Save the Children Internation, Gates Anchor IV child survival and nutrition advocacy Project end-review and documentation

Save the Children Internation, Gates Anchor IV child survival and nutrition advocacy Project end-review and documentation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Type of work: Terms of Reference (ToR) to hire consultancy service conducting Gates Anchor IV Health & Nutrition project End–Review and Documentation of Lessons Learned.

Expected length: 45 days (1 1/2 months)

BACKGROUND

Gates Anchor IV Child Survival and Nutrition Advocacy Project April 2021-March 2025

Ethiopia has made significant progress in improving access to primary health care and reducing undernutrition. This success is largely attributed to the implementation of the health extension program (HEP) and integrated community case management (ICCM) approaches. However, in the pastoralist regions of Somali and Afar, maternal and child mortality and morbidity rates have remained high with minimal improvements over the past two decades. The health system in these regions is under-resourced and ill-equipped to address the unique challenges, resulting in poor-quality and inaccessible services.
Save the Children International (SCI) Ethiopia is promoting inclusive decision- making and rights-based advocacy through its governance and rights pillar. Funded by BMGF in April 2021, the ETH-Gates Anchor IV project focuses on child survival and nutrition advocacy in Afar and Somali regions. Its goals include increasing health sector funding allocation, strengthening civil society coalitions for governance, and enhancing accountability mechanisms at the community level. The project collaborates with the Ethiopian Civil Society Health Forum (ECSHF) and the Coalition of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA) to improve transparency and accountability in the health sector.

The SCI child survival nutrition advocacy project has to contribute to policy change through evidence-based advocacy and empowering ECSHF/CCRDA partners to participate and vibrantly engage with policymakers (policy process) on issues that affect citizen’s lives as they arise from the Community Score Card (CSC) process and other public spaces and fora.
Over the past four years, Save the Children International and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have built a strong partnership to support our ambition to ensure no child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday. This partnership has funded our integrated child survival advocacy efforts at global and national levels, influencing policy and financing in both donor markets and implementing countries.

Save the Children International has aimed to address the equity gap in child health: immunization, and nutrition indicators (contribute to the reduction of child mortality to 30/1000 live births and achieve UHC by 2030 and beyond) in the context of COVID-19 through achieving improved financing for health through enhanced accountability and strengthened civil society engagement on budget transparency, equitable financing and delivery of health and nutrition interventions in Afar and Somali Regions. Further, SCI has been strengthening CSOs’ capacity, including raising children’s voices, to advocate for enhanced National to Global Accountability Mechanisms on the SDGs. We have built on our programming, research, and advocacy expertise to design and deliver our strategic outcomes. A focus on gender equality, child-centeredness, and social accountability is at the heart of delivering this project.

The Gates Anchor IV project has made significant progress in advocating for health and nutrition budgets in collaboration with local governments and civil society organizations. Health budget allocations in the Somali regional government increased from 6.5% in 2014/15 to 17.8% in 2021, despite ongoing challenges such as drought and conflict.
Similarly, in Afar, intensified evidence-based budget advocacy efforts led the regional government to progressively increase its budget allocation for the health and nutrition sector, growing from 7.2% in 2014/15 to 13.48% in 2019/20. However, the invasion of Tigray forces into the adjacent woredas negatively impacted budget priorities, shifting funding towards security and the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs). As a result, the allocation fell to 8% in 2020/21. Following the end of the conflict, Save the Children International (SCI) and its partners advocated to cabinets and parliamentarians to reconsider the allocation, which was adjusted to 11% for the 2023/24 budget.

However, recent fiscal assessments reveal a decline in health allocations and a need for ensuring lasting impact amidst emerging budgets from new sector agencies and reduced revenues. The urgency for an end review stems from the necessity to document lessons learned, assess advocacy successes, and refine strategies for future initiatives.
This review will analyze the contribution of the Ethiopian Civil Society Health Forum (ECSHF) in promoting health equity and governance, evaluate the impact of community social accountability initiatives, and assess the alignment of health programs with strategic goals. By capturing insights from the project, Save the Children aims to strengthen future health advocacy efforts and ensure sustainable improvements in health services, ultimately driving progress toward universal health coverage.
SCI will hire an external consultant to review project implementation with stakeholders at national and sub-national levels, providing logistical support. The MEAL managers and coordinators from the Semera and Jigjiga Field offices will assist the consultant during this process. The consultant will develop a methodology, using mixed and participatory methods to gather insights on the Gates Anchor IV RMNCAH and nutrition advocacy project, reflecting on successes, challenges, and lessons learned from the past four years.

