit (with relevant documentation and notes) to the Lead Evaluator

Proposed Timeline and Level of Effort

Planning for Alumni Workshops	June, 2012	6 days
Field work and Alumni Workshops	July and August 2012	12 days
Report on Analysis of Fieldwork data up to July	August 31^th, 2012	2.5 days
		20.5 days

It is expected that this Evaluation will take approximately 20.5 days

Consultant’s Expertise and Qualifications

Demonstrated facilitation and adult education experience.
Proven professional experience conducting evaluations of development projects, with experience using a variety of participatory methodologies in the field.
Excellent spoken and written English. Oral ability in any of the local languages would be an asset.
Demonstrated experience applying a gender-sensitive approach to research.
Educational background in social sciences, international development, gender and development is an asset.
Experience and knowledge of co-operatives, preferably in a developing country context, is an asset.
Demonstrated cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to work in cross-cultural environments.
Excellent analytical skills.

Compensation

CCA will provide the Field Evaluator with a daily rate of $200 - $250 CAD depending on experience and qualifications.

CCA will pay travel and expenses for the assignment, including:

Economy air and ground transportation to and from home country to field work sites
Travel Visa costs;
Reasonable accommodation and per diems (food, incidentals) while travelling in the field

Provisions

The Consultant is expected to: