CONSULTANCY: Let Girls Learn II Endline Evaluation
- mikemkwala
- Oct 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 4
MONITORING EVALUATION RESEARCH & LEARNING (MERL) CONSULTANCY
TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
Local Firm/Consultant Team for Let Girls Learn II Endline Evaluation
Terms of Reference
TOR release date: September 20th, 2025
Last date of application: October 10th, 2025, 5:00 PM (UTC +2)
Project name: Let Girls Learn II
Anticipated type of award: Fixed Price Contract
The anticipated term of engagement: 6 weeks
Position advertised: Local Firm/ Consultant
Summary
CRECCOM seeks a qualified local firm or consultant team to lead the endline evaluation of the Let Girls Learn II (LGL II) project. The assignment will generate high-quality, credible evidence on the project’s outcomes and impact, with an emphasis on rigor, reliability, and practical relevance. The consultant team will work closely with CRECCOM’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Officer and Project Manager to ensure the evaluation is conducted to the highest professional and ethical standards. Findings will be synthesized into actionable insights and disseminated through key platforms—including donor forums, the Secondary Education Working Group, and the Girls’ Education Network. The evidence generated will not only assess LGL II’s effectiveness but also inform national policy dialogue and support the scaling and replication of proven approaches to advance girls’ education across Malawi.
About CRECCOM Malawi
The Creative Centre for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM), established in 1999, is a Malawian NGO registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act (Cap. 5:03). CRECCOM is widely recognized for its innovative community mobilization strategies in Education, Gender and Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection and Youth Development, Climate Change Resilience, and Social Accountability.
Our Vision: A resilient, equitable society with self-motivated citizens responsive to the ever changing world for the betterment of their welfare..
Our Mission: CRECCOM exists to sensitize, mobilize and empower rural communities to own their development initiatives through their effective involvement and participation.
Under Let Girls Learn II, CRECCOM partners with the Echidna Giving Foundation to address barriers to girls’ education across 36 Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs) in four districts of Malawi.
Rationale for the LGL II Project
Malawi continues to face high levels of child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM), ranking 11th globally and second in Southern Africa. Most Malawian girls marry and give birth before the age of 18, with many leaving school before completing primary or transitioning to secondary education. This trajectory has profound consequences: it entrenches economic dependency, exposes girls to gender-based violence, perpetuates poverty and insecurity, worsens maternal and child health outcomes, and limits the future life opportunities of young people.
Evidence across health, economic, and social sectors consistently demonstrates that education is a powerful pathway to improved well-being. Individuals who complete secondary school are less likely to experience early marriage, teenage pregnancy, or HIV infection, and are less vulnerable to extreme poverty. Conversely, they are more likely to secure employment, achieve food security, sustain smaller and healthier families, and participate actively in civic and political processes. While these correlations are multidirectional, ethnographic research shows that Malawian youth and their parents overwhelmingly perceive education as the most effective mechanism for transforming life outcomes (Kendall & Silver, 2015; DHS, 2010). Ensuring that marginalized girls and boys have access to quality education – and that their families and communities support their continuation – is therefore central to breaking cycles of disadvantage and reducing widening socio-economic inequality.
Within this context, girls who drop out due to pregnancy face particularly acute barriers. Many parents are reluctant to support young mothers and their babies, forcing these girls to shoulder the dual burden of childcare and income generation. To meet their children’s needs, young mothers often resort to casual work. Returning to school requires them to abandon these jobs, leaving their children without adequate care or support, which in turn makes continued education unsustainable. These compounded challenges push many young mothers out of education permanently.
Addressing this reality requires targeted solutions. Providing support for childcare at home, alongside access to quality, center-based early childhood development (ECD) and educational services, can significantly reduce the barriers faced by teen mothers seeking to return to school. Moreover, children born to young mothers are themselves marginalized and vulnerable from the outset, due to the circumstances of their birth and parental situation. Expanding access to nurturing, high-quality ECD services not only supports young mothers but also improves developmental and educational outcomes for their children. This dual-generation approach is therefore essential to advancing equity and strengthening the long-term impact of girls’ education interventions under Let Girls Learn II.
