Terms of Reference for an
End of Project Evaluation for G.R.A.C.E Africa's New Partners Initiative
Program
Program title:- Engaging a Network of Indigenous Youth Groups and Community
Based Organizations in the Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children”.
Grant No:- GHO-A-00-09-00004-00
Evaluation period: December 1st, 2008- September 30th, 2011
1.0
Background
Grassroots Alliance for Community Education (G.R.A.C.E) Africa is a non-profit
organization registered in 2001 under Kenya’s NGO Act.
The organization’s mission is to enhance the capacity of community-based
organizations for self-determined, high impact and sustainable initiatives
leading to better health and development.
G.R.A.C.E’s key approach to development work entails strengthening the capacity
of local grassroots organizations to design and implement programs aimed at
serving poor and marginalized groups and communities.
Since December 2008, and with support from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) through the New Partners Initiative (NPI),
G.R.A.C.E has been implementing a three year program in three of Kenya's eight
provinces namely Nyanza, Eastern and Central.
1.1 Purpose of the NPI Program
Through the NPI Program, G.R.A.C.E contributes to the strengthening of
community based responses to the plight of OVC as well as the prevention of HIV
in Kenya.
This is in line with the Kenya National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan priority area
on mitigation and social impact, whose key focus priority areas include:
strengthening social mechanisms for orphan care; ensuring access to social
services by OVC (including food & nutrition, education, health, shelter
& care, protection and supporting OVC caregivers to provide quality care to
OVC under their care); and strengthening the legal and policy framework for
protecting the rights of OVC in the country.
1.2 Program Geographical Areas of Coverage
Nyanza Province: Mbita, Siaya, Migori, Kisumu town, Borabu and Oyugis
Central Province: Kerugoya, Kiambu, Kikuyu and Kamahuha
Eastern Province: Isiolo, Maua, Chuka and Embu
1.3 Program Goal:
The goal of NPI program is to improve quality of orphan care in the targeted
areas.
1.4 Program Objectives:
The following are the strategic objectives of the NPI program:-
- Provide
Early Childhood Education and related services to 1,800 orphans and
vulnerable children aged 3 to 6 years by enrolling them in ECD centers.
- Conduct
skills training workshops to 1,200 OVC caregivers and community members on
psychosocial support, entrepreneurship, HIV Prevention and food security.
- Build
and strengthen the capacity of 15 sub partners for quality programming
through institutional strengthening assessments/initiatives and provision
of technical assistance.
- Increase
information sharing and referral systems by participating in key national
fora and hosting regional meeting with stakeholders.
- Provide
HIV prevention messages to 20,000 community members.
1.5
Program activities and implementing partners
NPI program activities include provision of education and related services to
OVC aged 3-6 years in community ECD centres; strengthening the capacity of
caregivers and other vulnerable community members in economic well being, Child
Protection, Psychosocial Support, food and nutrition; and promoting HIV
Prevention through public education and Behaviour Change Communication (BCC).
The program is implemented in collaboration with four organizations namely the
Trust for Indigenous Culture And Health (TICAH), UZIMA Foundation, Population
Services International (PSI) and SAHAYA Deaf Kenya.
These partner organizations have been engaged by G.R.A.C.E to provide skills
and technical support supervision to the 15 local Community Based Organizations
that implement the program at the various target districts.
Several line ministries and government departments have also supported the
implementation of the program mainly at the district level. These include the
ministries of Education, Agriculture, Public Health and Sanitation, Gender and
Children’s Services and the local government.
2.0 Purpose and Scope of Work for the End Term Program Evaluation
2.1 Purpose and rationale for the assignment
The NPI Program is scheduled to come to an end at the end of November 2011.
In this regard, G.R.A.C.E is sourcing for an external consultant or consultancy
firm to undertake the end of program performance evaluation in the course of
October, 2011.
The overall purpose of the end of program evaluation is to measure the project
outcome of the strategic objectives; determine the relevance, efficiency and
effectiveness of the interventions; and highlight program achievements and
gaps.
In addition, it will gauge the level of community and other stakeholder
participation in and ownership of program implementation processes; the degree
of sustainability for the various program interventions; highlight and document
promising practices, key challenges encountered and lessons learnt for policy
influencing or future programming by G.R.A.C.E and other agencies undertaking
similar work.
