Final Evaluation: Building Drought Resilience in Isiolo County through sustainable Livelihoods (DRIC) Contract No. FED/2019/409-181

Building Drought Resilience in Isiolo County through sustainable Livelihoods (DRIC) is an EU funded action addressing vulnerability through a multi-sector One Health approach which encompasses human health, animal health and environmental interventions, together with the creation/facilitation of a common platform for coordinating at institutional level and sharing good practice. The project aims at enhancing drought resilient and nutrition sensitive agriculture/livestock production, while incorporating conflict resolution and peace building strategies, alleviating the effects of recurrent drought through strengthening and recovery of sustainable capacities with a particular focus on Women's Economic Empowerment as well as empowering Isiolo County in addressing food security and nutrition (FNS) issues, improved data collection system and cross-sectoral collaboration to facilitate local political commitment and awareness raising. The project is aligned with the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) Common Programme Framework (CPF) that operationalizes Kenya's ''Ending Drought Emergencies'' (EDE) strategy that focuses on the most drought prone counties in Kenya, including Isiolo County.

1.1 Project Summary:

Project Duration: 28/12/2019 to 27/03/2024 (51 Months).

Donor: European Union

Lead Partner: Vétérinaires Sans Frontières -Suisse/Kenya (VSF-S/K).

Other Consortium partners: AMREF Health Africa; WeWorld -GVC Onlus (WW); E4IMPACT Foundation (E4I) and Social Ministry Research Network Centre (SOMIRENEC)

Target groups: Direct Beneficiaries: 5,218 pastoral/agro-pastoral households (30,000 people)

Project location: Isiolo Central Sub-County (Oldonyiro, Burat, Wabera, Bulla Pesa, Ngaremara wards); Merti-Sub-County (Chari and Cherab wards) and Garbatulla Sub-County (Kinna, Garbatulla and Sericho wards).

Government Ministries/Departments collaborating with DRIC: National Government, NDMA and the County Government of Isiolo.

a) Objectives of the Action

The Overall Objective of the action: To contribute towards increased resilience to droughts and other negative impact of climate change for vulnerable groups and reduce the number of children under 5 years who are stunted in Isiolo County (WHA - Global Nutrition Target 1 for 2025).

The Specific Objective of the action: To enhance Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) for vulnerable Pastoralist and Agro pastoralist Communities in Isiolo County, generating Sustainable livelihoods, protecting productive assets and improving climate smart County service delivery.

Below, is a summary of the Project Indicators at the Objective level as per the Logical Framework

(which will be provided to the successful consultant(s)/Firm).

Objective Indicators

Overall Objective • Reduction of Isiolo County food poverty rate

(Impact level) • Number of children under 5 years who are stunted in Isiolo County

• Incidence of Household vulnerability and Food and Nutritional Security

Specific Objective • Change in Women dietary Diversity Index

(Outcome level) • Citizens Drought Coping Strategy Index (CSI)

• Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index

b) Key Components of the Action

Output 1: Improved drought resilient and nutrition sensitive agriculture/livestock production, integrated with conflict resolution and peace building strategies

The main activities under Output 1 are:

• Promotion of pasture/rangeland management and commercial fodder production through controlled grazing; pasture, fodder and crop residues conservation; reseeding and introduction of drought tolerant fodder trees, shrubs and grasses

• Peace building initiatives to facilitate peace and reconciliation for sustainable livelihoods

• Improved livestock production (through better herd management-controlled herd size, strategic market offtake, breeding management and livestock insurance).

• Hygienic camel milk production, value addition and marketing

• Restocking with camels and goats as well as improved poultry production.

• Improvement of animal health measures, One Health promotion, disease recognition and reporting, zoonoses management and prevention.

• Promoting use of climate services, integrating scientific evidence and indigenous knowledge, for climate- resilient decision making

• Improved nutrition, food security, food production, food diversification and gender mainstreaming through dissemination of a nutrition-sensitive toolkit

• Enhancing food crop production (promotion of good agricultural practices, soil conservation, agro-forestry), market access to vegetables and fruit production for small scale farmers.

**Output 2:**Key productive household assets and community investments are sustainably built and recovery capacities against recurrent droughts strengthened, with a particular focus on Women's Economic Empowerment:

The main activities under Output 2 are:

• Delivery of entrepreneurship, business training and support to crop/livestock value chains

• Promotion of alternative income generating activities, especially for women

• Mainstreaming peace building skills in entrepreneurship through cooperatives

• Promoting sustainable water supply (for crop production, animal and human consumption) and improved sanitation in schools and communities.

• Elimination of defecation in the open in 11 villages through the application of the ‘Community-Led Total Sanitation’ methodology

Output 3: Isiolo County is empowered in addressing food security and nutrition (FNS) issues, improved data collection system and cross-sectoral collaboration to facilitate local political commitment and awareness raising.

The main activities under Output 3 are:

• Support to coordination for policy making

• Capacity building of County authorities and Non-State Actors on peace building and conflict management

• Support to grassroots and community-based networks working on resilience building, food and nutrition- sensitive approaches and formation of a County Chapter of Scaling Up Nutrition-Civil Society Alliance (SUN CSA) in Isiolo.

• Improving coordination for policy decision-making and implementation at County level on food and nutrition through multi-stakeholder platform

• Strengthening the Nutrition Information Management System

• Establishment of Isiolo County One Health Unit (COHU).

• Organization of learning and sharing forums

• Training of traditional/religious leaders and their involvement in training activities during community aggregation events.

VSF Suisse/Kenya is seeking to engage reputable organization or consultant (s) to conduct the Final evaluation of the DRIC project. The Final evaluation purpose and objectives, scope of work, proposed methodology and duration, deliverables, requirements and experience of the consultant and the application process, are highlighted below.

2.0 Objective of the DRIC Final Evaluation

The objectives of the DRIC Final Evaluation are:

To assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and the impact of the DRIC project on targeted beneficiaries.
To assess the extent to which the DRIC project objectives and key activities (food and nutrition security, resilience, crops/ livestock-based livelihoods and value chains, peace building initiatives, One Health, WASH, climate smart technologies, entrepreneurship skills and marketing) were achieved and determine how they contributed to the realization of the overall objective.
To assess the appropriateness of the different approaches and methodologies used in the implementation of the DRIC project in targeted groups of beneficiaries.
To measure the DRIC project Outcome Indicators (e.g Change in Women Dietary Diversity Index; Citizens Drought Coping Strategy Index (CSI) and Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) and update the DRIC logframe with achievements/progress tracked against indicators and targets.