MECPU Baseline Survey – Gender Equitable Early Learning and Development in Uganda 3 views0 applications

Consultancy Terms of Reference

Gender Equitable Early Learning and Development in Uganda – (GEELD Uganda)

Project Summary

Project Title- Gender Equitable Early Learning and Development in Uganda (GEELD Uganda)

Project Type – Early Childhood Education (ECD)

Project Duration – 3 years (2026-2029)

Type of Study – Baseline Survey

Study Location – Mukono & Luwero districts

Number of target clients –

2 districts, 20 ECCE Centre communities, 2,400 children aged 0-6, 1,200 parents, 60 ECCE educators (40 for Continuous Professional Development (CPD), 20 for Community Childcare Course (CCC), 15 Teachers as Leaders of Learning (TaLLs), 20 ECCE centre proprietors, 100 Centre Management Committee (CMC) members, 40 primary schools, 20 district level actors, 16 sub-county level actors, 40 Village Health Teams (VHTs) & 80 lower primary teachers.

Number of target service points – 20 ECCE Centres

Donor – Echidna Giving

Total Project Budget – USD 500,000

Duration of the Assignment – 60 working days from contract signing

Expected start of assignment – 1st July 2026

Madrasa Early Childhood Programme (MECPU) Background

The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme, an affiliate of the Aga Khan Foundation, was established in Mombasa in 1986 to improve access and quality of Early Childhood care and services in marginalized communities on the Coast of Kenya. Evidence-based success and growing interest across East Africa led to MECP being established in Zanzibar in 1990 and Uganda in 1993. Over the last 35 years, more than 8,000 teachers have graduated from MECP professional development courses and over 1 million children reached through the programming. MECP is seeking to better bring this experience, expertise, and learning and create impact and influence at scale. Evaluations have demonstrated the positive impact MECP has had on access and quality of pre-primary education and on the educational outcomes of boys and girls.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), founded by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1967, is a member of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s leading poverty solutions networks. AKDN’s integrated approach makes long-term investments, builds permanent institutions, and cultivates an active civil society, impacting tens of millions of people annually in 30 countries. Alongside its sister AKDN agencies, AKF implements innovative, community-driven solutions that are based in decades of experience, learning and evaluation. In Uganda, AKF is managing a robust and expanding portfolio of multi-sectorial initiatives that includes investments in education, early childhood development, sustainable economic development, and civil society strengthening.

AKF and MECP have collaborated and worked in partnership with and through Partners to improve the wellbeing of boys and girls aged 0-8 in the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Luweero, and Butambala Districts.

Project Background and Context

The GEELD (Gender-Equitable Early Learning and Development) Uganda project, is a comprehensive initiative designed to strengthen the holistic and gender-responsive ECD ecosystem in selected districts of Mukono and Luweero. Grounded in the principles of community leadership, gender equity, and strong government coordination, the project promotes sustainable change by positioning families, local actors, and systems at the heart of nurturing care and holistic child development. The project will directly reach 1,200 caregivers (80% women/960, 20% men/240), 60 ECCE educators, 20 early learning centres, reaching over 51% girls and 49% boys while indirectly benefiting approximately 10,000 community members, including district officials, community leaders, and families.

Aligned with Echidna Giving’s core mission, GEELD Uganda is intentionally gender transformative. It moves beyond mere access to directly address and dismantle harmful social norms, biased practices, and systemic barriers that prevent girls from thriving. The project embeds gender equity and inclusion across all its components: from classrooms and homes to community structures and government systems.

Project scope

The GEELD project aims at strengthening the ECD ecosystem to promote equitable access to nurturing care, early learning, and developmental opportunities for 2,400 children aged 0–6 years. The project targets 2 districts of Mukono and Luwero targeting 20 communities of ECCE centres. Key targets include: 1,200 parents, 60 ECCE educators (40 for continuous professional development/CPD, 20 for the Community Childcare Certificate/CCC), 15 Teachers as Leaders of Learning (TaLLs), 20 Proprietors, 100 Centre Management Committee (CMC) members, 40 primary schools, 20 district level actors, 16 sub county level actors, 80 lower primary teachers and 40 Village Health Teams (VHTs). GEELD Uganda aims to achieve a transformative shift in how ECD services are delivered, accessed, and governed, creating a reinforcing cycle of change from the household to the policy level.