2.2. Evaluation Objectives
The specific objectives of this evaluation will be to assess the following:
1. Outputs and outcomes: Outputs and outcomes generated by
the program in relation to the stated goal, objectives and desired results. In
particular, the evaluation will assess the effects of the program activities on
the targeted beneficiaries including the OVC, their caregivers, partner CBOs,
and community members reached with the various services.
2. Relevance - whether the program interventions met needs
of the beneficiaries; the appropriateness of results in relation to the needs
of the communities, national policies and priorities.
3. Effectiveness: In particular assess the extent to which
program interventions achieved the desired outcomes, factoring in issues of
program management including decision making processes, risk management,
institutional arrangements and partnerships and their effect on the program
results.
4. Efficiency - the relationship between the quantity,
quality, and timeliness of program inputs, including personnel, consultants,
travel, training, office equipment and financial sub grants to partner CBOs. In
addition, determine the quantity, quality, and timeliness of the outputs
generated and whether the resources were spent as economically as possible.
5. Sustainability – assess the readiness of partner CBOs
and other stakeholders to sustain program interventions, in particular assess
the infrastructure and systems of partner CBOs, resources available to sustain
the activities and services, collaborative links and referral networks with
other service providers, and the level of community ownership.
6. Program Improvement areas: capture key successes, best
practices lessons learnt, implementation challenges, constraints, strengths and
weaknesses and provide recommendations for possible scale up or replication of
the program in totality or in part.
2.3 Evaluation Approach
The evaluation will follow the G.R.A.C.E and USAID Norms and Standards. This
implies inter alia that the evaluation must be guided by the principles and
goals of community empowerment and focus on Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
Although the consultant will be expected to come up with a comprehensive
evaluation design for the exercise, the following principles will be relevant
while considering the methodology of the evaluation:
a. Use of participatory approaches including children to measure
performance.
b. Evaluation processes should engender greater accountability,
transparency, and help build capacity, attempt systematic and objective
assessment(s), guide decision-makers and/or program managers and provide
information on whether underlying strategies and assumptions used in program
implementation were valid (what worked and what did not work and why)
c. The measurement of effects/benefits of program interventions;
d. Giving stakeholders the opportunity to clarify issues related to
program delivery
2.4 Evaluation questions:
The following broad questions will need to be addressed:
- Were
all program activities implemented as planned? In cases of deviation from
the original plans, what were the reasons for deviation?
- Were
program activities and interventions appropriate and in line with the
National and USAID policies or guidelines in the various service areas?
- Were
the activities relevant, and were they implemented in an appropriate,
effective and efficient manner?
- What
are the key program outputs and outcomes, and to what extent did the
program activities contribute the outcome?
- To
what extent did external factors influence the outputs and outcome of the
program?
- What
capacity building activities were undertaken to strengthen implementing
partners and how did they contributed to:
- Project
success or hindered progress,
- Organizational
growth in general,
- Were
there any lessons learned about what should have been done differently in
the capacity building interventions.
- To
what extent did G.R.A.C.E coordinate with both in-country USAID team and
Government of Kenya (e.g. partner meetings, membership on technical
working groups, involvement on government working groups, participation in
trainings, provincial government meetings and coordination, etc.).
- What
referral networks did the project develop or work with?
- Are
the results sustainable? (Will the outputs and outcome(s) lead to benefits
beyond the life of the existing NPI program?)
- What
are the notable achievements, challenges, promising practices and lessons
learnt from the program?
- How
can G.R.A.C.E. do things better in the future? (Which findings may have
relevance for future programming or for other similar initiatives
elsewhere?)
2.5
Evaluation Methods
The evaluator is expected to employ a variety of data collection and analysis
techniques for both quantitative and qualitative data to ensure a comprehensive
evaluation exercise.
In essence, the process has to factor in the participation of children who
either benefited from or took part in program activities.
The key methods for the exercise will include but will not necessarily be
limited to the following:
- Desk
review of relevant program documents (these include the program proposal,
annual work plans and budgets, program progress reports, minutes of
technical meetings, progress reports from CBO partners and other documents
related to the NPI program);
- Review
of the data collected by G.R.A.C.E staff and CBO partners using the Child
Status Index (CSI) and other routine monitoring tools.
