Description
End of EDF
Project Evaluation: Merlin Liberia, South East Region, Grand Kru County.
Support to
the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in the implementation of the Basic Package
of Health Services in Grand Kru County, Liberia
Position: Consultant – End of Project
Evaluation of the Merlin Grand Kru project to provide support to the Ministry
of Health and Social Welfare in the implementation of the Basic Package of
Health Services.
Responsible
To: Country
Director
Working
with: Country
Health Director (Monrovia), Project Coordinator (Grand Kru), Field Medical
Coordinator (Grand Kru) and Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Coordinator
(Monrovia)
Location: Barclayville, Grand Kru County
Provisional
Time Frame: 13/02/13for
18 consultant days (including two international travel days)
Starting
Date:
13/02/12
Daily Rate: £200 per day inclusive of
travel and accommodation. Insurance can be provided to the consultant at the
rate of £10 per day
Only
shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position,
applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer this post
before the closing date.
Context
Merlin Liberia has
been operating in Grand Kru country since August 2009 working closely with the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in different levels by constructing and
renovating facilities, providing medicines, equipments, and incentives to
health staff as well as capacity building and training local and government
partners. Merlin Liberia is currently supporting seven health facilities (2
health clinics, 4 health centres, and 1 hospital) in Grand Kru County.
The broad objective
of this 24 month project was to reduce poverty by improving the health status
of the population through the provision of a more effective, efficient and
equitable access to health care. This was planned to be achieved through
implementation of the full Basic Package of Health Services in all facilities
targeted, expanding access to BPHS for communities and strengthening the
capacity of the CH&SWT to manage a decentralised health system. This
objective is linked to the EU Country Strategy Paper and National Indicative
programme (2008-2013).
Scope of the
Evaluation
This end of project
evaluation will review both technical and programmatic aspects of the Grand Kru
EDF project focusing on the achievement of objectives and the appropriateness
of the approaches adopted in meeting strategic aims. The end of project
evaluation will make conclusions and provide recommended actions at project
level, enabling managers to assess whether project activities met the overall
objectives and to inform Merlin’s future programming. The recommended actions
will also support the transition of the project to full support by the
MoH&SW.
Project
objectives (from original logframe)
Overall
Objective
To reduce poverty by
improving the health status of the population through more effective, efficient
and equitable access to health care.
Specific
Objectives:
- To
expand access to basic health care of acceptable quality. - To
support the restructuring, rationalization, development of human resources
and management capacity of the public health system
Expected
Results
- Quality
of health care services offered in Grand Kru County Health facilities
(Clinics, Health Centres and Hospitals) improved. - Strengthened
Community Participation and involvement in the prevention of morbidity and
maternal and child mortality. - Improved
physical infrastructure of 7 health facilities (Equipment and
rehabilitation). - The
CH&SWT and DHTs are able to manage a decentralized health system. - Strengthened
the capacity of the health facility staff in 11health facilities to
deliver quality services at the facility and community level. - One Supervision,
Monitoring and Evaluation system developed for the project.
Purpose of
the Evaluation
The purpose of this
end of project evaluation is to assess to what extent the project achieved the
objectives and therefore overall goal. It will identify the achievements,
challenges, lessons learnt and effective practices of the project. This
information will enable Merlin and CHT to make project adjustments as we
prepare to handover the programme to the CHT/MoH&SW. Some of the
information may require further investigation to ensure adjustments are well
designed and targeted.
Evaluation
Objectives
The key objectives
of this end of project evaluation are (but not limited to):
- To
assess the progress on achievement of the project objectives and targets. - To
assess role and technical capacity of Merlin and County Health and Social
Welfare Team in supporting health service delivery. - To
identify gaps, barriers and constraints on implementation of the project
and solutions identified to address them. - To
recommend appropriate changes in programme approach, management process,
structure so that the programme is positioned for the transition to the
MOH&SW management - Evaluation
key questions given in section 6.
Responsibilities
and Lines of Communication
Merlin’s Programme
Cycle Management defines the members of the organisation and external
stakeholders that are Accountable, Responsible, Consulted and Informed at each
stage of an evaluation. The persons named below will ensure that a suitable and
quality evaluation is conducted within the parameters of Merlin’s Evaluation
Policy.