Key result areas

GEELD project aims at achieving the following specific objectives

• Specific objective 1: Strengthen the capacity of caregivers, families, and communities to provide nurturing care, stimulation, and early learning and development through inclusive, gender-responsive, and safe practices.
• Specific objective 2: Improve the quality, safety, and inclusiveness of early learning centres to support the holistic development and school readiness of children.
• Specific objective 3: Influence and strengthen government policies, systems and practices to create an enabling environment that supports quality, inclusive, and gender-equitable ECD services.

To achieve the above objectives, the project targets to implement the following main activities under the different project objectives:

Specific objective 1: Deliver bi-annual parenting sessions for 1,200 parents (80% female, 20% male). Deliver bi-annual gender-focused community dialogues in all target sub counties, engaging local leaders to challenge norms limiting father involvement and girls’ education. Train 40 Village Health Teams (VHTs) on a contextualized version of the Care for Child Development (CCD) package. In collaboration with Health Centres, support VHTs to conduct monthly home visits to deliver contextualized version of the Care for Child Development (CCD) package.

Specific objective 2: Deliver a continuous professional development course to ECCE teachers, Train ECCE Teachers as Leaders of learning (TaLL) to serve as peer mentors in gender responsive. Facilitate mentorship and coaching for ECCE teachers through TaLLs. Support informal ECD teachers to complete a government recognized Community Childcare Certificate. Co-develop Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) for ECCE centres through design thinking workshops. Train Center Management Committees in governance and accountability. Train Primary One Teachers in gender responsive and play-based methodologies for Top class learners’ transition.

Specific objective 3: Conduct institutional capacity assessments in target sub counties using the Government Performance Index (GPI). Convene district level dialogues annually with key ministries, district & sub county officials and civil society partners.

The GEELD Uganda is grounded in the belief that early, gender-transformative interventions targeting children, parents, caregivers, teachers, and systems can significantly enhance holistic child development, particularly for the girls and other marginalized children. By fostering nurturing home environments, improving quality and inclusiveness in early learning centres, and strengthening sub-national institutional systems for ECD, the project aims to create a resilient and equitable ecosystem that supports every child’s right to thrive.

Purpose of the Assignment

The major aim and purpose of the baseline survey is to generate evidence on the status of gender-equitable ECD practices, caregiver capacity, quality of early learning centres, and enabling policy environment in Mukono and Luweero districts.

The survey will also guide project implementation, inform adaptive strategies, and provide benchmarks for monitoring and evaluation. The survey will also align the project Theory of Change with the planned project implementation approach.

Specifically, the baseline will establish benchmarks for all key indicators, disaggregated by gender, disability status, and location (district – urban/rural), as required by the project’s MERL framework.

Specific objectives of the Baseline survey

1. To examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers (women and men) regarding nurturing care, stimulation, gender-responsive parenting, and early learning support in the project targeted communities.
2. To assess the quality, safety, inclusiveness, and gender responsiveness of early learning centres, including infrastructure, teaching practices, and child outcomes in the project targeted ECCE centres.
3. Document existing government policies, coordination mechanisms, and institutional practices that affect ECD service delivery and equity in the targeted project districts of Mukono & Luwero.
4. To analyze sex-disaggregated data to understand disparities in access, participation, and developmental outcomes for girls and boys aged 0–6 years (further disaggregate data by disability status and location where possible)
5. To highlight systemic, cultural, and resource-related challenges, as well as opportunities for strengthening the ECD ecosystem in the targeted project communities, ECCE centres and districts.
6. To establish baseline benchmarks for all key project indicators as detailed in the Performance Measurement Table (PMT), to enable end-of-project comparison.

Key Results Framework Indicators to Be Benchmarked

Objective – Indicator

Objective 1: Strengthen the capacity of caregivers, families, and communities to provide nurturing care, stimulation, and early learning and development through inclusive, gender-responsive, and safe practices.

Outcome Indicator 1: % of targeted caregivers demonstrating improved knowledge, attitude and practices in Gender responsive caregiving (Target: 85%; Baseline: To be established).

Objective 2: Improve the quality, safety, and inclusiveness of early learning centres to support the holistic development and school readiness of children.

Outcome indicator 2.1: % of targeted educators demonstrating improved capacity in gender-responsive pedagogy & confidence in delivering the pre-primary curriculum. (Target: 85%; Baseline: ~20%).

Outcome indicator 2.2: % of children who successfully transition to pre-primary and to primary one annually. (Target: 80%)

Objective 3: Influence government policies and practices to create an enabling environment that supports quality, inclusive, and gender-equitable ECD services.

Outcome indicator 3.1: Proportion of districts and sub counties demonstrating sustained integration of ECD priorities in their development plans and budgets.

