ASRHR M&E Consultant

Terms of Reference

Developing an Adolescent and Youth SRHR Monitoring and Evaluation

System, Processes and Tools for CHASE Africa.

Background Information

CHASE Africa is a UK-based Charity based which supports local partner organisations across East Africa to improve basic healthcare with a particular focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and addressing the unmet need for family planning. We also support some environmental activities. CHASE Africa has supported several partners to integrate health programmes with other programmes they are supporting.

Our programmes work in partnership with the Ministry of Health to raise awareness and provide information which enables individuals to make informed decisions around their health.  We train and support Community Health Workers and Youth Peer Mentors, who work with our partners’ project staff to facilitate community dialogues according to their audiences, such as a men’s forum, youth group or through door-to-door visits, creating a confidential, safe space to discuss these often delicate issues.

In addition, we deliver basic healthcare services to remote areas through outreach clinics and backpack nurse visits. Through these interventions, CHASE Africa have supported our partners to deliver over 1.5 million basic medical services and over 500,000 family planning treatment services and over the past 10 years, given out millions of condoms. Several of our partners also run additional activities to reach adolescents and youth with information on SRHR, both in and out of school.

CHASE Africa supports sharing of knowledge across our 14 partners, through the CHASE Africa Partner Network (CAPN). We tackle common challenges together, share experiences and learn from best practices through exchange visits between partners, webinars, and a face to face annual Partner Network Conference.  Building the capacity of our local partner organisations is fundamental to the objective of CHASE Africa.

The Brief

We have a robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) system and tools that enable us and our partners to monitor and evaluate our programmes. We commissioned an external review of our MEAL system in December 2022, and have introduced new indicators and tools as a consequence. In the past couple of years, we have scaled up the work of our partners to address Adolescent and Youth SRHR (ASRHR), working both in and out of schools. We recognise that our MEAL system does not have appropriate tools (or indicators) to measure the impact of this area of work.

We are seeking a consultant, with significant experience in ASRHR MEAL, to review our MEAL system and recommend additional indicators and tools for the adolescent SRHR activities that we support (drawing on the experience of our local partners’ projects); that will capture the outcomes and impact of our work on ASRHR including:

• Changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) around ASRHR by
  • youth and
  • key stakeholders who engage with adolescents and youth (e.g. parents, teachers, health practitioners)
• Impact on adolescents SRH and related behaviour
• Quality of YF information and services

In addition to reviewing the M and E system, the consultant will review the tools the partners are currently using and recommend revised or additional tools, in order to capture information on ASRHR  KAP that will enable us to demonstrate change, including but not limited to:

• Questionnaires for Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant interviews as part of our baseline/end line assessments
• Pre/Post training surveys for in-school child rights/health clubs and out of school adolescent groups
• Pre/Post training surveys where necessary for parents, teachers and health practitioners

This piece of work must closely consider CHASE Africa’s existing M and E system, processes and tools as well as being in line with agreed national and international indicators for tracking adolescent SRHR including the SDGs and Kenya’s DHS data.

Recommendations must also take into account the scale and capacity of our local partners and projects, and be manageable and proportionate to implement and manage.

Assignment schedule

We envisage this being a desk exercise, with online interviews being conducted with CHASE Africa staff and some of our local partners.

The principal components of the assignment are:

• Desk research and in-depth calls with CHASE Africa and 4-5 of our partners to familiarise yourself with:
  • CHASE Africa’s M&E plan, including indicators, processes and tools;
  • CHASE Africa’s ASRHR work and tools used to date;
• Desk research of M&E plans, indicators, processes and tools used by other organisations running ASRH projects (in and out of school)
• Development of an ASRHR M&E plan with indicators, processes and tools, that is in line with agreed international and national indicators for tracking ASRHR such as the SDGs and Kenya’s DHS data; and guidance on how these can be adapted and adopted by CHASE Africa’s partners.

It is for applicants to propose time allocations for these components and develop a detailed plan for the assignment.

Skills and experience

Applicants are expected to have the following attributes:

1. Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
2. Strong understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights (understanding of rights-based programming a major advantage), and strong knowledge of A&Y SRHR focussed programmes.
3. Strong understanding of the general context (socio-cultural, policy) and the health sector in Kenya and Uganda.
4. Proven track record of developing similar M&E systems, and tools.

Budget

There is a budget of up to £2,000 for this piece of work.

How to Apply and Timing:

Proposals are invited from relevant organisations, companies or consultants. Deadlines are as follows: detailed costed proposals to be submitted in PDF format by email to Georgia Burford (georgiaburford@chaseafrica.org.uk by 9am UK local time on Thursday 1st February 2024. Proposals should include:

• Cover letter outlining motivation for the assignment and statement of relevance/ competence, a description of proposed methods, workplan and details of similar assignments undertaken.
• CVs for the specific individual(s) to do the work showing qualifications, skills, experience and references.
• Detailed total budget for the assignment, with figures inclusive of all taxes. Budget to be expressed in GBP.
• Payment schedule linked to deliverables.

We will shortlist applicants 2 & 3 Feb and conduct interviews between 5^th & 6^th Feb

We would like the evaluation to take place in February 2024 if possible, with final plan and report submitted by Friday 1^st March. (We are holding our annual partner conference the week of the 4^th March in Kenya, and want to be able to share this piece of work and proposed indicators and tools at the conference. There is potential to present at this event, if that is possible for the consultant.)

Deliverables

• Draft indicators and M&E plan to be shared with CHASE Africa for feedback.
• Final AYSRH M&E plan, including appropriate indicators and tools.

(Note: all documents to be written in English (UK), submitted in MS WORD file, font 11.)

We will take the learning from this work and share with other partners within the CHASE Africa Partner Network to strengthen the AYSRHR of all our 14 partner organisations.

Further information about CHASE Africa is available on our website.