Kenya: Consultancy to Conduct Endline Evaluation of The Strengthening Partnerships for Nurturing Care Project

1.0 About ChildFund: 

ChildFund is an international child-centered development organization whose vision is a world in which every child realizes their rights and achieves their potential. Our three-fold mission is to help children living in deprivation, exclusion, and vulnerable situations to improve their lives and become adults who bring positive changes to their communities; to promote societies that value, protect and advance the worth and rights of children; and to enrich supporters’ lives through their support of our cause.

In Kenya, ChildFund works through 11 Implementing Partners (IPs) and 2 Direct Implementing Partners Units in 26 counties. Our thematic focus areas are Child Protection, Household Economic Strengthening, Early Childhood Development, Education, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition. The programming of interventions in each of these sectors is informed by three Life Stage (LS) Program Approach. Each of these are Life Stages, this is LS 1 (0 – 5 years), LS 2 (6 – 14 years), and LS 3 (15 – 24 years) aims to respectively ensure that infants are healthy and secure, children are educated and confident and youth are skilled and involved. Child protection, disability mainstreaming, and gender inclusion are cross-cutting interventions implemented across the life stages. Under the Early Childhood Development (ECD) thematic area, ChildFund Kenya works with caregivers, communities and the government both at the national and county levels to support responsive caregiving, child protection, improved health and well-being of infants and young children (IYC) through systems strengthening of government and community structures to provide nurturing care for ECD interventions. Our aim is to strengthen the nurturing environment to promote protective and responsive parenting and supportive structures for early childhood development.

2.0 About Strengthening Partnerships for Nurturing Care Project: 

ChildFund International, with funding from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is implementing a multi-country Early Childhood Development project in Kenya and Mozambique dubbed “Strengthening Partnerships for Nurturing Care.” In Kenya, ChildFund is implementing the project in Busia ad Homa Bay counties in collaboration with Lake Region Development Program (LRDP) and Western Community Children’s Program (WCCP). The project duration is 35 months starting March 2023 to February 2026 The goal of this project is to improve the development of children aged 0-3 years in priority locations of Mozambique and Kenya by February 2026.

The objectives of the project are:

1. Objective 1: Deliver an evidence-based parenting program that improves the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers, (including adolescent mothers) of children 0-3 years old in Kenya and Mozambique.
2. Objective 2: Improve overall caregiver well-being through holistic psychosocial support and income-generating activities for caregivers of young children 0-3 years in Kenya and Mozambique.
3. Objective 3: Support the capacity development of local implementing organizations and child protection agencies to enhance local ownership and enable multisectoral coordination at national and subnational levels in Kenya and Mozambique.

The project aims to achieve the goal and objectives towards the realization of the following key outputs:

• Trained group parenting trainers and facilitators capacitated/trained on nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing.
• Trained caregivers regularly participating in bi-monthly group parenting sessions.
• Caregiver and children receive maternal, child health, and nutrition services.
• Caregivers participate in psychosocial wellbeing activities.
• Caregivers participate in economic wellbeing activities.
• Local Implementing partners supporting the Strengthened Partnership for Nurturing Care Project (WCCP and LRDP) are trained on child protection and Nurturing Care Advocacy.
• Multisectoral Advocacy plans on child protection and nurturing care with partners are launched.

3.0. Purpose of the Evaluation: 

The purpose of this assignment is for the country-based evaluator to work in close partnership, coordination and consultation with ChildFund Kenya, its local implementing partners (Lake Region Development Program (LRDP) and Western Community Children’s Program (WCCP)), ChildFund International, and an international evaluator engaged by ChildFund, to support all evaluation activities specifically the design, planning, implementation, reporting and dissemination.

4.0. Roles and Responsibilities: 

Joint Responsibilities between International and Country Based Evaluator: 

The country-based evaluator will work in coordination with the international evaluator, to review and provide inputs to the design of a Kenya M&E plan. This will involve developing a detailed implementation plan for the endline assessment, which will be inclusive of:

• Proposing the number of enumerators and developing/finalizing a ToR inclusive of competencies to use to identify enumerators.
• Identifying the timing needed to hire enumerators.
• Proposing the timeline (number of days per community, time required per assessment activity per site, etc.) and logistics (transport, quality assurance mechanisms, ensuring data storage and security in the field) for field data collection.
• Identifying time and resources needed for developing the training agenda and modules for training enumerators on data collection tools and piloting tools.
• Identifying the time and resources required for finalizing assessment tools post-pilot and either printing or including in mobile data collection forms.
• Identifying the time required for creating the data entry forms; entering data; and cleaning data prior to sending to an international research partner.
• Contextualize, translate, and finalize endline data collection tools in consultation with the international evaluator.

