Youth agents for community empowerment in rural Cambodia (N-KHM-2023-3058)
Terms of Reference
Southeast Asia Development Program (SADP) is now seeking proposals from independent Consultants able to conduct an evaluation of the organization’s project as below.
The Project’s background
SADP is a responsible and innovative grant maker that funds and supports inclusive socioeconomic development and environmental health in Cambodia and the region. We work towards sustainable equitable community development. Our Vision is a world where the environment and people’s rights are respected with compassion and kindness. Our goal is Cambodia’s vulnerable rural and urban population, especially women and Indigenous people, enjoy self-determination and secure, sustainable livelihoods.
From 1st August 2023 till 31st July 2026, SADP receives a grant from Bread for the World (BftW) to implement a project ‘Youth agents for community empowerment in rural Cambodia’. The project will incubate, empower through providing capacity building, coaching/mentoring to youth team, enabling them offering support to their respective communities, mainly smallholder farmers to have ownership and self-sufficient over their food system. In addition, the project aims to support youth’s dream “community to use local materials and resources for natural farming, to produce sufficient food to support their family and their community, and farmers have power to decide over their food system, market, and saving seeds for next generation” through equipping them skills to work empowering their communities, mainly farmers to realize their dream. In short, the project implementers (SADP team) plays role as supporter and mentor, while the youths will lead their own dream’s mission and coach new youths, empower farmers and connect them to work support each other in agroecological farming and collective actions relevant to foods system related issues. The project is supporting youth and farmers in different geographic areas of Battambang province.
The nature of this project requires the selected evaluator(s) to conduct field visits to see the operation and its impacts in Battambang province.
Our project main focus is on local youth, small-holder farmers, marginalized/ vulnerable communities’ members such as women, people with disabilities and LGBT.
Evaluation Purpose
As we approach the end of the project, SADP is seeking proposals from Consultants able to conduct an evaluation of the above project. There are three main reasons for this evaluation: accountability, improvement and learning. The evaluation aims to inform our upcoming strategy development, planning of the next project phase and feedback on our current innovative approaches.
Key information is as follows:
Deadline for proposals: 15th October 2025
Period for evaluation: Between Late October-December 2025
The evaluation will cover the project in the time frame: From 1st August 2023 till present.
Deadline for final report: 15th January 2026.
Report language: English (SADP will arrange translation into the Khmer language)
Fieldwork language: English and/or Khmer
Fee: $5,750 USD, inclusive of 15% withholding tax (NET to Consultant $5,000 USD)
Further detail is provided below. Please submit proposals to recruitment@sadp-asia.org. Questions may be submitted to recruitment@sadp-asia.org or sadp@sadp-asia.org
The Assignment
SADP is now seeking independent Consultant(s) to produce an evaluation of the project as above mentioned. The evaluation should:
- Assess to what extent the project has met its stated aims, objectives and indicators.
- Measure to what extent our approaches contributing to community self-sufficient, community ownership, and sustainability and what shall be adjusted to fit with the context.
- Identify the current status community’s solidarity actions for positive impacts in their community as well as recommendation re adaptive approach amplifying the collective actions in current context.
- What is the added valued support to community/ beneficiaries that could help them to be more strengthened towards self-reliance
- Evaluate the wider impact of the project, and consider in what ways this impact could be increased
- Identify any lessons learnt from the project, which could be usefully shared to a network of peers and partners working in similar fields
- Make recommendations as how to how this project could be improved or further developed in future
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation should be carried out in adherence with OECD DAC evaluation criteria: (i) relevance, (ii) effectiveness, (iii) efficiency, (iv) impact, (v) sustainability and (vi) coherence. Plus, an integrated reflection on cross-cutting issues such as gender, intersectionality inclusion and environmental impact. This means we expect the consultant(s) to reflect our above-mentioned programs/ projects within the OECD DAC evaluation criteria.
Expressions of interest should be received by 15th October 2025. We aim to appoint a Consultant so that work may begin by late October 2025.
Evaluation Questions
The evaluation will have to respond to the following questions:
Relevance
- To what extent does the design of the project (objectives, activities, impact logic) align with the needs of the beneficiaries and the context they live in?
- How can the project intervention be adjusted to better meet the needs of the target groups as well as the obstacles they face?
Effectiveness
- Is the objective of the project being achieved (will it likely be achieved) until the end of the project? Reference must be made to all 3 agreed indicators of success; the consideration of additional aspects is desirable.
- Are all relevant stakeholders represented in the implementation of the project?
- To what extent does the project ensure participation and ownership amongst the different stakeholders? In how far were women involved in the process?
- What are the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objective and indicators?
Efficiency
- Will the objective be achieved in an economically viable manner? Please evaluate the adequacy of the deployed resources in relation to the achieved results, effects, and outreach of the project.
- Does the project reach enough beneficiaries to achieve tangible change for communities through multipliers?
- Are project outputs and outcomes achieved on time?
Impact
- Will the project contribute to the attainment of the overall development goal?
- Which intended and/or unintended positive and/or negative changes have occurred as a result of the project?
Sustainability
- Which measures have been implemented in order to support sustainability?
- To what extent are these measures sufficient and appropriate?
- Will the intended positive changes (foreseeably) have a lasting effect beyond the end of the project period?