Evaluation design:
– Accountable: CD
and CHD
– Responsible: CHD
and MERC
– Consulted: CD,
CHD, MERC, PC, FMC
– Informed: HoR,
CD, CHD, MERC, PC, FMC
Evaluation
Management (Implementation):
– Accountable: CHD
– Responsible: CHD
and MERC
– Consulted: CD,
CHD, MERC, PC, FMC
– Informed: HoR,
CD, CHD, PC
Reporting /
Dissemination:
– Accountable: CHD
and MERC
– Responsible: CHD
and MERC
– Consulted: HoR,
CD, MERC, PC, FMC
– Informed: HoR,
CD, PC, FMC
Evaluation Learning
– Accountable: CD
and CHD
– Responsible: CD
and CHD
– Consulted: HoR,
CD, MERC, PC, FMC
– Informed: HoR,
CD, MERC, PC, FMC
The evaluator will
design the methodology, implement the evaluation and prepare a report and
summary of findings. Merlin will review and assist with the design of the
methodology to ensure maximum learning from the process. The output of the
evaluation will be reported to the Merlin Liberia Country Management Team and
the Merlin Head Office team in London. All relevant Merlin staff in Liberia
will provide input and support to the evaluation as required.
The evaluator will
be supported by the Country Health Director in Liberia and the M&E and
Reporting Coordinator (MERC). The MERC will be the key point of contact in Liberia
for the evaluator for arranging logistical and financial support to the
evaluation. The Field Medical Coordinator, Grand Kru will be the daily contact
person on the ground, organising appointments with the County Health Team,
facility staff and logistics at the County level.
Outputs
The outputs of this
Evaluation are:
- A
report completed on Merlin’s Evaluation Report template (by consultant); - A focus
group discussion held with the Country Management Team and Regional Desk
(either in-country or from Head Office after the visit) prior to drafting
the evaluation report to discuss preliminary findings and recommendations
(with consultant); - A
report completed on Merlin’s Key Learning document template (by GK field
team); - An
Action Plan that details activities and timescales to meet recommendations
(by GK field team and Monrovia).
Assessment
against
OECD-DACcriteria
End of project
evaluations will conduct an analysis of projects and programmes against the
OECD-DAC evaluation criteria as described in the glossary of the Merlin 2010
Evaluation Policy.
- Relevance
/ Appropriateness - Effectiveness
- Connectedness
& Sustainability - Coherence
- Coverage
- Changes
in people’s lives as a result of the project.
Embedded in the
evaluation against these criteria is an appropriate analysis against the
achievement of planned objectives and the assessment of cross-cutting themes of
accountability, vulnerability and gender.
Guidance as to how
Merlin expects these criteria to be incorporated within evaluation
methodologies can be found in ALNAP’s guide for humanitarian agencies ‘Evaluating humanitarian
action using the OECD-DAC criteria’. This document will be given to
all evaluators and fully discussed in briefings to ensure the Merlin’s
expectations are fully understood
Relevance
and Appropriateness
- Are
Merlin’s activities the most appropriate methodology to meet existing
needs? - Do the
health facilities provide adequate range of services based on needs,
government protocols and the activities of other actors? - Are the
services adapting to shifting needs and requirements of the targeted
population? - To what
extent has Merlin assessed vulnerability and included organisationally
defined (under five year olds, pregnant women, elderly) vulnerable groups
in its programming? - What
changes (if any) are required to increase the relevance and
appropriateness of our work?
Effectiveness
- Have
planned activities and programme deliverables achieved intended
objectives? - What
constraints have there been in developing and delivering activities that
has affected their effectiveness? - What
changes (if any) are required to increase the effectiveness of our work
taken including administrative, programmatic and strategic approaches?
Connectedness
and Sustainability
- What
has been done to assess the potential for partnerships in this response? - Where
partnerships have been activated (MoH), have capacities been built as part
of activities? - What
changes (if any) are required to ensure successful handover of supported
services?
Coverage
- Has
Merlin chosen the most appropriate geographical locations for its
activities? - Which
groups of the population are able to access Merlin’s services and are the
most vulnerable adequately targeted?
