Christian Aid Project Baseline Survey in Narok, Kenya

Strengthening Rural Health Systems for Maternal and Child Health in Narok County, Kenya.

Terms of Reference Project Baseline Survey in Narok County- April 2013

Background

Under the European Commission (EC) “Strengthening Rural Health Systems for improved Maternal and Child Health in Narok County, Kenya” project, Christian Aid aims to reduce under-five (U-5) and maternal mortality by improving the quality and uptake of MNCH and reproductive health services; expanding adoption of preventative nutrition actions and increasing advocacy and coordination in the health sector in Narok County, targeting a population of 344,900 people The project will be implemented in Narok North, Narok South and Transmara Districts in Narok County in partnership with the Ministry of Health and three national partners.

The expected results are:
Improved quality of MNCH services provided in 9 health facilities and increased demand for MNCH services at the community and facility level.
Improved nutrition status among under-fives and pregnant women in Narok County.
Reduced unmet needs for family planning among women of reproductive age in Narok County.
Strengthened capacity of the District Health Management Teams and three CSOs to lead coordinate and supervise health services in the County.
Christian Aid wishes to hire the services of a qualified consultant to carry out a baseline survey in Narok County where this project will be implemented.

The purpose of the consultancy is to generate comprehensive baseline information on the current status of MCH outcome indicators and services in Narok County as detailed in the project proposal.

It is envisaged that this information will inform programming in the targeted districts and support Christian Aid project team and management to understand and monitor the progress and results of the MNCH interventions.

Objectives of the Baseline Survey:

The main objective of the consultancy is to establish a current county level base-line status on access and provision of maternal, new born and child health services, in relation to the national situation.

The findings will be consolidated to establish a comprehensive understanding on MNCH across the county.

The base-line will determine bench-marks for target setting within each result area, as per indicators set out in the original log-frame; validate if the activities within the project design are sufficient in scale and scope, in order to meet these targets; and identify opportunities for sustainability of project activities within the county.

The specific objectives of the base-line survey will be to:
Establish the prevailing health conditions, and health problems including diseases affecting mothers, infants and children under the age of five within each of the three targeted districts.
Determine current levels of knowledge, attitudes and practice towards MNCH issues and access to MNCH services in each of the targeted communities.
Determine the capacity of the district health systems (including public, private and community-based health systems) to provide MNCH services. This includes the availability and accessibility of health facilities and services offered for mothers, new born and children under the age of five, in terms of distances, cultural acceptability, affordability, availability and appropriateness (client-friendly, inclusive, responsive, hygienic)
Establish the capacity of communities, community structures and Civil Society Organisation partners to address MNCH and improve over-all health status of targeted communities.
Establish the capacity and opportunities for institutionalization and sustainability of MNCH initiatives among the stakeholders and the communities.
Based on these results, develop an evidence base for advocacy for MNCH interventions at county, regional and national levels.
Main Tasks of the Consultancy

The consultant(s) will work in conjunction with the Christian Aid Health Programme Manager, the MCH Project Officer, M&E Officer to finalise the design and inception plan for the study.

Within each district, the consultant will work with the Project Teams, which include the Programme Managers, Project Officers, and local stakeholders to co-ordinate, conduct the study and disseminate the base-line findings.

