Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC)
Introduction
Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) is a local non-governmental organization that was registered in 2004 to contribute to scaling-up and improving HIV treatment and prevention in Zambia.
With funding from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) through the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ), TALC intends to develop, print, and distribute copies of training manuals on Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) and Community Engagement (CE). These two training manuals will provide CSOs with an understanding of how to conduct CLM and CE activities and will complement their understanding of what has already been disseminated in the National Community-led Monitoring Strategy and Plan (NCLMSP) 2022 – 2026 and Engagement Strategy for HIV/TB/Malaria 2022 – 2026.
The training manuals to be developed will support the capacity building of CSO stakeholders on how to use the two strategic documents. The training that will be delivered to the stakeholders will contribute to increased adoption and utilization of the two strategic plans in all the provinces of Zambia. TALC will conduct baseline, mid-term and endline assessments to provide a basis for quantified and objective assessment of the quality and impact of the roll out of the two strategies.
Rationale
Although national and provincial data shows significant progress in increasing the number of people that are on HIV treatment and a reduction in overall HIV prevalence, it masks realities across gender, age and other demographics and social conditions. Of the people that are on HIV treatment, nationally, HIV prevalence is higher among young women than young men aged 15-24. Similarly, there are variations in terms of health-seeking behaviour and utilization of HIV treatment between urban and rural areas.
To ensure equitable access to HIV and AIDS services and eliminate the gaps in health outcomes across the demographic and geographic boundaries in the country, there is need to understand the barriers, challenges, and gaps to access and utilization of high-quality HIV and AIDS services by various most-at-risk populations from a community perspective. Facility-driven data does not consider information on the dynamics and experiences of subpopulation groups. It also fails to accommodate PLHIV’s perspectives on access, utilization, and availability of quality HIV services. This undermines the responsiveness, differentiation and targeting of HIV services.
Strengthening community-led monitoring and community engagement will help realise the needed improvements in health outcomes through improved service delivery which in turn is subject to enhanced transparency and accountability. The CLM and CE strategic plans will help garner the needed collective will to act while paving the way for the coordination, collaboration and co-working that is needed to realise the needed improvements in the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality (AAAQ) of HIV and other health services. The strategies and their action plans will help civil society and community groups to have a common direction and establish priorities to guide incrementation. It will help define civil society’s view of success and prioritize the activities that will make this view a reality.
Reporting Lines
The Consultant will report to the Manager, Programmes, Monitoring and Evaluation who will be responsible for day-to-day oversight over the assignment and will have dotted report lines to the National Director and the TALC Project Coordinator.
Objectives of the Assignment
The objectives of the assignment are to contribute to the broad-based, nationwide dissemination and effective implementation of the community-led monitoring (CLM) and community engagement (CE) strategic plans by strengthening civil society’s and community group’s practical knowledge and understanding of the principles, practices, and implementation imperatives contained in the strategic plans.
The specific objectives of the assignment are to:
a) Determine the baseline level of knowledge and understanding among civil society and community actors of the objectives, approaches, and outcomes of CLM and CE.
b) Establish the CLM and CE learning needs of civil society and community actors.
c) Develop a training manual to promote understanding of the strategic plans from the grassroots upwards.
d) Create a cadre of trainers at the provincial and district levels across the country to deliver audience appropriate training.
e) Obtain an indicative assessment of the human capital gains that will be achieved through the CLM and CE training intervention.
Scope of Work
The assignment will constitute a 50-day level of effort for the Consultant. The tasks to be undertaken under this assignment will be the following:
1) Prepare the inception report with a detailed work plan for the assignment [Level of Effort – 5 days]
2) Develop the ToRs and selection criteria for the cadre of Provincial Engagement Facilitators (PEFs) who will work under the Lead Consultant to provide research and logistical support to the assignment [Level of Effort – 2 days]
3) Select the 10 PEFs (one each from each province) based on their work experience, demonstrable civic sensitivity, civil society and communities affiliations, and through a virtual or in-person interview process. [Level of Effort – 12 days]
4) Deliver training to the PEFs to enable them to perform their support role. The training will be held in physical format at a suitable central location. [Level of Effort – 4 days]
5) 1st Survey – Undertake the Nationwide Needs Assessment Survey to baseline learning needs and comprehension levels in the target audience. Ensure the distribution of the necessary airtime/bundle support for respondents (disbursed as a K50 weekly bundle) PLUS a K50 cash component to be distributed after the submission of survey responses by the respondents. [Level of Effort – 12 days]
6) Develop the training manual with reference to the two strategic plans and other relevant guidance [Level of Effort – 19 days]
7) Initiate and oversee the distribution (in hard or soft copy as needed) of the draft manual to 30 respondents drawn evenly across the country [Level of Effort – 5 days]
8) 2nd Survey – Undertake a Nationwide Pre-testing Survey (online) to obtain: (1) objective data on the comprehensibility of the material across all the target demographies and identify customization needs in the target audience; (2) subjective feedback on the utility of the material [Level of Effort – 5 days]
9) Prepare a validation report and disseminate it to key stakeholders across all the sectors. [Level of Effort – 5 days]
10) Deliver a National Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop in hybrid format leveraging ZOOM and WhatsApp (i.e., physical FGD hub in Lusaka in a virtual conference with physical provincial FGD hubs) [Level of Effort – 5 days]
11) Schedule, initiate and oversee a synchronized programme of staggered nationwide provincial training-hubs at which the Trainers will simultaneously deliver CLM/CE trainings to 15 participants (drawn from a representative sample of CSOs and community groups in each province), using the training manuals developed. The Trainers will be supported and assisted by the PEFs who will also document the proceedings of the training sessions and administer the participants’ evaluations of the sessions. [Level of Effort – 18 days]
12) Compile the PEFs’ reports on the provincial training sessions in a consolidate national report. [Level of Effort – 5 days].
Deliverables / Description / Due
1. Inception report with detailed work plan – 8 July
2. Report on the training of the Provincial Engagement Facilitators (PEFs) – 15 July
3. Report on the national Training of Trainers workshop – 30 July
4. Report on the nationwide synchronized trainings delivered by the Trainers – 23 August
5. Typescript for the training manual complete with illustrative diagrams – 23 August
Qualifications and Experience
1) Demonstrated expert knowledge of community-led monitoring and community engagement principles, practices, and strategies.
2) Documented knowledge and experience in organisational development and procedure writing.
3) Demonstrable experience in developing training material and delivering training workshops in physical and virtual formats.
4) Clear knowledge and understanding of community-led responses in HIV, TB and malaria service delivery.
5) Understanding of the actors and stakeholders in the civic space across the country at both the national and sub-national levels.
6) Understanding of the health coordination infrastructure in the country and its relationship to local government and its institutions.
7) A minimum of 7 years’ experience in designing and implementing community health interventions.
8) Experience in designing and implementing community-led HIV, TB, and malaria interventions.
9) Strong verbal and written communication skills.
10) Ability to deliver outcomes in a timely manner
Masters’ degree in public health, social sciences or related disciplines from a recognized university.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this Consultancy, send your motivational letter and detailed curriculum vitae to [email protected]