,
Ethiopian Catholic Church Social Development Coordinating office of Meki (ECC-SDCOM)
Background:Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission Branch Office of Meki (ECC-SDCBOM) is a results-oriented organization working to ensure integral human development since 1995. ECC-SDCBOM seeks to boost the development of the agricultural sector so that it substantially contributes to food security of targeted population. ECC-SDCBOM, in this way ensures that efforts are aligned, activities are coordinated, and an enabling environment is created so that farmers benefit from; structural development, adoption of proven production, post-harvest technologies and market linkages, thereby increasing their yields and income and consequently contributing to the development of their families, their communities, and their country.In line with this, ECC-SDCBOM had implemented DBCB I, DBCB II, BDCSP and CUCBP in ATJK, Dugda and Bora Woredas of East Shawa Zone and DRRP and PCCB in Siraro woreda of West Arsi Zone Oromia Region from 2004 to December, 2017. The projects mainly focused on the establishment of agricultural and saving and credit cooperatives supported by large scale infrastructure construction, office material supply, financial and technical capacity buildings. Accordingly, the projects supported the formation of 30 agricultural cooperatives, 3 saving and credit cooperatives and one multipurpose cooperatives union. These cooperatives have been serving 90 kebeles of four woredas, namely: Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha, Dugda and Bora of East Shawa and Siraro of West Arsi Zone. The main cooperatives capacity building performed by these projects is illustrated as follows: Infrastructure capacity building:Infrastructure capacity building included the construction of modern stores, offices, fumigation stores, toilets and guard houses. In line with this, twenty-nine agricultural cooperatives have been assisted since 2004.Material assistance:The projects provided different materials to twenty-nine agricultural and three saving and credit cooperatives. These materials provided were: Computer with printer, office furniture, motor bicycle, balance scale, fumigation sheets and sprays.Access to finance:The projects provided direct financial capacity building and established two guarantee funds schemes at the Cooperatives Bank of Oromia (CBO). As a result, cooperatives were enabled to provide different service to their members.Market linkage:The projects facilitated the establishment of one cooperatives union and facilitated cooperatives linkage with relevant market actors.Technical capacity building:The project provided capacity building training to different project clients and stakeholders. The trainings were provided for: cooperatives’ members, cooperatives’ leaders, cooperatives’ hired staff and staff of government line departments.The envisaged impact assessment will focus on examining and verifying Socio-economic, ecological and environmental impacts of the implementation of the project.Scope of the study:The impact assessment will evaluate the Cooperative Development Projects that had been implemented by ECC-SDCBOM from 2004 G.C to December 2017 G.C. The impact evaluation shall be performed in line with the OECD/Development Assistance Committee (DAC) evaluation criteria that have also been adopted by ECC-SDCBOM and Caritas Austria. Assessing the outcomes and impacts of 14 years of project implementation activities and their sustainability is important to identify challenges, draw lessons and propose way(s) forward for existing intervention areas and potential new interventions to be engaged in the Diocesan operation areas. Thus, the envisaged cooperatives projects impact assessment should include findings, intervention bottle-necks, lessons learned and recommendations. The impact assessment will cover all the cooperatives development project intervention woredas: ATJK, Dugda and Bora of East Shawa and Siraro Woredas of West Arsi Zone. 30 (thirty) agricultural primary cooperatives, 2 (two) multipurpose cooperatives and 3 (three) SACCOs which have been operating in the projects intervention woredas, will be part of the impact assessment.Objectives:The first objective of the assessment is to assess the impact of the above-mentioned cooperatives development projects in their contribution towards improved food security and livelihoods of the targeted population at household level.The second objective of the impact assessment is to clarify the socio-ecological and environmental impacts of the projects’ activities and outcomesThe third objective of the assessment is to draw out the best practices achieved, implementation challenges and lessons learnt of the projects.Methodology It is envisaged that the impact assessment will broadly consist of the following phases: Inception Phase: This will involve a review of secondary ECC-SDCBOM/information contained in projects documents (modified annually through implementation) which will include: progress reports, audit reports, workshop reports, baseline and terminal reports, policy documents and other documents necessary for the assignment. The key output to be produced is the inception report which will include a detailed approach to the impact assessment, including the data collection tools. Upon approval, ECC-SDCBOM will facilitate an induction workshop with relevant stakeholders to ascertain full participation and ownership of the targeted cooperatives and communities with the Impact Assessment.Primary data Collection:Besides secondary data collection, the assessment team will collect quantitative and qualitative data relevant for the impact assessment. This will include surveys of beneficiaries in the four woredas namely: ATJK, Dugda and Bora of East Shawa zone and Siraro woreda of West Arsi Zone, key informant interviews and other participatory data collection methodologies. The consultants ensure that samples taken are of such a size that relevant conclusions can be drawn. Furthermore, it is expected that cooperatives members, cooperatives leaders, government officers, cooperatives unions and other relevant stakeholders will be part of the key informant interviewees.Data analysis/reporting/validation: Based on primary and secondary data collection, the consultants will analyze the data and come up with a draft report to be presented to the impact assessment team at ECC-SDCBOM. After presentation of the draft report, comments will have to be consolidated in order to come up with a final draft that can be validated through stakeholders’ validation workshop. The validation workshop will be facilitated by ECC-SDCBOM in collaboration with the consultants to be selected. The final impact assessment report will be submitted including the most important comments from the stakeholders and partners.Schedule of Deliverables:DeliverablesDateSelection process of a ConsultantMay 25 – 26,2018Screening and interviewing candidatesMay 31, 2018Successful consultant selectedMay 31, 2018The impact assessment starts immediately after agreementJune 1, 2018Submission of a draft report to be reviewed and approved by ECC-SDCBOM and Donor partnerJuly 15, 2018The consultant will present the findings in the internal debriefing session, which is organized by ECC-SDCBOM before planning an open validation workshop with other relevant stakeholdersJuly 20, 2018Draft and final should be analytical in nature (both quantitative and qualitative) findings/lessons learnt, include conclusions and recommendationsJuly 31, 2018Payment Terms Payment would be subject to taxation as per the government of Ethiopia’s regulations. Terms and conditions to be discussed after the interview process.