Additional baseline dimensions should include Child development outcomes; Learning environment quality; Home learning environment quality; Gender norms and father engagement; Institutional readiness for ECCD; Governance and accountability mechanisms; and Inclusion and disability responsiveness.

Scope of the baseline survey

The evaluation activities should cover a representative sample of GEELD targeted interventions and locations mainly in Mukono and Luwero districts. The study should focus on gathering information on various result levels of the project.

• Geographical Scope: Regarding the geographical scope, the baseline survey will cover Mukono and Luwero districts (4 target sub-counties; 20 ECCE centre communities)
• Content scope: Of content scope, the major aim and purpose of the baseline survey is status of gender-equitable ECD practices, caregiver capacity, quality of early learning centres, and enabling policy environment. Sample populations should include children aged 0–6, their caregivers, ECCE teachers and centres, district-level officials, and VHTs.
• Time scope: Regarding time scope, this baseline survey will have to be completed within 30-60 working days from the date of contract signing.

Methodology

The final methodology will be agreed between the consultant and the MECPU evaluation team. The evaluation methodology must ensure representative sampling for beneficiaries in targeted locations and adopt a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods.

The following data collection tools are proposed for consideration unless agreed otherwise:

• Child Outcomes: The International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) and the Caregiver-Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI) to measure developmental progress and school readiness.
• Learning Environment Quality: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) and the Ministry of Education and Sports’ Basic Requirements and Minimum Standards (BRMS) checklist to assess quality, safety, and inclusiveness of ECCE centres.
• Home Environment: The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) inventory to gauge the nurturing quality of children’s home environments.

As part of the inception phase, the selected evaluator will refine the final evaluation proposal including the methodology in consultation with MECPU for final approval. Project documents such as the proposal, Performance Measurement Table, Theory of Change and any other MECPU documents providing further programmatic insights will be provided to the evaluator.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the consultant

• Make a presentation to the evaluation team on the technical proposal
• Develop a baseline survey inception report including detailed methodology and proposed tools.
• Develop and implement a detailed baseline survey workplan.
• Work closely with the MECPU team during the design of the methodology/ tools; agree on the tools that will be used.
• Protocols and ethical review clearance. Seek clearance of the field activities and researchers from relevant authorities where applicable.
• Constitute, deploy, and supervise a competent baseline survey team.
• Conduct baseline survey results validation workshop (virtual).
• Present the baseline report to project stakeholders in the two districts (physical).
• Sign the MECP Uganda Safeguarding Policy and abide by the terms and conditions thereof.
• Ensure all data collection protocols include child safeguarding provisions consistent with AKF/MECP Uganda’s Child Safeguarding Policy

Responsibilities of MECPU

• Provide administrative support to the baseline survey team e.g. introducing the baseline survey to key stakeholders.
• Review and approve the study design, methodology, and data collection tools.
• Review reports and provide feedback to the consultant and approval of the final report. The reports include the Inception report and baseline study report.
• Arrange or mobilize key stakeholders as per the agreed assessment methodology and work plan.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations between the study partners/stakeholders.
• Provide necessary documents to support the study, including the project proposal, PMT, Theory of Change, and relevant MECP Uganda Programme reports.

Expected Outputs and deliverables

The following will be the expected deliverables of the consultancy; the evaluators will produce the following documentation and actions in the process of conducting the baseline survey:

• Inception report: to include the study objectives and scope, sampling strategy and sample size, evaluation questions, data sources, analytical approaches and methodologies to be employed, data collection tools, a dissemination strategy, suggestions for participatory monitoring and evaluation ethical considerations including consent forms and data protection plan as well as an updated review timeline and budget.
• Work plan including data collection processes as well as a quality assurance plan setting out the systems and processes for assuring the quality of the research process and deliverable (piloting of research activities and tools; training of enumerators; logistical and management planning; field work protocols and data verification; data cleaning and analysis).
• Bi-weekly progress reports (one page) to be submitted to MECPU to summarize, review progress and identify any challenges.
• Draft baseline survey report for review.
• Final baseline survey report including: (a) a full written report; (b) an infographic summary; and (c) a PowerPoint presentation for stakeholder dissemination.
• Presentation of final baseline survey report in person or via Microsoft teams to MECPU, partners and other relevant stakeholders.
• A dataset (cleaned and labelled) with accompanying codebook, submitted in agreed formats.

