Performance Evaluation for Local Works funded activities in Malawi

Background
In 2015, USAID/Malawi was selected for the inaugural round of Local Works funding, the Agency’s flagship locally led development program. Local Works provides Missions with programmatic flexibility to advance locally led development in their own contexts while enhancing USAID’s ability to support local actors. Currently, the Local Works program includes over thirty (30) Missions recruited through six annual “rounds” of program funding. The program has participating Missions in every region, and activities span many technical areas, including civil society strengthening, environmental health, youth employment, and rural economic development. USAID/Malawi’s 2020–2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) aims to work with the government and civil society to build a more self-reliant Malawi that is gender-equitable and democratically accountable.

Work Details
The purpose of this contract is for the Contractor to conduct an evaluation of USAID/Malawi’s Local Works Program (LW) to learn about the performance of the Local Works funded activities and to inform future adaptations of the program. The evaluation gathers evidence of the extent to which Local Works-supported activities are expanding local leadership in development processes and are on track to achieve sustainable development outcomes.
Lastly, the evaluation contributes to a clearer understanding of 'what works' in achieving Local Works and the Mission’s goals, in both the short and longer term, and to improve the effectiveness of Local Works investments with a focus on locally led development.

Period of Performance
October 18, 2023 - November 8, 2023

Place of Performance
Malawi