CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Management Systems International
Country: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kenya
Closing date: 06 Mar 2015

M&E Technical Specialist (Short-Term Consultancy), Feed the Future, Bureau for Food Security Performance Evaluation, Multiple Countries

Company Profile

MSI is an international development firm in the Washington, D.C., metro area with a 30-year history of helping to deliver results across the developing world. In 2008, we became part of Coffey International Limited. Since that time, we have greatly expanded our ability to respond seamlessly and flexibly to client needs with Coffey's international development offices in the United Kingdom and Australia. We operate in some of the most challenging political and economic climates in the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and South Sudan. MSI currently employs 800 development experts in the fields of public sector management, monitoring and evaluation, governance, and anticorruption. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project Summary:

The purpose of this project is to conduct an activity midterm performance evaluation of a Bureau for Food Security program active in Africa. The program being evaluated focuses on finding and commercializing agricultural technologies that have the potential to impact smallholders and supporting private sector engagement within Feed the Future. The program works to engage the private sector to commercialize technologies to the smallholder farmer market and builds and procures public-private partners that support Feed the Future efforts.

Position Summary:

MSI is seeking a mid-to-senior level M&E Technical Specialist to serve on a two-person evaluation team. The individual, working with the guidance of a Team Leader, will participate in all aspects of the performance evaluation, including design, data collection, report writing and presentations. The level of effort is for 45.5 days starting immediately. Fieldwork is tentatively scheduled for May 2015.

Responsibilities:

• Provide feedback on SOW PE plan and contribute to revised version as needed.
• Provide feedback on PE plan and contribute to revised version as needed.
• Review all materials provided.
• May identify/suggest further interviewees or groups to ensure full picture of program/intervention.
• Drafts methodology and instruments; Design of Focus Group Protocols.
• Conducts field work in Kenya and Mozambique including interviews with stakeholders, implementing partner(s), and key USAID and government stakeholders.
• Prepares daily schedules for field work. Responsible for cleaning and coding data and information they have gathered daily and uploading this information and data.
• Analyzes data and information gathered in country.
• Participates in the presentation to USAID present preliminary findings and to clarify any questions they may have.
• Responsible for cleaning and coding data collected and analyzing that data.
• Provide writing of selected sections and input and to Draft 1 Evaluation Report.
• Contribute slides to PowerPoint slides for final debrief.
• Provides draft writing of specific sections and input for final on the final report.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, public policy, agriculture, or related field.
• Familiarity with USAID performance evaluations and evidence of prior experience conducting similar work.
• Experience with Feed the Future preferred.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

MSI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com

PI88058054
Apply Here

How to apply:

Apply Here: http://www.Click2apply.net/pht52c6

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: Rwanda
Closing date: 26 Feb 2015

Background

For the period 2013-2018, the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) identifies the goal of improving the quality of education as one of the three strategic area to be prioritised, to contribute to the goals of the national Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II). The ESSP recognises that the quality of education is largely dependent on the appropriateness and relevance of the curriculum and its associated assessment practices, the extent to which this curriculum is resourced, and the calibre, skill and numbers of teachers and school managers who deliver it. Following the adoption of the ESSP the education sector began a comprehensive curriculum reform process which is currently underway under the leadership of REB. As part of this wider curriculum review, UNICEF worked with the Rwanda Education Board during 2014 to develop a new pre-primary school curriculum, to be introduced in all schools from January 2016. The challenge for 2015 onwards is to prepare all schools and teachers for the implementation, which will involve communicating the child-centred and play-based approach of the new curriculum to relevant stakeholders, disseminating the curriculum to all schools and providing teachers with the teaching and learning materials, knowledge and skills to deliver the new curriculum.

To kick-start the promotion of play-based learning in pre-primary, the Ministry of Education requested UNICEF to provide play materials to 1260 pre-schools in Rwanda. One teacher from each of these schools participated in a workshop on play-based learning and additional workshops trained local government officials to supervise and support these teachers in their pre-schools on the longer term. This system of supportive supervision is being piloted from January 2015 and aims to strengthen the quality of play-based learning in 1260 classrooms. However, follow-up is needed to ensure sustainable and effective impact and there is a need to document the project to feed into future programming.

Moreover, to supplement and further promote the play-based learning agenda, a package of local teaching and learning materials needs to be developed. Appropriate guidance for pre-school teachers will be included in a teacher’s guide, which will be developed and implemented in 2015. To increase the quality of pre-school education, teachers will have to be trained on play-based learning through pre- and in-service teacher development courses.

This will contribute to achieving the national pre-primary goals, which are an emerging priority in the education sector as outlined in the ESSP and the national ECD policy.

UNICEF is seeking technical support from a consultant with suitable technical expertise and experience to promote and strengthen the implementation of play-based learning by supporting the development of local teaching and learning materials and to strengthen pre-and in service training of pre-primary teachers on play-based learning, to support the preparation of the new pre-primary school curriculum.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The overall objective of the consultancy is to support, through partnering with the Government and relevant stakeholders, the implementation of play-based learning in pre-primary education as outlined in the new curriculum that will be launched in 2016.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

To support the preparation of the implementation of the new pre-primary school curriculum, there are 5 specific tasks to be undertaken by the consultant:

1. Promote and increase capacity for play-based learning at local level

To plan and coordinate a national capacity building exercise of pre-primary caregivers on play-based learning to implement the new curriculum, including in emergency contexts, while building on the lessons learned from the 2014 capacity building exercise of 1260 caregivers and 416 Sector Education Officers. A focus on strengthening planning and reporting skills of development partners will be integrated in the project.

2. Strengthen national structures to monitor and support pre-school practices

In collaboration with REB, a system will be developed to regularly monitor pre-schools around the country in order to gather information and actively promote best practices. Sector Education Officers will be trained on M&E and online reporting and the capacity of REB will be strengthened to take ownership and analyse results, to be used for future advocacy and programming. The system will sustainably enhance the quality of pre-primary education around the country.

3. Support the development, procurement and use of pre-primary reading materials

Support REB in the development, procurement and use of pre-primary reading materials to implement the new curriculum, including in emergency settings, while developing appropriate specifications and evaluation criteria.

1. Promote and enhance the production and use of local LTMs

The capacity to locally produce low-cost visual aids and supplementary materials, complementary to procured reading materials, needs to be developed and strengthened in collaboration with a range of development partners. By consulting and engaging with the communities around the pre-schools, caregivers and parents will be trained to develop appropriate local play materials and visual aids. Also, the local industry that manufactures supplementary pre-school equipment and materials will be strengthened.

5. Documenting and reporting

The planning, coordination and results of the capacity building exercise and the development of the wide array of pre-primary learning and teaching materials will be documented for purposes of evidence-based programming and advocacy, while relevant expertise and recommendations can be shared with development partners and colleagues in and outside of the country.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

• Report on capacity building of pre-primary teachers and the development of pre-primary learning and teaching materials, to prepare the implementation of the new pre-school curriculum. (March-April 2015)
• Distribution of 950 additional ECD kits planned for and overseen along with implementation of plan for training of users (May-December 2015)
• A well-functioning and government-owned monitoring and support system of pre-school practices, with a focus on implementing the new curriculum, in place. (By October 2015)
• A package of pre-primary reading materials compiled, distributed and its users trained (March – September 2015)
• The capacity of pre-schools, communities and the local industry to develop local pre-primary learning and teaching materials, enhanced. (By December 2015)
• Contribution to the development of a pre-primary Teacher’s Guide to be used in teacher training (By December 2015)
• Contribution to capacity building initiatives for REB, Sector Education officers and development partners in the area of early childhood education. (April – December 2015)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

· Master’s university degree in education and/or international development;

· A minimum of 3 years relevant working experience in international development or education;

· Experience with the UN system, and UNICEF in particular, is desirable;

· Experience in developing learning and teaching materials, community engagement and in planning and coordinating capacity building programmes with government partners, teachers and development partners would be a strong asset;

· Experience in monitoring capacity building initiatives and evaluation the impact of those trainings on education outcomes;

· Strong planning, reporting and documenting skills;

· Fluency in English and good knowledge of French is required. Knowledge of the local language, Kinyarwanda, is an asset.

COMPETENCY PROFILE

Core Values: Commitment; Diversity and Inclusion; Integrity

Core Competencies: Communication [II]; Working with People [I]; Drive for Results [I]

Functional Competencies: Formulating Strategies and Concepts [I]; Analyzing [II]; Applying Technical Expertise [II]; Learning and Researching [II]; Planning and Organizing [II];

Specific Technical Knowledge: Essential professional knowledge of Basic Education programmes; Essential Technical Knowledge of theories, principles and methods in areas of: Education; Primary Education, teacher education; school-based quality improvement.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment will be on Monthly basis tied to a monthly progress report and updated activity plan.

MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

The consultant will report to the Chief of Education but will work very closely with other staff within the concerned sections as well with the national ECE Technical Working Group.

He/She will be based in Kigali but will be requested to travel frequently to schools across the country.

He/She shall not make use of any unpublished or confidential information, made known to him in the course of performing his duties under the terms of this agreement, without written authorization. He/She shall respect the habits and customs of the local population and abstain from interfering in the country's political affairs.

How to apply:

Qualified individuals are requested to submit their cover letter, CV and P11 form (which can be downloaded from: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), to Human Resources at: rwajobs@unicef.orgby February 26^th 2015, with subject: “Consultancy to support the Implementation of a Play based Curriculum in Pre-pri mary Education.”

