World Vision Baseline Survey
Terms of Reference (ToR)
Afghanistan Food for Education (FFE) V
Baseline Survey
June 2012
I Program Description
World Vision Afghanistan has been awarded a two year United States Department of Agriculture school feeding program (March 2012 – March 2014). The program will be implemented in two provinces of Badghis and Ghor and will be focusing on four objectives namely:
Increase enrolment and attendance rates, especially among girls, through the provision of monthly take home rations
Improve student and teacher achievement by training teachers, providing school supplies, and improving infrastructure
Improve maternal, child, and student health and nutrition by providing information, first aid kits, Vitamin C and Oral Re-hydration Salts (ORS), and Early Childhood Care and Development spaces
Encourage community development through outreach programs
The project will target school children of grades 1-4; with a total of 69,693 students and 76,662 benefiting in years 1 & 2 respectively. All students enrolled in the selected schools will receive monthly Take Home Rations (THR) tagged on 75% school attendance. In addition, the same students will be supported with school kits that will be supplied twice a year both at the beginning and end of school year. Other food assistance will go towards 4,744 teachers and 1,321 school support personnel as a salary supplement to encourage staff retention
Support activities to improve school performance and project effectiveness will involve facilitation to the Ministry of Education (MoE) to conduct In Service Education Training (INSET I & II). The project will also support infrastructural improvements through small grants that will awarded to Education Defense Committees (EDCs) contingent on development of School Improvement Plans (SIP). Finally the project will create Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCDs) spaces which will serve a dual role of learning centers for preschool children as well as meeting points for mothers to learn about improved Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) practices.
II Purpose of the Baseline Study
The purpose of this study is to establish benchmarks for project performance indicators against which project success will be measured at the end of the project. Specifically the baseline will serve the following purposes:
Determine the baseline values of key outcome indicators
Collect data comparable to final evaluation to determine degree of change on outcome indicators between baseline and final evaluation
Help establish/validate annual and end of project targets for the same indicators in the project Performance Management Plan (PMP).
III Survey Design
It is expected that the consultant proposes an overall research design with a mixed data collection approach (quantitative and qualitative) to address the evaluation questions and a plan for collecting and analyzing the data. Among suggested data collection methods are:
(1) Review of literature and analysis of relevant documents;
(2) In-depth interviews with key informants;
(3) Focus group discussions (FGD); and
(4) Survey of program participants/institutions
USDA Monitoring and Evaluation policy emphasizes the need for using quasi experimental or experimental study designs. World Vision would propose the use of the latter approach with clear control groups for purposes of attribution (cause-effect) of outcomes to the project interventions. To this end the consultant will work with the World Vision Afghanistan (WVA) project team to select a few control communities that will be studied at the baseline, midterm and final evaluation alongside the project beneficiaries.
The Consultant will review the field manual that was used during the previous phases of a similar project and translate the same into Dari to provide guidance enumerators about all aspects of the study including indicator definitions, respondent selection, and key points pertaining to collection of data. Data collection instruments will be designed prior to enumerator training and will be fully tested in the field as part of the enumerator training before finalizing it.
Additionally the consultant is expected to propose a detailed sampling strategy that will be used for selection of respondents complete with sample size calculation. The strategy will then be finalized in consultation with the WVA before commencement of the study.
Participation of a wide cross-section of key stakeholders will be an essential part of the study including but not limited to the following:
? Program beneficiaries and participants
? Community volunteers and field facilitators
? WVA Program and Technical Officers
? Ministry of Education officers
? Local government entities
? Partner NGOs
? Relevant in-country technical institutions and universities.
IV Indicators to be measured
Indicators to be measured at baseline are selected directly from the project Performance Management Plan (see table below)
Indicator Target Population
1. % increase in school enrollment (boys/girls) School children grades 1-4
2. % increase in school attendance (boys/girls) School children grades 1-4
3. % survival rate (boys/girls entering grade 1 who reach grade 3) School children grades 1-4
4. % increase in annual promotion rates (boys/girls enrolled in a given year that get promoted to the next grade) School children grades 1-4
5. % increase continuation rate (boys/girls enrolled in a given year who continue enrollment the next year) School children grades 1-4
6. % of target school with adequate school supplies School teachers/administrators
7. % of schools with printed materials to support literacy and numeracy instruction School teachers/administrators
8. % of teachers in target schools receiving training Teachers in selected schools
9. % of teachers in target schools who demonstrate a threshold number of quality teaching techniques and methods Teachers in selected schools
10. % of trained school administrators in target schools who can identify/demonstrate a threshold number of administration techniques/tools School administrators of selected schools
11. % of parents surveyed who recognize the importance of their children attending school Population based (All households within the two project districts
12. % of participating schools implementing health and nutrition education for students School teachers/administrators
13. % of participating schools with Vitamin C and ORS School teachers/administrators
14. % of schools where parents provide labor for school repairs, storage, transportation and cooking places School teachers/administrators/parents
15. % of schools with parent groups that play a defined role in management School teachers/administrators/parents
16. % of schools with functioning EDCs that promote education quality assurance School teachers/administrators/parents
17. % of parents who participate directly in activities that support education improvement in local schools School teachers/administrators/parents
V Composition of the Evaluation Team
Composition of the Evaluation Team will mirror the diverse technical program areas of the project. It is desired that a two person team one an international consultant the other a local consultant. It is important that the team members have broad experience and expertise in the following areas:
• Food programming particularly Food for Education
• Education
• Maternal Child Health and Nutrition
• Capacity building
• Gender issues
The Team Leader, should be conversant with FFE programming and with prior experience in evaluating similar multi-sectoral programs. He or She should have at least seven years of food security programs/FFE experience as well as at least five years evaluation experience (using both quantitative and qualitative methods). He/she will be responsible for planning the study, coordinating the implementation thereof, assigning responsibilities and tasks, and authoring the report, in particular findings, conclusions and recommendations. He/she must be fluent in both English and Dari.
