Terms of Reference- (ToR)

Impact Evaluation of SWABHIMAN- (Self Respect) Project in Udaipur District

About the ChildFund India:

ChildFund India has been working with underprivileged children, youth, and families from the most remote, extremely backward, and hard-to-reach areas in India since 1984, with a vision to build “an India where children lead a dignified life and achieve their full potential”. It annually reaches nearly 4 million children, youth, and their families, from 3,200 communities in 85 districts across 14 states in India, through its long and short-term programs. ChildFund in India works in the rural belts of the country, now slowly expanding its focus to urban poverty where child protection issues and violence against children are prevalent. Its programs provide comprehensive support to children from their conception until they reach 24 years of age by integrating health, nutrition, sanitation, gender equality, disability, education, skill training, livelihoods, child protection and humanitarian relief work. ChildFund’ s unparalleled longstanding community presence, long-term partnership and direct implementation projects in India ensure that its holistic interventions foster an enabling environment where children can grow to their fullest potential.

Project Background:

Child marriage continues to be a major barrier to girls’ education and empowerment in India, particularly in Rajasthan, which ranks among the states with the highest prevalence of early marriage. Despite policy measures and social progress, poverty, gender inequality, and entrenched social norms continue to push adolescent girls into marriage, limiting their access to education, health, and livelihood opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these vulnerabilities, leading to a rise in school dropouts and increased risk of early marriage among girls from marginalized communities.

In this context, ChildFund India initiated the Swabhiman Project in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, covering the blocks of Gogunda, Kotra, and Jhadol. The project aims to empower adolescent girls aged 11–18 years from deprived and excluded communities to realize their aspirations and lead self-determined lives free from the risk of child marriage. It focuses on promoting higher education, life skills, and livelihood opportunities as sustainable alternatives to early marriage, while also working with boys, families, and community structures to create an enabling environment for gender equality.

The project adopts a multi-pronged approach, including life skills and socio-emotional learning sessions, digital literacy, sports for empowerment, career guidance, peer support groups, and strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms. Through these interventions, Swabhiman seeks to enhance girls’ self-confidence, decision-making ability, and agency, while mobilizing community stakeholders to collectively address harmful practices.

Earlier, ChildFund India conducted preliminary assessments to understand the Gaps and Barriers and Support required for girls for higher education and a rapid assessment on 21st-century life skills among adolescent girls under the project. Building on these insights, an impact evaluation is now being planned to systematically measure the project’s outcomes and overall impact on girls’ empowerment, education retention, life skills development, and reduction in child marriage risk.

Mentioned below are the project Goal, objectives and outcomes of the project:

Goal: Empower girls from marginalised communities in Udaipur district to realise their aspirations, without being under the risk of child marriage, having equal access to opportunities for education, health, skills, and livelihood.

Key Objectives:

• Promote educational and vocational opportunities as an alternative to child marriage benefit. 
• Visioning in the peer group for self-realization, creating a path for self and for family livelihood.
• Impart life skill education for individual actions and participation in decision making in the community.
• Capacitate/Activate the Child Protection structures and systems in the Panchayat, Block and District level for effectively preventing early marriage.
• To increase awareness among families, communities, and young people on the harmful impact of child marriage.
  
  

Outcomes:

• Improved higher education and strengthened interpersonal and livelihood-oriented life skills.
• Formed ‘Peer Support Group’ as change agents for supporting and advocating the adolescent girls need.
• Improved self-realization, creating a progressive pathway for self, and family livelihood.
• Active child friendly panchayats support the child protection system and responding to prevention of early marriage.
  
  

Coverage:

• Geographic area: 3 blocks of Udaipur district (Gogunda, Kotra, Jhadol)
• Beneficiaries: 1,000 adolescent girls, 4,000 families, and community structures

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a comprehensive impact evaluation of the Swabhiman Project implemented by ChildFund India in Udaipur district, Rajasthan. The evaluation aims to systematically assess the extent to which the project has achieved its intended outcomes related to girls’ empowerment, education continuity, life skills development, and prevention of early marriage.

