The Zambian president declared a drought, disaster and emergency in Zambia on 29th February and called for local and international support. On 4th March, the Government through the Office of the vice president and Disaster Management Mitigation Unit (DMMU) called for consultative meeting with all relevant stakeholders to lobby for support following the declaration of the emergency. The Government indicated that there is need for multisector collaboration in responding to the emergency that has affected 1 million families across Zambia.

The drought currently experienced has affected 8 provinces across the country with highest impacts in Southern, Central, Eastern, North-western, Western, and Lusaka Provinces. Nine million, eight hundred thousand (9.8 million) people have been adversely affected by the drought, of these, 6.6 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance. One million (1m) hectors of maize field affected out of 2.2 million hectors planted in 2023/2024 season. Crops, especially maize, legumes, ground nuts, millet, sorghum and others, have withered due to insufficient soil moisture content and high temperature. Water points are drying up making it difficult for people to sustainably have access to safe and clean water for domestic consumption. Pasture for livestock has dried up making it difficult for livestock. Price for food and other basic commodities has continued to rise due to high demand as most community members depend on the markets. The directly affected directly are small scale farmers who depend on rain field cropping, livestock keepers and almost all community members who depend on natural water bodies and shallow wells for water. The drought situation came at the time when the government shared the Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) report indicating that indicated that in the period October 2023 and March 2024 an average of 2.04 million people were facing food insecurity.

To augment Government efforts in the drought response, the Zambia Red Cross Society (ZRCS) with support from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and its partners is implementing a Drought Response Program in two(2) districts namely Sinazongwe and Chikankata.

The Emergency Appeal aims to reduce the negative impacts of drought and contribute to the improvement of food security, hygiene and health behaviours, and improve the nutrition status of children under the age of five. The response includes the distribution of essential agricultural inputs, provision of emergency cash transfer, health promotion and to affected households.

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA):

This program aimed to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers by promoting climate resilient agricultural practices, improving access to climate information and early warning systems, and supporting the development of climate resilient agricultural value chains. Under this pillar, ZRCS worked closely with Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Ministry of Community Development and Social Services to identify drought affected farmers in Sinazongwe and Chikankata districts.

Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA):

Following the joint market assessment conducted by the World Food Program (WFP), the cash transfer value was increased from k400 to k600 to meet the immediate needs of the affected population. ZRCS working closely with Ministry of Community Development and Social Services particularly department of Socaial Welfare on sensitization of beneficiaries on key messages pertaining to selection criteria, modes of distribution, feedback mechanisms, Protection Gender and Inclusion (PGI). The other activities under this pillar involved registration and validation of the beneficiaries list that was provided by the Government through Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. Following successful registration and validation of the beneficiaries, a Final list of Cash beneficiaries was produced and shared with the Financial Service Provider (FSPs). In Sinazongwe districts MTN and ZANCO were used as mode of Cash distribution while in in Chikankata Airtel and ZANACO were used.  The Cash distribution Program was flagged of by a launch witnessed by the District Commissioner, ZRCS President, IFRC country team and other dignitaries.

Health:

With support from Ministry of Health district offices, ZRCS trained its volunteers and the health staff on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), Community Based Surveillance (CBS) and Under five (5) children Growth Monitoring. Under growth monitoring volunteers used MUAC through door to door activities and procurement of High Energy Protein Supplements to support the identified malnourished children especially with Mil Acute Malnutrition. For RCCE, volunteers reached out to households through door to door with key messages on the prevention of disease and child health complimenting the radio program sessions.

Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH):

Water Sanitation and Hygiene Education were identified as critical area of need in addressing the challenges of water-borne, water-related and water-washed diseases especially given the scarcity of water supply in the prevailing drought situation. In mitigating these challenges, ZRCS procured complete boreholes kits for the purpose of rehabilitating boreholes across the 2 districts.

Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA):

Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) was integrated on all sectors of the response in Sinazongwe and Chikankata Districts, promoting greater community participation and strengthening communication between affected families and response teams. The ZRCS CEA team conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) within the communities to gather insights. The other feedback channels utilized includes; help desks that were set up during the Cash distribution and the Toll free line-7373 that was advertised during the program sensitization, beneficiary registration and validation stages.

Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI):

A number of volunteers engaged in the project activities were trained of protection, gender and inclusion (PGI), SGBV (Sexual and Gender-based Violence), and the Code of Conduct to enhance the sensitization to the beneficiary households as well as reporting of such cases during project implementation.

Additionally, the following activities were conducted during the project implementation.

• Baseline survey at the beginning of the project.
• Cash and Input post distribution monitoring exercises
• Field crop monitoring
• Crop performance Assessments
• Training of lead farmers in Climate Smart Agriculture, post-harvest handling/ food conservation or preservation.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Pillar 1: Food security and Livelihoods

• Contribute towards helping households ‘bounce back’ from the shock through the provision of cash and climate-smart agriculture interventions, enabling the affected population to meet their food and livelihood needs.

Pillar 2: Health and Nutrition

• Support 80% of the affected people in the districts of Sinazongwe and Chikankata with health and nutrition interventions that are useful for improved well-being.

Pillar 3: Water Sanitation and Hygiene

• Promote community managed WASH services for the targeted populations to reduce health risks.

Cross cutting sectors

• Promote equitable access by all to quality basic services considering different needs based on gender and other diversity factors.
• Promote a community-centred approach and meaningful participation to address the diverse needs, priorities, and preferences of the affected population.
• Communities in the drought affected areas adopt climate risk-informed and environmentally responsible values and practices, gaining enhanced resilience to the impact of the drought.

PURPOSE OF ENDLINE

It will serve as an important accountability for the National Society and its partners for the purpose of identifying the extent to which the project objectives were achieved.

OBJECTIVE OF THE BASELINE STUDY.

The final project evaluation aims to assess progress toward achieving the overall and specific objectives outlined in the operational strategy. It also seeks to identify gaps, challenges, and lessons learned to inform future programming.

The endline evaluation will have to consider the following criteria:

• Impact – To qualitatively and quantitatively assess the impact of the project’s interventions, focusing on the extent to which project activities has changed or not changed peoples’ lives
• Appropriateness – should answer the question of whether the interventions in the project were according to the needs and priorities of the target population.
• Effectiveness & efficiency: understanding if activities in the project have been carried out as originally planned and whether the resources were used efficiently. Efficiency should include an analysis of Value for Money: understand the cost drivers of the project and assess to what level the project demonstrated maximum effectiveness, efficiency and economy.
• Coverage & replicability: To what extent did the project activities reach the specific target population?  Are the interventions replicated in the communities?
• Sustainability: How are we ensuring sustainability of the project interventions?

SCOPE OF EVALUATION

The scope of the evaluation will be based on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) principles and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Evaluation Matrix.

OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC),

These principles provide a standardized framework to evaluate development and humanitarian projects. They focus on learning and accountability.

The six core DAC criteria (updated 2019):

Relevance
Does the intervention address the real needs and priorities of the target group, including changing circumstances?
Is it aligned with local context, priorities, and policies?
Coherence
How well does the intervention complement, harmonize with, or avoid duplication of other efforts (by other actors or sectors)?
Is there internal and external consistency in the approach?
Effectiveness
To what extent were the objectives achieved?
Did the intervention deliver the intended results?
Efficiency
How well were resources used (time, money, effort) to achieve outputs and outcomes?
Was the intervention cost-effective?
Impact
What difference did the intervention make in the long term?
What are the positive and negative, intended and unintended, direct and indirect effects?
Sustainability
Will the benefits of the intervention last after the project ends?
Are the capacities and systems in place to maintain outcomes over time?
IFRC Evaluation Framework (Evaluation Matrix)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) uses a comprehensive evaluation framework that aligns with DAC criteria but emphasizes humanitarian values and community engagement.