The other consultant’s expertise should complement the team’s leader profile to ensure that all areas of expertise required for the evaluation are effectively covered.
VI Responsibilities and Tasks
Proposed activity Responsible person/entity
Review of documents (Proposal, agreements, USDA M&E policy etc) Consulting team
Propose, present, and discuss survey design including tools, field manual and methodology to project team. Also propose report outline. Team Leader
Train survey supervisors and enumerators Consulting team
Coordinate and Supervise data collection Field supervisors
Conduct data processing and analysis using appropriate test statistics (Suggested ones: SPSS, SMART, and stata) Consulting team
Give verbal debriefing on preliminary findings Lead Consultant
Incorporate comments and submit final report Lead consultant
Submit all survey and field instruments (completed questionnaires, electronic version of data, training manual, and field work logs Lead consultant
Manage logistics (vehicles, recruit enumerators/supervisors, translators, accommodation, provide office space, printing, publicity campaigns, sampling frame, translate survey instruments), WVA
VII Deliverables
The consulting team will submit or produce the following documents:
• A plan that will include the overall study design, methods for sampling, data collection, cleaning and analysis.
• Survey tools for both quantitative and qualitative studies
• Revised field manual, data entry training manual and other instruments
• A plan for the supervisor and enumerator training
• Data analysis plan
• First draft report for review
• Final draft reports to include the confidence intervals for all the indicators
• Power point presentation to stakeholders
• Electronic copies of the final evaluation report and all the survey documents (instruments/field manual).
• Electronic copies of clean data sets with variables and value labels
VIII Tentative timeline
TASK Dates Number of working days
Final scope of work By July 8th 3
Hiring of the Evaluation Team By July 15th 5
Documents review By July 19th 2
Evaluation protocols (including detailed methodology, analysis plan and budget submitted for review by WVUS/WVA By July 22nd 3
Evaluation tools finalized/ and Hiring of Enumerators By July 29th 5
Enumerator & Supervisors training and field pilot By August 6th 5
Data collection By August 13th 5
Data Cleaning and Analysis By August 20th 5
Presentation of preliminary findings By August 24th 1
Draft report By August 27th 4
Final Baseline report By September 3rd 5
TOTAL 35
IX. Expression of Interest
The proposal, or Terms of Reference, should include the following:
i. Proposal detailing how the consultant intends to conduct the study/description of approach
ii. Team structure and the role of each team member
iii. Detailed methodology and work plan to accomplish these ToR;
iv. Curriculum Vitae;
v. Samples of the two most recent study reports authored by the consultant
vi. An indication of timing to carry out the work, and;
vii. Detailed budget/budget narrative with estimated payment schedule.
Please indicate your level of experience in the following disciplines:
Participatory approaches, community based approaches, Leading teams, Project management for NGOs in international development, in depth knowledge and practical experience with FFE M&E systems, management skills, cross cultural communication skills, writing skills, gender integration, MCHN.
Please note that consultants are to submit a budget with compensation based on salary history, and they should include all anticipated costs and in-country expenses. Consultants may book their own travel or use WVUS travel services for economy class airfare to and from Afghanistan. All in-country logistics, such as hotel accommodation, transportation, meals and translation services, will be provided by WVA. Consultants are expected to bring their own laptop computers.
X. Criteria for consultant selection
Senior staff from WVA and WVUS will select the Evaluation Team.
