Deutschland - Wirtschaftshilfe an das Ausland - 81318103 - Third Party Monitoring (TPM) of GIZ MHPSS projects inside Syria

Project Title: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for IDPs and Host Communities in Syria Duration: 07/2020 - 06/2026 Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Implementing Agency: GIZ Geographic Focus: Northwest and Northeast Syria, with national coordination Partners: Over 15 local civil society and health organizations Context Fourteen years of war, violence, displacement, and natural disasters have severely weakened Syria"s health system. Attacks on facilities and mass emigration caused a critical loss of staff, including psychologists and counsellors. Remaining professionals receive insufficient training. Mental health needs are vast, with high rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, especially among vulnerable groups. Existing MHPSS services are insufficient due to a lack of personnel and resources. Without mental stability, people struggle to participate in peacebuilding, livelihoods, and education. Health facilities are unprepared for severe psychological conditions. Training non-specialist staff is crucial to close these gaps. So far, MHPSS interventions have been remotely managed from neighbouring countries, mainly targeting Northwest and Northeast Syria. Comprehensive nationwide coverage remains out of reach. Needs continue to rise, while funding has declined, causing service closures. Project Overview Since 2020, GIZ has implemented a dedicated MHPSS project to improve the mental health and psychosocial well-being of internally displaced persons and host communities in Syria. The project strengthens health sector resilience by building the capacities of facilities and civil society organizations to deliver effective MHPSS services. The program adopts a context- and gender-sensitive approach, prioritizing children, adolescents, women, and people with special needs to foster resilience, prevent long-term psychological harm, and strengthen social cohesion. Key Activities Capacity Building: - Training health and social workers in evidence-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), psychodrama, and emergency pedagogy. - Providing continuing education, mentoring, and supervision training to address shortages of qualified personnel. Service Delivery: - Delivering direct MHPSS interventions for children, adolescents, women, and persons with disabilities. - Integrating MHPSS into education, child protection, and community development sectors. System Strengthening: - Supporting civil society and health facilities to improve service quality and accessibility. - Mapping services to identify gaps and strengthen referral pathways. - Enhancing cooperation among MHPSS actors for coordinated, effective responses aligned with Syria"s evolving context. Expected Outcomes - Improved mental health and resilience of IDPs and host communities, enabling participation in peacebuilding, education, and livelihoods. - Enhanced capacity of local providers to deliver quality MHPSS services through trained personnel and supervision structures. - Strengthened cooperation and referrals, ensuring timely, tailored support for vulnerable groups. - Gender-sensitive interventions addressing specific needs of women and girls, combating gender-based violence, and promoting empowerment. - Contribution to social cohesion and peaceful recovery, creating a foundation for sustainable development in Syria"s transitional phase. By working with over 15 local partners, the project ensures services are community-rooted and implemented in line with international standards. Its integrated approach addresses urgent mental health needs while strengthening Syria"s health sector and civil society for the future. Context Following over a decade of conflict, Syria is undergoing a critical transition after the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 and the formation of a transitional government, raising cautious hope for peace and inclusive state-building. Regional actors like the UAE and Qatar are supporting stabilization, including repayment of Syria"s World Bank debt, while lifted U.S. sanctions and partial EU sanction relief are enabling economic recovery and reconstruction. Despite these positive developments, humanitarian needs remain immense. Over 16.7 million people require aid, with 90% of the population living below the poverty line, 7.2 million internally displaced, and public services overstretched. Hospitals lack capacity, supplies are scarce, and many communities remain without safe shelter, clean water, or reliable health services. In this context, BMZ continues its commitment to Syria"s recovery. Since 2020, GIZ has implemented a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) project to improve services for IDPs and host