You may also submit to: Human Resources Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda, P.O. Box 381, Kigali, Rwanda.

UNICEF IS A NON-SMOKING WORKING ENVIRONMENT.UNICEF IS COMMITTED TO GENDER BALANCE AND DIVERSITY WITHOUT DISTINCTION AS TO RACE, SEX OR RELIGION, AND WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Organization: Concern Worldwide
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 09 Jan 2015

DRC WASH Consortium: Terms of Reference for operational research on training and support for Water Management Committees

1. Introduction

The DRC WASH Consortium which is comprised of five agencies, Action Against Hunger (ACF); Agence d'aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Concern Worldwide (as lead agency) and Solidarités International, seeks a consultant or team of consultants to:

1. Review the Consortium’s current approach and other approaches in the sector to supporting and training village committees for managing rural WASH services, in particular the management of water points such as handpumps on boreholes or dug wells, spring catchments, and small gravity flow schemes.
2. Develop, test and roll-out improved training modules for water management committees, especially on project management, financial management and social marketing to foster adherence to payment for WASH services. This should include how to develop local ‘business plans’ for rural WASH services which enable all life-cycle costs of different technical options to be considered as part of informed investment decisions by communities and local authorities.
3. Design pilot initiatives and develop the initial set-up of these initiatives for providing long-term support to water management committees by local actors outside the community on key issues such as:
4. Administration (e.g. advice on legal issues such as developing water user associations).
5. Finance (e.g. mutualisation of costs and support to capital maintenance costs; support to income-generating activities; accounting advice; links to banking facilities).
6. Technical support (e.g. technical advice on repairs; support to supply chain development and spare part stocking).
7. Background to WASH in DRC and the Consortium

In DRC, investments in rural water infrastructure are generally made without good information on what is required in the long term, especially in terms of financing and technical support, for the infrastructure to provide a sustainable service to the users. The responsibility for organising and financing long-term operation, maintenance, and minor and major repairs is left to the users by default, usually through community-based water management committees. The actor with the greatest influence on the choice of infrastructure and the decision to invest is often an external NGO or private company who is present in the area only for a limited period.

However, evidence shows that communities are rarely able to maintain infrastructures without some form of long-term external support. At the very least, technical support is required such as skilled mechanics who can carry out significant repairs. Other forms of support are also usually needed, such as support to help communities raise money to pay for repairs (for example, through helping develop local tariff systems or income-generating activities), and also direct financial support for some repairs themselves. Given the weak capacity of all local actors in DRC (communities, local authorities, health services, private sector etc.), it is important to make investment decisions about what infrastructure to install and where to install it based on a realistic assessment of local capacities to ensure the infrastructure functions in the long-term.

In this context, the DRC WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Consortium is working to increase the coverage of sustainable water and sanitation provision and hygiene behaviour in rural areas of DRC. The Consortium is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant of £23.9m from 2013-2017 as part of DFID’s 2013-2019 WASH programme in DRC.

In total, the DRC WASH Consortium aims to support 461 villages and 554,122 beneficiaries in up to 17 health zones in rural DRC through a 12-step process which lasts eighteen months in each village, followed by additional monitoring and evaluation for a further six months. Programme activities include the promotion of good hygiene behaviours through “Small Doable Actions”, support to the construction of household and institutional latrines, and (where judged technically and economically feasible for long-term sustainability) the development of water points such as spring protections, protected wells, and boreholes. The Consortium also works with local health services, local authorities, the private sector and civil society to develop their capacity to support communities and promote the sustainability of WASH services. The Consortium aims to use its experiences, innovation and research to produce and disseminate evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

• For more background on the DRC WASH context, see Annex A.
• Full details on the Consortium’s Theory of Change are included in Annex B.
• The Consortium’s 9-point strategy and 12-step process are summarised in Annex C (note that the 12-step process is currently being revised and the detailed new version will be available in January 2015).
• The full logical framework is included in Annex D, with baseline data from the first phase.
• A map of the Consortium’s areas of intervention is included in Annex E.
• Role of the consultancy in the context of the Consortium programme

The approach of the DRC WASH Consortium is designed to be flexible enough to integrate learning during the programme in line with the need for adaptive programming expressed by DFID and others,^[1] especially if evidence produced shows that parts of the original Theory of Change may not be valid.

The programme therefore proceeds in a sequence of different phases of villages and conducts additional research and innovation projects to enable learning to be fed back into the programme. During the first two years of the programme, extra information becomes available from:

• Field experiences and results from the completion of the first phase of villages (Sept 2013 – Feb-March 2015) and ongoing experiences from the second and third phases (in progress between April 2014 – Oct 2015). The fourth phase of villages is due to start in July 2015.
• Research projects on: spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change.
• Innovation projects on: preparation and rapid response for cholera outbreaks; WASH mapping.
• Sharing of experiences with other sector actors through six-monthly Technical Reviews.

Key developments to the programme approach so far include:

• More detailed development of an economic approach to better define, estimate and measure life-cycle costs and first steps in using this information as part of informed decision-making for investment in drinking water infrastructure.
• Revision of the selection process for intervention areas and villages to increase the likelihood of success given the extremely challenging context in rural DRC.
• Initial review of the Consortium’s approach to community mobilisation and behaviour change.

This consultancy forms part of the operational research component of the Consortium to enable learning from the first phases of the programme to feed into the ongoing second and third phases and the fourth phase which is due to start in July 2015.

4. Objectives of the consultancy

1. Review the Consortium’s current approach and other approaches in the sector to supporting and training village committees for managing rural WASH services, in particular the management of water points such as handpumps on boreholes or dug wells, spring catchments, and small gravity flow schemes. This will include:
2. Review of the existing tools used by the Consortium to help communities in project management and financial management, which are adaptations of tools originally developed by the Global Water Initiative (GWI) in West Africa.
3. Review of tools developed by other organisations in the WASH sector such as IRC WASH and other work on implementing the life-cycle costs approach (LCCA) in practice.
4. Review of tools developed by organisations outside the WASH sector in DRC for project management by communities such as Tuungane.
5. Review of the existing capacity, strengths and weaknesses of village committees for managing water supplies, including: economic viability; ability to manage business plans; governance; water tariff policy; technical capacity; other Income Generating Activities; advocacy potential.
6. Develop, test and roll-out improved training modules for water management committees which are adapted to the DRC context and can be used as part of the Consortium’s 18-month intervention process, especially on project management, financial management and social marketing to encourage payment for WASH services. This should include how to develop local ‘business plans’ for rural WASH services which enable all life-cycle costs of different technical options to be considered as part of informed investment decisions by communities and local authorities. This includes addressing the following questions:

o How can tools be adapted or developed for use at community level and integrated into training for water management committees? At least the following themes should be considered:

o Individual leadership skills

o Organizational development

o Operational management

o Financial management and transparency

o Cash management

o Water service delivery

o Tariff policy

o Technical capacity for maintenance and repairs of water points

o Business plan development, ownership, and management

o Public advocacy

o Ancillary income generating activities

o Communications and outreach

o What are the limits to the use of such tools and training, for example in communities which are extremely poor; extremely low-literacy; low social cohesion etc?

o How can tools and training be linked from village level to higher levels of government administration (e.g. decentralised entities; health zones; territories; provinces), to enable financial planning and investment decisions at different levels?

o How can the training process be replicated? What training is required by trainers themselves (staff of local health services and/or NGOs)?

1. Develop pilot initiatives for providing long-term support to water management committees by local actors outside the community on key issues such as the following. These initiatives should be implementable in at least 1-2 health zones during 2015-2017. The consultants will be reasonable for the detailed design and set-up of the key initiatives identified in collaboration with the Consortium:
2. Administration e.g. advice on legal issues such as developing water user associations.
3. Finance e.g. mutualisation of costs and support to capital maintenance costs; support to income-generating activities; accounting advice; links to banking facilities.
4. Technical support e.g. technical advice on repairs; support to supply chain development and spare part stocking.
5. Outline methodology and timetable

The operational research should be completed during the period Jan-March 2015.

The detailed methodology will be developed by the consultants and approved by Concern Worldwide. The methodology must uphold DFID’s ethical principles for research and evaluation. At a minimum, the operational research should draw on:

• Reports on previous research projects (spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change; climate and environment assessment).
• Interviews / workshops with key internal and external stakeholders in Kinshasa.
• Development and testing of tools with key internal and external stakeholders in at least two different areas of intervention, ideally more, including the views of direct programme participants.

Note that field visits to project sites typically require at least a week per project site including travel time (e.g. 2-4 days travel + 3-5 days at or near the project site).

Other key events to be considered as part of the timetable include:

• The Consortium’s six-monthly external Technical Review in mid-March 2015 (date TBC). The consultant(s) will be expected to present the recommendations as part of this workshop.

• Expected products

• Draft methodology as part of proposal.

• Inception report and final methodology for approval after XX days of the contract (to be agreed)

• Draft tools and training modules for feedback after XX days of the contract (to be agreed).

• Revised tools and training modules after testing.

• A guide for trainers (staff of local health services and/or NGOs) on how to conduct the training at village level.

• Preliminary presentation of findings and proposed structure of final report for feedback in country, including presentation during the external Technical Review in March 2015.

• Final report, including:

o Stand-alone executive summary of 2-4 pages (in English and in French), which highlights the key lessons learned and key recommendations. (This will be used by the Consortium as the basis for a briefing note for the sector).

o Specific list of recommendations at different levels (strategic, programmatic, operational) targeted to different groups.

o Annex of all data, references and analyses undertaken.

