Empleos en el PNUD - 40067- Evaluation of Saving Groups as Financial Service P

Evaluation of Saving Groups as Financial Service Providers

Localidad :

Dili, Timor Leste

Tipo de contrato :

Individual Contract

Fecha de comienzo del contrato :

23-Sep-2013

Fecha límite de postulación :

17-Sep-13 (Medianoche Nueva York, Estados Unidos)

Nivel de puesto :

International Consultant

Duración del contrato inicial :

20 Days

Idiomas requeridos :

Inglés

Duración esperada del puesto :

20 Days

El PNUD está comprometido con lograr la diversidad de su personal en términos de género, nacionalidad y cultura. Se alienta por igual a las personas que pertenecen a grupos minoritarios, a pueblos indígenas o que tienen alguna discapacidad a presentar su candidatura. Todas las solicitudes se tratarán con la mayor confidencialidad. UNDP no tolera la explotación y el abuso sexual, ningún tipo de acoso, incluido el acoso sexual, ni la discriminación. Por lo tanto, todos los candidatos seleccionados serán sometidos a una rigurosa verificación de referencias y antecedentes.

Antecedentes

Since 2008 UNDP Timor Leste is supporting the establishment, strengthen and development of Savings Groups (SGs), through the implementation of several initiatives to reduce poverty levels among vulnerable communities in remote locations. SGs represent a form of social capital that promotes trust in the community playing a strong instrumental role in enhancing livelihoods and income generation at a local level, as well as being a source of empowerment, especially for women members.

In March 2010, 6 UN partner Agencies (FAO, WFP, ILO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP) and local Government counterparts started the implementation of COMPASIS Joint Project which seeks to protect extremely poor households in the identified 17 villages of Ermera and Oecusse enclave districts in Timor Leste. Community mobilization, mainly through the formation and strengthening of self-help groups is the primary strategy of this project promoting self-reliance in the community and helping prevent conflict. According to Human security approach and principles COMPASIS joint programme aims to protect beneficiaries against threats of civil strife, poverty, hunger, poor health, illiteracy and social exclusion and empowered to realize their fundamental rights and full human potential through the reduction of vulnerability levels. A final evaluation of the whole COMPASIS programme was carried-out in June-July 2013 with final report issued 19Aug13.

Saving & credit activity is the core activity of SGs in Timor Leste including linkages with others such as business/self employment, livestock/postharvest/home garden trainings and participation in family planning&reproductive health sessions, among others. While there were active self-help groups in Oecusse District previous the starting phase of the project, Ermera District groups have been established during the implementation of COMPASIS project. August 2013 will be the date for the termination of the project implementation.

Nowadays there are 81 active Savings Groups in both districts, involving around 1,163 households (1.184 members, 14% outreach of COMPASIS population area). Many rural areas are totally deprived of any access to financial services because too remote and isolated. Even with the advent of innovative ‘branchless’ financial services it is expected that some areas and some vulnerable households will remain deprived of access to finance over the next 5-10 years, requiring a different approach. Bank services are not accessible outside district capitals, and empiric evidence shows that MFIs do not venture much beyond national roads. Community-based finance should be tested as an avenue to fill-in this gap: they would form autonomous hotspots of financial inclusion.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Overall Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to a) analyze the effectiveness of the SG approach intervention for the provision of financial services and ingraining basic financial competencies to its members with support of financial literacy, and b) to conduct a scoping exercise providing recommendations to orient its implementation on a sustainable basis. It is a follow-up to the final evaluation of the COMPASIS joint programme.

The assignment will inform how the model has been applied (quality) and to what extent the SG approach contributes to members’ socioeconomic empowerment, provide good quality financial services and develop financial competencies among their members. The consultant will include recommendations on linkages and the sustainability of the intervention.

Specific objectives

Evaluation of the SG Efectiveness for the provision of financial services
Main questions:

Overall quality of the intervention for the SG members and their communities (17 villages) in terms of access to finance and financial competencies;
Relevance of the targeting of communities;
Quality of the provision of financial services through the SGs;
Indicators of individual socioeconomic empowerment (women in particular): development of income-generating activities (IGAs), asset expenditure levels and resilience to shocks;
Levels of maturity of the SGs, indicating the lead time to reach autonomy;
Possible next steps for mature groups: institutionalization, federations, linkages with formal financial institutions
Relevance of the methodology used by Compasis compared to methodologies used by other organizations for setting up SGs in Timor-Leste (Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Care);
Quality of the facilitation activities to support groups. Frequency and duration of the facilitators’ assistance;
Impact of the Financial Literacy training by comparing SGs that received the trainings to others that have not.

Scoping Exercise

Recommendation for future implementation/second phase focused on sustainability;
What is the approach recommended? When can handholding phase out? In which conditions? Inclusion of a costing exercise: estimation on SG member acquisition cost and annual retention cost;
Which graduation options to offer to mature SGs;
Recommendations and challenges for replication. Is it relevant as a stand-alone hotspot for financial services or should only be part of a holistic strategy of services delivery? (associating income generation, agri techniques, Water and sanitation, education, health, etc);
Recommendation to handholding organizations (UNDP and local counterpart) and potential Government and local partners’ linkages. Key linkages to current UNDP and national programmes and strategies on financial inclusion, including recomendations on potential linkage to formal financial institutions.

Competencias

Knowledge/experience related to community-finance projects and Savings Groups;
Rigorous evaluation methodology as evidenced by the ‘Proposed methodology’ submitted;
High planning skills (demonstrated through CV and ‘Work plan’ submitted) and ability to work independently;

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Academic Qualifications:

Master degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Banking, Development, Education or related fields

Years of experience:

Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in microfinance or economic development with a proven capacity on programme evaluation;
Working experience in Timor-Leste or in the South-East Asian or Pacific Regions.

Language

Language skills (English, Portuguese, Tetum, Bahasa).

Note:

Please visit the link below for more information.

http://www.tl.undp.org/content/dam/timorleste/docs/Procurament/IC%20Notice%20%26%20ToR_Evaluation%20of%20Savings%20groups%20as%20Financial%20Service%20Providers.pdf