International Evaluator: 

• Finalize all endline evaluation enumerator training agendas and modules. The International Evaluator will share the draft guidance for any contextualization needed and will complete the final technical review.
• Develop quantitative and qualitative data entry forms for use by the enumerators.
• Conduct preliminary analyses of qualitative and/or quantitative data for the endline evaluation
• Develop draft endline evaluation report and briefs produced by the international evaluator in coordination with ChildFund Kenya and ChildFund International.

Country Based Evaluator: 

• Enumerator recruitment, management, and payment. The country-based consultant will be responsible for fully managing enumerators’ ToR and identifying enumerators with adequate competencies to fulfill the respective ToR.
• Train enumerators on how to utilize the endline evaluation tools as well as pilot the tools.
• Identify and facilitate the enumerators’ entering the quantitative data collected for the endline assessment using agreed upon data entry forms determined in consultation with ChildFund’s international evaluator.
• Identify and facilitate the enumerators’ entering and translating the qualitative data for the endline evaluation collected using agreed upon data entry forms determined in consultation with ChildFund’s international evaluator.
• Clean qualitative and quantitative data sets entered for the endline evaluation.
• Conduct preliminary analyses of qualitative and/or quantitative data for the endline evaluation as per an agreement with ChildFund’s international evaluator using the data analysis plan per outcome study’s assessment.
• Review and provide feedback on the drafts of the report and briefs produced by the international evaluator in coordination with ChildFund Kenya and ChildFund International.

ChildFund Kenya: 

• Provide access to documents and information needed to undertake the survey,
• Provide day-to-day coordination of activities and as the need arise including mobilization.
• Pay the agreed costs for the assignments and as per the deliverables completed.
• Socialize the consultant and team on Child safeguarding and have the team sign the policy.

Implementing Partners: 

• Mobilization of respondents in their respective geographical areas.
• Provision of guidance and support during community entry and data collection

5.0. Expected Deliverables for this Assignment: 

The evaluator is expected to satisfactorily complete the deliverables outlined in the table below for each stage of the assignment:

• Evaluation Stage A Deliverables: M&E Plan
  • Requested inputs provided to the international evaluator to finalize the Country M&E Plan based on review of project documents and consultation with Country Team. 2 Days
• Evaluation Stage B Deliverables: Endline Evaluation Planning, Implementation and Report
  • Spreadsheet of enumerators hired characterizing their competencies against the ToR for enumerators. This is inclusive of timing for hiring and determining enumerators. 0.5 day
  • Final set of training agenda and modules for the endline assessment enumerators’ training that have been reviewed and finalized in consultation with ChildFund’s international evaluator. 2 days
  • Review contextualized and translated endline assessment data collection tools to utilize for training enumerators established in coordination with ChildFund’s international evaluator. 1 day
  • Training of enumerators and pretest of the tools 4 days
  • Endline assessment field data collection. 10 days
  • Complete set of entered, cleaned (and translated for qualitative data) raw qualitative and quantitative data as per the final endline assessment data entry forms agreed with ChildFund’s international evaluator. 4 days
  • Preliminary analysis of agreed upon data (to be determined with ChildFund’s international evaluator). 2 days
  • Validation of the preliminary results with the county stakeholders 2 days
  • Update the Perfomance Measurement Table endline values for the outcome indicators and data summary of the key findings 0.5 day
  • Tracked changes and comments provided on the draft(s) of the international evaluator’s endline assessment report and brief. 2 days

6.0 Proposed Time Frame: 

Not more than 30 days starting from November 11th, 2024 to December 12th, 2024. Specific timelines with breakdown of activities applicable to this evaluation will be set out in consultation with the international consultant.

7.0. Scope of Evaluation: 

The endline evaluation will be undertaken in 6 wards in the two counties. These are Bunyala Central, Bunyala West and Bunyala South in Bunyala Subcounty, Busia County and Kanyamwa Kologi, Kanyamwa Kosewe and North Kabuoch in Ndhiwa Subcounty, Homabay County.

