The Centre for Research in Women's Health (in partnership with the PAHO/WHO
Collaborating Centre in Women's Health, the University of Toronto, and the
University of Costa Rica) is seeking candidates for a consulting
opportunity
to conduct a mid-term evaluation of the process and outcomes of an
international development collaboration of capacity building on gender
violence in Costa Rica.

The official deadline for submission of proposals for this position is
FEBRUARY 15, 2002. However, if this does not allow you enough time to apply
and you are interested in this opportunity, please contact
Janet Maher, International & Policy Development
The Centre for Research in Women's Health
PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre in Women's Health
790 Bay St., 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1N8, Canada
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone: 416-813-4706


_____________________________________________________________
DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR MID TERM EVALUATION


The Centre for Research in Women's Health is seeking an independent
consultant to work with them and the Centre for Research in Women's Studies
of the University of Costa Rica in the mid-term evaluation of process and
outcomes of an international development collaboration of capacity building
on gender violence in Costa Rica.

Complete proposals for the evaluation, including a draft budget and work
plan, along with the names of two references, should be submitted to the
attention of Dr. Heather Maclean, Director of the Centre for Research in
Women's Health, 790 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1N8, no later than
February 15, 2002. Selection will be announced on or before Thursday, April
10, 2002.

It is expected that work would optimally take place between August 15 and
October 15, 2002, with a report of approximately 25 pages (exclusive of
appendices) to the principals, Dr. Laura Guzmán Stein and Dr. Heather
Maclean no later than January 15, 2003. For further information please
contact one of the project directors as follows:
Dra. Laura Guzmán Stein
Centro de Investigación en Estudios
De la Mujer
San José, COSTA RICA
Telephone: 011 50 6 234-14 95 01
Fax: 011 50 6 207-40 19 01
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Dr. Heather Maclean
Centre for Research in Women's Health
790 Bay Street, 7th Floor
Toronto, CANADA M5G 1N8
Phone: (416) 351-3800 ex. 2711
Fax: (416) 351-3746
E-mail: [log in to unmask]


THE CONSULTANT

The consultant should be a Canadian or a citizen of Central America, with
sufficient capacity in English and Spanish to conduct interviews and
prepare
a report in both languages.

The evaluator will have expertise in international development, in human
resource development and in higher education. The evaluators should also
have experience in a developing country and have some appreciation for
gender violence issues and the specific Costa Rican and Canadian contexts
in
which the project is being implemented.

The evaluators should have an in-depth knowledge of evaluation practices in
the education sector, be familiar with Results Based Management and be a
practitioner of the participatory approach to evaluation. The evaluators
must be culturally sensitive and have good communication skills. It is
critical that external evaluators have had no previous involvement in any
capacity in the project prior to the mid-term evaluation.


  TERMS OF REFERENCE AND MANDATE FOR THE MID-TERM EVALUATION

These terms of reference have been prepared by teams led by Dr. Laura
Guzmán
Stein, Director of the Centre for Research in Women's Studies of the
University of Costa Rica and Dr. Heather Maclean, Director of the Centre
for
Research in Women's Health of the University of Toronto, in consultation
with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada [AUCC]. The
names of the proposed evaluators along with their curriculum vitae, mandate
and terms of reference for the evaluation will be submitted to AUCC for
comment prior to the commencement of the activity.

The evaluator will be required to assess project management and
implementation issues, including recommendations for improving project
performance.

Evaluation Methodology

The collaborators expect that the evaluation methodology to be used will
include the usual range of quantitative and qualitative strategies,
described as appropriate. Once the successful bidder has been selected, the
principals will work with participating partners to facilitate the timely
collection of data, as described in the evaluation design of the winning
bidder.