6. Composition, skills and experience of the consultant(s)

Between them, the team members should have the following skills and experience. Collaborations between international and local consultants are encouraged.

Essential

• Relevant academic and professional background in rural development and WASH, including experience in fragile states.
• Experience in approaches for community mobilisation, social marketing and behaviour change.
• Knowledge of the Life-Cycle Costs Approach and service delivery approaches for rural WASH.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English.
• Ability to speak French.
• Willingness and ability to work long hours in a difficult environment.

Desirable

• Experience in DRC.

7. Management, reporting and quality assurance arrangements

The consultant(s) will be contracted by Concern Worldwide as the lead agency of the DRC WASH Consortium and will report to the Consortium Director and the Consortium WASH & M+E Coordinator. To ensure quality, the timing of payments will be made according to the delivery of key outputs, to be agreed in the contract. The inception report and final methodology will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to the development of tools. The draft tools and training modules will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to the completion of the final tools and guide for trainers.

[1]DFID’s 2013 “end to end review” of programming (led by the Deputy Head of DFID DRC at the time) concluded that the conventional approach to programme management needs to change and that programmes need to be flexible to adapt to changing realities and emerging opportunities (for more info see presentation by Pete Vowles on Adaptive Progamming at “Hard to Measure Benefits” workshop at DFID in London, October 2013).

How to apply:

Please submit an Expression of Interest by January 9^th 2015toemily.bradley@concern.net outlining exact availability in line with the approximate timeline. The expression of interest should contain: (a) a technical offer and (b) a financial offer, comprising:

A. Technical offer:

· Up to date CV of the consultant(s) explaining how the consultant(s) meets the skills and experience required.

· Technical proposition detailing proposed methodology and resources needed (max 3 pages).

· At least one example of similar work undertaken.

B. Financial offer:

· A list of all expenses expected to be incurred by the consultant(s) including a daily rate.

· Costs of transport in-country and accommodation while on field visits outside Kinshasa will be covered directly by the Consortium and should not be included.

The following additional information is available in the Annexes to this TOR:

· Annex A – Context of WASH in DRC

· Annex B – The Consortium’s Theory of Change

· Annex C – The Consortium’s original 9-point strategy and 12-step process

· Annex D – Logical Framework with baseline data for Phase 1

· Annex E – Map of the Consortium’s Area of Intervention.

Please contact emily.bradley@concern.net for all queries.

Organization: Concern Worldwide
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 16 Jan 2015

DRC WASH Consortium: Terms of Reference for external Mid-Term Evaluation 2015

1. Introduction

The DRC WASH Consortium, led by Concern Worldwide, seeks a consultant or team of consultants to undertake an external mid-term evaluation in April-May 2015 in order to assess the progress of the Consortium programme between July 2013 and March 2015 against the programme strategy and logframe, and evaluate the programme so far against the key OECD-DAC criteria of relevance/appropriateness, coverage/targeting, coordination, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The criteria of relevance/appropriateness and effectiveness should be prioritised, along with an assessment of potential sustainability based on evidence so far. The evaluation will make evidence-based strategic, programmatic and operational recommendations to the Consortium and the programme donor (DFID) that can be applied by the Consortium from July 2015 to June 2017 and beyond.

Note that the external evaluation will form part of a wider mid-term review and evaluation which will include two components:

• Internal review: drawing on expertise from Concern Worldwide HQ in the operations and governance of consortia, and community mobilisation and behaviour change approaches.
• External evaluation: drawing on external independent expertise in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods evaluations for WASH and using the OECD-DAC criteria; evaluating the technical infrastructure components of WASH programmes from an engineering quality perspective; and knowledge of the Life-Cycle Costs Approach and service delivery approaches for rural WASH.
• Background to WASH in DRC and the Consortium

Despite the country’s relative wealth in terms of water resources, access to clean drinking water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains low. Based on current trends, the DRC will miss the water target under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to halve by 2015 the proportion of its population without sustainable access to safe drinking water. The water and sanitation sector is also in a state of change amidst ongoing reforms relating to decentralisation and the implementation of new laws such as the Water Code, while implementation capacity at all levels remains weak. Statistics from the Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey^[1] report that 47 million Congolese do not use sanitary latrines, 10 million defecate in the open, and 40 million do not wash their hands at critical moments of the day.

In this context, the DRC WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Consortium comprises five international NGOs working to increase the coverage of sustainable water and sanitation provision and hygiene behaviour in rural areas of DRC. The Consortium members are: Action Against Hunger (ACF); Agence d'aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Concern Worldwide (as lead agency) and Solidarités International. The DRC WASH Consortium is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant of £23.9m from 2013-2017 as part of DFID’s 2013-2019 WASH programme in DRC.

3. The DRC WASH Consortium objectives and approach

The DRC WASH Consortium has the following overall objectives:

• Impact: Improved health and productivity through reduced morbidity and mortality resulting from water-related diseases in rural communities in the DRC.
• Outcome: Sustainable and integrated environmental and household health and sanitation which is adopted and managed by communities and integrated with local governance service provision institutions and strengthened locals partners and government.

These objectives are intended to be achieved through seven different outputs. The first five outputs are focused on the benefits for communities:

1. Individuals demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, health and environmental advantages of improved water, sanitation and hygiene for their communities at community and household level.
2. Functioning governance institutions and service providers with increased capacity engage in WASH provision at the micro level.
3. Representative, accountable and responsive Community Committees are established by community members.
4. Communities have sustained and improved access to and availability of potable water
5. Communities have improved and sustained access to sanitation facilities.

The final two outputs are concerned with the Consortium’s wider influence on the WASH sector in DRC:

1. Increased coordination, participation and planning at the macro, meso and micro levels between consortium members and governance structures, service providers and other stakeholders in the WASH sector.
2. The Consortium produces and disseminates evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

This approach is based on the Consortium’s Theory of Change: By working with communities and local structures, and linking these to Provincial and National stakeholders, the DRC WASH consortium will increase sustainable coverage of WASH services in rural areas in the DRC, which will lead to improved health and productivity outcomes.

In total, the DRC WASH Consortium aims to support 461 villages and 554,122 beneficiaries in up to 17 health zones in rural DRC through a 12-step process which lasts eighteen months in each village, followed by additional monitoring and evaluation for a further six months. Programme activities include the promotion of good hygiene behaviours through “Small Doable Actions”, support to the construction of household and institutional latrines, and (where judged technically and economically feasible for long-term sustainability) the development of water points such as spring protections, protected wells, and boreholes. The Consortium also works with local health services, local authorities, the private sector and civil society to develop their capacity to support communities and ensure the sustainability of WASH services. The Consortium aims to use its experiences, innovation and research to produce and disseminate evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

• For more background on the DRC WASH context, see Annex A.
• Full details on the Consortium’s Theory of Change are included in Annex B.
• The Consortium’s 9-point strategy and 12-step process are summarised in Annex C.
• The full logical framework is included in Annex D, with baseline data from the first phase.
• A map of the Consortium’s areas of intervention is included in Annex F.
• Timing of the Mid-Term Review and external Mid-Term Evaluation in the context of the Consortium programme

The approach of the DRC WASH Consortium is designed to be flexible enough to integrate learning during the programme in line with the need for adaptive programming expressed by DFID and others,^[2] especially if evidence produced shows that parts of the original Theory of Change may not be valid.

The programme therefore proceeds in a sequence of different phases of villages and conducts additional research and innovation projects to enable learning to be fed back into the programme. During the first two years of the programme, extra information becomes available from:

• Field experiences and results from the completion of the first phase of villages (Sept 2013 – Feb-March 2015) and ongoing experiences from the second and third phases (in progress between April 2014 – Oct 2015). The fourth phase of villages is due to start in July 2015.
• Research projects on: spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change.
• Innovation projects on: preparation and rapid response for cholera outbreaks; WASH mapping.
• Sharing of experiences with other sector actors through six-monthly external Technical Reviews.

Key developments to the programme approach so far include:

• Detailed development of an economic approach to better define, estimate and measure life-cycle costs and use this information as part of informed decision-making for investment in drinking water infrastructure.
• Revision of the selection process for intervention areas and villages to increase the likelihood of success given the extremely challenging context in rural DRC.
• Initial review of the Consortium’s approach to community mobilisation and behaviour change.

The mid-term review and evaluation is a key moment to enable learning from the first phase of the programme (Sept 2013 – Feb-March 2015) to feed into the ongoing second and third phases (in progress between April 2014 – Oct 2015) and the fourth phase which is due to start in July 2015.

5. Objectives of the external Mid-Term Evaluation

The evaluation should serve the purposes of learning for the Consortium and accountability to external stakeholders, with the following overall objectives (specific questions are detailed on the next page):

1. To review the progress of the DRC WASH Consortium programme between July 2013 and March 2015 against the programme strategy and logframe.
2. To evaluate the programme so far against the key OECD-DAC criteria of relevance/appropriateness, coverage/targeting, coordination, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The criteria of relevance/appropriateness and effectiveness should be prioritised, along with an assessment of potential sustainability based on evidence so far.
3. To make evidence-based strategic, programmatic and operational recommendations to the Consortium (specifically the Governance Board, the Programmes Technical Working Group and the Systems-Finance Technical Working Group) and DFID that can be applied from July 2015 to June 2017 and beyond.
4. Review and evaluation questions

As a minimum, the following questions should be addressed, based on the OECD-DAC criteria.[3] The evaluation team will be expected to develop more detailed questions based on these as part of the development of the methodology. Questions may be amended if agreed in advance between the evaluation team and Concern Worldwide.