While earlier exercises such as the rapid assessment of 21st-century life skills and the preliminary study on barriers to higher education provided valuable insights, they were not designed as a formal baseline. Therefore, this impact evaluation will help establish evidence of the project’s effectiveness and contribution to the broader goals of gender equality and child protection.

Specifically, the evaluation intends to:

• Measure the impact of the project interventions on adolescent girls’ educational attainment, confidence, aspirations, and social-emotional competencies.
• Assess behavioral and attitudinal changes among girls, boys, parents, and community stakeholders regarding gender norms and child marriage.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and functionality of peer support groups, sports-based interventions, and community-based child protection mechanisms.
• Assess the effectiveness of child-friendly Panchayats in preventing early marriage and supporting protection systems.
• Identify lessons learned and best practices that can inform program refinement, replication, and policy advocacy for girls’ empowerment and child marriage prevention.
• Generate credible evidence for ChildFund India to strengthen resource mobilization, stakeholder engagement, and scale-up strategies. Also, explore the scope of integration of project activities into local governance and education systems for sustainability. 
  
  

Overall, the purpose of this assignment is not only to determine the project’s achievements but also to provide actionable insights and recommendations that can guide the design of future interventions and inform state and national plans on empowering adolescent girls and promoting gender-equitable education.

Scope of Work

The impact evaluation will assess the overall effectiveness, outcomes, and sustainability of the Swabhiman Project implemented. The selected consultant/agency will design and execute a mixed-method evaluation to measure progress toward project goals and generate lessons for future programming and policy advocacy.

The scope of work includes the following key tasks:

1. Desk Review: Review project documents, reports, previous assessments, and monitoring data to understand the project’s design, theory of change, and performance indicators.
2. Evaluation Design: Develop a robust evaluation framework using a quasi-experimental or mixed-method approach to assess project outcomes. Define indicators, sampling strategy, and data collection tools (surveys, FGDs, KIIs, case studies) for approval by ChildFund India.
3. Data Collection: Conduct fieldwork across the project blocks, Gogunda, Kotra, and Jhadol by engaging key stakeholders such as adolescent girls, boys, parents, teachers, PRI members, and child protection committees. Ensure ethical data collection, especially when involving minors.
4. Data Analysis: Use quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyze results, measure changes in education, life skills, empowerment, and community attitudes, and identify enabling and constraining factors.
5. Validation and Reporting: Present key findings in a validation workshop with stakeholders. Submit an inception report, draft report, and final impact evaluation report summarizing key outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for scale-up.

Methodology and Approach

The evaluation will adopt a mixed-method approach to comprehensively assess the outcomes and impact of the Swabhiman Project. This approach will integrate both quantitative and qualitative methods to capture measurable results as well as deeper insights into behavioural and attitudinal changes related to girls’ empowerment, education, and prevention of child marriage.

1. Evaluation Design: A quasi-experimental design will be used, comparing intervention areas with appropriate control or comparison groups. This design will help attribute observed changes to project interventions while considering contextual factors.

2. Sampling: The study will employ a stratified random sampling technique to ensure representation across all key sub-groups and geographies. Stratification will be based on factors such as block (Gogunda, Kotra, Jhadol), age group, school enrolment status, and socio-economic background. The sample size will be determined using statistically valid methods to allow for meaningful comparison between intervention and control groups.

3. Data Collection Methods:

• Quantitative: Structured surveys with adolescent girls, boys, and parents to measure indicators related to education continuation, life skills, aspirations, and awareness on child marriage.
• Qualitative: Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and case studies with selected participants (including teachers, PRI members, and child protection committee members) to capture contextual insights and community-level changes.
• Secondary Data Review: Analysis of project documents, monitoring data, and secondary statistics to validate and triangulate findings.

4. Data Quality and Ethics: The consultant will ensure high standards of data reliability and validity through robust quality control measures, including data verification and triangulation. Ethical considerations such as informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding of minors must be strictly followed in alignment with ChildFund India’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

5. Data Analysis and Interpretation:

• Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical tools to assess differences between intervention and control groups across key indicators.
• Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically to interpret social and behavioural shifts.
• Findings from both data streams will be triangulated to present an integrated understanding of project impact.

