Introduction: Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) in partnership with One to One Children’s Fund has secured to implement a two and half year Connect Malawi project targeting adolescents and young people in the district of Lilongwe. The long term aim of the project is to tackle rising HIV rates and low access to SRH services among vulnerable young people living in 10 poor communities in Lilongwe, Malawi using an innovative peer-led approach that will provide a model for replication on a national scale. YONECO and its partners will use three specific objectives as follows to achieve the core aim of the project:-
Objective 1 – To Improve the quality, access to, and retention in, HIV and linked sexual reproductive health (SRH) treatment, prevention and care services for 8,719 adolescents and young people (15 – 24 years) so that they can make positive informed choices
Objective 2 – To train and support 24 young people (18 – 24 years) with personal experience of health issues as Peer Mobilisers (PMs) working both in clinics and the community to improve health outcomes for others and improve their longer term economic prospects
Objective 3 – To develop age and gender-appropriate adolescent friendly health services (AFHS) in 3 clinics and 10 surrounding communities benefitting a further 20,236 people and to develop a model for replication within Malawi.
The project will be implemented in selected health centres of Bwaila, Area 18 clinic and Kang’oma health centre.
- Purpose of the Baseline Study
The baseline survey will seek to establish baseline (benchmark) information for subsequent measure of comparison to demonstrate the project’s success in achieving the stated goals and objectives; make any recommendations to revise existing project targets as a result of base-line data; provide the framework for monitoring the program performance; provide basis for designing and developing advocacy plans in the impact district and analyze relevant stakeholders involved in the advocacy activities with likelihood of their fundamental role in this project. The baseline study will also ensure that available clinical data correlates to our indicators and targets.
- Target group of the Baseline
The baseline will mainly target health personnel, thus service providers, working in the target health centres and hospitals as these are a critical element of the project. Youth will be targeted being the core targets of the project and these will also have to purposively include those adolescents living with HIV. Apart from these, Civil Society Organizations implementing similar natured programs will also be targeted together with communities around the implementation areas in Lilongwe. Over and above, the consultant has to put in place deliberate efforts that ensure there is a gender balance in terms of the respondents during the exercise as the project is crosscutting in that regard.
- Objectives of the Baseline Study
The specific objectives of the baseline include:
- To assess the needs of the young people in project sites, including those living with HIV, in relation to their access to and retention in HIV and linked SRH treatment, prevention and care services. To assess the extent to which targeted clinics and are currently delivering appropriate AFHS in the area of sexual and reproductive health/HIV, based upon the perceptions of young people (including those living with HIV), clinical staff and community members.
- Identify any specific needs of young people living with HIV in relation to their sexual and reproductive health, including for example psycho-social support, adherence to treatment, access to contraception, stigma and discrimination etc.
- To collect relevant data on the already identified impact, outcome and result level indicators and set up bench marks against which we measure the project progress in the course of project implementation. It is anticipated that this data will be collected and collated for each of the three health centres participating in the project.
- To suggest any recommended revisions to refine existing project indicators and/or amend project targets, based on the data collected. This may include identification of a limited number of new indicators that would help the Project to track the change it makes in the life of its target beneficiaries by looking at the key result areas the project is aiming at.
- To ensure that health clinics have the existing systems in place to routinely record and monitor relevant data to facilitate project reporting, monitoring and evaluation. For example, project monitoring data/systems should correlate to data that is currently routinely captured and recorded by health centres and submitted to MoH.
Consultants should ensure that their proposal and methodology responds appropriately to the project indicators which have been shared together with the TORs. Ensuring that the baseline study is based upon these indicators is essential to ensure that during End-line there is clear tracking of impact of the project.
- Key tasks
The expected key steps of the baseline are:
- Review relevant project documentation and related national level documents and develop the most appropriate baseline methodology and data collection tools in consultation with YONECO.
- Develop a brief inception report highlighting details of the proposed methodologies, detailed tools and instruments, key deliverables and timeline.
- Conduct baseline assessment implementing agreed methodologies and tools. This is anticipated to include reviewing clinical data, conducting interviews with key stakeholders, facilitating focus group discussions and/or developing a survey.
- Review program results framework with recommendations to refine and adapt program indicators and/or project targets based on baseline findings to allow effective M & E through the project cycle.
- A report with an in-depth analysis of the results of conducting the baseline study. The report should be no longer than 20 pages, excluding annexes. It should include the baseline objectives, methodology, key findings and recommendations, including any revisions to project targets and/or indicators. Baseline data collection tools should be included as annexes, in addition to a list of key stakeholders consulted during the baseline assessment.
- Duration
The baseline will be for 23.5 days and should be concluded by {date will be inserted date based on funds disbursement}.