The expected structure of the final baseline report should include but not limited to: Executive Summary, Introduction and Background, Study Objectives, Methodology, Study Limitations, Findings by Objective, Gender and Equity Analysis, Child Development and School Readiness Findings, Institutional and Policy Analysis, Conclusions, Recommendations, Lessons and Implications for Adaptive Programming and Annexes

How to apply

Required response to the Terms of Reference

Interested consulting firms or individuals should submit a technical and financial proposal based on the terms of reference.

• Technical profile of the firm/consultant including sample copies of relevant work.
• Understanding of the terms of reference as advertised by MECPU.
• The proposed methodology and approach for data collection and analysis
• Detailed survey plan for the exercise and clearly indicating the fieldwork including the staff-days required. Schedule of key activities preferably in a format such as a Gantt chart.
• The proposed composition and roles of the team members. Share the CVs for the consultants as annexes.
• Detailed budget with justification. The external evaluation proposal should include a reasonable detailed budget to cover all costs associated with the evaluation.
• The detailed budget should include a breakdown of the lead investigator and research assistants’ wages and allowances, data collection and field work costs, data transcription and analysis costs, transport, among others for the duration of the evaluation.
• A data management plan describing data storage, security, access controls, and data destruction/archiving protocols.
• A list of projects completed in the last 5 years, a minimum of two projects (project name, client, budget and sample report).

Note: The technical proposal will carry a weight of 70% in the evaluation process (Technical understanding, methodology and approach, relevant experience, qualifications of Key Personnel, past performance & references, workplan & timelines). Only those bidders who meet the required technical threshold will proceed to the financial evaluation stage financial proposal & compliance requirements), which will constitute 30% of the overall score.

1. Expected profile of the consultant

• The team Leader shall have a master’s degree in education, Early Childhood Development, Social sciences, population studies or related fields. A doctorate is an added advantage. Preference is given to excellent expertise and qualifications in Early Childhood Development.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills with strong experience in applying mixed research approaches and statistical software.
• The team leader must have over 7 years’ experience leading evaluations of a similar size, complexity, and character, as well as technical expertise in areas of Early Childhood Education/Education. Share sample of work done by the firm/consultant in the areas highlighted.
• Sound analytical skills to make observations, draw interpretations and identify lessons and recommendations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, quantitative and qualitative data analysis software (SPSS, STATA, EPIDATA, NVivo, ATLAS.ti, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience in gender-responsive and/or gender-transformative research, including disaggregated data analysis
• Demonstrated knowledge of or experience with ECD assessment tools, particularly IDELA, CREDI, ECERS, or HOME and Institutional assessment tools.
• Evidence of official registration in Uganda as a consultancy firm (submit evidence of registration);

1. Ethical considerations

• The Evaluation approach will consider the safety of participants and especially children at all stages of the evaluation including orientation, data collection, data analysis, and report writing.
• All names of individuals will be anonymized for confidentiality purposes. Analysis and reports will be written carefully and checked closely to ensure this is maintained.
• Participation in the evaluation will be voluntary, and no compensation will be provided for participation except for participants in the FGDs who might be provided with a soft drink, but this will be decided by the consultant and if so, then it should appear in the budget that will be submitted.
• The consultant must obtain informed consent from all participants, including parental/guardian consent for any data collection involving children.
• All research activities involving children must follow AKF/MECP Uganda’s Child Safeguarding Policy and applicable national ethical clearance requirements
• Data collected must be stored securely, with access restricted to the research team, and destroyed or archived per the agreed data management plan

1. Budget and Terms of Payment

The consultant is required to provide a holistic budget considering daily fees, travel and transportation, communication, and other logistics as needed, as well as VAT or related taxes.

The total consultant fee will be paid in two (2) instalments: The first instalment (40%) upon signing of contract and approval of the Inception Report; and the second/final instalment (60%) upon submission of the final approved Baseline Survey Report. Upon each instalment payment, an interim completion certificate will be issued by the Programme Director as recommended by the Evaluation Committee.

1. Outline of the report and reporting

The consultant shall propose an adequate report structure in view of the different components of the study, and the respective findings and analysis including tables/ graphics and text as suitable and required. An analysis plan should also be submitted as well.

Reporting

The consultant will report to the MECPU MERL Lead and the Programmes Director with oversight from the Evaluation team for overall strategic guidance.

The application should be submitted by email to the undersigned by Friday 19th June 2026 at 4:30pm EAT with the subject line title “MECPU GEELD Uganda Consultancy” to [email protected]

AKF/ MECPU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is Committed to Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Vulnerable Adults and Expects all Staff and Partners to Share this Commitment.

The Aga Khan Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org).