- Will the outcome and impact of the project intervention be sustainable also after the youth agents have left the communities? How is this ensured?
Coherence
- How well does the project intervention align with other initiatives in the target area (development work of other organizations and donors; national plans etc.). Are there any synergies, overlapping or interference?
Scope of the Evaluation
The evaluation will cover the project in its entirety as above mentioned, from its inception, assessing all the results and key outputs that have been produced in the project’ period (1st August 2023 till Present). The geographical scope will cover as above outlined. The evaluation will also include field data collection in all of the projects’ areas (preferably in-person field visits and virtual data collection only if necessary/relevant).
The evaluation will also consider all documents linked to the Project including the project’ document, inception report, progress reports and other documents produced as outputs of the Projects. Relevant secondary documents that are of significance to the Project should also be included by the evaluator(s) in their document review.
Evaluation Methodology
Based on the above criteria and the assignment’ questions, the evaluator(s) will elaborate an information collection and analysis methodology. The methodology should include multiple methods, with analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, and should be able to capture the evaluation’s required assignment and the criteria.
The evaluation fieldwork will apply mixed methods and be participatory in nature. The evaluator(s) will seek to apply a variety of evaluation techniques – desk review, meetings with stakeholders, focus group discussions, field visits, and scoring, ranking or rating techniques, in all the areas where the projects are being implemented.
The following principles will be applied during the evaluation process:
- Methods of data collection and stakeholder perspectives will be triangulated to the greatest extent possible.
- Gender and cultural sensitivity will be integrated in the evaluation approach.
The evaluation will be carried out in consultation with SADP team, project team, as well as other relevant implementing partners, beneficiaries and other key stakeholders in all the projects. The evaluator(s) should carry out stakeholders mapping to select who should be interviewed and specify the method of interview such as FGD, Survey, etc. The evaluator(s) will review inputs by SADP team and its key stakeholders involved in the project.
The draft evaluation report will be shared with SADP and BftW, and a request for comments will be asked within a specified time (not more than 2 weeks). The SADP team will support the evaluator(s) in asking project stakeholders for comments and a consolidated version will be provided to evaluator(s).
Towards the end of the data collection from the field, the evaluator(s) will hold a debriefing to SADP team and the project’s team.
Main Deliverables
Below are expected deliverables:
- A draft final evaluation report as per the proposed structure for the evaluation report stated in the BftW’s evaluation guidelines[1] in which the consultant(s) will be offered the detailed information during the evaluation tasks and procedures orientation.
- Final evaluation report, considering the feedback from SADP/stakeholders and BftW.
Management arrangement and work plan
Evaluation Coordinator: Mrs. Vanarath Hem (sadp@sadp-asia.org). The evaluation coordinator will handle below tasks in supporting the evaluation process:
- Liaise with the project’s team and provide project background documents to the evaluator.
- Coordinate with the project’s team on the field visit and the agenda of the evaluator.
- Brief the evaluation consultant(s) on SADP and/or funder’s evaluation procedures.
- Circulate the draft report to all concerned for their comments.
- Review and provide comments on the draft evaluation report.
- Consolidate comments and send them back to the evaluator(s).
Project Team: The project team will handle administrative, provide any logistical and other assistance as required. They will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Provide project background materials to the evaluator(s).
- Prepare a list of stakeholders and recommended interviewees.
- Schedule meetings for field visits and coordinate areas’ logistical arrangements.
- Be interviewed and provide inputs as requested by the evaluator(s) during the evaluation process.
- Review and provide comments on the draft evaluation report.
- Organize and participate in stakeholders’ workshops/ meetings; and,
- Provide logistical and administrative support to the evaluator(s), including travel arrangements and all materials needed to provide all deliverables.
The Evaluation Team: The evaluation team reports to the evaluation coordinator and will be responsible for delivering the above evaluation assignment and deliverables using a combination of methods as mentioned above.
Skills and experience
We welcome proposal from both foreign and/ or local consultant(s) on the call.
Essential:
- No previous involvement in the delivery of SADP’s Projects.
- University Degree (preferably advanced level) with minimum eight years’ experience at community empowerment work
- Minimum three years of experience in conducting project or project evaluations.
- Knowledge of, and experience in applying, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
- Knowledge of community empowerment and community organizing
- Excellent analytical skills and communication skills.
- Demonstrated good report writing skills in English.
- Work experience in Southeast Asia
Desirable:
- Has a strong interest in community-led development and social and environmental related causes
- Experience with community empowerment and community’s collective actions
- Has a wide knowledge of sustainable equitable community development
- Have a national consultant (as team member/ interpreter/ translator)
- No previous involvement in the delivery of SADP’s Projects.
- University Degree (at least level 1) with minimum 3 years of experience in matters of agroecology or fundamental rights, and/or social dialogue.
- Knowledge of data collection methods and practical experience
- Previous experience in M&E will be an asset.
How to apply
To express interest in this evaluation, please email recruitment@sadp-asia.org or vanarath@sadp-asia.org with:
- A one-page cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications for the assignment
- Please also note in the letter: Confirmation that you have read and understood the evaluation fee
- A brief proposal (maximum 2 pages) explaining how would approach the assignment
- Resume, including 2 references
Note: Application can be in English or Khmer