YOUTH INCLUSION NEEDS ASSESSMENTS 213 views2 applications

TERMS OF REFERENCE

YOUTH INCLUSION NEEDS ASSESSMENTS

Programme Name: Okhokelamo ni Solha

Assessment Location: Alto-Mólocuè , Ile, Morrumbala of Zambezia Province

Country: Mozambique

Project Background

Save the Children opened programmes in Mozambique in 1986 at the height of the Mozambican civil war, with a focus on tracing the families of children who were separated during the conflict. Since our early work in the country, Save the Children Mozambique (SCIMOZ) has focused on reaching the most marginalized and disadvantaged children and their families. Today, SCIMOZ has a mixed development and humanitarian projects in eight out of 11 provinces in the country – Maputo, Gaza, Sofala, Manica, Tete, Zambezia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado.

Okhokelamo ni Solha is a Resilience Food Security Activity is a USAID/BHA funded five-year program that seeks to improve nutrition outcomes for children under two years of age (CU2) in Mozambique, Zambezia Province, Livelihood Zone 5. Okhokelamo will work through community-level implementation platforms to reach 1,157,575 participants within six districts in Zambezia (Alto Mólocuè, Derre, Ile, Mocuba, Morrumbala, and Mulevala***)*** to sustainably improve women’s nutrition including in the face of shocks; improve infant and young child feeding; and reduce early pregnancy and improve nutrition among adolescent girls.

Okhokelamo plans to conduct a qualitative youth-inclusive needs assessment (YNA) to address key information gaps and identify safe spaces for adolescents and youth (AY) to access information and support; AY priorities for improved health, nutrition and income generation; and barriers and enablers to AY engagement.

The results of the YNA, other formative research and activities conducted during the first year (Refine Year) of the program and will deepen the Okhokelamo’s nuanced and context-specific understanding of how individual attitudes, social norms, and other structures contribute to key health and nutrition behaviors among AY of different genders, ages, and life stages. It will also enable Okhokelamo to refine its Theory of Change (ToC) and to tailor and prioritize approaches and activities to maximize impact. Lastly, it will be used to inform the development of key internal strategies, including a comprehensive youth engagement strategy (including segmentation), SBC strategy, and gender strategy.

The YNA will complement other formative studies and Year 1 activities such as the Gender Analysis, Social and Behavior Change (SBC), and Cost of the Diet (CotD). SC is therefore looking for a consultant to conduct this research in collaboration with the Okhokelamo technical team, who as laid out in this ToR.

The project has three pillars as presented below:

• Pillar 1: The mother. If the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to support healthy behaviors through the life cycle is increased, and if the access to and use of quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAHN) services is improved, and if women’s agency and resilience is increased, then women’s nutrition will be sustainably improved including in the face of shocks.
• Pillar 2: The child. If families have increased access to nutritious food year round, and if infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors at HH and community level are improved, and if child health is improved, then IYCF and nutritional status will be improved.
• Pillar 3: The adolescent girl. If adolescent girls and boys have improved access to and use of quality adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and nutrition services, and if adolescent girls’ and boys’ assets, agency, and contribution in the HH and community are improved inside a more gender equitable community, and if adolescent girls’ consumption of nutritious foods is improved, then early pregnancy will be reduced and nutrition improved among adolescent girls.

1. Purpose and Objective of the Needs Assessment
2. Purpose:

The purpose for this assessment is to provide situational information at project locations Alto-Mólocuè, Ile and Morrumbala in Zambezia Province. It is expected that it will inform programme intervention and strategies. Information from the youth needs analysis assessment will be used as standards to track performance towards achieving the project’s outcomes throughout the implementation.

1. Objective

The key objectives of the assessment are:

1. To provide important community level information to inform any changes or adaptations to Okhokelamo’s ToC and interventions, and;
2. To inform Okhokelamo’s Youth Engagement Strategy as well as other cross-cutting program strategies. Specific objectives for this study include:

Specific objectives are:

1. Inform the program’s youth engagement strategy including segmentation for positive youth development (PYD) groups and other community platforms.
2. Identify young people’s health, nutrition, and economic/livelihood priorities in order to adapt the PYD modules to better meet the needs of AY and to identify opportunities for livelihoods initiatives.
3. Identify barriers and opportunities to increasing young people’s agency around health (including adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH)) and nutrition and improving the enabling environment.
4. Identify safe spaces and sources of support and information to serve as platforms for delivery of PYD module content
5. Methodology

The methodology will be developed by the consultant, as well as all relevant tools and presented in the inception report. The two research objectives and two specific objectives mentioned in section (II) should be assessed.