OBJECTIVES

The project end-review aims to evaluate the Gates advocacy project on child survival, and Nutrition (CS&N), focusing on primary health care and child survival. It will highlight achievements, challenges, and lessons learned to inform future advocacy in the Afar and Somali regions. The final assessment will be shared with the Ministry of Health, regional health bureaus, and over 270 civil society organizations involved in health and nutrition advocacy.

The specific objectives of the project-end review and documentation are as follows:

• Conduct an in-depth review of the Gates Anchor IV project to review its implementation processes and effectiveness in achieving objectives related to Primary Health Care (PHC), and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

• Assess the degree of involvement and collaboration among all project stakeholders at national and sub-national levels, highlighting successful practices and areas that require enhancement.

• Capture and distill significant lessons learned throughout the project duration to provide valuable insights for future initiatives and refine advocacy tactics within the health and nutrition domains.

• Systematically review the outcomes of advocacy efforts on health budget allocations and policy transformations, with a specific emphasis on their effect on child health and nutrition in the targeted regions.

• Formulate practical recommendations derived from the review findings to inform future programming and ensure the long-term viability of health interventions.

• Ensure effective communication of the identified lessons learned and best practices to all relevant stakeholders to promote sustained commitment to health advocacy and improve the design and execution of future projects.

For Full information please refer the linked document: TOR for hiring consultant on project-end evaluation Sc-UK edits cleannn BW (003).pdf – Google Drive

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCES:

Consultancy firm (organizational and research team) Profile

The consultant will be responsible for planning and delivering the end-line evaluation within the agreed standards. The consultancy firm will recruit and be accountable for all other persons engaged in the study. The lead consultant should possess the following qualifications:

• Minimum of a master’s degree qualification from a recognized university in monitoring and evaluation, Master of Public Health, PhD in Epidemiology and health policy advocacy/reform and health Economics, or any other relevant degree.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in conducting policy and budget advocacy in child survival/primary health care projects and 7 years relevant experience in the specified field of evaluations.

• Must have excellent skills and experience in end-line evaluation of multi- sector interventions in humanitarian settings.

• Must possess solid methodological and research skills demonstrated through several research pieces and evaluations.

• Must possess excellent report writing, analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.

• In-depth knowledge and skills in health, advocacy, communication, and health economics.

• The ability to work collaboratively with multiple individuals and groups and funded projects will be an added advantage.

• Ability to produce high-quality work under tight timeframes.

• Must be availed of all the required technical expertise, trained research team, and logistics at the time of fieldwork.

• With previous work experience and reputations with similar activities on health systems policy and budget advocacy on child survival, RMNCAH &N, and humanitarian response the context will be an asset.

• Proficient in the English language.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Understanding of the Assignment (TOR): this criterion will cover the consultant’s understanding and reflection on the terms of reference. It considers how deeply the consultant understood the work including the purpose and scope. How much understanding is explained and linked with the subsequent criteria (e.g., national and local context (government policy, strategy, culture, lifestyle, and livelihood) and expected deliverables, the approach/tools/techniques to be followed, and required team composition, etc.)? How consistent is the understanding of the ToR reflected in the various sections of the technical proposal?

• Effective planning, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

• Strong interpersonal, team building, and leadership skills and excellent

networking abilities.

• Sound decision-making and time-management skills.

• Results orientation and ability to meet strict timelines for outputs.

• Excellent communication skills including solid command of oral and written

English and mastery of public speaking and presentation.

• Ability to travel to the field in Gates intervention regions.

• Good working knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel PowerPoint,

STATA, SPSS, and R-software), Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Projects.

• Ability to analyze and evaluate policy and to devise effective methods of evaluation.

• Skills in policy and program planning and implementation.

How To Apply

Electronic Submission Details:

• Email submissions should be sent to: ethiopia.bidsubm@savethechildren.org

• Important Note: This is a sealed email inbox, and submissions will not be opened until the tender closes. Kindly refrain from sending any tender-related queries to this address, as they will not be answered.

• Email Subject: ” Application For child survival and nutrition advocacy Project end-review and documentation “

• Ensure all attached documents are clearly labeled to reflect their contents.

• Email attachments should not exceed 15MB. If necessary, please split the submission across two emails.

The Deadline for Submission of Documents is January 15,2025.