Project information
Funded by the Echidna Giving Foundation, Let Girls Learn II (2022–2025) builds upon the achievements of Let Girls Learn I, expanding interventions to address challenges exposed during COVID-19 and persistent national trends in child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and poor female education outcomes.
The project’s overarching goal is to equip rural Malawian children and youth with academic, social, leadership, and livelihood skills, thereby fostering resilience, self-awareness, and problem-solving capacities.
Its theory of change rests on three assumptions:
Empowering boys and girls with academic, social, and employability skills increases school retention and completion.
Strengthening local institutions – including mother groups, school governance structures, and community leaders – improves re-admission of girls, reduces early marriage, and prevents GBV.
Promoting gender-responsive early childhood education increases access to quality services and alleviates childcare burdens for teen mothers.
Objective of the Assignment
The objective of the study is to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the interventions under LGL II.
The objective of this consultancy is to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, feasibility, and outcomes of LGL II interventions. The evaluation will employ mixed methods to assess both qualitative and quantitative dimensions, producing evidence to guide replication, scaling, and policy advocacy.
Queries related to this ToR may be sent to creccom@creccommw.org with the subject line: “QUESTIONS – CRECCOM, Malawi Let Girls Learn II Endline Study”.
Scope of Work
The consultancy team will:
Conduct interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders including students, teachers, parents, and district personnel.
Collaborate closely with CRECCOM’s MERL team throughout the evaluation.
Collect and analyze data using standardized tools for each respondent group.
Location and Duration
The evaluation will be carried out in September – October 2025 in project schools across Thyolo, Mulanje, Ntchisi, and Chitipa. The assignment will run for six weeks, provisionally allocated as follows:
· 3 days: Enumerator training and tool pretesting
· 9 days: Data collection
· 5 days: Data entry, cleaning, and analysis
· 5 days: Report writing and validation
Sample Size
A total of 8 CBCCs and 10 CDSS and 8 primary schools will be targeted for this with study including other district and community level stakeholders.
Requested Services
The consultancy team (minimum five members: one Team Leader – female preferred – and four enumerators, with at least two females) will:
Develop a detailed workplan for approval.
Submit an inception report outlining methodology and procedures.
Train enumerators on tools, procedures, and ethics.
Conduct data collection in sampled areas.
Ensure rigorous quality assurance throughout.
Analyze data and prepare a comprehensive report, including case studies.
Submit raw datasets, transcripts, and supporting documentation.
Maintain regular communication with CRECCOM’s MERL team.
Required Qualifications
Education: Master’s degree in data science, education, or a related discipline.
Experience: Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, including FGDs, interviews, transcription, and analysis.
Language: Fluency in English; proficiency in Chichewa and Tumbuka.
Integrity: Strong ethical standards; no record of offenses related to child exploitation/abuse.
Technical: Proficiency in MS Word and Excel; access to laptops, phones, and reliable internet.
Availability: Willingness to travel to all four project districts.
Personal Attributes: Strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, teamwork, and commitment to non-discrimination.
To Apply
Interested firms or consultant teams should submit proposals by October 5, 2025, 5:00 PM (UTC +2) to creccom@creccommw.org with the subject line: “Application – LGL II Endline Evaluation”.
Proposals must include:
Technical approach and methodology
Detailed workplan and timeline
CVs of team members
Budget covering:
Data collection
Data transcription
Report writing
Dissemination of findings
Note
The above scope is not exhaustive; CRECCOM may adjust responsibilities as needed.
Equal Opportunity & Safeguarding
CRECCOM is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusivity. Applications from women-led firms and female consultants are strongly encouraged.
As a child-safe organization, CRECCOM requires adherence to its Child Protection Policy, Code of Conduct, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) policy. Background checks will be conducted.
Only shortlisted firms/teams will be contacted for interviews.
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