The time frame is as follows:
Activity 1: Development of the Inception Report with tools and methodology (3 Days)
Activity 2: Field Work (15 Days)
Activity 3: Draft Report (4 Days)
Activity 4: Workshop to present the report to the implementing partners (0.5 Days)
Activity 5: Finalisation of the report after comments from the partners (1 Days)
- Request for Proposals
YONECO therefore requests proposals to conduct the baseline survey. The Consultant must have a Master’s degree in health or development work with 5 years’ experience in conducting similar assignments. The technical and financial proposals (not longer than 8 pages for the technical proposal) should detail how the consultant intends to conduct the baseline assessment, the proposed methodologies, previous experience conducting baseline assessments and/or evaluations, relevant experience working on SRH/HIV and include the consultant’s daily rate and other associated costs relating to the assignment. Consultants are also requested to submit an up to date CV with their proposal.
Detailed proposals should be submitted to the undersigned not later than 24th April 2019.
The Executive Director
Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO),
C/o Youth Leadership Development Centre,
Along Zomba Lilongwe Road, Next to Calvary Church,
P.O. Box 471,
Zomba
Malawi
Email: executive@yoneco.org.mw
Project Key Performance Indicator Table
| Dates the data is covers: | ||||||||||||||
| Quantitative indicators | ||||||||||||||
| Indicator | Data collection tool(s) | Frequency of collection | Baseline | Overall project target | Monitoring target & frequency | This quarter | Since start of project | |||||||
| M | F | Total | M | F | Total | |||||||||
| 1 | No. Peer Mobilisers recruited and trained | Training attendance register & report | Annual Year 1 & Year 2 (refresher) | 0 | 24 | 24
Quarterly, Q1 onwards |
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| 2 | % of Peer Mobilises demonstrating improved knowledge from pre-post training tests | Pre & post training tests | Annual Year 1 & Year 2 (refresher) | 0 | 90% | 90%
Q1 Year 1 & Q1 Year 2 |
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| 3 | % of Peer Mobilisers actively delivering adolescent friendly services at clinic level | PM activity reports, PMC supervision reports | Monthly | 0 | 90% | 90%
Quarterly, Q2 onwards |
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| 4 | % of Peer Mobilisers actively delivering adolescent friendly services at community level | PM activity reports, PMC supervision reports | Monthly | 0 | 90% | 90%
Quarterly, Q2 onwards |
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| 5 | Number of adolescents & young people (AYP) reached by Peer Mobilisers in clinical settings | PM attendance & referral registers | Monthly | 0 | 8,719 | 872
Quarterly, Q2 onwards |
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| 6 | Number of AYP reached by Peer Mobilisers in community settings | PM attendance & referral registers | Monthly | 0 | 8,719 | 872
Quarterly, Q2 onwards |
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| 7 | No. of service providers trained and delivering quality Adolescent Friendly Health Services (AFHS) | Training report/register; Facility supervision & monitoring reports | Quarterly | 0 | 15 | 15
Q1 onwards |
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| 8 | % of adolescents testing positive for HIV placed on ART | Clinic data / patient records | Monthly & collated quarterly | TBC | 90% | |||||||||
| 9 | Increase in % of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) who are retained within treatment and care | Clinic / PM case files | Monthly & collated quarterly | TBC | TBC | |||||||||
| 10 | % increase in AYP surveyed report having been tested for HIV in the past 6 months | PM activity reports, PMC supervision reports | Monthly | TBC | TBC | |||||||||
| 11 | % of AYP reporting having engaged with ALHIV-related campaigns in the preceding 6 months | Baseline and endline survey | Twice (Yr1 & Year 3) | TBC | TBC | |||||||||
| 12 | Number of AYP who engaged in advocacy for AFHS | Baseline and endline survey
(Triangulated with YONECO utilisation data on helpline, radio, call-in, SMS etc.) |
Twice – baseline (Y1 and endline Y3)
Monthly YONECO data |
TBC | TBC | |||||||||
| Qualitative indicators | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Progress this quarter
|
(Positive) feedback received from ALHIV on the impact of PMs on the quality of their care | ||||||||||||
| Data Collection Tool(s):
Key informant interviews with ALHIV Frequency: Endline only
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| 2 | Progress this quarter
|
Young people reporting improved quality of AFHS | ||||||||||||
| Data Collection Tool(s):
Baseline/endline survey interviews, Community Scorecard Frequency: Annual scorecard Basline/endline Y1 & Y3 |
Community Scorecard; Annual scorecard; baseline in Y1 endline Y3
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| Looking at the data you have across your indicators, what has been the progress towards this outcome and what does this tell you about the effectiveness of the project’s approach? |