6. Validation and Dissemination: Preliminary findings will be shared with ChildFund India and key stakeholders through a validation workshop. The consultant will incorporate feedback into the final impact evaluation report, providing clear conclusions and actionable recommendations for program improvement and scale-up.

Key Deliverables

The selected consultant/agency will deliver the following in English, in both electronic and hard copies as required:

1. Inception Report: Outline evaluation framework, methodology, stratified random sampling, data collection tools, work plan, and timeline.
2. Data Collection Tools: Finalized and pre-tested quantitative and qualitative tools (surveys, FGD/KII guides, case study formats).
3. Field Data Collection Summary: Completion of fieldwork in Gogunda, Kotra, and Jhadol; short summary highlighting coverage, QA measures, and initial observations.
4. Draft Evaluation Report: Preliminary findings, analysis, trends, methodology, key results, and initial recommendations. For review and feedback.
5. Validation Workshop: Presentation of key findings to ChildFund India, partners, and stakeholders; incorporation of feedback into final report.
6. Final Evaluation Report: Comprehensive report including executive summary, background, methodology, findings, case studies, conclusions, recommendations, and all datasets, transcripts, and supporting documents.
7. Presentation Deck: Concise PPT summarizing evaluation process, key findings, and strategic recommendations for donors, government, and partners.

Timeline
The evaluation is expected to be completed within 10 weeks from the date of contract signing.

• Inception phase- 2 weeks
• Tool development and approval- 2 week
• Fieldwork- 2 weeks
• Data analysis and draft report- 2 weeks
• Final report submission and dissemination- 2 weeks 

Qualifications of the Consultant/Agency

ChildFund will consider agencies with the following criteria for this assignment-

• Proven 7+ years of experience in designing and conducting impact evaluations, preferably in child protection, education, or gender programs.
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Familiarity with gender and social norms change programming.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• Previous experience working in Rajasthan or similar contexts will be an advantage.
• Adherence to ethical guidelines and ability to safeguard and protect children involved in the study. 

Budget and Payment Schedule

A detailed budget should be submitted, outlining professional fees, travel, field expenses, and data processing costs. Payments will be made in tranches linked to deliverables:

• 30% on submission and approval of inception report
• 40% on completion of data collection and draft report
• 30% on submission and approval of final report 

Confidentiality

The consultant/agency must maintain strict confidentiality of all information, data, and documents collected during this assignment. All findings, datasets, and reports are the property of ChildFund India and should not be shared or disclosed to any third party without prior written permission. Confidentiality must be upheld throughout the evaluation process and after its completion.

Child Protection

ChildFund India Safeguarding Policy and Procedures will be strictly followed to safeguard children and adults while undertaking this assignment. ChildFund India has zero-tolerance regarding sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund India is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund India expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. Therefore, the agency must sign ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Policy and behavioral protocol along with signing the contract and adhering to the policy. As per the policy, the agency needs to follow the do-no-harm principles and strategy. Any potential effects that may appear during this assignment will be handled carefully and will need mandatory reporting to Mr. Sukhendu Santra, the Senior Specialist-Child Protection & Advocacy of ChildFund in India.

Submission of Proposal

Interested agencies/consultants are requested to submit:

• Technical proposal (methodology, work plan, team composition)
• Financial proposal (budget breakdown)
• CVs of key team members
• Sample of similar previous work

How to Apply:

Please submit the technical and financial proposal at centralpurchase2@childfundindia.org  

The deadline for the applications is 15^th Nov 2025. Only the shortlisted agencies will be contacted for the final presentation before the screening committee. For further information, please contact us at the above email.

Please do mention reference in your proposal i.e. PRA/CFI/RAJ/2025-26/026 

***End of Document***

Job Email ID: centralpurchase2(at)childfundindia.org

Download Attachment: ToR for Endline SurveySWABHIMAN.pdf