Final Evaluator - London, United Kingdom - Internews

Internews
Internews
Verified Company
London, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Description

Terms of Reference for

External Contractor:
Final Evaluation of EC Program "Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)"
Type of evaluation

Final evaluation - (Summative)

Expected evaluation methodologies

Mixed method research combining qualitative and quantitative approaches

Expected start/end dates

Expected start date:
April 15, 2024

Expected end date:
May 31, 2024

Budget

20,000 EUR

March 15, 2024.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT TO BE EVALUATED
"Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)" is an 18-month project funded by the European Commission and implemented by Internews from 29th September th March 2024.


The project aims to support the survival of trusted media outlets to ensure that citizens have access to accurate public information which will allow them to make informed decisions and to mitigate the impacts of misinformation.

It achieves this overall objective through two mutually reinforcing specific objectives:


  • Specific Objective One: Support media outlets to safely produce and disseminate quality public interest content.
  • Specific Objective Two: Increase media's ability to identify and mitigate against mis/disinformation.


The activities included content production on multiple platforms through grants provided to outlets that operate both in-country and in-exile, remote demand-led and tailored digital security support, online journalist skills training and social media monitoring to learn about disinformation trends.

An important focus of the work was to ensure that women's voices and stories continue to be heard through direct support to women journalists and women-led media organizations.

The
"Improving Access to Quality Information in Afghanistan (IAQIA)" project is designed based on the overarching theory of change that:

IF trusted media outlets receive financial support to produce reliable and accurate reporting, including ensuring the inclusion of women's voices;
AND IF men and women journalists increase their capacity and skills through high-quality flexible online fact-checking and verification training;
AND IF media outlets are provided with high quality digital security mentoring and technical advice that enables them to effectively mitigate online threats and continue to report and provide information safely;
AND IF media outlets are able to respond responsibly to mis/disinformation tracked through social media monitoring analysis;
THEN independent Afghan media outlets will safely produce high quality, inclusive public interest information on multiple platforms that mitigates against mis/disinformation;
AND THEN Afghan citizens will have access to accurate public information which will allow them to make informed decisions and they will not be adversely affected by misinformation.


The de facto authority's takeover in August 2021 caused many leading journalists and media professionals to flee the country fearing for their lives.

Harsh restrictions on the media have been imposed, coupled with threats to journalists, particularly women journalists.

Furthermore, the economic collapse has limited media outlets' access to donor funds and other income causing hundreds of media outlets to close.

This has drastically limited the space for media freedom and citizens access to information.


EVALUATION OVERVIEW

Purpose and Objectives of Evaluation


This final evaluation aims to review the project's overall accomplishments and lessons learned to complement project monitoring and evaluation to give a clear and objective assessment of the project's effectiveness.

The evaluation will also give insight into how to better support independent media outlets serving the Afghan public, assessing the project's activities' impact on beneficiaries and the enduring nature of the outcomes.

The consultant is tasked with creating various outputs, employing an agreed-upon methodology and adhering to a timeline established in collaboration with the project team.

This evaluation is tasked with assessing how this work has supported media outlets to continue to be operational and provide information to the Afghan people at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly at risk:

  • Assess qualitative outcome and impact indicators as stated in the log frame
  • Evaluate the project's relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and EU visibility.
  • Assess the quality, relevance, timeliness, and inclusivity of public interest content produced by the project, especially for women
  • Assess how the project has supported media outlets and journalists to continue to be safe and operational and provide information to the Afghan people at a time when freedom of expression is increasingly at risk
  • Evaluate the impact of digital security mentoring and technical support provided by Internews Global Tech Hub (GTH) on partner media outlets' ability to handle
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