Terms of Reference
In-country Evaluation Assistant - Project: “Combatting Forced Child Begging in West Africa and Niger”
Closing date for applications: 9AM BST, 25 June 2026
Type of contract: short-term consultancy
Length of contract: two months
• Location: Niger home-based (please indicate your country of residence in your application).
• Travel: Some travel may be required for the scope of this consultancy
ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL
Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest human rights organisation. Our vision is freedom from slavery for everyone, everywhere, always.
We believe that modern slavery is a contemporary issue of the highest importance, and we are determined to work with others to make sure people can be free from slavery across the world. Our strategy commits us to working on four focus themes to drive systemic change and help end slavery for everyone, everywhere:
Child slavery
• Responsible business
Trafficking
• Climate change and slavery
You can read more about us and how we work in the ‘About Us’ section on our website.
As a focus of our child slavery work, Anti-Slavery International has been working with the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, ANTD (Association Nigérienne pour le Traitement de la Délinquence et la Prévention du Crime) and EPAD (Ecole – Parrainage & Actions de Développement) to address the systematic causes of forced child begging in Niger. We are looking for an Evaluation Assistant to provide crucial in-country technical support for the final evaluation of the project.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Forced begging by children in Qur’anic schools is recognised as a major problem in many West African countries, including Niger. Many initiatives have been undertaken to address the phenomenon; however, the results have been mixed, and many observers believe the problem continues to grow, although definitive statistics are hard to establish. To date, the Government of Niger’s engagement with the talibé begging problem has been minimal despite the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child instructing Niger to eliminate the practice. There are a range of factors likely to influence this, such as a lack of know-how and resources, rather than ambivalence or a lack of concern towards the issue.
Since March 2023, Anti-Slavery International has led a consortium to implement a project on forced child begging in Qu’ranic schools in Niger. The partnership includes a research partner, the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and two leading child rights organisations in Niger, Association Nigérienne pour le Traitement de la Délinquance et la prévention du crime (ANTD) and Ecole, Parrainage et Actions de Développement (EPAD). Together they led the co-development and implementation of activities at the local level. The research carried out in the project sought to establish the evidence base to inform appropriate adaptations, interventions and advocacy to address the issue. This involved qualitative research to describe the phenomenon as it currently exists in Niger, including the various forms it takes, the stakeholders involved, their varied perspectives, analysis of the laws and policies that govern this and related topics, and the development of a prevalence estimate to get a sense of how many people are involved.
The project goal is for state and religious authorities, civil society and local community structures, and the public in Niger to reach a broad consensus on how to provide religious education in a safe and secure environment and ensuring that they are working together to protect talibé children from this form of exploitation by traffickers. This involves evidencebased reforms to legal, regulatory, and self-regulatory frameworks, implemented, enforced, and supported by public, private and civil society sectors, that would enable the transition away from talibé exploitation.
EVALUATION OBJECTIVES
The evaluation objectives are as follows:
Establish an evidence-based understanding of the project’s attainments against its stated objectives, outcomes and, if possible, any progress towards or early indications of impact. This will include consideration of the relevant context and factors that have influenced the nature and extent of the project’s achievements, and the extent to which the project's research informed the subsequent intervention design and delivery.
• Consider the appropriateness and potential of the project’s approaches for effective work towards establishing a consensus on how to provide religious education in a safe environment and to protect talibés from exploitation.
Identify any unexpected outcomes or effects that the project activities have led, or contributed to.
Consider the extent to which the progress and attainments of the project are, or can be, sustainable into the future, and the factors that would make this possible.
• Develop concrete, targeted recommendations to support positive progress on this issue.
Recommend future direction and strategies for the potential extension of project activities and the prevalence estimation methodology, including potential scale-up to other countries.
EVALUATION METHODS
Evaluation methods and tools will be co-developed between the Rights Lab Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead and the Anti-Slavery International MEL Adviser. These are expected to include key informant interviews and focus groups, and may also involve a light survey or qualitative data instrument. Once finalised, the consultant is encouraged to make suggestions to maximise the appropriateness of these tools for engagement with the evaluation participants, as can be usefully accommodated within the available resources.
We expect that the evaluation will incorporate the perspectives of all project partners and a range of relevant stakeholders, including former talibés (see question 1 below).