1. Have the right things been done? ( relevance/appropriateness) This question represents the ‘theory-based’ component of the evaluation, comparing evidence so far to the programme’s underlying logic. Is the programme relevant, appropriate and strategic to needs and priorities for the intended beneficiaries in the DRC context, for the donor, and for the members of the Consortium?
2. Is the Consortium’s 9-point strategy relevant, appropriate and realistic given the DRC context, donor priorities and the profile of the members?
3. Is the Theory of Change valid? Are the logframe assumptions, and the evidence for these assumptions, justified in DRC?
4. Is the programme coverage and geographical targeting appropriate?
5. Have things been done right? (effectiveness, efficiency and coordination) This question represents the ‘process evaluation’ component of the evaluation: were the actions taken to achieve the outputs and outcomes so far effective and efficient?
6. Are the 12-step implementation approach, the Technical Guide and the monitoring and evaluation framework appropriate?
7. How effectively and efficiently have the 12-step implementation approach, the Technical Guide and the monitoring and evaluation framework been implemented in the intervention areas? (Outputs 1-5).
8. How effectively and efficiently has the Consortium (i) increased coordination, participation and planning at the macro, meso and micro levels, and (ii) produced and disseminated evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC? (Outputs 6-7).
9. Is the Consortium’s structure and governance appropriate to its strategy? Has the Consortium been governed and managed effectively and efficiently so far?
10. Have the cross-cutting issues identified in the proposal been effectively taken into account in strategy, programming and implementation? The cross-cutting issues identified are the following, but other relevant issues identified as part of the evaluation should also be considered:

· Gender and equality.

· Working with government in the decentralisation process.

· Linking implementation and coordination.

· Working with civil society.

· Climate and environment.

· Accountability.

· Participation of programme participants.

1. Are the results likely to be sustainable based on evidence so far? Are the outputs and outcome likely lead to benefits beyond the life of the programme, in the short-term (up to 2 years after), medium-term (up to 5 years), and longer-term (the 10 year timeframe envisaged by the donor)?
2. Is the Consortium’s exit strategy relevant, appropriate and realistic in DRC?
3. To what extent are local actors capable of financing the life-cycle costs of the WASH services developed?[4]
4. To what extent are local actors capable of delivering on or supporting other key factors for sustainable rural WASH services?
5. How does the potential sustainability compare to other approaches in the sector?
6. How can the Consortium do things better in the future? What recommendations are made at the following levels:
7. Strategic.
8. Programmatic.
9. Operational.

The evaluation review should also consider relevant questions from the “10 delivery questions to consider throughout the programme cycle” from DFID’s 2014 “Smart Rules”[5] (see Annex E).

7. Outline methodology, timetable and limitations

The external evaluation should be completed during April-May 2015 (the internal review will be completed during March 2015). Up to 40 days of work is anticipated.

The detailed methodology for the external evaluation will be developed by the consultants and approved by Concern Worldwide and DFID. The methodology must uphold DFID’s ethical principles for research and evaluation. At a minimum, the evaluation should draw on:

• Existing data available (see list below), including quantitative data collected by the Consortium itself as part of baseline and endline surveys of the phases of intervention completed so far.
• Interviews and/or workshops with key internal and external stakeholders in Kinshasa (predominantly qualitative).
• Interviews, workshops and/or other research methods (such as participatory methods) with key internal and external stakeholders in at least two different areas of intervention, ideally more. These should include the views of direct programme participants. It is anticipated that this part of the evaluation will be predominantly qualitative, however the consultants may propose to collect additional quantitative data if necessary in addition to the data already available.

Existing data to be considered:

ü Six-monthly narrative reports covering July-Dec 2013, Jan-June 2014, and July-Dec 2014. These include logframe updates; strategic and programmatic overviews; operational, governance and communication issues; and orientations for next steps.

ü Baseline data for villages in Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 (a copy of the baseline report for Phase 1 will be shared with this TOR to show the data available).

ü Endline data for villages in Phase 1 (available end of April 2015).

ü Minutes of quarterly meetings of the Governance Board, Programmes Technical Working Group, and Systems-Finance Technical Working Group.

ü Minutes of six-monthly internal Technical Reviews.

ü Reports of six-monthly external Technical Reviews.

ü Reports on research projects (spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change; climate and environment assessment).

ü Reports from the internal mid-term review on the operational and governance elements of the Consortium and the community mobilisation and behaviour change approach of the Consortium (see Section 8).

Limitations and constraints:

• Geographical issues, travel time and logistics: Field visits to project sites typically require at least a week per project site including travel time (e.g. 2-4 days travel + 3-5 days at or near the project site). There is a high risk of delays and/or cancellations of travel in DRC because of the reliance on humanitarian flights.
• Political and administrative issues: no sensitive political issues are anticipated that would limit the evaluation.
• Timing of other key events to be considered as part of the timetable:
• Six-monthly external Technical Review in mid-March 2015 (exact date TBC).
• Six-monthly internal Technical Review in May 2015 (date TBC).
• Expected products and dissemination process

Note that the internal review will result in the following outputs which will inform the external evaluation:

• Report on the operational and governance elements of the Consortium.
• Report on the community mobilisation and behaviour change approach of the Consortium.

External evaluation outputs:

• Draft methodology as part of proposal.
• Inception report and final methodology for approval by Concern Worldwide and DFID after XX days (to be agreed).
• Preliminary presentation of findings and proposed structure of report for feedback in country.
• Final report, including:

o Stand-alone executive summary of 2-4 pages (in English and in French).

o Specific list of recommendations at different levels (strategic, programmatic, operational) targeted to the following groups:

§ The Consortium Governance Board (strategic).

§ The Programmes Technical Working Group (programmatic).

§ The Systems-Finance Technical Working Group (operational).

§ DFID (strategic).

o Annex of all data and analyses undertaken.

The dissemination of the recommendations of the final report will be the responsibility of the Consortium Coordination Unit. In consultation with the Programmes Technical Working Group and the Systems-Finance Technical Working Group, the Consortium Coordination Unit will compile a response to the recommendations which lists the actions to be taken and will be approved by the Board. These actions will be integrated into the Consortium’s approach for its intervention phase which starts in July 2015.

9. Management, reporting and quality assurance arrangements

The consultant(s) for the external evaluation will be contracted by Concern Worldwide as the lead agency of the DRC WASH Consortium and will report to the Consortium Director and the Consortium WASH & M+E Coordinator. To ensure quality, the timing of payments will be made according to the delivery of key outputs, to be agreed in the contract. The inception report and final methodology will be approved by Concern Worldwide and DFID before proceeding to the full field evaluation. The proposed structure and contents of the final report will be approved by Concern Worldwide and DFID before proceeding to the completion of the final report.

10. Composition, skills and experience of the evaluation team

The team member(s) for the mid-term evaluation should be external (independent) to the NGOs of the Consortium. Representatives of external stakeholders in DRC (such as government, donors or other NGOs) should also be included in the evaluation process if possible, in some form of peer review role. Between them, the team members should have the following skills and experience:

Essential

• Relevant academic and professional background in rural WASH, including in fragile states.
• Experience in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods evaluations for WASH.
• Experience in evaluating the technical infrastructure components of WASH programmes from an engineering quality perspective.
• Knowledge of the Life-Cycle Costs Approach and service delivery approaches for rural WASH.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English.
• Ability to speak French.
• Willingness and ability to work long hours in a difficult environment.

Desirable

• Experience of consortia.
• Experience in DRC.
• Experience of evaluations for DFID and knowledge of current thinking in DFID on approaches to adaptive programming.

[1]MICS 2010.

[2]DFID’s 2013 “end to end review” of programming (led by the Deputy Head of DFID DRC at the time) concluded that the conventional approach to programme management needs to change and that programmes need to be flexible to adapt to changing realities and emerging opportunities (for more info see presentation by Pete Vowles on Adaptive Progamming at “Hard to Measure Benefits” workshop at DFID in London, October 2013).

[3] The OECD-DAC criteria are relevance/appropriateness, connectedness, coherence, coordination, coverage, efficiency, effectiveness and impact (ALNAP 2006). Connectedness and coherence are not relevant to this evaluation. Impact should be considered in terms of a preliminary assessment of likely sustainability of outcomes.

[4] There is a lack of data on life-cycle costs of different WASH services in DRC. The Consortium is trying to develop better estimates of the costs of different services to support informed investment decisions for WASH. The evaluation will be able to draw on estimates so far of life-cycle costs developed by the Consortium.

[5] DFID 2014, The Smart Rules: Better Programme Delivery, p50.

How to apply:

Please submit an Expression of Interest by January 16^th 2015toemily.bradley@concern.net outlining exact availability in line with the approximate timeline. The expression of interest should contain: (a) a technical offer and (b) a financial offer, comprising:

A. Technical offer:

· Up to date CV of the consultant(s) explaining how the consultant(s) meets the skills and experience required.

· Technical proposition detailing proposed methodology and resources needed (max 3 pages).

· At least one example report from similar work which demonstrates evidence of the skills and experience required.

B. Financial offer:

· A list of all expenses expected to be incurred by the consultant(s) including a daily rate. Up to 40 days of work is anticipated.

· Costs of transport in-country and accommodation while on field visits outside Kinshasa will be covered directly by the Consortium and should not be included.

