Overview
Search for Common Ground Common Ground Productions is seeking an experienced external evaluator to lead evaluation team(s) in conducting a summative evaluation of “MADAME PRESIDENT” in at least two out of the three countries: Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia. This 24 month project was funded by USAID.
The evaluation will use a utilization-focused approach and adopt Search’s 3-R Media Evaluation Methodology. We expect the evaluator or evaluators to covering the key region and outreach participants where the program was implemented. The evaluator is expected to also engage with an online platform that is currently watching and discussing the TV program online and capture key data from this online platform. The Evaluator will apply the OECD DAC Peacebuilding Evaluation criteria of effectiveness and should adhere to the SFCG External Evaluation guidelines.
The evaluation will be conducted between August and November 2016, with approximately 50 to 80 working days. Data collection must take place before September 30, 2016. The results of the evaluation, including data analysis and recommendation, will be used to inform future program decisions in the region and future episodic drama TV programs. The evaluator will be able to rely on at least one SFCG staff as part of the Evaluation team and logistic support in countries. The evaluator will work with the Executive Producer/Chief of Party and the Director of DME (based out of Washington DC) to determine and finalized evaluation methods and refine lines of inquiry.
Background
Intervention Summary: Search for Common Ground (SFCG) produced and aired a 15-episode TV drama series called ‘Madame President’, a program loosely styled after the popular American drama The West Wing, which chronicled the experiences of a the first female president to lead a fictional Arab country. By using TV broadcast and a broad outreach campaign to share credible examples of how women can successfully seek and exercise leadership positions through an entertaining and accessible media program, we hope to impact how Arab citizens think about the roles and responsibilities of citizens, leadership, inclusive governance and gender equity in their own communities and nations.
The project’s two key objectives are:
- Males and females in 5 MENA countries believe that the role of women in politics is crucial to build more democratic and prosperous societies.
- Women and girls will have access to popular role models and strategies for women’s leadership in public and civic life.
A baseline study was conducted in Tunisia, Lebanon and Jordan by an internal team. The baseline study collected data on the following key themes: freedom of expression, roles and responsibilities of citizens, gender equality, leadership and alternative leadership styles, and security. It is expected that the evaluator will use the data collection tools used in the baseline to assess some of the before and after effects of the episodic drama.
Organization Overview:
Since 1982, Search for Common Ground, an international non-governmental organization, has been working to transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial confrontation, toward cooperative solutions. SFCG is engaged in a long-term process of incremental transformation, so we make long-term commitments. We work with partners on the ground to strengthen local capacity to deal with conflict. SFCG currently has offices in 49 countries.
The Evaluation
The Evaluation Goal: Improve understanding of the role of episodic drama television in changing attitudes and behaviors towards women’s leaderships in Lebanon, Jordan or Tunisia.
The Evaluation Objectives and Lines of Criteria: Drawing from the OECD Development and Cooperation (DAC) Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding criteria , the two key objectives are impact. The evaluation will seek to measure the impact of the program in changing attitudes and behaviors of the population at large and the outreach groups. It is important that the evaluation contributes recommendation that can lead to improvement in execution of activities and strategies.
Please refer to the lines of inquiry listed below and note that these will be reviewed by the Evaluator, and discussed with the Project Manager for clarification, prioritization, and refinement.
Effectiveness (OECD/DAC): A measure of whether the project achieved its intended objectives:
- To what extent did the project reach its strategic target audience?
- To what extent is the project contributing to a change in attitudes and behavior of the targeted population? E.g. women between the ages of 18 and 34. (Compare baseline to evaluation findings)
- To what extent did the episodic drama lead to dialogue and engagement via social media like Facebook or Soliya?
- Did the online facilitation via Soliya differ from the person-to person facilitation? If so, how? And were there significant differences in intended and unintended impact of the project?
Impact (OECD/DAC): A measure of the changes produced (directly or indirectly, intended or unintended, positive or negative) by the episodic drama activities.
- How did the project resonate with the viewers on the key themes?
- What changes have taken place on the secondary beneficiaries (male youth between the ages of 18-34)
- How has the project contributed/not contributed to how the viewers see women as potential leaders?
- To what extent the episodic drama improved empathy among the population and outreach groups?
- To what extent did the audience use what they learned in the episodic drama in their daily lives?
- What were some positive and negative consequences of the episodic drama?
Audience: The primary audience of this evaluation is the SFCG’s Common Ground Production, the MENA Regional Team and the Office of Middle East Programming of USAID. They will be using the evaluation findings to inform future programming decisions in the region, and recommend whether the program should be replicated in other conflict zones where SFCG works. The secondary audience of the evaluation is the greater peacebuilding community. Please note that as per SFCG policies, this evaluation will be publicly available via SFCG website and through the DME Learning Portal.
Evaluation Methods
Evaluation Type: SFCG is soliciting an Arabic-speaking external evaluator that can lead an evaluation team in commissioning a summative evaluation.
Approach: The current conflict in the Middle East in the past 3 yeas has delayed some activities and this may have prevented the full-achievement of the objective of this project. Common Ground Productions expects a utilization-focused approach that also utilizes Search’s 3R Framework.
Scope: The evaluation will take place in two of the three countries: Jordan, Tunisia and/or Lebanon. Working with the SFCG staff, the evaluation team will choose the appropriate communities to sample. The evaluation should be qualitative and quantitative and key data should be collected to be able to report against all indicators in the logframe. The evaluator is expected to use the baseline data, including survey questions, to assess impact. SFCG does not require statistical significance for this final evaluation, but sample size should be large enough to be able to speak with confidence about the results.
Evaluation Plan: A detailed evaluation plan should be drafted as part of the Inception Report, including data collection tools.
For more details on the Terms of Reference, kindly click on this link. http://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DJ_-FINAL_Mad-Pres-FINAL-…
EmoticonEmoticon