The mid-term evaluation report should provide a thorough description of the
evaluation methodology employed in the study. All stakeholders (project
teams, senior administration, ministries, embassies, participants,
beneficiaries, AUCC, CIDA) should be interviewed. It is particularly
important that all sources of data and methods of data verification be
clearly specified. All interviewees should be clearly identified with
information on their names, titles, organisational affiliations and
relationship to the project. This list should be included as an appendix to
the report. Copies of structured interviews and/or focus group moderator's
guides should also be appended to the report.

The mid-term evaluation should focus on project outcomes rather than
outputs
or activities. Each of the following four program outcomes should be
addressed in the evaluation:

I) The increased capacity of developing country institution to train human
resources in gender violence

ii) The establishment of a sustainable partnership between the Canadian
university and the developing country institution(s). The report should
comment on the predicted sustainability of project impact and outcomes once
UPCD funding for the project ends. Some indication of the transfer of
ownership of project management and project results from the Canadian to
partner institution should be gauged. Information on what the developing
country and Canadian institutions are doing to sustain project results over
time should be included in the report. Also to be addressed in the mid-term
evaluation is the presentation of evidence that the Canadian and developing
country partners have established a working relationship that is likely to
be sustained beyond the end of the current Tier 2 project.

iii) The increased internationalisation of the Canadian university in all
aspects of its mission (teaching, research, outreach) and the increased
promotion of Canadian university expertise in higher education. The
mid-term
evaluation should present information that demonstrates the relationship
between the specific project and the Canadian university's organisational
strategy for internationalisation. How the project contributes to
fulfilling
these objectives should be demonstrated.

iv) The strengthened development education of the Canadian university and
the communities that it serves. Evidence that the strategies and activities
aimed at raising awareness among the general Canadian public with regard to
developing countries and development issues have occurred in the Canadian
university as a result of their participation in the Tier 2 project should
be documented in the evaluation.

At the time of the mid-term evaluation it may be too early in the project
cycle to be able to report on outcomes attributable to the project. The
project is accountable for all expected outcomes by the project end.
Therefore, an initial assessment of progress toward these results should be
included in the mid-term evaluation report to provide feedback to project
teams while sufficient time remains to make any necessary adjustments
before
the end of the project.

It is very important that unexpected or unplanned results be identified and
documented by project participants from both Canada and the partner
countries. Information on these issues may be vital for making necessary
adjustments to the project at mid-stream or in informing other similar
projects or other projects in the same developing country.

Lessons learned from the project may lead to new activities with additional
positive results. Attempts to implement planned project activities may lead
to the discovery of unanticipated issues in the developing country that act
as barriers to intended implementation. It is extremely important to
document the lessons learned as they contribute to strengthening collective
wisdom regarding development projects.


Background And Brief Description Of The Project

The Costa Rica-Toronto Violence Prevention Project (CRTVP Project) is a
project of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Centre for Research
in
Women's Health (CRWH) at the University of Toronto (UofT) to increase the
capacity in the design, development, delivery, and evaluation of
gender-sensitive anti-violence training, prevention, research and
curriculum
in Costa Rica.

This project represents one component of a capacity building program of the
Centre for Research on Women's Studies of the University of Costa Rica.
Originally awarded to the University of Toronto in collaboration with the
University of Western Ontario in the 1998-99 UPDC Tier 2 competition, the
Costa Rica Canada Violence Prevention Project was split following a series
of negotiations through the Association of Universities and Colleges of
Canada in late 1999 and early 2000.

The project plan focused initially on a collaboration with the Costa Rican
partners-the University of Costa Rica and the National Institute for Women
(INAMU), under the leadership of the UCR Centre for Research in Women's
Studies (CIEM), on a short needs assessment to identify and build upon
current benchmarks in training capacity in the education, health and
judicial sectors. In the process, other public institutions have been
included as local partners participating in particular activities, as is
the
case of the State Distance University (UNED). The project plans to include
other Costa Rican partners coming from the public sector, NGOs and
universities.