Number Description Weight
1 Work experience in developing countries or Asia region 15
2 Suitable evaluation experience with FFE programs 25
3 Proposed work plan 10
4 Writing and presentation skills (Communication) 30
5 Total proposed consultancy cost 10
6 Academic qualification of core team 10
Total 100
Job Email id: fmccray(at)worldvision.org
Afghanistan Food for Education (FFE) V
Baseline Survey
June 2012
I Program Description
World Vision Afghanistan has been awarded a two year United States Department of Agriculture school feeding program (March 2012 – March 2014). The program will be implemented in two provinces of Badghis and Ghor and will be focusing on four objectives namely:
Increase enrolment and attendance rates, especially among girls, through the provision of monthly take home rations
Improve student and teacher achievement by training teachers, providing school supplies, and improving infrastructure
Improve maternal, child, and student health and nutrition by providing information, first aid kits, Vitamin C and Oral Re-hydration Salts (ORS), and Early Childhood Care and Development spaces
Encourage community development through outreach programs
The project will target school children of grades 1-4; with a total of 69,693 students and 76,662 benefiting in years 1 & 2 respectively. All students enrolled in the selected schools will receive monthly Take Home Rations (THR) tagged on 75% school attendance. In addition, the same students will be supported with school kits that will be supplied twice a year both at the beginning and end of school year. Other food assistance will go towards 4,744 teachers and 1,321 school support personnel as a salary supplement to encourage staff retention
Support activities to improve school performance and project effectiveness will involve facilitation to the Ministry of Education (MoE) to conduct In Service Education Training (INSET I & II). The project will also support infrastructural improvements through small grants that will awarded to Education Defense Committees (EDCs) contingent on development of School Improvement Plans (SIP). Finally the project will create Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCDs) spaces which will serve a dual role of learning centers for preschool children as well as meeting points for mothers to learn about improved Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) practices.
II Purpose of the Baseline Study
The purpose of this study is to establish benchmarks for project performance indicators against which project success will be measured at the end of the project. Specifically the baseline will serve the following purposes:
Determine the baseline values of key outcome indicators
Collect data comparable to final evaluation to determine degree of change on outcome indicators between baseline and final evaluation
Help establish/validate annual and end of project targets for the same indicators in the project Performance Management Plan (PMP).
III Survey Design
It is expected that the consultant proposes an overall research design with a mixed data collection approach (quantitative and qualitative) to address the evaluation questions and a plan for collecting and analyzing the data. Among suggested data collection methods are:
(1) Review of literature and analysis of relevant documents;
(2) In-depth interviews with key informants;
(3) Focus group discussions (FGD); and
(4) Survey of program participants/institutions
USDA Monitoring and Evaluation policy emphasizes the need for using quasi experimental or experimental study designs. World Vision would propose the use of the latter approach with clear control groups for purposes of attribution (cause-effect) of outcomes to the project interventions. To this end the consultant will work with the World Vision Afghanistan (WVA) project team to select a few control communities that will be studied at the baseline, midterm and final evaluation alongside the project beneficiaries.
The Consultant will review the field manual that was used during the previous phases of a similar project and translate the same into Dari to provide guidance enumerators about all aspects of the study including indicator definitions, respondent selection, and key points pertaining to collection of data. Data collection instruments will be designed prior to enumerator training and will be fully tested in the field as part of the enumerator training before finalizing it.
Additionally the consultant is expected to propose a detailed sampling strategy that will be used for selection of respondents complete with sample size calculation. The strategy will then be finalized in consultation with the WVA before commencement of the study.
Participation of a wide cross-section of key stakeholders will be an essential part of the study including but not limited to the following:
? Program beneficiaries and participants
? Community volunteers and field facilitators
? WVA Program and Technical Officers
? Ministry of Education officers
? Local government entities
? Partner NGOs
? Relevant in-country technical institutions and universities.
IV Indicators to be measured
Indicators to be measured at baseline are selected directly from the project Performance Management Plan (see table below)
Indicator Target Population
1. % increase in school enrollment (boys/girls) School children grades 1-4
2. % increase in school attendance (boys/girls) School children grades 1-4
3. % survival rate (boys/girls entering grade 1 who reach grade 3) School children grades 1-4
4. % increase in annual promotion rates (boys/girls enrolled in a given year that get promoted to the next grade) School children grades 1-4
5. % increase continuation rate (boys/girls enrolled in a given year who continue enrollment the next year) School children grades 1-4
6. % of target school with adequate school supplies School teachers/administrators
7. % of schools with printed materials to support literacy and numeracy instruction School teachers/administrators
8. % of teachers in target schools receiving training Teachers in selected schools
9. % of teachers in target schools who demonstrate a threshold number of quality teaching techniques and methods Teachers in selected schools
10. % of trained school administrators in target schools who can identify/demonstrate a threshold number of administration techniques/tools School administrators of selected schools
11. % of parents surveyed who recognize the importance of their children attending school Population based (All households within the two project districts
12. % of participating schools implementing health and nutrition education for students School teachers/administrators
13. % of participating schools with Vitamin C and ORS School teachers/administrators
14. % of schools where parents provide labor for school repairs, storage, transportation and cooking places School teachers/administrators/parents
15. % of schools with parent groups that play a defined role in management School teachers/administrators/parents
16. % of schools with functioning EDCs that promote education quality assurance School teachers/administrators/parents
17. % of parents who participate directly in activities that support education improvement in local schools School teachers/administrators/parents
V Composition of the Evaluation Team
Composition of the Evaluation Team will mirror the diverse technical program areas of the project. It is desired that a two person team one an international consultant the other a local consultant. It is important that the team members have broad experience and expertise in the following areas:
• Food programming particularly Food for Education
• Education
• Maternal Child Health and Nutrition
• Capacity building
• Gender issues
The Team Leader, should be conversant with FFE programming and with prior experience in evaluating similar multi-sectoral programs. He or She should have at least seven years of food security programs/FFE experience as well as at least five years evaluation experience (using both quantitative and qualitative methods). He/she will be responsible for planning the study, coordinating the implementation thereof, assigning responsibilities and tasks, and authoring the report, in particular findings, conclusions and recommendations. He/she must be fluent in both English and Dari.