The following additional information is available in the Annexes to this TOR:

· Annex A – Context of WASH in DRC

· Annex B – The Consortium’s Theory of Change

· Annex C – The Consortium’s original 9-point strategy and 12-step process

· Annex D – Logical Framework with baseline data for Phase 1

· Annex E – Map of the Consortium’s Area of Intervention.

Please contact emily.bradley@concern.net for all queries.

Organization: Concern Worldwide
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 10 Jan 2015

DRC WASH Consortium:

Terms of Reference for the development of a Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy

1. Summary

The DRC WASH Consortium which is comprised of five agencies, Action Against Hunger (ACF); Agence d'aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Concern Worldwide (as lead agency) and Solidarités International, seeks a consultant or consultants to develop a knowledge management and learning strategy and accompanying tools. The strategy will ensure the dissemination, appropriation and use of knowledge and learning by the three key target groups of the DRC WASH Consortium: the staff members of the five international NGOs and operational partners of the Consortium; the DRC and international WASH sector; and the communities and their members who are participating in the Consortium programme.

The objective of the knowledge management and learning strategy will be to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the programme by addressing challenges and mitigating risks related to:

The nature of the DRC WASH Consortium itself, for example:

o The high amount of internal documentation which is continuously improved and updated.

o A network of remote and weakly connected teams and operational bases.

o A high staff turnover rate for the 5 Consortium members.

o The multi-level relationships within the Consortium between operational staff of the 5 NGO members, regional NGO staff, Kinshasa-based NGO staff, and the Kinshasa-based Consortium Coordination Unit.

o The high number of partners and external stakeholders, and the need for harmonization between the approaches of the 5 members to build and maintain consistent relations with institutional partners.

The challenge of the DRC context, for example:

o Legal, institutional and policy reforms in the WASH sector that have been ongoing for many years, with sector responsibilities still shared between up to 9 ministries.

o Wider decentralization processes on standby.

o Weak coordination and institutional leadership and a resulting low level of capitalization of existing knowledge, and lack of any centralized information resource for the sector.

o A high demand for emergency WASH activities which has an influence on the WASH sector stakeholders’ capacity and vision for longer-term development of the sector.

o Extremely weak infrastructure (transport, internet, electricity etc.).

The challenges of the programme outputs required at local levels, for example:

o The use of a community-led approach which requires that village-level committees can acquire basic project management skills.

o Sustainable hygiene and sanitation change, which requires that village-level committees and other key community members can acquire basic skills for social marketing analysis and adapted campaigns, including improved channel of communication and tools for community monitoring and accountability.

o Sustainable access to water, which requires that village-level committees can acquire basic skills to analyse different technical options for improving water services, including pricing and comparison of options through local ‘business plans’, estimates of the long-term costs and benefits, and financial and budget management capacity to ensure their ability to afford their contributions to long-term costs.

o Capacity for support and follow up by local authorities to support communities on issues such as project management, governance, technical and maintenance issues. This includes supporting local authorities to be able to take informed investment decisions for WASH services in collaboration with communities, which take into account the capacity of local actors to ensure the sustainability of the proposed services.

Therefore, the Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy should:

1. Propose, develop and operationalize internal communications and knowledge management tools.
2. Enable effective coordination approaches with government partners and other stakeholders and provide the basis for a strategy for external advocacy to improve WASH sector knowledge management and learning
3. Develop appropriate tools at community level for WASH knowledge management and learning.

Note: at a similar time to the development of the overall Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy, the DRC WASH Consortium will be engaging other consultants separately to this assignment who will be working on the development of some specific tools at community level. The consultant(s) for the Knowledge Management and Learning strategy will liaise as needed with these other consultants to ensure complementarity of the work.

2. Background to WASH in DRC and the Consortium

Despite the country’s relative wealth in terms of water resources, access to clean drinking water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains low. Based on current trends, the DRC will miss the water target under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to halve by 2015 the proportion of its population without sustainable access to safe drinking water. The water and sanitation sector is also in a state of change amidst ongoing reforms relating to decentralisation and the implementation of new laws such as the Water Code, while implementation capacity at all levels remains weak. Statistics from the Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey^[1] report that 47 million Congolese do not use sanitary latrines, 10 million defecate in the open, and 40 million do not wash their hands at critical moments of the day.

In this context, the DRC WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Consortium is working to increase the coverage of sustainable water and sanitation provision and hygiene behaviour in rural areas of DRC. The Consortium is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant of £23.9m from 2013-2017 as part of DFID’s 2013-2019 WASH programme in DRC.

3. The DRC WASH Consortium objectives and approach

The DRC WASH Consortium has the following overall objectives:

• Impact: Improved health and productivity through reduced morbidity and mortality resulting from water-related diseases in rural communities in the DRC.
• Outcome: Sustainable and integrated environmental and household health and sanitation which is adopted and managed by communities and integrated with local governance service provision institutions and strengthened locals partners and government.

These objectives are intended to be achieved through seven different outputs. The first five outputs are focused on the benefits for communities:

1. Individuals demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, health and environmental advantages of improved water, sanitation and hygiene for their communities at community and household level.
2. Functioning governance institutions and service providers with increased capacity engage in WASH provision at the micro level.
3. Representative, accountable and responsive Community Committees are established by community members.
4. Communities have sustained and improved access to and availability of potable water
5. Communities have improved and sustained access to sanitation facilities.

The final two outputs are concerned with the Consortium’s wider influence on the WASH sector in DRC:

1. Increased coordination, participation and planning at the macro, meso and micro levels between consortium members and governance structures, service providers and other stakeholders in the WASH sector.
2. The Consortium produces and disseminates evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

In total, the DRC WASH Consortium aims to support 461 villages and 554,122 beneficiaries in up to 17 health zones in rural DRC through a 12-step process which lasts eighteen months in each village, followed by additional monitoring and evaluation for a further six months. Programme activities include the promotion of good hygiene behaviours through “Small Doable Actions”, support to the construction of household and institutional latrines, and (where judged technically and economically feasible for long-term sustainability) the development of water points such as spring protections, protected wells, and boreholes. The Consortium also works with local health services, local authorities, the private sector and civil society to develop their capacity to support communities and ensure the sustainability of WASH services. The Consortium aims to use its experiences, innovation and research to produce and disseminate evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

The Consortium comprises the following agencies: Action Contre le Faim (ACF); Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Concern Worldwide; and Solidarités International. Each agency has a country head office in Kinshasa, some regional offices in the provinces, and operational bases in each of the health zones of intervention. In total there are approximately 250 staff members directly involved in the programme implementation.

The Consortium is involved with series of stakeholders at macro, meso and micro level. A summary of the “expected relationship” for each level as set out in the proposal is included in Annex A.

The full logical framework is included in Annex B.

4. Timing of the development of the Knowledge Management and Learning strategy in the evolution of the Consortium programme

The approach of the DRC WASH Consortium is designed to be flexible enough to integrate learning during the programme in line with the need for adaptive programming expressed by DFID and others,^[2] especially if evidence produced shows that parts of the original Theory of Change may not be valid.

The programme therefore proceeds in a sequence of different phases of villages and conducts additional research and innovation projects to enable learning to be fed back into the programme. During the first two years of the programme, extra information becomes available from:

• Field experiences and results from the completion of the first phase of villages (Sept 2013 – Feb-March 2015) and ongoing experiences from the second and third phases (in progress between April 2014 – Oct 2015). The fourth phase of villages is due to start in July 2015.
• Research projects on: spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change.
• Innovation projects on: preparation and rapid response for cholera outbreaks; WASH mapping.
• Sharing of experiences with other sector actors through six-monthly external Technical Reviews.

Key developments to the programme approach so far include:

• Detailed development of an economic approach to better define, estimate and measure life-cycle costs and use this information as part of informed decision-making for investment in drinking water infrastructure.
• Revision of the selection process for intervention areas and villages to increase the likelihood of success given the extremely challenging context in rural DRC.
• Initial review of the Consortium’s approach to community mobilisation and behaviour change.

The consultancy for the development of the Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy should consider how this previous knowledge and learning has been integrated into the programme approach. The Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy will be effective from May 2015 until the end of the Consortium programme in 2017.

5. Objectives of the Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy

The Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy should ensure the specific objectives and expected results for each of the three key target groups of the Consortium as specified below:

1) Operational staff members and partners of the DRC WASH Consortium.

Objective: contribute to effective operationalization of the Consortium approach through ensuring timely access to knowledge and learning for:

o Staff of the five member agencies, including focal points for governance (Country Directors), Programmes (WASH Coordinators and Programme Managers, Systems and Finance (Log, HR and Admin staff), and other relevant staff at National, Regional and field level.

o Provincial institutions who are collaborating with the Consortium programme (CPAEA, B9 of the Ministry of Health, SNHR at provincial level, Ministry of Planning at provincial level)

o Institutions at District, Territory and Zone de Santé levels who are partners with the Consortium programme.

o Other key international agencies (UNICEF, other international or national NGOs).

Results expected:

§ All staff and partners have rapid access to key knowledge.

§ New staff or partners become effective in their roles more quickly.

§ Minimisation of duplication or reinvention.

§ New ideas and innovation approaches are shared.

§ Sharing of experiences leads to learning and improved implementation.

2) WASH Sector in DRC (and international).

