Consultancy for evaluation of disaster risk reduction project in Karamoja

Introduction

Save the Children in Uganda (SCiUG) is a leading child rights-based organization in Uganda, that has worked in Uganda since 1959 with a range of programs spanning many technical sectors, Save the Children in Uganda has operated in the Karamoja Region since 1996 with programs in peace building and human rights, livelihoods and food security, education, child protection, and child rights governance, and HIV/AIDS. Save the children has been implementing ECHO funded Disaster Risk Reduction for the Improvement of Child Nutrition in Karamoja (DRRICNK) Project in Karamoja from November 2010. Save the children would like hire a consultant to conduct a participatory assessment of the performance on this project.

Background of Karamoja

Children in pastoralist areas of Africa are considered to be among the worlds most nutritionally vulnerable. In the Karamoja region of north-eastern Uganda, global acute malnutrition (GAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rates are routinely near or above emergency thresholds1. The majority of Karamoja is classified as highly food insecure2.

The complexity of culture, climate change and agro-pastoral conditions in Karamoja Region of northeastern Uganda present multi-faceted challenges to the food security and sustainable livelihoods of its 1.1 million people. The majority of Karimojong are agro-pastoralists whose way of life has been transformed in the last 25 to 30 years from one of relative wealth, strong community and tenable coping mechanisms in times of drought to one in which increasing numbers of households are affected by chronic poverty. Not surprisingly, emergency-level Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) rates3 are increasingly common due to prolonged drought, ethnic conflict and rising food prices. Previously viable and appropriate coping strategies have been eroded and families are increasingly locked into a cycle of shocks, negative coping mechanisms, and vulnerability. In December 2009, the overall Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) rate was 9.5% (7.8%-11.2%) and 1.8% (0.9%-2.6%) respectively. During the same period a nutritional anthropometric survey conducted by Makerere University unveiled similar results- GAM of 10.1% (9.3%-11.0%) SAM of 2.1% (1.7%-2.6%).

The hygiene and sanitation indicators for Karamoja are equally very poor, actually the poorest in the country. “A baseline survey by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reveals that hygiene conditions of homesteads is appalling, with 61.1% households littered with feaces, while the latrine coverage stands at 0.3%.

Disaster Risk Reduction for the Improvement of Child Nutrition in Karamoja (DRRICNK) Project

DRRICNK is a 14 month ECHO funded pilot project being implemented by SCiUG in (6) six sub counties in Kaabong, Nakapiripirit and Amudat districts in Karamoja Region of Uganda. DRRICNK is piloting initiatives proposed by milk matters research and those from community disaster risk reduction plans geared towards the increased availability and access to milk for children as a way of improving child nutrition in a predominantly pastoral context.

The direct beneficiaries for this project are 1440 men and women while indirect beneficiaries are children numbering 7,200. The targeted beneficiaries live in agro-pastoral and pastoral communities in Kaabong, Nakapiripirit and Amudat districts.DRRICNK Projects focus is on addressing drought related vulnerabilities that negatively impact on children’s nutrition. DRRICNK project is piloting efforts to directly address the major constraints to improving and sustaining livestock milk productivity by supporting implementation of findings from Milk Matters Karamoja, as well as community disaster management plans developed with the community in a participatory manner.

The project is being implemented both directly by SCiUG and two partners( Karamoja Dioceses Development Services(KDDS) in Amudat and Happy cow in Kaabong). This project seeks to establish and strengthen community based initiatives to reduce the impact of common disaster risks on child nutrition. It also aims at improving the health and hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices related to milk utilization for children and their families.

The Purpose of the End Term Evaluation

DRRICNK is a unique pilot project that brings together initiatives from milk matters and community led initiatives to address drought related vulnerabilities. The purpose of this study then is to determine whether the DRRICNK project has been able to attain the objectives it had set out to achieve, and why it was able or unable to achieve these and the major lessons from this project.

Objectives of the Study
 
The objectives of this study are as follows:

- To determine whether the project inputs were delivered and whether these addressed the overall objective of the project.
- Assess the relevance of the interventions in addressing the needs of Karamoja people particularly children and women
- Establish the factors that enabled and those that hampered the attainment of the set objectives.
- Determine the overall efficiency in the utilization of resources during the life of the project.
- Assess the impacts of the project on the lives of children and their community
- Determine the extent to which the project interventions influenced both internal and external stakeholders on DRR in Karamoja.
- Based on the overall findings of the study, highlight key lessons and best practices which can be replicated.

Methodology

The consultants will determine a suitable methodology responsive of data needs (which could be both qualitative and quantitative), time and distance to project sites and diverse characteristics of audiences/respondents.

Scope of Work

The consultant shall manage the study, including primary responsibility for designing the evaluation study framework and tools, acting as the lead field researcher, performing analysis and producing draft and final reports. The Consultant will drive the process necessary to bring the evaluation study to full completion and ensure both high quality and a timely submission of the final product. The Consultant shall travel to the project site in the north-eastern districts of Karamoja, to conduct the assessment over a period of 2 weeks.

The preliminary findings will be presented to relevant SCiUG staff within 1 week after data collection. Thereafter, the consultant will incorporate their views and present the final report within 7 days.

Responsibilities

This assignment will cover six Sub-Counties in the three districts of Kaabong, Amudat and Nakapiripirit. The responsibilities of the consultant are:

- Attain rapid familiarity and knowledge of SCiUG and in particular DRRICNK project
- As primary point of communication on the study, coordinate all team members and ensure that responsibilities are well delineated and clear.
- Determine all tasks necessary to conduct the evaluation and prepare study activities with support from SCiUG including development of a timeline for all tasks
- Primary responsibility for evaluation study tools development.
- Writing the evaluation study final report.
- Primary responsibility for training of research assistants to collect primary data in the field
- Consultant shall be responsible for primary management of outputs under the contract.

Supervision

The consultant shall work under the general supervision of SCiUG programme director.

Support from Save the Children

- Save the Children will recruit data collectors conversant with the project context to be trained by consultant for this study.
- Save the children will organise the venue and required materials, meals and refreshments for the data collectors training.
- Save the Children will provide transport required to undertake the field research
- SCiUG will facilitate communications and linkages with project implementation partners and other stakeholders for co-operation during the assessment phase.
- In addition to payment of professional fees, save the children will provide accommodation in the field at SCiUG pre-qualified hotel during the period of the study and meals at SCiUG rates for the consultant.

Qualifications and Experience Required for the Task

This assignment has to be undertaken by a consultant who is highly qualified and experienced in monitoring and evaluating pastoral livelihoods development and nutrition programmes. The consultant has to be a person with high level of leadership qualities to manage the team and to engage with different multiple actors in the programme area. The following knowledge and skill areas are the minimum requirements:

- A post graduate degree in social sciences, disaster management, development studies or related field
- Past experience in conducting evaluations of similar projects
- Exposure with pastoral livelihoods, nutrition in pastoral settings
- Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analytical skills.
- Demonstrated capability in report writing skills.
- Team leadership skills
- Willingness to be bound by the SCiUG Child Protection Code of Conduct
 
Deliverables and Reports

Deliverables under this consultancy will include the following:

- An inception note detailing how the consultant plans to undertake the study expected within one week of signing the contract agreement.
- Draft study tools to be agreed on with SCiUG within one week of signing the contract.
- A draft preliminary report to be presented for inputs by key staff at SCiUGfinal evaluation report providing all the information required as per these terms of reference within 10 days after the field data collection.