CHF International Assessment on the Impact of USAID-Higa Ubeho Under five Playgroups Job Vacancy in Rwanda

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Terms of Reference (ToRs):
Assessment on the Impact of USAID/Higa Ubeho Under five Playgroups

Program Background
The Rwanda USAID/Higa Ubeho program is a five-year USAID/PEPFAR- funded program
with the goal to increase the use of health and related social support services
among the most vulnerable, including orphans and vulnerable children (OVC),
people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) and their families. USAID/Higa Ubeho
presently operates in 16 United States Government (USG)-supported target
districts, CHF International leads this consortium with international partner
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and 8 Rwandan Partner Organizations (RPOs).

The program provides holistic support for vulnerable families through a wide
range of services that including Early Childhood Development (ECD) through
Playgroups for children under five. This is in line with the Government of
Rwanda effort to deliver early childhood education services at the village
level. Higa Ubeho supported playgroups are a gathering of children under five
(both OVC and non-OVC) and their parents/guardians to promote children’s
emotional and physical development through structured and unstructured play in
a safe environment.

Play groups are facilitated by community volunteers and nursery school teachers
who are identified and trained through the program local partners. To date the
program has established 60 playgroups in 14 districts by orienting and
supporting 120 community volunteers and nursery school teachers, the program
also provides play group kits which consist of locally made toys, mats and
other materials to facilitate the various activities.

Objectives of the assessment

This assessment will aim to assist the USAID/Higa Ubeho program to understand
the impact of the under five playgroups on beneficiaries and to evaluate the
quality of program guidelines, training and services.

The specific objectives of the assessment are:

The information provided through the assessment will be used to support
learning as well as to guide future programming.  In addition, the
assessment will help the program to disseminate promising practices and lessons
learned from the implementation of Play groups for children Under 5.

Assessment Methodology

Throughout the research, the team will work closely with, and receive guidance
from CHF International. The methodology should include extensive consultations
with stakeholders including local authorities, parents/guardians of
beneficiaries, Rwanda Partner Organizations (RPOs), community volunteers and
school authorities. The assessment should be designed to include mixed
assessment methods for purposes of triangulation and include but not
necessarily be limited to a selection of the following methods:

• Literature review of relevant program documents
• Questionnaires
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with selected parents/guardians of
beneficiaries
• Key informant interviews at the school and community level

 Key Tasks

1. Conduct literature review.
2. Develop research proposal (including methodology, data collection tools,
timeframe and proposed reporting format).
3. Pre-test the data collection tools.
4. Collect data that ensures standard and rigorous data quality control, through
focus group discussions, questionnaires and key informant interviews.
5. Data entry and analysis.
6. Draft report.
7. Convene meeting to validate findings.
8. Finalize report based on feedback from stakeholders.
9. Provide the assessment data set to USAID/Higa Ubeho for future program
needs.

Timeframe
This assignment should be completed within 30 working days

Logistics
All logistical costs including transportation data collection and printing
costs will be covered by the consultant and should be detailed in the financial
proposal. All logistical costs including transportation data collection and
printing costs will be covered by the consultant and should be detailed in the
financial proposal.   All expenses will be reimbursed based on the
submission of receipts.

Desired Qualifications

The research team shall be selected based on the following criteria:
– Minimum of Master’s Degree in relevant field
– Proven experience in design and implementation of participatory research
projects using questionnaires, focus groups and key informant interviews;
– Excellent report writing skills;
– Advanced computer and data analysis skills;
– Knowledge of  school community-based care and support services
especially ECD programming;
– Knowledge of the country context;
– Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda required.

How to apply
Interested applicants are requested to submit the following documents:

• Printed and bound technical proposal including Cover letter addressed to the
Country Director CHF International; Executive summary; Evidence of
consultant(s) qualifications; references for similar work done and proof of
service(3); Description of proposed services and methodology addressing the
assessment objectives and detailing how deliverables will be achieved.
• Printed and bound financial proposal detailing all costs associated with the
delivery of the above services.

Application files should be delivered to CHF International Rwanda, Country
office located at Kacyiru Nord, Plot 1091, alternatively, electronic copies can
be sent to info@rw.chfinternational.org. The title of the email must be Playgroups assessment.
Submissions should be received no later than 5th July 2013 at 10:00 A.M.