8.0. Evaluation Approach: 

The evaluation will be done in line with Endline Study Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan for Kenya whose draft will be developed by the International Consultant. The international and country based evaluator will jointly review the existing plan from baseline and develop one for endline immediately after contract signing. The plan and inception report will be the first deliverable.

9.0. Qualifications of Consultant(s): 

As the consultancy is multifaceted, the consultancy team is expected to have a mix of skills relevant for the assignment:

1. Over 10 years’ experience managing household-level surveys of similar scale and preferably in the ECD, child protection, maternal and child health, maternal and child nutrition, and/or other related sectors.
2. Experience in carrying out evaluations, particularly demonstrated experience with research and participatory methods. This can be shown by:
   1. Strong capacity and experience in planning and organizing survey logistics working in multiple counties simultaneously.
   2. A good network of experienced enumerators, supervisors, and data entry clerks in the target areas.
3. Have relevant experience in working with governments and/or international organizations on consultancy assignments.
4. Strong capacity in data management and statistics.
5. Strong knowledge in using qualitative and quantitative statistical packages such as NVivo, SPSS, STATA, and others.
6. Strong interpersonal skills and a team-oriented spirit.
7. The team should have an expert in Early Childhood Development (ECD), Child Health or Child Protection, and statistics expertise.
8. Demonstrate knowledge and experience with the application of a human rights-based approach to programming.
9. Strong writing and analytical (a sample of a recent analytical report is requested).
10. Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and ability to establish good and effective relationships with other national and international partners.
11. Knowledge of issues of Child protection and violence against children will be an added advantage including knowledge of the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
12.  An excellent working knowledge of Swahili and some knowledge of at least two local languages spoken in the targeted counties i.e. Dholuo and any other Abaluhya Dialect such as Kinyala etc
13. Have excellent proven written and spoken English and communication skills.

10.0. Management and Coordination: 

The key people that the country-based consultant will be working closely with at ChildFund include:

• ChildFund Kenya team namely ME&KML Manager, Project MEL Officer, Senior ECD Specialist and the Project Coordinator. 
• International evaluator, ChildFund International team specifically the Senior ECD Advisor, Snr. Health Specialist and Director, Research, and Learning. 
• The day-to-day support of the consultant during the task shall be provided by the Project MEL officer in consultation with the Project Coordinator.

The consultant will also work in close partnership and consultation with implementing partner Lake Region Development Program (LRDP) and direct implementer Western Community Children Program (WCCP). The International Consultant will provide technical assistance to the Country based evaluator throughout the process.

11.0. Payment Process: 

• Payment upon receipt, review, and approval of the inception report and a final and approved project monitoring and evaluation plan in readiness to undertake the assignment 20%
• Payment upon submission and acceptance of the first draft report. 40%
• Payment upon submission and acceptance of the final evaluation report that has captured input from validation meetings. 40%

The consultant's compensation shall be paid NET, in Kenya Shillings within 30 days from receipt of a proper invoice unless otherwise specified.

Payment will be made through Bank Transfer to the consultant’s Bank Account provided in the contract.

• The payment shall be subjected to a 5% withholding tax as required by the Law at the time of payment.
• The full costs include professional consultancy fees, payment of enumerators (meals and professional fees) field logistical costs (enumerators training, field data collection, transport) during the entire assignment quoted in Kenya Shillings.

How to Apply: 

Interested individual consultants and/or firms should submit and Expression of Interest including:

• A cover letter detailing the firms/individual suitability for the assignment.
• A detailed proposal both technical and financial (in Kenyan shillings) and detailed profiles/CVs of key person(s) to be involved at any stage.
• Samples of previous work undertaken similar to this assignment. (with consent from client).
• Reference contact information of at least 3 child-focused International Non-Governmental Organizations that have conducted ECD program evaluation research with the individual or institution in the past.

Interested candidates should submit their Expression of Interest through KenyaProcurement@childfund.org by 2nd November 2024. An evaluation of the proposals will be made by ChildFund Kenya who may engage in an interactive process with the consultant to further specify the scope and methodology to be used as well as budget, deliverablesand deadlines.

NB: Kenyan based consultants and consultancy firms are highly encouraged to apply for this job as the project will not afford to fly consultants from other countries. The applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis. ChildFund reserves the right to close the window of applications as soon as appropriate consultancy applicant(s) who meet the above requirements is received.