Core IFRC Evaluation Criteria (with key focus areas):

Relevance and Appropriateness
Was the project suited to the local needs, context, and culture?
Did it respect the dignity and rights of participants?
Coverage
Did the intervention reach all intended (and potentially excluded) vulnerable groups?
Efficiency
Were outputs delivered in a timely and resource-effective manner?
Effectiveness
To what extent did the project meet its stated goals and objectives?
Impact
What broader and deeper changes occurred as a result of the project?
Were any unintended effects (positive or negative) observed?
Sustainability and Connectedness
Are there systems in place to maintain benefits after the project ends?
Was the project connected to longer-term development goals or local systems?
Participation, Accountability, and Learning (cross-cutting themes)
Were stakeholders (especially affected people) meaningfully involved in decision-making?
Were feedback mechanisms in place?
Was the project adaptive based on learning and feedback?

Additionally, the consultant should take note of the following:

Timeframe: This evaluation will cover the entire project duration.

Geographical coverage: This evaluation will focus on the 2 project districts: Sinazongwe and Chikankata.

Target groups to be covered: The endline evaluation will cover the primary and secondary beneficiaries as well as key personals among the stakeholders involved in the project implementation.

The consultant(s) is expected to propose his/her methodology for the consultancy, which should include but not limited to:

• Work-plan: This must be a detailed step‐ by‐ step plan of work that specifies the methods the evaluation will use to collect the information needed to address evaluation criteria and answer the evaluation questions, analyze data, interpret the findings, and report the results.
• Evaluation Matrix: An evaluation matrix which includes at least analysis dimension, evaluation question, indicators, means of verification, source, methodology, and space for comments.
• Budget: The evaluator will provide a detailed budget showing how much each stage of the evaluation will be costed.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Evaluation inception report: A consultant will prepare an inception report before going into the technical mission and full data collection stage. It must detail the consultant’s understanding of what is being evaluated and why, showing how each process will be developed and how each evaluation question will be answered by way of: proposed methods, proposed sources of data and data collection/analysis procedures. The inception report must include a proposed schedule of tasks, activities, and deliverables, designating the person with the lead responsibility for each task.

Presentation of preliminary findings to the ZRCS: The consultant will develop and deliver a presentation to the ZRCS team, summarizing preliminary findings and providing a debrief on the methodology used. Ideally, this presentation should be conducted during the Project Lessons Learned workshop, in the presence of ZRCS staff and relevant stakeholders.

Draft evaluation report to ZRCS for which ZRSC and its partners will provide feedback.

Submit Final Endline Evaluation Report to ZRCS: The final report submitted by the consultant should include a clear comparison of the findings from the baseline to the endline and recommendation for future programming. The consultant will submit the final report with comments addressed and must meet the minimum requirements specified in this TOR. He or She must accompany the final report within an appropriate format, for dissemination among various levels of stakeholders.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES REQUIRED

The consultant must be able to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Education:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Development studies, population studies or related.

Experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience in public health field
• At least 5 years’ experience conducting evaluations of projects.
• Previous assignments in conducting endline studies and evaluations for public health projects.
• Experience with participatory assessment
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative methods
• Knowledge or expertise in statistical data analysis software in the case of conducting the endline survey.
• Experience conducting similar works with Red Cross (RCRC) is an advantage.

SKILLS

• Fluency in English
• Ability to write concise, yet comprehensive reports.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of mobile data collection.
• Competences in qualitative and quantitative data software is desirable.

KNOWLEDGE

• Technical knowledge in Emergency and Disaster Management, Public Health and Community Based Surveillance

SUBMISSION GUIDLINES

Interested consultants meeting above specifications are expected to submit the following in view of the selection process using the link Application for consultancy on or Before Thursday 31st July,2025

-Technical offer/ Expression of Interest.
-Technical proposal describing how evaluation should be carried out.
-Financial proposal (consultancy fees).
-List of the previous studies/research developed by her/him, including the link to be able to review them (if this is already included in the CV, it wouldn’t be necessary to attach it separately).