The CRTVP Project focuses on developing capacities through workshops and
technical assistance missions in Costa Rica, along with videoconferences on
specific methodological and substantive anti-violence gender issues. This
work is complemented through the selective use of students and senior level
exchanges and direct service internships for selected participants at
Canadian partner institutions. In addition, the project takes advantage of
existing Costa Rican and Central American expertise and resources, learning
materials and exemplary programs.

Beneficiaries of the project in Costa Rica and Canada include: faculty and
students, management and professional staff of government and
non-governmental organisations (NGO), and direct service personnel in the
education, health and judicial sectors.

Other deliverables to be produced in the course of the project include:

ä Translation and adaptation of appropriate teaching and learning
materials,
ä Establishment of a series of protocols for the documentation of
activities,
ä An electronic network to facilitate interaction between the various
sectors within Costa Rica, the Central American Chapter of the Latin
American and Caribbean Network against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the
Central American Network of Women and Gender Studies, and the Latin
American
and Caribbean University Programs and Centres on Women and Gender Studies,
researchers, trainers and direct service personnel with their counterparts
in Canada, and
ä Development of appropriate policies and protocols to enhance long-term
sustainability of the initiative.

Partner institutions:

ä University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
ä University of Costa Rica, Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
ä Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres, Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
ä In the process of being incorporated: Universidad Estatal a Distancia
(UNED).

Expected results:

ä Greater institutional capacity to develop human resources competent to
deliver violence prevention and intervention services in Costa Rica.
ä Greater institutional capacity in Canada and Costa Rica to manage
international violence prevention and intervention projects, support health
related knowledge development with a cross-cultural dimension, and sustain
a
linkage between Costa Rica and Canada in violence prevention and
intervention.

Project start and end date:

August 2000 to August 2005 (with final reporting by December 31, 2005).

The Costa Rica-Toronto Violence Prevention Project (CRTVP Project will
complete its second year on August 2002. Thus far, the project has been
successful in establishing the needs of the three sectors (education,
health
and judicial) and component areas (gender inclusive and sensitive
curriculum, sexual assault, judicial interventions with victims and
survivors of violence and women's human rights).

The project is behind schedule in the results expected to be achieved at
the
end of the second year of the project cycle, and thus the project team is
considering a restructuring of the final three year programme.

What follows are a series of evaluation questions drafted by the project as
a guide to the kind of information they think it would be useful for the
evaluation to address.


Mid-term Evaluation Questions: Costa Rica - Toronto Violence Prevention
Project

1. Goal:  To increase institutional capacity to develop human resources
competent to deliver violence prevention and intervention services in Costa
Rica.

Evaluation Question: To what extent has Costa Rica increased its
institutional capacity to develop human resources competent to deliver
violence prevention and intervention services in Costa Rica?

Standards:
§ Improved teaching capabilities:
§ Core university faculty with new/improved skills to develop and implement
curriculum on violence prevention and intervention at all levels.
§ Appropriate teaching materials to support curriculum development and
training program delivery.
- Indicators:
- At least 2 permanent Costa Rican faculty mbrs with background knowledge
and skills to develop curriculum modules to meet the needs of each academic
division.
- Project activities for government personnel with a Train the Trainer
component.

§ Academic development
§ Opportunities for international exchanges for students, faculty,
government and NGO staff
§ Opportunities for dissemination of knowledge and program models to
national and international audiences.
§ Enhanced capacity for research collaboration in areas of project content.
- Indicators:
- Minimum of 2 graduate theses and/or practicum reports in CR in year 1,
increasing to a total of 5 by year 3.
- Minimum of 2 opportunities per year for Costa Rican faculty to present at
international conferences.
- Min of 2 opportunities for government/NGO staff to exchange information
with Canadian counterparts.
- Min of 5 community placements a year with govt or NOG focused on
intra-family violence.