communities, addressing rising psychosocial distress worsened by the 2023 earthquakes. The program builds local health and social sector capacity through training in interventions such as CBT, psychodrama, and emergency pedagogy, alongside mentoring and supervision to tackle the shortage of qualified professionals. Operating mainly in North Syria while expanding nationwide, the project works with over 15 local partners to strengthen service coordination and referral systems. Managed remotely from Türkiye and Iraq, the program integrates Third Party Monitoring (TPM) to enhance accountability, transparency, and effective steering of its activities until its current term ends in June 2026. Tasks to be performed by the Contractor This is a tendering procedure for Third Party Monitoring services to strengthen the MHPSS program"s steering capacity, transparency, compliance, risk mitigation, and accountability. Overall Goals 1. Increase accountability of implementing partners to the MHPSS program. 2. Strengthen the MHPSS program"s accountability to its commissioning party (BMZ). Focus Areas 1) Formative Evaluation Purpose: - Assess the effectiveness of cross-border and remotely managed projects carried out by Syrian partners with GIZ support. - Provide actionable feedback to enhance implementation. - Track program responsiveness to challenges in Syria"s volatile context. - Evaluate which design and implementation factors contributed to successes or unexpected results. 2) Summative Evaluation Purpose: - Determine the overall success of remotely managed projects under the MHPSS program. - Apply OECD DAC evaluation criteria to assess relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability against program goals and objectives. Work Packages Work Package 1: Ad-hoc Monitoring / Verification of Projects ("Spot Checks") - Formative Evaluation Objectives: - Assess performance of project activities and progress towards targets. - Verify the plausibility of baseline data collected by local partners. - Verify information provided in partners" progress reports. Milestones & Delivery Periods 1. Coordination and Planning Phase: - Develop overall work plan and methodology. - Due: Within 4 weeks after contract start. 2. Monitoring Tools & Data Collection Process: - Develop tools and detailed processes, reviewed by the GIZ MHPSS team. - Define and agree on TPM resources. - Due: Within 8 weeks after contract start. 3. Conduct Spot Checks: - Ad-hoc monitoring/verification of at least 30 projects in Northwest and Northeast Syria, with potential for additional projects. - Due: 8 weeks after contract start, during the duration of the contract. 4. Final Formative Evaluation Report: - Report findings to the GIZ MHPSS program. - Due: Two weeks before end date of the contract. Work Package 2: Impact Evaluation ("End-of-Project") - Summative Evaluation Objectives: - Assess long-term impact and sustainability of specific projects 2-6 months after implementation. - Evaluate relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability per OECD DAC criteria. - Identify positive and unintended negative effects on target groups. - Gather lessons learned to inform future project design, monitoring, evaluation, and donor reporting. Scope: - Minimum 30 projects implemented by local partners, with potential for additional evaluations. Milestones & Delivery Periods 1. Introduction & Planning: - Develop a work plan and methodology with GIZ MHPSS team and TPM focal point. - Agree on ad-hoc, progress, and final reporting. - Due: Within 4 weeks after contract start. 2. Evaluation Tools & Data Collection Plan: - Develop tools and plans, reviewed and approved by GIZ MHPSS team. - Define TPM resources required. - Due: Within 8 weeks after contract start. 3. Inception Workshop with Implementing Partners: - Introduce TPM provider, agree on modes of information exchange. - Due: Within 8 weeks after contract start. 4. Field Data Collection: - Conduct summative evaluation fieldwork for at least 30 projects in Northwest and Northeast Syria. - Delivery: 8 weeks after start of the contract, during the duration of the contract. 5. Data Analysis & Draft Reporting: - Compile, clean, translate, analyse data. Submit draft findings for GIZ technical team feedback. - Due: 4 weeks before end date of the contract. 6. Final Summative Evaluation Report: - Incorporate feedback and submit final report. - Due: 8 weeks before end date of the contract. Operational Requirements - Tasks are organized into distinct work packages with defined objectives and milestones. - TPM provider must conduct periodic and ad-hoc monitoring and evaluation activities within Syria, requiring close coordination with the GIZ MHPSS team. - Provider must have sufficient staffing and resources to manage multiple simultaneous work packages with parallel and overlapping activities.