Burundi: Multicountry final evaluation

Organization: Handicap International
Country: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Lao People's Democratic Republic (the), Rwanda, Viet Nam
Closing date: 09 Sep 2016

I. Foreword

These ToR specify the details for the final technical evaluation of the project mentioned above implemented by the organization Handicap International (HI) in 5 countries (DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Laos and Vietnam) and funded by the Belgian development Cooperation (DGD).

The evaluation will focus on the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) activities implemented (according to the agreement between HI and DGD) and whether the activities lead to the achievement of expected results and project objectives. Following this evaluation, the recommendations of the evaluator(s) are expected to improve the quality of possible future projects. These recommendations should carry useful and credible information and lessons learned in the field of MNCH to both HI and DGD.

The whole evaluation process should take place between the 10^th of October and the 20th of December.

II. Evaluation Context

HI has developed MNCH and Reproductive Health (RH) projects since 2004, beginning in Mali and Nicaragua. The reason is that many types of impairments can be prevented in the periods of perinatal and early childhood.

HI’s MNCH projects try to establish a ‘continuum of care’ for families, where diverse medical, surgical, rehabilitation and related health departments are brought into closer working contact for the benefit of the impaired family members. Whenever feasible, HI also endeavors to realize this continuum over the life cycle, facilitating access to services providing psychosocial support, inclusive education, employment or income generation, and encouraging joining Disabled Persons’ Organizations in order to influence official policy.

This vision is defined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Impairments, promoting both the individual autonomy and social participation of every person living with impairment.

III. List of projects for evaluation

DR CONGO : Support for improving the supply of preventive care, detection, medical care and rehabilitation of disability in pregnant women and children between 0 and 5 years in primary health care in Kinshasa

BURUNDI : Improve the early detection, referral and accompanying congenital or acquired deficiencies of children through health services and the voluntary sector

RWANDA : Promoting access to care and community integration of people with epilepsy through a global and innovative action in the Western Province of Rwanda

LAO PDR : Impairment Inclusion within Maternal and Child Health in Lao PDR: Pilot of Hospital-based Services for Screening and Treatment of Children with Impairments, Inclusion of Impairment in NGO/OI partners’ Community-based MCH projects

VIETNAM : Supporting the development of a model on the prevention and care of birth defects in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam

The five projects aim to improve the quality of life of the population by reducing the number of preventable impairments and minimizing their impact for pregnant women and children.

The five projects have adopted the same specific objective but have adapted the logical framework including expected results and indicators to reflect every country’s social, economic, political and cultural realities.

Specific objective is to reduce the number of MNCH related impairments, and minimize their impact on pregnant women and/or children through the development of a reproducible model for the early detection, referral, and management of childhood and maternal impairment.

IV. Objectives of the Evaluation

The purpose of this final five country evaluation is to clarify and to justify the HI support provided on behalf of DGD, and to draw lessons and make recommendations regarding the setup of similar interventions in future MNCH projects.

The period under consideration for this evaluation covers January 2014 to December 2016.

The projects must be studied considering the four aspects characterizing the quality of projects including: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and the sustainability of the actions. A cross-cutting approach will, beyond the comparative study of the four above-mentioned aspects, study the aspects of impact, coverage, coherence and gender.

V. Issues to be studied

A- Relevance

· In which aspects did the project actually answer a verified need?

· To what extent were the originally defined objectives of the project realistic? Were they appropriate for the project partner’s capacities?

· To what extent do the project goals and intervention targets correspond to the basic principles of HI’s mandate? To what extent does the intervention align with the policies of the partner government?

· How was the logical framework designed? How SMART were the indicators?

B- Efficiency

· To what extent are/will the objectives of the intervention achieved? So far, what are the positive and negative, intended and unintended effects of the project?

· Which factors helped achieve the objectives?

· To what extent were local capacities developed or strengthened?

· In awareness raising campaigns, what activities and approaches were best perceived by direct beneficiaries? Volunteers? Staff members?

· How did the projects change knowledge and practices of targeted beneficiaries?

C- Effectiveness

· How far were deadlines respected?

· Describe communication channels within the team, with the partners, outside the project.

· Were the partners satisfied with HI support?

· What were the staff and volunteer turnover rates? Was there an impact on the projects and how was it?

· How appropriate was the reporting system? Did it provide sufficient feedback to a good management?

· To what extent was the budget respected?

D- Sustainability

· To what extent did the project strengthen local ownership and leadership? What project results and activities seem to have a significant chance of continuing? Is there any intention to re-use the training modules?

· To what extent are project partners capable and prepared to maintain the good intervention effects after HI support stops?

E- Cross-cutting aspects:

· On which aspects is it possible to compare the different projects?

· How far were the contrasting needs of men, women, boys and girls identified in the needs analysis? Did women and men make an equal contribution to the design of the project? Were data analyzed and interpreted in a gender-, age- and impairment-disaggregated manner?

Country-Specific Queries

DR CONGO

1. How was the partnership efficient?

2. To what extent was the beneficiaries’ database used properly and found useful by the project’s different parties?

BURUNDI

1. Based on which elements can we perceive the satisfaction of the partners with the support provided by HI?

2. Are the families of beneficiaries involved in the implementation of the project’s activities?

RWANDA

1. Did different community members have equal access to services through the project?

2. How far the project has managed to fit into the local environment of interventions for epilepsy? What was the level of collaboration with international actors including FRACARITA in terms of the management of epilepsy?

LAOS

1. Did the project benefit from the previous experience? How was the implementation based on previous gains from the last project?

2. Did the project succeed making referral system and procedures clear and systematized?

VIETNAM

1. What are providers’ experiences integrating preconception care messages into existing MNCH programs? How to systematize preconception care at grassroots level?

