Consultancy Services to Conduct a Baseline Study for Sponsorship Program in Petauke Impact Area, Eastern Province

INVITATION FOR SUBMISSION OF SEALED BIDS FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES  TO CONDUCT A BASELINE STUDY FOR SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM IN PETAUKE IMPACT AREA, EASTERN PROVINCE

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent non-profit organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting changes in their lives. In Zambia, Save the Children has been implementing programs across Child Rights Governance (CRG), Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Education, Child Poverty and Humanitarian thematic areas since 1983.

Sponsorship programming in Zambia commenced within the Common Approaches to Sponsorship Programming model (CASP) for its initial 10-year program on the Copper belt province. During the phasing out period into the new impact area in Petauke, the sponsorship programming at global level had undergone critical changes in its approach to programming from which the new guideline to sponsorship programming were developed.  This guideline is meant to shift the way we think to better design and implement sponsorship programs. It is from the background that Zambia was selected as one of the first proof of concept countries to apply this new approach to sponsorship programming as it was transitioning to a new impact area and had conducted the situation analysis.

Save the Children wants all children to survive, learn and be protected, but many are not because of inequality and discrimination. Sponsorship is more squarely addressing what has long been Save the Children’s ambition: transformative change for all children.

Sponsorship’s vision is to mobilize children, communities, partners and other stakeholders as agents of change for children’s rights, empowering them to address unequal and discriminatory structures and power relations. The program works – including advocacy that Sponsorship advances to achieve our Breakthroughs will benefit all children in the community, while driving a social movement for change.

Overview of Study

Having done a comprehensive design of the Sponsorship program on the basis of ten-year plan, it is well positioned to support the child rights social movements where we work: movements that are led by children, communities and national actors, not us. Save the Children is committed to working in new ways to shine a light on the inequalities children face, to mobilize coalitions for action, and to improve how we measure social change. Sponsorship will help develop more just systems to ensure that children survive, learn and are protected, while at the same time shifting attitudes, improving interactions and establishing more equitable policies and plans. Success will be achieved when equality and non-discrimination is adopted as the mainstream, and every child is living to their fullest potential.

It is on this premise that the program plans to undertake the baseline study in Petauke for all these prior to implementation of any interventions for the new model design. The assessment will mainly apply both quantitative and qualitative methods supported by secondary data from district offices. The study will also require interviews and discussions with children, adolescents, parents, women, and other key informant government officials at the district, zonal and community level as well as a structured observation of service provision facilities mainly, schools and formal and informal community structures. The field work will take place for at least two weeks. The details of the objectives and deliverables are described below as well in the detailed terms of reference to be provided.

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct the baseline survey that helps to assess the status in Petauke Impact Area before we start intervention of the sponsorship projects by setting benchmarks and targets for the sponsorship project- core programs in Education (BE, ECCD), Adolescent Development (AD), Child Protection (CP) and Climate resilience as cross-cutting to be implemented in the three chiefdoms of Petauke district.

Objectives

1. To conduct a comprehensive baseline study to establish benchmark information relating to the identified overall goal of the project and the associated outcomes. The goal is; out of school girls and boys of school going age at risk of early pregnancy/marriage, substance abuse, child labour and abuse are protected, learning and thriving.

2. Gather and align all the secondary and primary data relating to the out of school children in target areas and link it to the identified indicators of change so as to help determine the targets to be set.

3. To determine baseline values for the indicators described under the data collection scope of the detailed terms of reference.

4. With the guidance and support of the SCI staff and consultants, pilot rubrics to determine the baseline status for indicators using rubrics.

Proposed Time Frame

The time-frame for the assignment execution will be agreed upon in line with the suggested work schedule in the detailed terms of reference. It however expected that the overall baseline study from preparation to report submission should not take more than three months.

Qualified applicants who are interested in applying for the above must meet the following requirements:

• Interested and qualified consultants/firms are required to submit a proposal interpreting the Terms of Reference elaborating the proposed methodology. Detailed work plan and budget indicating both the professional rates and costs for logistics/operations in Zambian Kwacha.
• Detailed CV for the lead Consultant including summarized CVs of technical personnel.
• The applicants must also provide a list of previous/current similar assignments or engagements completed, work references and provide links of sample works successfully produced in the last three to four years.
• In addition, applicants should provide requirements as listed below: –

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

• That they are not on any Save the Children prohibited parties list or blacklisted by the government.
• Copy of the National Registration Card or copy of the passport
• Copy of Tax Clearance Certificate (TPIN)
• Certificate of incorporation for companies

REQUIRED EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE

The study is to be done by a consultant/firm with a team composition of 2-3 individuals with a mix of experience in the focus areas described under the objectives section.

The consultant/team must possess the following qualifications and competences in order to be eligible for this assignment:

• ·         University degree at minimum in a relevant field (e.g. child protection, development or social sciences).
• Substantial experience (10 years+’ experience conducting baseline studies in large scale projects especially health, education and child protection) and in monitoring and evaluation, specifically in developing qualitative and quantitative methodologies and tools including child-friendly tools (preferably in the child protection sector), and in collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Knowledge of child protection programming. Strong child rights programming skills (child participation skills an asset)
• Knowledge in gender equality mainstreaming
• Excellent writing skills in English, and effective presentation skills
• Good local language skills (spoken and written) in Nsenga/Chewa.
• Knowledge and skills in disability inclusion
• Previous experience of engaging community agents of change, civil society organizations, national partners and key government staff in the development and implementation of assessments/evaluations.
• Evidence of having done similar work (kindly share copies of completed assignments or links) especially in similar set ups as the project area (Rural areas) in the past 3 years.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including experience of working within multi- cultural teams.

Application Conditions

Follow link provided for specific additional information requirements www.savethechildren.net/baseline-study-sponsorship-program-petauke-impact-area or www.iapg.org.uk/baseline-study-for-sponsorship-program-in-petauke-impact-area

Deadline for submission of the Expressions of Interest is Tuesday 27th September 2022, at midnight GMT.  Expressions of Interests submitted after the stated closing time and date will not be accepted.

• All inquiries should be directed to:  [email protected]
• Applications should be submitted to [email protected]

Note

• Save the Children will only contact successful applicants
• Save the Children reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal/expression or cancel the procurement process at any time, without assigning any reason, and shall have no liability to any potential consultants for such rejection or cancellation of the procurement.