Project Context and Scope
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has conducted numerous awareness campaigns to address the risks of irregular migration and to promote legal pathways and socio-economic opportunities. These efforts aim to facilitate safe and informed migration choices among potential migrants, particularly in response to widespread misinformation and the inherent dangers of irregular migration. In this context, in 2018, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), proposed a collaboration with IOM Italy to integrate the CinemArena initiative into its awareness-raising efforts. CinemArena is a “mobile cinema” providing a set of outdoor events, organized in rural and urban areas, with projection of films, documentaries and testimonies. The aim is to ensure outreach and to carry out educational and information campaigns in the most remote and disadvantaged migration-prone areas.
Since 2018, by combining entertainment with educational outreach, IOM has been organizing events among the most marginalized populations in West and East African countries, including screenings on the risks of irregular migration and its alternatives, cultural performances, interactive discussions, and youth empowerment activities. The first phase (2018–2020) of the project targeted activities in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, and The Gambia, while the second phase (2021–2022) focused on potential irregular migrants in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The ongoing third phase (2022–2025), is being carried out in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, The Gambia, and Tunisia.
Through approximately 840 events—including film screenings, school tours, training sessions, and festivals—the project has engaged over 252,000 participants, while an additional approximately 560,000 people have been reached via radio programmes, TV shows, and social media.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:
The consultant will contribute to the Migration Management Unit at the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean on the Project PX.0375: “CinemArena – The itinerant education and information programme raising awareness on socio-economic opportunities and promoting empowerment in Africa as alternative to irregular migration”, which is funded by the Directorate General for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies (DGIT).

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/ Professional experience and other requirements:

• A completed university degree from an accredited academic institution in fields of study relevant for the assignment (Evaluation, Statistics, Migration Studies, Social Sciences, Politics, International Development, International Cooperation, Economics, International Law).
• Minimum of three years of demonstrated experience in data collection and evaluation and/or in designing and conducting project evaluations, preferably for international organizations, UN agencies;
• Proven ability to write high-quality evaluation reports and official documents in English;
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills;
• Knowledge of migration issues, particularly in the context of awareness-raising and behavioral change campaigns is an advantage;
• Familiarity with the political and social dynamics of West and North Africa is highly desirable;
• Excellent ability to adapt to different contexts and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English and French is required;
• Knowledge of Italian and Arabic will be considered as an advantage.

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.
Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
Travel required
The selected consultant will be required to travel to at least three of the five CinemArena target countries (tentatively Guinea, The Gambia, and Senegal - to be confirmed at the beginning of the consultancy) to collect data from stakeholders and beneficiaries involved in the project.

Tasks to be performed under this contract
Final external evaluation of the project “CinemArena – The itinerant education and information programme raising awareness on socio-economic opportunities and promoting empowerment in Africa as alternative to irregular migration” (PX.0375).
As the third phase of CinemArena is currently being implemented, IOM intends to recruit a consultant to carry out a final evaluation of this initiative in order to capitalize on this experience. The final evaluation aims to assess the project’s design, relevance, logical coherence, alignment with IOM strategies, and coherence with other similar initiatives. It will evaluate the project’s achievements, efficiency, effectiveness, and overall impact in addressing irregular migration, informing potential migrants, and promoting socio-economic opportunities in the five target countries. Additionally, the evaluation will analyze how impactful and sustainable the project’s outcomes have been, while identifying the main obstacles as well as the best practices and lessons learned while developing recommendations for future programming.
The evaluation will be conducted using a mixed-methods approach to ensure a comprehensive and balanced assessment of the project’s performance against the OECD criteria. This methodology will include both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods, allowing for triangulation, complementarity of evidence from different sources to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. The evaluation is expected to involve in-person and remote consultations with stakeholders at various levels.