Objective: contribute to the development of a WASH sector which effectively shares knowledge, learns and adapts, in DRC and beyond, including:

o Governmental institutions: CNAEA, Ministry of Health, SNHR, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Planning, and others.

o Donors and technical partners: e.g. DFID, WSP, USAID, AFD, GIZ, KFW, Koica and others.

o Other international implementing agencies or NGOs: UNICEF, WASH Cluster, ICRC, Red Cross Movement, Oxfam and others.

Results expected:

§ Existing knowledge in the DRC WASH sector is effectively shared (e.g. research, surveys, data, mapping etc.).

§ The Consortium and the DRC WASH sector has access to the latest thinking internationally.

§ Gaps in sector knowledge are identified and the Consortium contributes to addressing these through innovation, research and sharing of evidence.

§ Sharing of knowledge leads to learning and improved implementation approaches.

3) Communities participating in the Consortium programme.

Objective: contribute to improved WASH knowledge and practices of:

o Participant communities (554.444 people living in 461 villages).

o Different WASH users within these communities, considering for example: women, men, children, people living with disabilities, community health volunteers, village project committees, entrepreneurs, ‘natural leaders’ and other key people identified.

Results expected:

§ Faster access to basic knowledge on hygiene and WASH practices.

§ Sharing ideas between different communities on key community-based actions for improved WASH practices and services.

§ Improved learning on project management and financial management for village project committees.

§ Adapted approaches to community mobilisation and marketing of improved WASH services by village project committees, community health volunteers, entrepreneurs and ‘natural leaders’.

§ Identification of evidence and lessons to share with other Consortium members, partners and the wider WASH sector.

6. Key activities of the assignment in order to develop the strategy

Contextual review

• Review of existing knowledge management and learning strategies and tools used by similar organisations or programmes (including the Theories of Change or conceptual models underlying these approaches) and identification of the approaches most relevant to the Consortium.
• Review of the existing knowledge management and learning needs and practices of the three target groups in DRC.

Development of a Knowledge Management and Learning strategy

• Development of a knowledge management and learning strategy which addresses the objectives for the three target groups and takes into account the contextual review.
• Identification of the key tools required for the three target groups.

Development of key tools for the implementation of the Knowledge Management and Learning strategy

• Development of the key tools required for the Consortium staff and partners.
• Development of a concept note which could be used to seek funding for development of the tools identified for the DRC WASH sector.
• Development of the key knowledge management tools required at community level, in collaboration with other consultants engaged separately to this assignment who will be working on the development of some specific tools at community level (as noted in Section 1).
• Outline methodology and timetable

The Knowledge Management and Learning strategy should be completed during the period Jan - March 2015. The proposed approximate timings are as follows. The consultant(s) may suggest alternative arrangements in their methodology. However it is important to note the constraints on field visits (visits to project sites typically require at least a week per project site including travel time e.g. 2-4 days travel + 3-5 days at or near the project site).

Contextual review2 days – review of lessons from other programmes

7 days – field visit, activities, interviews

1 day – write-up of contextual review 10 days Development of a Knowledge Management and Learning strategy 5 days 5 days Development of key tools for the implementation of the Knowledge Management and Learning strategy 3 days – development of tools

7 days – field visit, testing of tools

2 days - final revision of tools 12 days

The assignment should draw on:

• Existing data available (see list below).
• Interviews / workshops with key internal and external stakeholders in Kinshasa.
• Interviews / workshops with key internal and external stakeholders in at least one field site, ideally more, including the views of direct programme participants.

Existing documentation and knowledge management tools to be considered:

ü Six-monthly narrative reports covering July-Dec 2013, Jan-June 2014, and July-Dec 2014. These include logframe updates; strategic and programmatic overviews; operational, governance and communication issues; and orientations for next steps.

ü Minutes of quarterly meetings of the Governance Board, Programmes Technical Working Group, and Systems-Finance Technical Working Group.

ü Minutes of six-monthly internal Technical Reviews.

ü Reports of six-monthly external Technical Reviews.

ü Reports on research projects (spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change; climate and environment assessment).

ü The Consortium website, Facebook and newsletter.

ü Internal communication guidelines and procedures.

ü Key programme tools (e.g. the Manual for the 12-step implementation approach, the Technical Guide and the monitoring and evaluation guide).

8. Expected products

• Draft methodology as part of proposal.
• Contextual review for approval after XX days (to be agreed).
• Preliminary presentation of proposed structure of strategy and key tools for feedback in country.
• Final strategy.
• Key essential knowledge management tools for the Consortium staff and partners.
• Examples of key knowledge management tools for communities. The exact tools will be determined in discussion with the Consortium and the separate consultants working on this issue.
• Concept note for seeking funding to improve the knowledge management and learning for the WASH sector in DRC.
• Skills and experience of the consultant(s)

The consultant(s) should have the following skills and experience:

Essential

• Relevant academic and professional background in international development, WASH, and knowledge management and learning.
• Experience in developing knowledge management and learning strategies.
• Experience in developing knowledge management tools for use by communities.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English.
• Ability to speak French.
• Willingness and ability to work long hours in a difficult environment.

Desirable

• Experience of working with consortia.
• Experience in DRC.

10. Management, reporting and quality assurance arrangements

The consultant(s) will be contracted by Concern Worldwide as the lead agency of the DRC WASH Consortium and will report to the Consortium Director and the Consortium WASH & M+E Coordinator. To ensure quality, the timing of payments will be made according to the delivery of key outputs, to be agreed in the contract. The contextual review will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to development of the full strategy. The proposed structure and contents of the final strategy will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to the completion of the final strategy.

[1]MICS 2010.

[2]DFID’s 2013 “end to end review” of programming (led by the Deputy Head of DFID DRC at the time) concluded that the conventional approach to programme management needs to change and that programmes need to be flexible to adapt to changing realities and emerging opportunities (for more info see presentation by Pete Vowles on Adaptive Progamming at “Hard to Measure Benefits” workshop at DFID in London, October 2013).

How to apply:

Please submit an Expression of Interest by January 9^th 2015toemily.bradley@concern.net outlining exact availability in line with the approximate timeline. The expression of interest should contain: (a) a technical offer and (b) a financial offer, comprising:

1. Technical offer:
2. Up to date CV of the consultant(s) explaining how the consultant(s) meets the skills and experience required.
3. Technical proposition detailing proposed methodology and resources needed (max 2 pages).
4. Example of at least one similar strategy previously developed by the consultant(s).
5. Financial offer:
6. A list of all expenses expected to be incurred by the consultant(s) including a daily rate.
7. Costs of transport in-country and accommodation while on field visits outside Kinshasa will be covered directly by the Consortium and should not be included.

The following additional information is available in the Annexes to this TOR:

· Annex A - The Consortium’s original 9-point strategy and 12-step process

· Annex B – Logical framework

· Annex C – Partners and stakeholders framework

Please contact emily.bradley@concern.net for all queries.

Organization: Concern Worldwide
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 10 Jan 2015

DRC WASH Consortium: Terms of Reference for operational research on improving access to drinking water through “Small Doable Actions” in DRC

1. Summary

The DRC WASH Consortium which is comprised of five agencies, Action Against Hunger (ACF); Agence d'aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Concern Worldwide (as lead agency) and Solidarités International, seeks a consultant or team of consultants to:

1. Review the “Small Doable Actions” for improving access to drinking water for rural households promoted by the Consortium so far, such as basic household water treatment (e.g. boiling or SODIS) and local improvements to existing sources (e.g. protecting springs with bamboo ‘pipes’), which do not require an external hardware subsidy.
2. Assess the relevance of other existing approaches in DRC and internationally for improving access to drinking water for the most vulnerable populations which represent alternatives to the options defined as “improved sources” by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme.^[1] These alternative options should also be potential “Small Doable Actions” for communities which may include:
3. Household water treatment options such as boiling, SODIS, filtration and chlorination.
4. ‘Self-supply’ options where household or small groups of households improve or develop their own water points such as improved traditional wells, rope pumps and rainwater harvesting (some of these options may meet JMP standards).
5. Delivery options such as a cart with a small tank or drum.
6. Local improvements to existing sources such as protecting springs with bamboo ‘pipes’.
7. Additional options for improving hygienic transport and storage of water.
8. Pilot, test and market the most promising options identified through a participatory approach with users in key intervention sites of the Consortium, starting in January 2015.
9. Estimate the Value For Money of the different options reviewed and piloted (cost-benefit analysis and cost effectiveness) and make recommendations based on this to the Consortium and the programme donor (DFID) that can be applied from July 2015 to June 2017 and beyond.

This operational research recognises that technical options for improving access to drinking water exist which provide an improved service to the user (in terms of quality, quantity, reliability or accessibility) even if they do not necessarily confirm to the definition of “improved sources” according to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme. In some contexts the option of a communal improved source may not be feasible or desired in terms of local management, technical and financial capacity to maintain the water point in the long-term. This can apply especially in extremely small, isolated and/or vulnerable communities, which are typical in rural DRC, or communities which already have access to sufficient quantity of water (e.g. next to a river) and therefore may not be willing to pay for services from a communal improved water point. This consultancy seeks to identify the most promising alternative options for piloting in the Consortium programme in rural DRC.

2. Background to WASH in DRC and the Consortium

Despite the country’s relative wealth in terms of water resources, access to clean drinking water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains low. Based on current trends, the DRC will miss the water target under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to halve by 2015 the proportion of its population without sustainable access to safe drinking water. The water and sanitation sector is also in a state of change amidst ongoing reforms relating to decentralisation and the implementation of new laws such as the Water Code, while implementation capacity at all levels remains weak.

