BACKGROUND KABEHO MWANA is a USAID funded Child Survival program being implemented by the consortium of Concern Worldwide, International Rescue Committee and World Relief in Rwanda. This Expanded Impact Program (EIP) has as its main goal to reduce child mortality in six underserved districts reaching an estimated 300,000 children under five. The program will run October 2006 to September 2011. The technical interventions address the three leading direct causes of child mortality in Rwanda: malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Primary stakeholders are Ministry of Health, Districts health units, District hospitals, health centers and community health workers and beneficiaries.
The program objectives include: Prevention and treatment of malaria with a 35% level of effort:
• Increase the proportion of children under five with fever in the past two weeks who received anti-malarial treatment
• Increase the proportion of children under five sleeping under a treated mosquito net Control of diarrheal disease with a 35% level of effort:
• Increase use of oral rehydration therapy among children with diarrhea
• Increase use of zinc treatment among children with diarrhea
• Increase hand-washing with soap at critical times
• Increase the proportion of children provided continued feeding during diarrhea
• Increase the proportion of children given increased fluids during diarrhea Pneumonia case management with a 30% level of effort:
• Increase the proportion of children with pneumonia who receive appropriate treatment
• Increase the proportion of children 6-59 months who receive vitamin A
PURPOSE OF FINAL EVALUATION CONSULTANCY
This will be an extremely important evaluation as it is one of the final expanded impact projects in the USAID Child Survival Portfolio, and is the only one that is implemented in a partnership between several organizations. The evaluation provides a unique opportunity for learning about contributions that the USAID Child Survival and Health Grants Program, and the Kabeho Mwana project specifically, make towards taking evidence-based child survival interventions to scale and advancing national MNCH policies and priorities.
APPROACH AND EXPECTED RESULTS
The EIP team is seeking a Final Evaluation Team Leader who will objectively guide a team of EIP staff and professionals in the review of project documents and direct information collection for synthesis of findings, conclusions and lessons learned from the EIP Kabeho Mwana, and is well poised to carry forward the results and implications with authority. Working in collaboration with the national lead consultant and the EIP team, he or she will serve as the lead author of the evaluation report. The EIP wishes to perform a final evaluation to document lesson learned as described in USAID final evaluation guidelines. The methodology of the evaluation will be participatory. This means that District Health Unit, Health Center staff, EIP staff, community health workers, and other community representatives should be involved in the planning, implementation, and follow-up of the evaluation.
Specifically, the final evaluation will:
• Evaluate the degree to which the program’s objectives have been achieved.
• Examine the quality of technical interventions and strategic approaches.
• Consider the equity of project results and lessons learned about access to services.
• Examine the contextual factors (social, institutional, economic, geographic) that may have influenced the effectiveness of individual components and shaped the project’s overall outcomes.
• Evaluate the sustainability of the project interventions and their integration into country priorities.
• Perform a project management evaluation and document the partnership model between the three implementing organizations.
The expected outputs of the consultancy are:
• Assessment of results and impact of the project and contextual factors that influenced outcome
• National dissemination of preliminary results of the evaluation, including constraints, conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations
• A final evaluation report following USAID Child Survival and Health Guidelines for Final
Evaluation.
SPECIFIC TASKS OF THE LEAD FINAL EVALUATOR
Prior to the field evaluation
• Review existing key project documents and resources to understand the primary health care environment in Rwanda.
• Refine the evaluation objectives and key questions based on the CSHGP guidelines and key stakeholder essential information requirements.
• Advise the EIP team on the composition of the final evaluation team.
• Collaborate with the EIP HQ backstops and Team Leader to develop the field evaluation schedule and assessment tools.
• Oversee the finalization of data collection instruments and field work plan.
During the field evaluation
• Orient the evaluation team members to the purpose and process of the evaluation.
• Lead the team review of the results of the project’s KPC and other evaluation activities.
• Lead the team to complete the collection, analysis and synthesis of supplemental information regarding the program performance.
• Facilitate the interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative results and the drawing of conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations regarding EIP and its readiness for replication
• Present preliminary conclusions and recommendations.
Post field evaluation
• Serve as lead writer of the evaluation report in line with the CSHGP guidelines.
• Incorporate comments and feedback from EIP Partners as part of finalization of the report.
• Assist with the dissemination of findings to key stakeholders.
ORGANIZATION AND TIMING
The evaluation will be led by an external consultant, who will be assisted by the District Health Unit Technician and by EIP staff in six districts, Kigali, and New York headquarters. The evaluation is to take place over approximately 4 weeks in August 2011 for a total of 29 consultant days, including travel and time in both Kigali and writing time in a location of the consultant’s choice.
REQUIRMENTS:
The consultant will have to be approved by USAID Child Survival Grants Program and should meet the following minimum requirements:
• Highly experienced with global health programs
• Previous experience conducting an evaluation of a USAID funded child survival program
• Fluency and ability to write in English, French language skills preferred
• Ability to lead a team of stakeholders, staff and national experts in participatory evaluation
How to Apply
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