The data collection should include the use of a number of approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the outcomes of the project, including:

• Desk review of background documents (Assessments, proposal document, policies, strategies related to youth needs analysis, youth engagement, youth inclusion etc.)
• At least 36 Focus group discussions with adolescent youths, teachers and community members disaggregated as follows
  1. 6 Adolescent youth (10-14 years): 1FGD for boys, 1FGD for girls, thus 2 in each sampled 3 districts
  2. 6 Adolescent youth (15-19 years): 1FGD for boys, 1FGD for girls, thus 2 in each sampled 3 districts
  3. 6 Teachers: 1FGD for male, 1FGD for females, thus 2 in each sampled 3 districts
  4. 6 Care givers/community members: 1FGD for male, 1FGD for females, thus 2 in each sampled 3 districts
  5. 6 Parenting youth aged 20-24 ( Married women and men) 1FGD for male, 1 FGD for females in each of the 3 sampled districts
  6. 6 Unmarried youth aged 20-24: 1 FGD for male 1 FGD for female in each of the 3 sampled districts
• At least 21 Key Informant Interviews, 7 in each of the 3 sampled districts with religious leaders, community influencers & youth council members, and provincial and district level government official

1. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to lead, accomplish and submit the following deliverables within the agreed timeframe and budget:

• An inception report, which will serve as an agreement between parties on how the formative research will be conducted. Items to address:
• Understanding of the issues and questions raised in the ToR
• Data sources; how to assess the objectives in the ToR
• Research methodology, including suggested sample and size as presented above
• Team composition, preferably including a Mozambican consultant if possible
• Schedule of activities and traveling time (timeline)
• Proposal for a learning event/validation of evaluation findings in Zambezia/Maputo
• Detailed budget
• Data collection tools (e.g. methodological guidelines, group interview questions)
• transcribed qualitative scripts
• A max 35-page draft and final report (in MS Office and PDF for final), excluding annexes and in English, in the following format at a minimum, to be submitted to Save the Children Mozambique.

1. Executive Summary in bullets (max. 2 pages)
2. Introduction
3. Methodology, including sampling and limitations
4. Analysis and findings of the assessments in relation to objectives.
5. Challenges and lessons learned
6. Conclusions for each of the assessment objective
7. Recommendations
8. Annexes:

• Relevant maps and photographs of the assessment areas where necessary
• Bibliography of consulted secondary sources
• Finalized data collection tools
• List of interviewees with accompanying informed consent forms
• PowerPoint presentation of preliminary findings to Save the Children in Zambezia
• Coordinated learning event with other research consultants to triangulate findings to and to share findings with the project stakeholders. The structure and activities of the learning and validation meeting will be agreed with Save the Children. We expect attendance of 20-30 people in Zambezia.

1. Indicative timeframe

The data collection phase in the field is to be confirmed between the consultant and Save the Children. We anticipate the consultancy will start in May 2023 and cover approximately four months of preparation, data collection and analysis of results. Results are anticipated to be available in August 2023 and the final report delivered in early September 2023.

1. Qualifications and experience

Required

• As a minimum a Master’s degree in International Development Studies, Humanitarian Leadership Program, or a related field;
• Demonstrated experience of leading evaluations of youth projects
• Demonstrated experience with qualitative research, data base management and data analysis
• Experience of working in Mozambique
• Experience of evaluating youth response programs
• Proven record of communicating with beneficiaries, also with children using child friendly methods
• Ability to assess and further develop a conceptual evaluation tool
• Relevant subject matter knowledge and experience regarding the thematic areas of this BHA project
• Ability to deal with hardship and remote area field work

Preferred

• Strong understanding of humanitarian and evaluation ethics and a commitment to ethical working practices
• Advanced English writing skills
• Experience of working in insecure environments in Mozambique and managing security risks
• Action-oriented and evidence-based approach and strong drive for results;
• Highly developed self-management, and communication skills;

1. Guiding Principles and Values

Adherence to Save the Children Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding practices and confidentiality when interviewing or photographing children. Gender mainstreaming is key to Save the Children and the donor; therefore, the lead consultant will have to ensure that the research team is gender balanced, ensuring that females are available to interact with female beneficiaries and vice versa. The consultant will also take into account principles of impartiality, independence, objectivity, participation, collaboration, transparency, reliability, privacy, and utility throughout the process.

1. Selection process

Save the Children will use its internal guidance, checklists and an interview process to select the successful consultant. The guidelines require consultant to submit a proposal explaining their comprehension of the ToR and how they would approach this assignment with a summary of their methodology especially in terms of how they plan to meet the objectives, including a timeframe, and budget. The proposal should also include the team composition with the lead consultant and at least one other experienced evaluator, and the CV of each person to be involved in the assignment including relevant experience, a detailed budget and time availability

1. Evaluation of the proposals and scoring criteria

Save the Children will assign a multi-thematic committee to evaluate the proposals submitted by consultants. The selection committee will evaluate the bidders based on the criteria set below.

Criteria and Selection

1. Technical Proposal- 70% broken down in to the below;

• Understanding of the Terms of Reference ( 15%)
• Skills and experience (3-4 Years) in conducting research/studies, similar to the proposed assessment/research ( 10%)
• Qualification of the lead consultant and consulting team
• Proposed Methodology ( 10%)
• Samples of work reflect a high level of attention to detail, quality, and analytical rigor ( 20%)
• Samples of work reflect a high level of attention to detail, quality, and analytical rigor ( 15%)

1. Financial Proposal ( 30%)
2. Submission of application

Along with their CV, interested candidates should submit:

• A technical proposal explaining their comprehension of the ToR and how they would approach this assignment, summarising the methodologies and approaches they plan to use, including a timeline.
• At least two samples of similar previous assignments
• Confirmation of availability

A financial proposal outlining their expected fees, costs of return flights, visas, meals, accommodation, field operation and logistics and life insurance. In their proposal, candidates should consider that the budget will cover the entire research period

Please note that Protocol for this study is submitted to ethics committee for review. The successful consultant will execute the assessment in line with submitted protocol.