§ Increased capacity to develop policy and implement programs:
§ Ensure at least 2 policy analysts in each of university, govt and NGO
sectors to maintain momentum for implementation of violence prevention and
interventional objectives in those sectors.
§ Develop provision of appropriate services for sexual assault victims and
appropriate legal responses related to prosecution and victim services.
- Indicators:
- Increased sensitivity of 40 personnel in the judicial sector, University
and NGOs to concepts and analysis of International Law and Women's Human
Rights
- Draft training module on issues of International Law and Women's Human
Rights
- Increased ability of the university, health and judicial personnel to
provide training supports to address the needs of domestic violence
victims.
- At least 20 middle management personnel trained to establish structures
for the adaptation and implementation of Victim-Witness Program.
- At least 20 middle management personnel with capacity to establish
structures for design and implementation of Sexual Assault and Forensic
Evidence Program.

§ Extent to which staff and community partners think the activities were
implemented as planned.

2.  Goal:  To establish a sustainable partnership between Costa Rica and
Canada in violence prevention and intervention.  Also, to establish
sustainable partnerships between organisations within Costa Rica in the
area
of violence prevention and intervention.

Evaluation Questions:
§ To what extent has a sustainable partnership been established between
Costa Rica and Canada in the field of violence prevention and intervention?
§ To what extent have sustainable partnerships been established between
organizations within Costa Rica in the field of violence prevention and
intervention?

Standards:
§ Establishment of collaborative relationships for on-going anti-violence
work in Costa Rica.
§ Professionals trained to lead gender and violence studies, and
experienced
in violence prevention and intervention methodologies.
- Indicators:
- At least 2 additional on-going anti-violence projects in Costa Rica.
- Draft survey instrument in place to assess impact of international
cooperation and development on national policy and program development.

§ Belief among staff and community partners that the partnership is
positive
and sustainable.

§ Increased interaction between Canadian and Costa Rican professionals in
curriculum development, judicial processes and health service provision.

§ Foster co-operation between the anti-violence project and women's and
children's community services and groups.

3.  Goal:  Increased internationalisation of the Canadian University
(University of Toronto).

Evaluation Question: To what extent has development education been
strengthened in Canada as a result of the anti-violence project?

Standard:
§ Development education strengthened in Canada.
- Indicator:
- Minimum of 2 information sessions offered to general public in Canada on
anti-violence initiatives in Costa Rica.

4. Goal: Improve the institutional capacity in Canada and Costa Rica to
manage violence prevention and intervention projects.

Evaluation question: To what extent has there been an improvement in the
institutional capacity in Canada and Costa Rica to manage violence
prevention and intervention projects?

Standards:
§ Establish an effective managerial structure

§ Degree to which the political environment supports the sustainability and
growth of the program.

§ Extent to which the program has reached the intended target group.

§ Extent to which activities have reached people outside the intended
target
group.

5. Goal: To improve the institutional capacity in Canada and Costa Rica to
manage international violence prevention and intervention projects.

Evaluation question: To what extent has there been an improvement in the
institutional capacity in Canada and Costa Rica to manage international
violence prevention and intervention projects?

Standards:
§ Improved management practice
§ Increase the capacity of UCR to manage, deliver and evaluate
international
projects.
§ Develop capacity to apply lessons learned in Costa Rica to the rest of
the
region.
§ Opportunities for student and faculty involvement in project management.

- Indicators:
- Mid-term and final year working group meetings to evaluate monitoring
process of this project.
- One regional (Central America) workshop delivered to demonstrate what has
been learned through this project.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janet Maher PhD, International and Policy Development
The Centre for Research in Women's Health/
PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre in Women's Health
749-790 Bay Street, Toronto, CANADA M5G 1N8
(416) 813-4706 [voice] (416) 813-4707 [fax]
[log in to unmask] [e-mail]; www.utoronto.ca/crwh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Patrycja Maksalon
Centre for Research in Women's Health
790 Bay St., 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
Canada  M5G 1N8

ph: 416-351-3800, x.2784
fax: 416-351-3746
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

"You must be the change you wish to see in this world" Gandhi


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