TOR - External Evaluation Socio-economic Empowerment

SOS Children's Villages International

Background and rationale

Background

SOS CV Somalia has been operational in Baidoa for more than the past ten years providing multisectoral lifesaving humanitarian response as well as long term developmental interventions. Baidoa has been the epicentre of Somalia s humanitarian crises, and the city host large number of protracted Internally displaced populations. Somalia is one of the areas hardest hit by recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and climate-induced displacement. Vulnerable households particularly female-headed families and households with children at risk of losing parental care face chronic food insecurity, limited livelihood options, and weak protection systems.

In response, SOS CV Somalia, with support from BMZ/HGFD, has been implementing a three-year project (01.12.2022 - 31.12.2025) aiming to strengthen climate-resilient livelihoods and child protection systems in six target communities. The project combines:

• Climate-smart agricultural production (including hydroponics, drought-resistant crops, and training in climate adaptation techniques)
• Economic empowerment through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)
• Child protection capacity-building for community-based networks, parenting skills, and child rights awareness

Project target group:

The project directly targets 200 vulnerable families in the six communities of Isha, Horseed, Wadajir, Towfiq, Bonkay, and Salamay in Baidoa District, including 150 households headed by single mothers and 50 households headed by young people (aged 18 35), with an estimated 1,200 children benefiting from a protective and caring environment. In addition, the project has established two community-based child protection networks (30 representatives in total) and engaged multipliers including 20 teachers, 20 district-level agricultural professionals, and 20 trained caregivers (ToT) to extend knowledge and practices within the communities. Beyond these direct beneficiaries and multipliers, the project has reached approximately 10,000 community members through awareness-raising, capacity-building initiatives, and improved services.

Rationale for evaluation:

BMZ-funded projects require an independent endline/impact evaluation to assess the project s achievements against planned results, verify the performance of indicators, measure changes in socio-economic status and protection environment, and capture lessons for replication and scaling. The final evaluation of the project will provide an evidence-based result which will be help in the replication of the similar project ideas for the crises affected population in the region.