- Review
of the G.R.A.C.E database as well as other databases and registers kept
and maintained by the CBO partners at their offices and the various ECD
centres supported by G.R.A.C.E.
- Interviews
with various informants including G.R.A.C.E management team, Program and
Finance staff, staff of partner CBOs, opinion leaders, government
officials involved in project implementation, caregivers and child
beneficiaries.
- Observation
and focus group discussions.
3.
Key Responsibilities of the Consultant
3.1. Tasks and Responsibilities
- Work
with the G.R.A.C.E Program team to develop an appropriate evaluation
design and data collection tools based on indicators as documented in the
program proposal and performance monitoring and evaluation framework.
- Develop
a Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) for the evaluation process.
- Review
key program documents including those produced by program partners; such
documents shall include but are not limited to the background project
document, annual work plans, progress reports, and other documents related
to the Project.
- Work
with the G.R.A.C.E Program team and implementing partners in carrying out
the necessary field activities for the end term evaluation, including a
pre-testing and refinement of the developed tools and data collection.
- Conduct
data analysis as appropriate and generate a draft evaluation report
detailing evaluation methodology, process, key achievements, challenges,
lessons learnt, promising practices etc.
- Present
the draft evaluation report to G.R.A.C.E for input, discussion and
revision if need be.
- Review
the draft report to include feedback from G.R.A.C.E and her partners, and
prepare and submit three hard copies and one soft copy of the report to
G.R.A.C.E.
Deliverables
- An
end of term program evaluation design detailing the methodology, tools and
approaches to be used in the exercise.
- A
Detailed Implementation Plan for the evaluation exercise.
- Three
(3) bound hard copies of the end term Evaluation Report.
- One
soft copy of the End-Term Evaluation Report in a CD.
- The
consultant will also be required to submit to G.R.A.C.E. NPI Project all
study materials including:
- Soft
copies of all data sets both quantitative and qualitative
- All
filled quantitative data collection tools and qualitative data recording materials.
- Any
other non-consumable documents/items that will be used in the course of
the planned consultancy
The
contents of the final report will be in line with USAID Evaluation Policy and
as agreed upon together with the G.R.A.C.E Management Team.
However, the evaluation report must include any significant unresolved
differences of opinion on the part of funders, implementers and/or members of
the evaluation team where those arise.
4.0 Timeframe
The assignment is expected to take place between October, 31st and November
21st 2011 with a maximum of 20 consultancy days
Consultant’s Profile: Skills, Experience and Qualifications
- Proven
experience in research, monitoring and evaluation of non-governmental
community development structures, process and integrated programs.
- Sound
knowledge and understanding of programs related to OVC support and HIV
Prevention.
- Sound
knowledge and understanding of OVC service provision national standards,
health sector policies and systems, and HIV&AIDS response framework in
Kenya.
- The
Lead Consultant must possess a Masters degree from an internationally
recognized university and at least 5 years experience in programming at a
senior level, as well as experience in evaluating complex programs related
to OVC, HIV and AIDS.
Other
skills necessary include:
- Quantitative
and qualitative research methods
- Program
analysis, evaluation and multi-districts/community study design
- Knowledge
on gender main streaming, gender analysis and cross-cultural studies
- Organizational
development and systems strengthening
- Data
analysis and report writing
- Strong
communications skills -oral, written and presentation skills
5. Expression of Interest
Interested consultants or firms are requested to submit an Expression of
Interest detailing their interpretation of the TOR, proposed methodology, work
schedule and proposed budget (in Kenya Shillings), a capability statement and
copies of the relevant Curriculum Vitae.
These should be submitted on or before the 21st of October 2011 to the
following email addresses;
Email: pascal.mailu@gmail.com and, onyaloj@gmail.com
Hard copies should be addressed to
The Program Coordinator,
G.R.A.C.E. Africa,
P.O.Box 13993 -00100,
Ole Odume Road, 2 doors past Riara Road,
Nairobi, Kenya. , Tel +254 (0) 20 387 2856.
10:28 PM
maboko