The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:
Carry out a desk-review of relevant project documents (listed in Annex A), including project proposal, log-frame, budget and other relevant documents, a range of which will be agreed upon and made available prior to the implementation of the study
Develop an inception report, detailing the evaluation design, methodology, indicators, tools, work plan schedule and budget to carry out the assignment in each country. This will be developed and finalized in consultation with Christian Aid Programme Performance Advisors and country team.
Form a Base-line Assessment Coordinating Team, which includes Christian Aid staff, National Partners and other DHMTs involved in the project.
Develop a Sampling Design and Data Collection & Management Protocol that is standardized for the three areas. Data related to health outcomes should relate to the DHIS information and format.
Facilitate recruitment and training of field staff (supervisors, interviewers, observers/record reviewers) and pre-testing of data collection tools.
Co-ordinate collection of data, and its entry into a suitable platform for cleaning and analysis
Analyse and interpret the findings
Develop and submit the first draft of the base-line assessment report and debriefing to Christian Aid, local partners and DHMTs. The report will include three district level reports, which will feed into a county level (Narok North, South and Transmara) base-line report on MNCH. The reports should be comprehensive and provide detailed specific findings within each result area, providing key recommendations for implementation.
The lead consultant will be required to facilitate a workshop for health stakeholders in Narok County, including Christian Aid, national partners, MOH and others to discuss the findings and develop an action plan based on the result of the baseline assessment.
Submit the final evaluation report to Christian Aid offices in Nairobi .i.e. 6 Hard Copies and a soft copy in CD-ROM. The raw data, the data-base which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, as well as recorded audio material), and data collection tools used in the evaluation should be submitted together with the report. A simple inventory of material handed over will be part of the record. Christian Aid has sole ownership of all final data and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of Christian Aid.
The lead consultant will be expected to compile and submit the draft report, make a presentation to Christian Aid, incorporate comments and submit a final report within 14 days of the end of the evaluation.

Deliverables
Inception Report detailing the evaluation design, methodology, tools, work plan and budget
Data collection tools, data set with codebook
Draft and final Base-line Survey Reports at country and Regional levels.
Copies of original and cleaned data sets including field notes, audio tapes, and transcribed material
Please note that the contents of the report will be analysed and final payment will only be made upon approval of the final Base-line Survey Report from the Christian Aid office in Nairobi.

Time-frame

The assignment is expected to commence starting April 1, 2013 and is expected to take a maximum of 30 days, which includes desk-review, preparation, and implementation, report-writing.

Role of Christian Aid and collaborators

CA will provide the logistics and programme documents and be the link between the consultant and the project sites.

Christian Aid will also review tools and provide support in the evaluation process. Partners will provide venues for discussion and mobilize the required persons for interviews.

The collaborators/partners will provide the necessary resources/facilities and required persons for interviews.

The consultant will be responsible for guiding the entire Evaluation process and all other specific responsibilities as stipulated in the TOR.

Expected Profile of the Lead Consultant

The lead consultant is expected to hold the following qualifications in order to be eligible for this position:
A recognised university degree in public health, international development, medical anthropology or related social science (at a minimum of Masters level)
Sound knowledge of major development issues, especially maternal, new born and child health issues. Knowledge of the context in Kenya and Narok County is a requirement.
At least 10 years of consultancy experience in the area of public health and reproductive health/gender issues both in organisations and in projects
Experience in the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of projects in Maternal, New Born and Child Health/Public Health.
Similar work in the last 3 years (to provide copies of reports).
A demonstrated high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high-pressure situations under tight deadlines.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
High proficiency in written and spoken English.
Supervision and Management

The lead consultant will report to and receiving briefing from Christian Aid health manager and technical team.

At field level the MCH project coordinator and M&E Officer will provide day to day guidance and support.

Relevant background documents/literature will be provided before or during the briefing.

Mode of Application

Applications with non-returnable CVs, testimonials and 2 samples of previous work related to this assignment (baseline survey reports) should be submitted on or before 22nd March 2013 via email to nairobirecruitment@christian-aid.org

All applicants should include the following:
Cover letter
Technical proposal: The technical proposal should include
Brief explanation about the lead and associate consultants with particular emphasis on previous experience in this kind of work
Understanding of TOR and the task to be accomplished
proposed methodology and d)draft work/implementation plan
Copies of reports of previous work conducted.
A written submission on understanding of ToR, methodology / approach the consultant will use; time and time-bound activity schedule, financial issues (budget, number of people he/she will hire, costs per activity line – people, logistics etc)
Organisational (if it is a company applying) or personal capacity statement (if it is an individual that will hire data collectors)
References
Resume
Terms and Conditions of Service

Christian Aid will provide such necessary resources required for the successful execution of the assignment.

This will include transport, accommodation, communication and any other support requested by the consultant(s).