In this context, the DRC WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Consortium is working to increase the coverage of sustainable water and sanitation provision and hygiene behaviour in rural areas of DRC. The Consortium is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through a grant of £23.9m from 2013-2017 as part of DFID’s 2013-2019 WASH programme in DRC.

In total, the DRC WASH Consortium aims to support 461 villages and 554,122 beneficiaries in up to 17 health zones in rural DRC through a 12-step process which lasts eighteen months in each village, followed by additional monitoring and evaluation for a further six months. Programme activities include the promotion of good hygiene behaviours through “Small Doable Actions”, support to the construction of household and institutional latrines, and (where judged technically and economically feasible for long-term sustainability) the development of water points such as spring protections, protected wells, and boreholes. The Consortium also works with local health services, local authorities, the private sector and civil society to develop their capacity to support communities and promote the sustainability of WASH services. The Consortium aims to use its experiences, innovation and research to produce and disseminate evidence for sustainable, community based solutions to WASH needs in the DRC.

• For more background on the DRC WASH context, see Annex A.
• Full details on the Consortium’s Theory of Change are included in Annex B.
• The Consortium’s 9-point strategy and 12-step process are summarised in Annex C (note that the 12-step process is currently being revised and the detailed new version will be available in January 2015).
• The full logical framework is included in Annex D, with baseline data from the first phase.
• A map of the Consortium’s areas of intervention is included in Annex E.
• Role of the consultancy in the context of the Consortium programme

The approach of the DRC WASH Consortium is designed to be flexible enough to integrate learning during the programme in line with the need for adaptive programming expressed by DFID and others,^[2] especially if evidence produced shows that parts of the original Theory of Change may not be valid.

The programme therefore proceeds in a sequence of different phases of villages and conducts additional research and innovation projects to enable learning to be fed back into the programme. During the first two years of the programme, extra information becomes available from:

• Field experiences and results from the completion of the first phase of villages (Sept 2013 – Feb-March 2015) and ongoing experiences from the second and third phases (in progress between April 2014 – Oct 2015). The fourth phase of villages is due to start in July 2015.
• Research projects on: spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change.
• Innovation projects on: preparation and rapid response for cholera outbreaks; WASH mapping.
• Sharing of experiences with other sector actors through six-monthly Technical Reviews.

Key developments to the programme approach so far include:

• More detailed development of an economic approach to better define, estimate and measure life-cycle costs and first steps in using this information as part of informed decision-making for investment in drinking water infrastructure.
• Revision of the selection process for intervention areas and villages to increase the likelihood of success given the extremely challenging context in rural DRC.
• Initial review of the Consortium’s approach to community mobilisation and behaviour change.

This consultancy forms part of the operational research component of the Consortium to enable learning from the first phases of the programme to feed into the ongoing second and third phases and the fourth phase which is due to start in July 2015.

4. Objectives of the consultancy

Note: although the focus of this research is on the national norm of “access to drinking water”, the research will require collaboration with others (either Consortium staff or consultants) who are developing approaches for promoting and monitoring “Small Doable Actions” relating to the 6 other norms defined by the national programme “Villages Assainis” (on sanitation, hygiene and community mobilisation) in order to ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach.

1. Review the “Small Doable Actions” for improving access to drinking water for rural households promoted by the Consortium so far, such as basic household water treatment (e.g. boiling or SODIS) and local improvements to existing sources (e.g. protecting springs with bamboo ‘pipes’), which do not require an external hardware subsidy. This review should include:
2. User perceptions of improved services in terms of quality, quantity, reliability or accessibility, as well as their ideas for other options to be tested.
3. Additional external assessment of results in terms of water quality.
4. Estimates of the life-cycle costs of these options and user willingness to pay.
5. Estimates of the cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness of these options.
6. Feasibility for large scale promotion of these options by village committees or other leaders, local health services and NGOs, including the local availability of the materials required.
7. Assess the relevance of other existing approaches in DRC and internationally for improving access to drinking water for the most vulnerable populations which represent alternatives to the options defined as “improved sources” by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme.^[3] These alternative options should also be potential “Small Doable Actions” for communities which may include the following. The assessment should evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each option in the context of the different areas of intervention of the Consortium in DRC, including the views of potential users (to identify the most promising options for more detailed testing as part of Objective 3).
8. Household water treatment options such as boiling, SODIS, filtration and chlorination.
9. ‘Self-supply’ options where household or small groups of households improve or develop their own water points such as improved traditional wells, rope pumps and rainwater harvesting (some of these options may meet JMP standards).
10. Delivery options such as a cart with a small tank or drum.
11. Local improvements to existing sources such as protecting springs with bamboo ‘pipes’.
12. Additional options for improving hygienic transport and storage of water.
13. Pilot, test and market the most promising options identified with users in key intervention sites of the Consortium, starting in January 2015.
14. ‘Market test’ the most promising options from the Consortium, DRC and internationally through piloting and rapid user feedback.
15. Set up a longer term strategy for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of these options throughout the rest of the Consortium programme.
16. Estimate the Value For Money of the different options reviewed and piloted (cost-benefit analysis and cost effectiveness analysis) and make recommendations based on this to the Consortium and the programme donor (DFID) that can be applied from July 2015 to June 2017 and beyond.
17. Develop a concept note and support the writing of a funding proposal for attracting suitable additional funding to integrate these recommendations into the programme.
18. Outline methodology and timetable

The operational research should be completed during the period Jan-March 2015.

The detailed methodology will be developed by the consultant and approved by Concern Worldwide. The methodology must uphold DFID’s ethical principles for research and evaluation. At a minimum, theoperational research should draw on:

• Reports on previous research projects (spare parts and supply chains for handpumps; community mobilisation and behaviour change; climate and environment assessment).
• Interviews / workshops with key internal and external stakeholders in Kinshasa.
• Fieldwork in at least two different areas of intervention, ideally more, including the views of direct programme participants.

Note that field visits to project sites typically require at least a week per project site including travel time (e.g. 2-4 days travel + 3-5 days at or near the project site).

Other key events to be considered as part of the timetable include:

• The Consortium’s six-monthly external Technical Review in mid-March 2015 (date TBC). The consultant will present the recommendations from the research as part of this workshop.
• Expected products
• Draft methodology as part of proposal.
• Inception report and final methodology for approval after XX days of the contract (to be agreed).
• Preliminary presentation of findings and proposed structure of final report for feedback in country, including presentation during the external Technical Review in March 2015.
• Draft ‘catalogue’ / ‘how-to guide’ of the most promising options which is suitable for dissemination in communities (the consultant is responsible for drafting the technical content of this material; additional support will be available for final editing, formatting and graphics).
• Final report, including:

o Stand-alone executive summary of 2-4 pages (in English and in French), which highlights the key lessons learned and key recommendations. (This will be used by the Consortium as the basis for a briefing note for the sector).

o Specific list of recommendations at different levels (strategic, programmatic, operational) targeted to different groups.

o Annex of all data, references and analyses undertaken.

• Concept note for seeking future funding for the recommended options.
• Skills and experience of the consultant

Note: The DRC WASH Consortium expects to engage one consultant for this operational research (international or local). However, the consultant may be required to collaborate with other local consultants and staff engaged by the member NGOs of the Consortium to ensure effective learning across other field sites in addition to those where the consultant conducts fieldwork directly. The details of this collaboration will be discussed as part of the contract negotiation.

Essential

• Relevant academic and professional background in rural development and WASH, including experience in fragile states.
• Technical knowledge and experience of promoting household water treatment options; ‘self-supply’ options where household or small groups of households improve or develop their own water points; and other ‘alternative options’ for improving access to drinking water.
• Experience in approaches for community mobilisation, social marketing and behaviour change.
• Knowledge of water quality testing.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English.
• Ability to speak French.
• Willingness and ability to work long hours in a difficult environment.

Desirable

• Experience in DRC.

7. Management, reporting and quality assurance arrangements

The consultant will be contracted by Concern Worldwide as the lead agency of the DRC WASH Consortium and will report to the Consortium Director and the Consortium WASH & M+E Coordinator. To ensure quality, the timing of payments will be made according to the delivery of key outputs, to be agreed in the contract. The inception report and final methodology will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to detailed fieldwork. The proposed structure and contents of the final report will be approved by Concern Worldwide before proceeding to the completion of the final report.

8. Expressions of interest and enquiries

Please submit an Expression of Interest by January 9^th 2015toemily.bradley@concern.net outlining exact availability in line with the approximate timeline. The expression of interest should contain: (a) a technical offer and (b) a financial offer, comprising:

A. Technical offer:

· Up to date CV of the consultant explaining how the consultant meets the skills and experience required.

· Technical proposition detailing proposed methodology and resources needed (max 3 pages).

· At least one example of similar work undertaken.

B. Financial offer:

· A list of all expenses expected to be incurred by the consultant(s) including a daily rate.

· Costs of transport in-country and accommodation while on field visits outside Kinshasa will be covered directly by the Consortium and should not be included.

The following additional information is available in the Annexes to this TOR:

· Annex A – Context of WASH in DRC

· Annex B – The Consortium’s Theory of Change

· Annex C – The Consortium’s original 9-point strategy and 12-step process

· Annex D – Logical Framework with baseline data for Phase 1

· Annex E – Map of the Consortium’s Area of Intervention.

Please contact emily.bradley@concern.net for all queries.