Key evaluation questions to be answered:
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What, if any, actions and/or developments have taken place among each of the different groups and stakeholders identified in the project Theory of Change (namely legislators, statutory duty bearers, religious leaders, community members, Nigerien CSOs and former talibés)?
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How and to what extent did the approach(es) implemented by the project consortium affect the progress and changes that occurred?
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A number of very significant external changes took place through the implementation period of this project. How effectively were these external factors managed within the project and how did they affect the results?
OBJECTIVES AND DELIVERABLES FOR THE ROLE
The in-country evaluation assistant will play a crucial role in supporting the evaluation team with data gathering from in-country stakeholders, as well as advise on the
appropriateness of tools and methods as applied to the relevant individuals and entities in Niger. They will also support the principal evaluator (at the Rights Lab) in preparing the data gathered from the field for analysis and review the draft evaluation report to ensure coherence and accuracy with the evaluation data.
| Activities | Deliverables | Indicativedates |
| Participate in an induction meetingwith ASI and Rights Lab. | n/a | 2-3 July |
| Read and confirm compliance withrelevant organisational policies. | Signed policies. | w/c 13 July |
| Complete travel security training ifapplicable). | Completed training certificate orsend evidence of previouslycompleted security training. | w/c 13 July |
| Participate in an induction and datacollection planning meetings with in-country partners ANTD andEPAD. | n/a | w/c 13 July |
| Review data collection tools andmethods to ensure they areappropriate to the context andparticipants in Niger. | A brief paper (1-2 pages) withrecommendations for thesuccessful adaptation and use ofthe designed data collection toolsand methods in the Nigeriencontext of the project prior to thedata collection phase. | Before thedata collectionmissions |
| Undertake data collection, as perthe tools and methods developed,with the evaluation participants. | Brief report of field mission(structure to be provided by Anti-Slavery International and theRights Lab).Raw data collected, transcribedand translated into French whereneeded.Scanned copies of completedconsent forms for each participant. | 20 July-14August |
| Support the evaluator (the RightsLab lead) in the analysis ofresponses to all data-gatheringtools as required. | Comments shared via email or in acall as needed. | 3-21 August |
| Review the draft evaluation reportto ensure understanding andaccuracy based on the field data | Reviewed draft evaluation reportwith comments provided. | 21-31 August |
| gathering mission and the local context. |
CONSULTANT SKILLS AND EXPERTISE
Demonstrable experience in conducting data collection activities (including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, surveys) for evaluations, with a range of participants including government representatives and community members.
Experience in the evaluation of human rights and/or development projects, preferably with research and advocacy components.
• Ability to process large volumes of qualitative data for analysis.
• Ability to work within a team, collaborating effectively and in a timely manner, and sharing perspectives on tools, approaches and outputs.
Ability to work to a high standard with established timelines.
Ability to work in French and Hausa.
• Ideally, based in Niger with the ability to travel to different regions (including Marai and Zinder).
TIMELINE
The evaluation activities will take place in July and August 2026. It is estimated the activities will require approximately 30 days of work, which is expected to include travel to two project locations, including the local area of Dogo-Dogo in Zinder region and Tchadoua in Maradi region.
MANAGEMENT OF THE ROLE
While the in-country evaluation assistant will work under the direction of the project evaluator, Celine Hocquet, the contract will be signed with and managed by Anti-Slavery International, under the responsibility of the Head of Regional Advocacy Programmes, Miriana Giraldi.
The consultant will need to adhere to partners’ policies (Rights Lab, ANTD, EPAD and Anti-Slavery International) as relevant, including Anti-Slavery International’s travel security manual, the code of conduct, the anti-corruption and bribery policy, and the safeguarding and protection policy.
To apply for this consultancy, please submit the following:
• Your CV, demonstrating your ability to complete the task with clear and relevant examples (maximum 3 pages).
• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) including:
Why you are applying for this consultancy;
Relevant skills and competencies (referring to the required skills and expertise for this role mentioned above);
Examples of similar tasks that you have undertaken.
Confirm your availability to carry out this consultancy between the beginning of July and the end of August (30 days total).
• Your financial proposal (including VAT if applicable).
Confirmation of whether you have or have not undertaken security training for hostile environments.
Please send your application to jobs@antislavery.org with ‘Evaluation assistant CS01 Niger’ as the subject line by 9AM BST, on 25th of June 2026.
Online interviews will be scheduled on the 1st and 2nd of July.
Only candidates shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.