Changes in
people’s lives as a result of the project
- What
changes have occurred in the lives of patients and participants in the
project from their perspectives (positive and negative, intended and
unintended).
Cross-cutting
themes – Accountability
- What
has Merlin done to increase its accountability to patients, participants,
communities and partners? - Are
these activities increasing quality of and access to Merlin services? - What
changes (if any) are required to improve the degree to which Merlin’s
interventions are accountable to beneficiaries and partners?
Methodology
The below list –
agreed between Merlin and the Evaluator – will form the basis of the tools,
techniques and approaches that this evaluation will use. Unless otherwise
stated or because of mitigating circumstances (security), the evaluation will
be conducted with participation of all relevant stakeholders enabling the
evaluation’s purpose to be communicated in an accessible way assuring the
communication of the reporting and follow-up protocol.
The evaluator will
submit a draft methodology to Merlin HQ before departure to Liberia. The
methodology will include but will not be limited to:
- Literature
Review: The end of project evaluation should review all major programme
documents such as project proposal, project plans, interim reports, survey
reports, supervision tools, and policies and procedures. - Observation
and Field Visits to health posts: The project evaluation should pay visits
to the facility level to observe practices and assess service delivery. - Checklists
or Questionnaires: Checklists or questionnaires are to be developed to
ensure there is consistency in the collection of information from various
groups. - Focus
Group Discussions: The project evaluation should include focus group
discussion with patients, community members, community volunteer and
committees, project management team and staff, CHT, MoH&SW and other
stakeholders as appropriate. - Individual
Interviews using Checklist or Questionnaire: The project evaluation should
include individual check list or questionnaire to interview with different
stakeholders including patients, CHT and MoH&SW.
Detailed methodology
and implementation plan to be designed and submitted to the FMC, MERC and CHD
and Country Management Team prior to the evaluation commencing.
Report
The Project
Evaluation report should be submitted in accordance with Merlin evaluation
reporting template and consisting of:
- An
Executive Summary detailing key lessons learnt. - Context
and Brief background to the project evaluation, including methodology. - Findings.
- Conclusions
and recommendations. - Annexed
TOR. - Annexed
Handover plan, including time plan for implementation of recommendations
and management response.
Follow-up of
the Evaluation
Based on the
recommendations on final report, those made accountable and responsible for
evaluation learning will complete a key learning document and develop the
action plan against it.
Team
Composition, Budget, and Timeline
There will be one
external consultant supported by one programme staff (MERC) if needed.
Timeline:(Total of 18 days, February
13- March 2, 2013)
Activities:
– International
travel day, February 13
– Review of
programme documents and Project evaluation design, February 13-14
– Briefing at
Country office, meeting with MOH&SW officials in Monrovia, February 14
– Travel to GK,
February 15-16
– Field work
(orientation to field team, interviews, focus group discussions in
Barclayville), February 17-21
– Data compilation,
February 22-24
– Draft Report
preparation and submission, February 25-27
– Final report and
dissemination, February 28- March 1
– International
travel day, March 2
Person Specification
Essential
Qualifications,
Experience, and Competences
- Health
qualification (e.g. Public Health, Health Management Systems) or
equivalent, MSc preferred - Ability
to work on own initiative and to meet deadlines - Attention
to detail and ability to produce accurate information - Ability
and willingness to travel to very remote areas - Culturally
sensitive
Desirable
- Technical
medical skills – health practitioner with extensive experience in
evaluating health programmes/projects - Programme
skills – knowledge of Project Cycle Management (PCM) and extensive
experience in evaluating projects/programmes focusing on NGO/government
partnerships - Previous
work experience in Liberia or similar contexts.
How
to apply
To apply for this
position
To apply for this
job, please go to www.merlin.org.uk/jobs
and apply using our online recruitment system. In addition please email one
recent example/sample of similar project evaluation to applications@merlin.org.uk stating
that you have applied online for the role and this is the supporting document.
In order to apply for a job with Merlin online you will need to complete a
short registration process and create an account – the online recruitment system
explains how to do this. Once your account has been created, you will be able
to save the information that you have entered in your application and re-visit
it at any time before you submit it.
If you are unable to
apply online for any technical reason, please contact applications@merlin.org.uk.
Please note that we
do not accept CVs. Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive,
only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.