Assignment Name: Longitudinal Outcome Monitoring and Assessment of Multi-Sectoral Climate Resilience, Biodiversity Conservation, and Inclusive Education Interventions under the Ecosystems Restoration and Resilient Development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (ERRD-CHT) Programme

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The Ecosystems Restoration and Resilient Development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (ERRD-CHT) Programme, implemented by UNDP Bangladesh and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), is a multi-sectoral initiative aimed at strengthening climate resilience, restoring biodiversity ecosystems, and promoting inclusive, gender-responsive education in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The programme operates in a complex socio-ecological context

characterized by climate vulnerability, environmental degradation, poverty, and limited access to services—particularly affecting indigenous and marginalized communities.

Under this programme, three major interventions are being implemented:

(i) Community Resilience through Locally-Led Inclusive Adaptation (CoRLIA) focusing on climate resilience and adaptive livelihoods;

(ii) Biodiversity Ecosystems Restoration for Community Resilience (BERCR) targeting ecosystem restoration and sustainable biodiversity management; and

(iii) Women and Girls Empowerment through Inclusive Education (WGEIE) promoting access to quality, gender-responsive education and empowerment of girls and adolescent girls.

To support evidence-based programme management and donor reporting, DM WATCH LIMITED has been engaged by UNDP to conduct a Longitudinal Outcome Monitoring and Assessment through an Annual Outcome Assessment (AOA).

The primary objective of this assignment was to generate robust, field-based evidence on progress against ultimate, intermediate, and immediate outcome indicators defined in the programme’s Performance Measurement Framework (PMF).

Specific objectives included:

• To assess progress against ultimate, intermediate, and immediate outcome indicators defined in the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) with results frameworks.
• To measure changes in resilience, empowerment, access to services and education, and participation in decision-making, particularly for women and girls.
• To generate reliable evidence to support 3 GAC reporting.
• To identify lessons learned and emerging results to inform project implementation and course correction.

The assessment measured changes in community resilience, biodiversity conservation practices, access to services and education, and participation in decision-making, with a particular focus on women, youth, and marginalized groups. It also documented emerging results, identified implementation challenges, and captured lessons learned to inform adaptive programme management and strategic decision-making.

The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining large-scale quantitative surveys with qualitative inquiry, and covered multiple stakeholder groups including households, community institutions, schools, local government representatives, and project beneficiaries across selected upazilas in Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachari districts. The findings contribute directly to GAC donor reporting requirements while strengthening the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) system for continuous improvement and accountability.

DM WATCH LIMITED implemented the assignment through a structured, field-intensive methodology ensuring high data quality, ethical compliance, and alignment with UNDP’s MEL framework. The services provided include:

1. Inception and Coordination

• Participate in technical briefing and training sessions conducted by the ERRD-CHT MEL team to align on tools, indicators, and data collection protocols.
• Review relevant project documents, including the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), results frameworks, and prior monitoring data.
• Finalize operational plans, team deployment strategy, and data collection schedules.

2. Enumerator Mobilization and Training

• Recruit and deploy 20 trained local data collectors with prior experience in CHT and familiarity with local socio-cultural contexts.
• Facilitate orientation and refresher training on survey tools, qualitative methods, ethical standards, and use of digital data collection platforms.

3. Quantitative Data Collection

• Conduct large-scale household, community, institutional, and school-level surveys using structured questionnaires across three programme components.
• Collect a total of over 2,200 quantitative responses, including:
• 620 respondents under the CoRLIA component (women groups, WCRCs, youth, stakeholders);
• 495 respondents under the BERCR component (biodiversity groups, community leaders, youth and entrepreneurs);
• 1,104 respondents under the WGEIE component (schools, students, households, teachers, RHCWs, mother clubs, police, and stakeholders).
• Utilize KOBO-based digital data collection tools to ensure real-time data entry, validation, and monitoring.

4. Qualitative Data Collection

• Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with diverse stakeholder groups including women, youth, community leaders, teachers, and local institutions.
• Capture qualitative insights on programme outcomes, behavioral changes, service accessibility, and community perceptions.

5. Data Quality Assurance and Ethical Compliance

• Ensure strict adherence to ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding principles.
• Implement real-time data validation, spot-checking, and supervision mechanisms to maintain data integrity and reliability.

6. Data Management and Handover

• Clean, validate, and organize datasets for each programme component.
• Submit three complete, structured datasets (CoRLIA, BERCR, WGEIE) to the ERRD-CHT MEL team in agreed digital formats.

7. Outcome Analysis, Reporting, and Knowledge Products

• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to assess progress against ultimate, intermediate, and immediate outcome indicators as defined in the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF).
• Generate evidence on changes in climate resilience, biodiversity conservation practices, access to inclusive education, and participation in decision-making, with a focus on women, youth, and marginalized groups.
• Produce a comprehensive Outcome Indicator Assessment Report, fully aligned with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reporting requirements, ensuring consistency with results frameworks and donor expectations.
• Develop indicator tables, statistical summaries, and structured datasets for integration into donor reports, programme dashboards, and results tracking systems.
• Prepare a concise management brief highlighting key findings, emerging results, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations to support adaptive programme management and strategic decision-making.
• Ensure all analytical outputs are evidence-based, clearly presented, and suitable for both technical and policy audiences.

8. Key Deliverables

• Inception and Field Implementation Plan (aligned with ERRD-CHT MEL framework and data collection protocols).
• 620 completed KOBO-based questionnaires for the CoRLIA component (covering VWGs, WCRCs, youth, and stakeholders).
• 495 completed KOBO-based questionnaires for the BERCR component (covering biodiversity groups, community leaders, and related stakeholders).
• 1,104 completed KOBO-based questionnaires for the WGEIE component (covering schools, students, households, teachers, RHCWs, mother clubs, police, and stakeholders).
• Cleaned, validated, and structured datasets for all three components, ready for analysis and integration into programme MEL systems.
• Outcome Indicator Assessment Report, aligned with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reporting requirements, assessing progress against PMF indicators across all components.
• Indicator tables, analytical summaries, and disaggregated results (by gender, stakeholder group, and geography) for use in donor reports and results frameworks.
• Concise Management Brief summarizing key findings, outcome-level changes, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations for programme improvement.