[1] See: http://www.wssinfo.org/definitions-methods/watsan-categories/

[2]DFID’s 2013 “end to end review” of programming (led by the Deputy Head of DFID DRC at the time) concluded that the conventional approach to programme management needs to change and that programmes need to be flexible to adapt to changing realities and emerging opportunities (for more info see presentation by Pete Vowles on Adaptive Progamming at “Hard to Measure Benefits” workshop at DFID in London, October 2013).

[3] See: http://www.wssinfo.org/definitions-methods/watsan-categories/

How to apply:

Applications should be made by sending a copy of your CV to emily.bradley@concern.net.

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: Rwanda
Closing date: 24 Dec 2014

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’ FUND

RWANDA COUNTRY OFFICE

VACANCY NOTICE NO. PER/VN/025/2014

The Office of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Rwanda is inviting applications from suitably qualified Rwandan nationals to fill the following vacancy:

TITLE : National Consultant, Child Rights Advisor

LEVEL : NOC (category for National officers)

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT : SSA Consultancy

DURATION : 11 months

STARTING DATE : 15 January 2015

DUTY STATION : Kigali

DATE OF ISSUE : 11/12/2014

DATE OF CLOSURE : 24/12/2014

Background and Purpose:

The Ministry in charge of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) aims at promoting equality and equity for both men and women and ensure empowerment of women through the national development processes of Rwanda.

The Ministry further aims at promoting the family, as a natural and cultural basis of the Rwandan society and provide a conducive environment for the overall development of the nation’s children according to internationally agreed standards and principles. MIGEPROF has a mandate with the key responsibility of formulating policies and strategies on issues that affect all Rwandans in the areas of Gender Equality, Family Promotion, Women and Girls Empowerment and Child Protection.

The Ministry has put in place the Integrated Child Rights Policy (ICPR) to ensure that every child is given equal rights and is well protected. It has the overall responsibility for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the ICRP in Rwanda and as such, is tasked with the coordination of interventions between the various Ministries and institutions involved. It also has primary responsibility for 3 thematic areas under the ICRP, namely: Family and Alternative Care; Protection; and Participation. Furthermore in September 2011 an ECD Policy and Strategic Plan was developed and is currently under revision. The policy promotes the holistic development of all children in Rwanda through the provision of integrated health, nutritional, early learning and protection services to families and children between 0-6 years of age. The goal of the ECD policy is to ensure all Rwandan children achieve their potential, are healthy, well-nourished and safe, and their mothers, fathers and communities become nurturing caregivers through receiving integrated early childhood development services.

The Ministry has also developed a Family Policy which gives a broader line on the government’s commitments towards promoting the Rwandan Family, and a National Gender Policy and its strategic plan. The Law Nº54/2000 of 14/12/2011 relating to the Rights and Protection of Children serves as the unified law covering all the aspects of the rights of children and complying with all the ratified international treaties. All these documents will help the consultant to support the Ministry in achieving its mandate for the promotion and protection of children’s rights.

The main purpose of this assignment is to support and advise MIGEPROF to apply, adapt and achieve its goals, policies, and strategies pertaining to children’s rights in conformity with the Integrated Child Rights Policy.

Objective of the consultancy

Under the general guidance of the Honourable Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, the Child Rights Advisor supports and advises MIGEPROF and its affiliated agencies in developing policies, strategies, programmes and systems for the fulfilment of children’s rights in Rwanda and overseeing their implementation. The Child Rights Advisor is responsible for providing technical leadership, management advice, and programme support and capacity building to MIGEPROF and its affiliated agencies. He/she facilitates application, adaptation and achievement of MIGEPROF goals, policies, and strategies pertaining to children’s rights in conformity with the Integrated Child Rights Policy and the Law number 54 Relating to the Rights and Protection of Children. The Child Rights Advisor provides innovative leadership including expert advice, vision, knowledge management, articulating policies and strategies, situation appraisal and harmonization of programme strategy. In close collaboration with the National Commission for Children, the Child Rights Advisor will support coordination efforts in the area of child rights by working closely with relevant thematic sectors, including social protection, health and nutrition, justice, education to ensure integration of child rights issues within these sectors.

Goals

The specific results of the assignment will include among others:

1. Programme policies, strategies, and approaches for MIGEPROF on child rights are developed in accordance with international and national best practice
2. Child rights coordination mechanisms, including around Early Childhood Development, within Government of Rwanda as well as with other stakeholders, are supported.
3. Child rights issues are mainstreamed within the programmes, policies, strategies of relevant sectors and ministries.
4. Technical advice is provided to MIGEPROF staff on the design and monitoring and evaluation of child rights policies and interventions
5. Capacity of MIGEPROF staff on child rights is assessed and a capacity-building plan is developed and implemented, including formal training and on the job training and mentoring, based on identified needs
6. Common frameworks, tools, and guidance are developed for MIGEPROF and its affiliated agencies to ensure high quality evidence-based child rights programming
7. Resources are mobilized in the area of child rights through technical support for evidence-based advocacy.
8. MIGEPROF is effectively represented and programme goals and strategies are widely advocated with relevant government officials, notably through the Social Protection Sector, multi-lateral agencies, bi-lateral agencies, NGOs, UN agencies, and donors

Tasks

Under the supervision of the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, The consultant will work in close collaboration with heads of departments and technical staff from MIGEPROF, as well as with relevant personnel from the National Commission for Children, to perform the following key tasks:

• Provide technical advice and support to MIGEPROF on the development of relevant programme policies, strategies, and approaches on child rights, including MIGEPROF’s 2014-2019 Strategic Plan.
• Represent MIGEPROF in external meetings with relevant government officials, notably through the Social Protection Sector, multi-lateral agencies, bi-lateral agencies, NGOs, UN agencies, and donors.
• Support and advise MIGEPROF in mobilizing resources for child rights programmes through evidence-based advocacy
• Support implementation of the Child Rights related Laws and Policies (The Law No54 Relating to the Rights and Protection of Children, ICRP and ECD Policy) at decentralized levels in order to ensure their incorporation in the plans and budget at District Levels.
• Support development of National Standards for Early Childhood Development.
• Support child rights coordination mechanisms within Government of Rwanda as well as with other stakeholders, and ensure that child rights issues including ECD are mainstreamed within the programmes, policies, strategies of relevant sectors and ministries
• Support and advise MIGEPROF and its affiliated agencies on the development of common frameworks, tools and guidance to develop evidence-based child rights programming.
• Assess the capacity of MIGEPROF staff on child rights and develop and implement a capacity-building plan, including formal training and on the job training and monitoring, based on the identified needs.

Deliverables

• Submit to MIGEPROF and UNICEF a detailed quarterly work plan with activities clearly linked to each expected result, at the beginning of the consultancy and 3 months into the consultancy.
• Submit to MIGEPROF and UNICEF monthly progress reports highlighting key achievements, challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations.
• In consultation with MIGEPROF, UNICEF and other child rights and protection stakeholders, develop: (i) a capacity-building plan and training module(s) on child rights for MIGEPROF staff ; (ii) Early learning and development standards.
• Submit to MIGEPROF and UNICEF a final report no later than 20 days before the end of the consultancy, highlighting key achievements, challenges, lessons learnt, best practices and recommendations.

Duration and work arrangements

SSA Consultancy is for a period of 11 months.

Work arrangements:

The consultant will be based in MIGEPROF but will be responsible for providing his/her own electronic equipment. He/she have will regular interaction with MIGEPROF’s affiliated agencies and with UNICEF, and he/she will conduct consultations with various MIGEPROF partners.

Field visits will be organized as deemed necessary.

For the time spent in the field, the consultant will receive DSA in US dollars according to UN rate. He/she will receive the final tranche of honoraria when the final report has been received and accepted by both MIGEPROF and UNICEF Rwanda.

The consultant will be responsible for setting up meetings with all appropriate individuals and institutions with the support of MIGEPROF where necessary.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Honourable Minister of Gender and Family Promotion. The consultant will also work closely with a focal point nominated in the agencies affiliated to the Ministry.

The contract will be signed between the consultant and UNICEF as the hiring organisation. The consultant will be governed by UNICEF procurement rules and regulations.

Profile of the SSA Consultant

Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, public relations, media, communication, or other relevant disciplines.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in all aspects of programme management, and/or advisory support, in the area of child rights resulting in recognized expertise in the technical area.
• Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda. Knowledge of French would be an asset.
• National of Rwanda

Competencies:

• Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
  Creates and encourages a climate of team-working and collaboration.
• Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering projects on-time and on-budget.
• Has good leadership and advisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
• Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources
• Sets, develops and revises organizational strategy and develops clear visions of the organizations future potential.
• Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across departments and organizations.
• Negotiates effectively by exploring a range of possibilities.

Payment modalities

Payment will be made on a monthly basis upon delivery by the consultant of a monthly progress report highlighting achievements of pre-agreed deliverables. Applicants are required to quote their fees

Funding source and rate of payment

Funding source: UNICEF GC 3750/A0/05/004/001/001

Rate of payment: UNICEF monthly consultancy rate at NOC level applicable

How to apply:

Qualified individuals are requested to submit their cover letter, CV and P11 form (which can be downloaded from: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), to Human Resources at: rwajobs@unicef.org by December 24^th 2014, with subject: “Child Rights Advisor - Application.”

You may also submit to: Human Resources Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda, P.O. Box 381, Kigali, Rwanda.

UNICEF IS A NON-SMOKING WORKING ENVIRONMENT.

UNICEF IS COMMITTED TO GENDER BALANCE AND DIVERSITY WITHOUT DISTINCTION AS TO RACE, SEX OR RELIGION, AND WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.