2. Is the project ready for handover to local stakeholders in the province of Quang Tri?

VI. Methodology

It is for the consultant to propose the methodology for this transversal evaluation.

· The consultant will receive all project documents necessary to prepare the upcoming agendas.

To the possible extent, the following categories of persons are to be included in the evaluation for each country:

Field level:

-Pregnant women and women of childbearing age

-Families of children living with impairments

-Other families in the same communities, by age or gender where useful

-Village health volunteers, traditional birth attendants

Provider level:

-Health center staff

-Maternity staff

-Pediatrics staff

-Rehabilitation staff

-Specialized impairment related services

-Health Promotion specialists

-Social/Community leaders

Decider level:

-Diverse national health system partners

-Various international and local NGO representatives

VII. Consultancy profile

Lead Consultant profile:

REQUISITE

-international development related university studies

-at least 5y experience working in development

-experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa and in SE Asia

-solid evaluation experience

-strong analytical, presentation and writing skills

-fluent English and French, spoken and written

USEFUL

-previous multi-country evaluation experience

-familiarity with MNCH programs

-experience working in the field of disabilities

-experience with project management

VIII. Reports and debriefing

Prior to the first country evaluation, the Lead Consultant should visit the Brussels HI Headquarters for briefing and negotiation on the overall and country specific evaluation approaches.

Prior to departure from each country, the Evaluation Team is expected to hold a debriefing presentation on preliminary findings and first conclusions with recommendations to those who were actively involved in the evaluation. This will also specify the key points to be included in the evaluation report.

The full evaluation report will consist of 5 separate sub reports, one for each country plus one comparative report plus one cross-cutting report discussing issues of impact, coverage, coherence and gender.

Each sub report will be written in the country’s working language, while transversal reports are produced both in English and in French. The Evaluation Team will ensure each HI Programme Director receives 2 (two) paper copies of their country evaluation report in addition to a digital version on USB.

The 5 missions will be conducted from the 10^th of October 2016. The missions will be planned taking into account the specificities of each country context, in agreement with the project teams and suiting their activities planned for the proposed timeframe. The final report is expected to be submitted to HI by the 20^th of December 2016.

Each mission will last for about 15 days for which follows a proposed agenda:

DAY 1 : Review of documents submitted Revision of action plan and timetable of the mission

DAY 2-9 : Fieldwork, data gathering and analysis

DAY 10 : Debriefing of the HI team and partner

DAY 10-15 : Report writing

Given the short period for the general evaluation process, several missions will be made of concomitant manner in different countries. This implies a multiple and organized assessment team.

Draft reports are each time expected within a week after the end of field research. The final version of the complete report consisting of the five sub reports shall include an Executive Summary covering the full evaluation, and will be sent in no later than two weeks after receiving HI comments or else by December 20^th.

Deliverables

1. Five Country specific sub-reports with the following structure: Cover page – Contents - List of abbreviations / acronyms - Summary – Report (must begin with a description of the methods used. It should be structured by result) – Annexes

2. One general comparative report

3. One general report on cross-cutting issues of impact, coverage, coherence and gender

Indicative Timetable

09/09/2016 : Application deadline (Online)

09 - 23/09/2016 : Applicants’ selection (Online)

10/10/2016 : Briefing at HI HQ (Brussels, Belgium)

11/10 – 19/12/2016 : Field work (Field)

20/12/2016 : Debriefing at HI HQ (Brussels, Belgium)

Administrative formalities

The proposed contract will be a service contract according to HI procedures. The evaluator is fully responsible for all costs related to consultancy (visa, travel, insurance, etc.) except for transportation between field bases in the countries of the different projects.

The payment will be done by bank transfer and based on two invoices issued by the evaluator with the following breakdown:

• 50% of the overall amount at the reception of the draft report.

• 50% of the overall amount at the final acceptance of the report.

If necessary, the mission expenses (including visa fees and international transport) may be paid before the start of the mission at the time of contracting.

To apply, candidates most forward:

1. A five pages (max) letter of motivation indicating:

a. A proposed evaluation methodology

b. A proposed timetable (to be adjusted and validated with field teams and partners)

c. A financial plan for the evaluation, in accordance with following constraints:

· Note 1: The total cost of this transversal evaluation may not exceed 41.300€. Any financial plan exceeding this amount will not be considered. The total amount must include:

• Consultant fees (no perdiem)

• International transportation to and from Kinshasa (DRC), Vientiane (LAO PDR), Hanoi /Hué (Vietnam), Kigali (Rwanda) and Bujumbura (Burundi) including visa fees

• The cost of round-trip travel to HI HQ in Brussels for a final 1 day presentation

• International Health Insurance

• Repatriation Insurances

· Note 2: The following expenses are covered by Handicap International and should not be included in the consultancy’s financial plan:

• On-site housing for the consultant in HI guesthouses or local hotels according to programme possibilities

• Local transportation in the five project countries

• Access to office equipment (notepads, paper, printer, pens, markers)

• Costs related to the field debriefing (room, projection equipment…)

2. The evaluator’s/Company’s professional profile, detailing expertise and experience in the areas covered by this evaluation

3. A sample of a previous evaluation

The assessments should take place between October 10^th and December 20^th 2016 at the latest.

How to apply:

The deadline for submission of proposals is September 9^th, 2016.

Proposals should be submitted to Dr Rafik BEDOUI (rbedoui@handicap-international.org), HI Technical Advisor for MNCH. The selection of candidates will be done within a commission composed of representatives of HI and representatives of field teams no later than September 23^rd2016.

The above-named commission will define, in due time, the selection criteria and a candidate classification scale.