End of Year 1 Outcome Evaluation for Women Economic Strengthening for Resilience Project (WESRP)

**Terms of Reference (ToRs) for End of Year 1 Outcome Evaluation for Women Economic Strengthening for Resilience Project (WESRP)**

**INTRODUCTION**

Christian Aid Zimbabwe is seeking the services of a consultant to undertake an **End of Year 1 Outcome Evaluation** for the **Women Economic Strengthening for Resilience Project (WESRP)** in Mudzi, Mutoko, Murehwa and Goromonzi districts.

Christian Aid Zimbabwe and the Netherlands Embassy are jointly funding the Women Economic Strengthening for Resilience Project (WESRP), a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting smallholder women farmers and youth in the Mashonaland East production corridor, particularly in Mudzi, Mutoko, Murehwa, and Goromonzi districts. The project is being implemented by Nyahunure Community Organisation(NCO) over 18 months under the Netherlands Embassy component (1 April 2025 – 30 September 2026) and over three years under Christian Aid co-funding (1 October 2024 – 30 September 2027). WESRP seeks to strengthen the economic resilience of women and youth-led households by enhancing their participation in high-value agricultural value chains, including garlic, beans, peas, paprika, onions, and honey. The project contributes to improved livelihoods by increasing income levels and enhancing access to financial services for small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises.

The project delivers targeted capacity strengthening interventions in business development, financial literacy, group cohesion, and market engagement to support sustainable enterprise growth and financial independence. WESRP is expected to contribute to improved household economic wellbeing and reduced vulnerability to poverty among 3,000 households across the targeted districts by 2027.

The outcome monitoring exercise under the Netherlands-funded component will assess progress against the project’s goal and two primary outcomes:

- *Increased income levels among participating women and youth-led households*
- *Improved access to and utilization of financial services and markets*

The monitoring will involve systematic data collection to measure changes over time, comparing baseline and follow-up data to assess project contributions to observed outcomes. Findings will be used to support accountability, adaptive management, and learning for continuous improvement of programme implementation. The outcome evaluation is intended to provide detailed learning that will be used to inform the design of the anticipated next phase.

**Project Goal:** To improve the income security of 3000 women and youth headed households in Mutoko, Mudzi, Murewa and Goromonzi participating in lucrative value chains through skills trainings and enhanced access to finance and markets.

**Outcome 1**: Business skills, knowledge and organisational capacity to 1000 households in lucrative value chains are enhanced

**Outcome 2**: 1000 women and youths households accessed micro-loans and financial services for agricultural value chains

**Outcome 3**: 1000 smallholder farmers have enhanced export market potential in lucrative value chains, ensuring they meet national and international market standards.

**OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT**

1. To gather accurate and reliable data on the project's indicators and outcomes. This process will involve measuring specific metrics related to each outcome/output against baseline values. By identifying gaps and lessons learned, the data collection will provide a comprehensive assessment of overall project progress, helping to pinpoint areas that require further attention or adjustment.
2. To assess needs that still exist probing on gaps, new ideas and opportunities for upscaling from stakeholders (farmers, producer associations, government line ministries, and community leaders). The assessment should identify emerging priorities, innovation opportunities, and intervention gaps to inform Phase 2 design of WESRP. The goal is to facilitate ongoing improvements and adaptations to the project design, ensuring it remains aligned with the needs of the community and effectively contributes to women's economic empowerment and resilience as the project moves into its second year.
3. To gather evidence on the export readiness of smallholder farmers engaged in lucrative value chains. This process will involve identifying strengths, gaps, and lessons learned to provide a comprehensive assessment of farmers’ preparedness for enhanced national and export market penetration. The findings will inform areas for upscaling WESRP, and strategic adjustments aimed at strengthening access to both national and international markets.
4. To develop proposed intervention design that includes best combinations of interventions and delivery approaches to attain sustainable impact for Phase 2 of WESRP, through a short Concept Note, informed by evidence gathered during the assignment, outlining:
5. *Existing gaps and strategic priorities*
6. *Potential value chain expansion and diversification*
7.