The other consultant’s expertise should complement the team’s leader profile to ensure that all areas of expertise required for the evaluation are effectively covered.
VI Responsibilities and Tasks
Proposed activity Responsible person/entity
Review of documents (Proposal, agreements, USDA M&E policy etc) Consulting team
Propose, present, and discuss survey design including tools, field manual and methodology to project team. Also propose report outline. Team Leader
Train survey supervisors and enumerators Consulting team
Coordinate and Supervise data collection Field supervisors
Conduct data processing and analysis using appropriate test statistics (Suggested ones: SPSS, SMART, and stata) Consulting team
Give verbal debriefing on preliminary findings Lead Consultant
Incorporate comments and submit final report Lead consultant
Submit all survey and field instruments (completed questionnaires, electronic version of data, training manual, and field work logs Lead consultant
Manage logistics (vehicles, recruit enumerators/supervisors, translators, accommodation, provide office space, printing, publicity campaigns, sampling frame, translate survey instruments), WVA
VII Deliverables
The consulting team will submit or produce the following documents:
• A plan that will include the overall study design, methods for sampling, data collection, cleaning and analysis.
• Survey tools for both quantitative and qualitative studies
• Revised field manual, data entry training manual and other instruments
• A plan for the supervisor and enumerator training
• Data analysis plan
• First draft report for review
• Final draft reports to include the confidence intervals for all the indicators
• Power point presentation to stakeholders
• Electronic copies of the final evaluation report and all the survey documents (instruments/field manual).
• Electronic copies of clean data sets with variables and value labels
VIII Tentative timeline
TASK Dates Number of working days
Final scope of work By July 8th 3
Hiring of the Evaluation Team By July 15th 5
Documents review By July 19th 2
Evaluation protocols (including detailed methodology, analysis plan and budget submitted for review by WVUS/WVA By July 22nd 3
Evaluation tools finalized/ and Hiring of Enumerators By July 29th 5
Enumerator & Supervisors training and field pilot By August 6th 5
Data collection By August 13th 5
Data Cleaning and Analysis By August 20th 5
Presentation of preliminary findings By August 24th 1
Draft report By August 27th 4
Final Baseline report By September 3rd 5
TOTAL 35
IX. Expression of Interest
The proposal, or Terms of Reference, should include the following:
i. Proposal detailing how the consultant intends to conduct the study/description of approach
ii. Team structure and the role of each team member
iii. Detailed methodology and work plan to accomplish these ToR;
iv. Curriculum Vitae;
v. Samples of the two most recent study reports authored by the consultant
vi. An indication of timing to carry out the work, and;
vii. Detailed budget/budget narrative with estimated payment schedule.
Please indicate your level of experience in the following disciplines:
Participatory approaches, community based approaches, Leading teams, Project management for NGOs in international development, in depth knowledge and practical experience with FFE M&E systems, management skills, cross cultural communication skills, writing skills, gender integration, MCHN.
Please note that consultants are to submit a budget with compensation based on salary history, and they should include all anticipated costs and in-country expenses. Consultants may book their own travel or use WVUS travel services for economy class airfare to and from Afghanistan. All in-country logistics, such as hotel accommodation, transportation, meals and translation services, will be provided by WVA. Consultants are expected to bring their own laptop computers.
X. Criteria for consultant selection
Senior staff from WVA and WVUS will select the Evaluation Team.
Number Description Weight
1 Work experience in developing countries or Asia region 15
2 Suitable evaluation experience with FFE programs 25
3 Proposed work plan 10
4 Writing and presentation skills (Communication) 30
5 Total proposed consultancy cost 10
6 Academic qualification of core team 10
Total 100
Job Email id: fmccray(at)worldvision.org
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