Consultant (Évaluation IMPACT)

Background information

Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is characterised by a protracted and complex humanitarian crisis driven by persistent armed conflict, intercommunal violence, and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. Provinces including North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri continue to experience cyclical displacement, widespread protection risks, and severely constrained access to basic services. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable host communities face acute and multidimensional needs across key sectors, including shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security, livelihoods, and protection. Recurrent displacement, insecurity, and limited access to livelihood opportunities further exacerbate vulnerability levels, undermine coping capacities, and hinder pathways toward recovery and self-reliance.

Within this context, humanitarian actors are required to adopt integrated and adaptive approaches that address both immediate needs and longer-term resilience outcomes. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been implementing integrated, multisectoral interventions in eastern DRC aimed at delivering life-saving assistance while strengthening resilience and supporting affected populations in progressing towards durable solutions.

NRC’s activities and presence

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has maintained a sustained operational presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, delivering humanitarian assistance to populations affected by conflict, displacement, and chronic vulnerability.

NRC’s programming is structured around its core competencies, including Shelter and Settlements, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA), and Education. These sectoral interventions are systematically complemented by cross-cutting approaches, notably protection mainstreaming, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and the use of cash and market-based modalities, in line with global humanitarian standards and NRC programme policy.

In eastern DRC, NRC operates across key crisis-affected provinces, including North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri. The organisation delivers integrated, multisectoral responses designed to address immediate humanitarian needs while enhancing the coherence, efficiency, and effectiveness of assistance. This integrated approach aims to respond holistically to the complex and overlapping vulnerabilities faced by internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities.

NRC’s intervention specific to the evaluation

The project under evaluation is designed to address the urgent and multidimensional humanitarian needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable host communities through an integrated, multisectoral programming approach. The intervention combines key sectors—Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter and Settlements, and Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA)—alongside complementary support mechanisms, including cash and market-based assistance.

The intervention aims to achieve a set of interrelated outcomes, notably: (i) improved and equitable access to essential services; (ii) enhanced household recovery and self-reliance capacities; and (iii) strengthened community resilience in contexts characterised by recurrent displacement, insecurity, and limited service provision.

Activities implemented under the project include unconditional and/or conditional cash transfers, sector-specific service delivery, and legal and protection support, delivered in alignment with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)’s core competencies. The integrated design is intended to generate synergies across sectors, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of assistance, and better respond to the complex and overlapping needs of affected populations.

This evaluation will therefore assess not only the performance of individual sectoral interventions, but also the added value and outcomes of the integrated programming approach, including its contribution to resilience and self-reliance pathways.

Purpose of the evaluation and intended use

Overarching purpose

The purpose of this evaluation is to generate robust and actionable evidence on the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of the intervention, with a particular focus on the performance of the delivery modalities (including cash and in-kind assistance), transfer mechanisms, and complementary multisectoral interventions in achieving intended outcomes.

The evaluation will assess the extent to which the integrated programming approach adopted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has contributed to improving access to services, enhancing household recovery and self-reliance, and strengthening resilience among targeted populations.

In addition, the evaluation will:

• Identify and document innovative practices and operational approaches;
• Analyse key enabling and constraining factors affecting implementation, including contextual dynamics;
• Generate evidence-based lessons learned on integrated and cash-based programming in protracted crisis settings.

The evaluation will produce actionable, context-specific recommendations aimed at informing strategic decision-making, programme design, and implementation of future interventions, particularly in similar displacement-affected and high-risk environments.

How will the evaluation be used?

The evaluation is intended to support evidence-based decision-making, organisational learning, and accountability to affected populations. Its findings will be systematically used to inform both current programme adjustments and the design of future interventions.

At the operational level, evaluation results will be presented and validated through a structured learning and reflection workshop involving key stakeholders. Agreed priority actions will be formalised and monitored through a management response and evaluation action tracker, ensuring follow-up, accountability, and integration into programme improvement processes.

In line with commitments to Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), a context-adapted summary of key findings will be translated into relevant local languages and shared with project participants and community stakeholders. Community feedback and validation sessions will be organised to:

• Present key findings in an accessible format;
• Facilitate dialogue on results and recommendations;
• Jointly identify priority actions and improvements.

At the strategic and external level, evaluation findings will contribute to broader learning and sectoral dialogue. Dissemination will include:

• Humanitarian coordination platforms (e.g. cluster forums),
• Policy briefs and learning products,
• Peer-reviewed publications and technical blogs,
• Conferences, seminars, and restitution workshops.

This multi-level dissemination approach is intended to ensure that learning is institutionalised within the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and shared with the wider humanitarian community to inform best practices in integrated and cash-based programming in protracted crisis contexts.

Who will it be used by?

The evaluation findings will be used by a range of internal and external stakeholders at different levels, each with distinct roles in decision-making, programme design, and learning.

Internal stakeholders (Norwegian Refugee Council):

• Country Office Senior Management Team (SMT): to inform strategic direction, portfolio prioritisation, and future funding decisions.
• Programme and Technical Teams (Core Competency Specialists, Programme Managers, Area Managers): to refine programme design, improve implementation modalities, and strengthen the integration of multisectoral approaches.
• MEAL and Programme Quality Teams: to inform programme improvement and quality assurance processes.

External stakeholders:

• Humanitarian partners and clusters: to inform coordination and response efforts.
• Donors and funding agencies: to inform funding decisions and programme design.
• Academic and research institutions: to inform evidence-based policy and practice.

This evaluation will contribute to the broader humanitarian community’s understanding of integrated and cash-based programming in protracted crisis contexts, and inform the development of best practices and standards in this area.