TERMS OF REFERENCE: AID EFFECTIVENESS TRACKING ASSESSMENT
Type: Consultancy
Duration: estimated 20 days
- Context
Early childhood offers a critical window of opportunity to shape the trajectory of a child’s holistic development and build a foundation for their future. For children to achieve their full potential, as is their human right, they need health care and nutrition, protection from harm and a sense of security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving. Failing to give children the best start in life perpetuates cycles of poverty and disadvantage that can span generations, undermining the strength and stability of our societies. To this effect, there has been a growing trend of donor led financing strategies in which donor resources have played a central and catalytic role in driving implementation of ECD policies, programs, and services in the region.
However, there has been little information on how much is going to ECD in SADC especially in 6 countries through donor initiatives and the impact of the funding. Further steps are needed to generate information in this area in order to effectively track gaps and inform effective decision making as ECDE financing is not simply about allocating more resources but also about using available funds more efficiently, effectively, and equitably. Thus, there is need to explore best ways of supporting and determining aid quantum, its source and recipients, and funding areas in ECD. Furthermore, for the aid to be effective, there is need to determine what the donor partners and recipients need to consider for the ECD children to benefit. However, there is little in the way of research data that unpacks ECDE expenditure among donor organizations and other private players in the region. There is need for an environmental scan on partner support and advantages and disadvantages of aid, with a focus on how much is being contributed by bilateral donors, trusts, private organisations, where it is being channelled and what best can be done for it to be effective. To this end, Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA) in partnership with Network of Early Childhood Development Coalition of Lesotho (NECDOL), and the Early Childhood Development Coalition of Malawi are seeking the services of a consultant to conduct a research on aid effectiveness, covering 6 countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and Mozambique). - Objectives and purpose of the research
I. To track the current aid channelled towards ECD by the donor community in the region from 2017-2022, including all active programs.
II. Tracking the expenditure of donor funds being channelled towards ECD by the donor community and private players in the region.
III. Gather information on the effectiveness of the donor funds being channelled towards ECDE programs in the region.
IV. Track the existing gaps in relation to ECD aid funds.
V. Inform CSO action and advocacy work to improve aid effectiveness in the region. - Expected deliverables
i. Inception report and work plan, including methodology, target population, a sampling strategy, a data collection tools and analysis plan. The inception report will demonstrate clearly how the data collection plan and tools will gather data that addresses the objectives.
ii. An integrated and national matrices showing source of aid, recipient, type of recipient, focal areas, type of aid (bilateral, trust, private company, etc), period covered by dates, gross amount, % to total aid, % to public ECD/Education budget, etc
iii. A transnational and national analysis report containing the status and effectiveness of ECD aid in the region, a detailed analysis of the structure of the ECDE sector’s aid in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Disparities in allocation and expenditure.
iv. Dissemination of research findings through a validation programme, report and position paper.
v. Dataset for the study. - Scope of Work
Under the direct supervision of the ZINECDA management team, the consultant will design, conduct the research, and produce an inter-country report targeting 6 countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini, Mozambique and Lesotho) in the consortium covering the years 2017-2022. - Methodology
The consultant will propose specific methodology which will be used as criteria for selection. The methodology should also ensure that data collected can be communicated, explained and contextualized. The methodology must include participation of the national TRANAC monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning staff as part of capacity building. - Management and supervision of the assignment
The assignment will be constantly monitored by the TRANAC Lead through the Regional Management Unit team and MEAL Lead basing on milestones derived from the stated deliverables and the objectives. The regional management team will be in constant communication with the consultant to track progress made on each stage, until the completion of the task. Furthermore, the methods and tools for collecting data will be constantly reviewed in order to give room to refinement and adjustment if necessary. - Equipment/ Support
The consultant should state the equipment and support needed from the organisation in the application. Limitations in the procurement and use of equipment and services will be discussed with the winning team. - Timelines
The research is expected to take a maximum of 20 days. - Application Process
We invite interested researchers or companies to submit the following application documents:
I. An expression of interest of no more than 10 pages, briefly addressing track record relevant to the assessment and the degree to which the consultant(s) meet(s) the selection criteria. If a team of consultants is proposed, outline the anticipated roles of each team member.
II. Technical proposal for the evaluation study including proposed methodology and activities schedule/work plan, with timeframe. The proposal must also clearly outline how the TRANAC project partners will be involved in the process.
III. CV(s) of applicant(s)
IV. Financial proposal (separating consultant day rates and anticipated data collection costs)
V. Example(s) of previous similar works
VI. Reference from previous employer and/or client - Qualifications
The desired candidate(s) should have at least a postgraduate qualification in M&E or Statistics, Education Finance and Economics, and Social Sciences or Education with ECD an added advantage. S/He should also have at least 10 years of working experience in M&E for ECDE or education projects including research and data management responsibilities. Experience of working in SADC countries will an added advantage.
Application submission address and deadline
All applications should be sent to the Procurement team by the 21st of July 2022 on the following email address: [email protected]