TOR Consultancy to Assess the Organizational Impact of the Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) Program implementation in the period: 2019-2024 80 views

Organizational Background

Establishment and Objectives

‘Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR)’ is an Ethiopian civil society organization established in 2019 with the main objective of protecting and promoting human rights, particularly of those marginalized or otherwise disadvantaged sections of society.  LHR is registered on September 19, 2019 with the FDRE Civil Societies Organizations Agency in accordance with the civil societies law Proclamation No. 1113/2019.

Over the past five years of its operation, LHR has designed and implemented various projects which integrated mutually reinforcing strategies and activities such as capacity building, information sharing and exchange, networking and partnership, awareness creation and mobilization on human rights recognized in national laws, regional and international human rights instruments. Legislative advocacy also forms part of LHR’s intervention, whereby it endeavors to influence the formulation and implementation of laws through research proposals. LHR has also been engaged in the promotion and protection of the right to access justice and effective remedies for human rights violations through the provision of legal aid services and engaging in direct human rights litigations.

The organization aims at achieving the following concrete objectives:

• Increasing the participation and contribution of lawyers in the area of human rights through trainings and other capacity building activities,
• Supporting lawyers across the nation and help exchange of ideas, information and experience for better protection of human rights and prevalence of human rights,
• Litigating strategically in courts and other relevant organs to ensure protection and promotion of human rights recognized under the FDRE Constitution and other laws,
• Providing free or low-cost legal services for victims of human rights violation and disadvantaged communities,
• Creating awareness for justice organs on international human rights instruments ratified by Ethiopia,
• Influencing the government to enact new laws or amend existing ones to give full protection for human rights,
• Familiarizing the idea of human rights defenders (HRD) among the lawyers.

Partnership and collaborations

In the implementation of the projects, LHR has been engaging with national and international stakeholders in the past years, including National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Open Society Foundations (OSF), USAID Justice Activity Project, Freedom House (FH), Civil Rights Defenders (CRD), French Development Agency (AFD), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Projects Expedite Justice (PEJ), Strategic Initiative in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), etc. Domestically, LHR collaborates strongly with the Federal Attorney General, Legal and Justice Affairs Advisory Council, Federal Supreme Court etc. In addition, LHR has engaged with local civil society organizations with a view to working together on common objectives jointly. These include Ethiopian Human Rights Council, Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, Advocates Ethiopia, Mizan Young Lawyers Association and other similar institutions.  OHCHR also provided technical assistance and funding support to the East Africa Human Rights Lawyers Conference organized by LHR on 13 December 2022.

In the span of the past five years, LHR has implemented projects with the support of donors and achieved tremendous successes reflected in terms of the recognition it got from the lawyers’ community and other civil society organizations. At this stage, LHR aims at assessing its impact as an organization and its activities implemented in the past five years.

This consultancy aims to assess to what extent LHR has been successful in terms of the five-evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact and sustainability of the organization’s programs and interventions, with a focus on promoting positive and lasting impacts in the realm of human rights.

Objectives of the Impact Assessment:

• The primary objectives of the impact assessment consultancy are:
• Assess the overall impact and effectiveness of LHR’s programs, focusing on the last five years.
• Assess and Identify organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the implementation of LHR programs.
• Identify lessons learnt and to provide actionable recommendations to enhance the impact of forthcoming LHR programs.

   

Scope of Impact Assessment 

• The Impact assessment will be carried out in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Sidama region (Hawassa), Oromia region (Adama), South West Region (Mizan), Tigray region (Mekelle & Adigrat), Amhara Region (Bahir Dar), South Ethiopia (Arba Minch).

This impact assessment will seek to:

Assessment of Program Effectiveness: 

Outcome Measurement:

• Evaluate the extent to which the organization’s programs have achieved their intended outcomes and objectives.
• What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of different the objectives?
• Utilize quantitative indicators and qualitative data to measure the tangible results of the programs, such as increased awareness, improved knowledge & skills of lawyers & law enforcement bodies and improved human rights conditions.

Efficiency

• :measuring the outputs – qualitative and quantitative – in relation to the inputs.
• Were activities cost-efficient?
• Were objectives achieved on time?

   

Relevance and Alignment:

Relevance:

• Assess the current human rights landscape to identify emerging challenges and needs.
• To what extent are the objectives of the organization program still valid?
• Are the activities and outputs of the organization program consistent with the intended impacts and effects?

Mission Alignment

• Examine how well the programs align with the overarching mission and vision of LHR.
• Identify areas where program adjustments may be necessary to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.

   

Impact: assess the positive and negative changes produced by organization intervention, directly or indirectly, intended/unintended.

What has happened as a result of the LHR programs?

Describe any unexpected (positive or negative) impact.

Sustainability:

• Long-Term Impact:
• Assess the sustainability of the impacts generated by LHR’s programs beyond the project lifecycle.
• Explore whether positive changes are enduring and have led to lasting improvements in human rights conditions.
• Examine external factors, such as changes in government policies or economic conditions that may impact the sustainability of program outcomes.
• Provide recommendations on how Lawyers for Human Rights can adapt its strategies to navigate external challenges and ensure continued impact.

   

Methodology:

The consultancy will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to assess the impact of LHR programs. This will include, but not be limited to, surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and document reviews.

Expected outcomes / Deliverables:

• The consultancy is expected to deliver following outcomes / deliverables:
• Inception Report: An outline of the methodology, tools, the assessment design, and data collection instruments in English and work plan,
• The filled-out questionnaire and recorded interviews /raw data/,
• Draft Impact assessment Report: A comprehensive report presenting detailed findings, conclusions, and recommendations in English in soft and hard copy,
• Final Impact assessment Report: An updated report based on feedback received, with a finalized set of recommendations and a clear executive summary,
• Summarized findings of the assessment to be presented on a validation workshop.

Duration and Contract supervision

Timeline:

• The consultancy is expected to be completed within 8 weeks from the contract commencement date.

Management and Supervision

• The Consultant will report to the Program Director.