Terms of Reference (ToR) for End-line evaluation

Terms of Reference (ToR) for End-line evaluation

Project: Cultivating the Future: Strengthening Food Security and Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in Maroodijeh

Project Period: 1 March 2025 – 31 August 2026

1. INTRODUCTION:

This Terms of Reference outlines the scope, objectives, methodology, deliverables, responsibilities, and timeline for the end-line evaluation of the project “Cultivating the Future: Strengthening Food Security and Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in Maroodijeh.”

The end-line evaluation will assess the extent to which the project achieved its expected results, outcomes, and approved indicators. It will also document key achievements, lessons learned, implementation challenges, sustainability prospects, and recommendations for future programming.

The evaluation will cover the six target communities of Abaarso, Beeyo Liban, Biyo Macaan, Xidhinta, Gogoysa, and Ilma Dado in Gabiley and Hargeisa Districts.

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND:

The project “Cultivating the Future: Strengthening Food Security and Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in Maroodijeh” started on 1 March 2025 and is being implemented over an 18-month period, ending on 31 August 2026. The project is funded by the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers – 8×1000, with ActionAid International Italia E.T.S. as the lead partner and ActionAid International Somaliland as the implementing partner in Somaliland.

The project is being implemented in six pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Hargeisa and Gabiley Districts: Abaarso, Beeyo Liban, Biyo Macaan, Xidhinta, Gogoysa, and Ilma Dado. Since the start of implementation in March 2025, the project has focused on improving access to food and water for drought-affected households, strengthening community resilience, and promoting inclusive and women-led approaches in the target communities.

The project was originally designed in response to the severe drought, food insecurity, water scarcity, and market-related shocks affecting Somaliland and wider Somalia during the proposal development period. Although the project was approved and started implementation in March 2025, the underlying context remained highly relevant at the time of implementation. Drought conditions, reduced household income, livestock losses, limited agricultural production, high food and fuel prices, and wider geopolitical shocks continued to affect vulnerable pastoral and agro-pastoral communities. These pressures increased household vulnerability and reinforced the need for timely support to improve access to food, water, livelihoods, and resilience.

Women, girls, children, elderly persons, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities remained among the most affected groups. Women and girls, in particular, continued to face increased unpaid care responsibilities, longer distances to access water and basic services, and heightened protection risks. Therefore, the project’s design and implementation approach remained relevant both to the crisis context identified during proposal development and to the continuing humanitarian and livelihood challenges present when implementation began in March 2025.

As the project approaches its final implementation period, this end-line evaluation will assess the extent to which the project has achieved its intended objectives, results, and approved indicators since implementation began in March 2025. The evaluation will also document key achievements, challenges, lessons learned, sustainability prospects, and recommendations for future food security, resilience, agroecology, cash, and WASH-related programming.

1. PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Overall Objective: To contribute to the strengthening of food security and climate change resilience of vulnerable agro-pastoral and pastoral communities in Maroodijeh.

Specific Objective / Outcome: Increase access to food and water for drought-affected households through an inclusive, women-led approach in the Maroodijeh region of Somaliland.

Expected Results:

Result 1: Drought-affected households have increased access to food and water through unconditional cash and cash for work

Result 2: Target communities (especially women) have increased capacity and knowledge on agroecological practices to cope with recurrent drought and food insecurity.

Result 3: Target communities have increased access to water and community management of water infrastructure has improved.

1. PROJECT ACTIVITIES COVERED BY THE EVALUATION

Result 1 Activities

1. Cash-for-Work: construction of embankments targeting 200 households.
2. Cash-for-Work: cleaning of dams targeting 90 households.
3. Unconditional cash transfers to vulnerable families targeting 200 households.
4. Post-distribution monitoring related to cash assistance and Cash-for-Work.

Result 2 Activities

1. Training for farmers, herders, and women’s groups on food reserve establishment and money saving targeting 50 participants.
2. Training for small farmers on integrated use of organic pesticides and supply of organic pesticide materials targeting 50 participants.
3. Training for small farmers on crop diversification, drought-resistant alternative crops, and seed distribution targeting 50 participants.

Result 3 Activities

1. Rehabilitation of berkads in pastoral communities for human and animal use targeting three water infrastructures and approximately 150 households.
2. Excavation of ponds and distribution of low-density polyethylene sheets for rainwater harvesting targeting 200 households.
3. Training of water management committees and transfer of basic water management skills targeting three water management committees with 7 members each.
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE ENDLINE ASSESSMENT

The primary objective of the end-line assessment is to evaluate and provide reliable, final data on the project’s performance against established benchmarks. The assessment will identify the best practices and key lessons in both technical implementation and program management. These insights will facilitate ongoing learning and improvements in resilience-building and climate-smart adaptation for women farmers and the general agricultural community. The findings will be shared with the ActionAid Federation, Cultivating the Future project, implementing ActionAid countries, and donors, serving as a resource for future fundraising efforts.

ATTACHMENTS

ToR for Final Evaluation – IG project 21062026