Terms of Reference: Mid-Term Evaluation of the ‘Rights for Deaf Children and Families in Kenya’ Programme
- Background Context
Deaf Child Worldwide is the international development arm of the National Deaf Children’s Society in the UK. Deaf Child Worldwide works in East Africa, South Asia and Latin America by supporting local partner organisations to develop and deliver programmes with and for deaf children and their families. We aim to engage with a wide range of stakeholders to secure long-term positive change in the lives of deaf children and to enable them to access their rights to education, protection and family life.
The programme ‘Rights for Deaf Children and Families in Kenya’ is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID). The project period is 2008-13 and Year 2 of 5 has just been completed; Deaf Child Worldwide is now intending to conduct a mid-term evaluation.
The lead implementing partner in this project to date has been the Kenya Society for Deaf Children (KSDC). The project arose from KSDC pilot projects working with deaf children and their families in Nairobi and Kitui funded through Deaf Child Worldwide’s Small Grants Programme. A situation analysis was then conducted in 2007 to identify new districts and to scale up the project.
However, Deaf Child Worldwide is currently transitioning the project to a new partner in Kenya, The African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), which will take the lead responsibility for project implementation during the remaining three years. This evaluation will therefore not only serve to assess the progress made to date but will also serve to inform ANPPCAN’s strategy in forging a way forward for the successful continuation of the project.
- Evaluation Objectives
The objectives of this evaluation are:
- To assess progress against the agreed project outputs as outlined in the project proposal in relation to the situation captured in the baseline survey:
- Capacity of District personnel, incl. EARCs to develop community based support for deaf children and their families is enhanced
- 1,200 families are equipped with practical skills to communicate with their child, develop positive attitudes to deafness and understand their children’s rights.
- Parents’ support groups exist in each District
- Families use support groups to advocate for rights to education and protection at district level
- A representative national-level movement of families exists to advocate for the implementation of deaf children’s rights
- Learning from the project is documented and disseminated
- To determine the extent to which the current approach is relevant and effective, and draw lessons that can be learned and use the findings to make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the project for the remaining period.
- To identify gaps and challenges in implementation and make recommendations to address them during the remaining 3 years of the project.
It should be noted that after 2 years of project implementation, it is expected that Outputs a) and b) should be achieved, c) should be mostly achieved, whilst d), e) and f) are expected to be achieved in the remaining 3 years.
- Process and Timeframe
Deaf Child Worldwide will share all relevant documents (situation analysis, project proposal, quarterly and annual reports, baseline information and a Knowledge Attitudes and Practices Survey template) with the evaluator prior to commencing the evaluation.
It is further anticipated that the evaluation will take approximately 22 days to complete (including 16 days field work in 4 urban and rural districts of Kenya). It is further anticipated that the evaluator visits four of seven districts to achieve an overview of rural/urban and old/new project sites namely Nairobi (East/West), Kitui, Muranga and Embu. The field research is likely to be made up of observation through attendance at parents meetings, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews and meetings with a range of stakeholders.
Key stakeholders include deaf children, parents and families of deaf children, Education Assessment and Resource Centres, Ministry of Education, District Education Offices, National Children in Need Network and Nairobi Family Support Services.
The consultant will be hosted in terms of logistics by ANPPCAN and a staff member of ANPPCAN will accompany the evaluator as an observer to learn more about the project from the evaluation process.
A detailed timeframe will be agreed upon with the appointed consultant.
- Outputs
The key output of this evaluation will be a detailed evaluation report presenting the process and outcomes of the evaluation, to include an executive summary, an analysis of the work to date, and recommendations for the remaining years of the project.
A first draft should be submitted for feedback from Deaf Child Worldwide. A final draft should then be produced. This will be followed by a de-brief meeting with the Deaf Child Worldwide Director and Programme Manager for East Africa and ANPPCAN ,either by telephone or at the London office to discuss the outcomes of the evaluation.
- Consultant Skills and Experience
- Significant previous research and evaluation experience for International NGOs
- Practical experience of working within the disability and development sector at a strategic level
- Experience of working with representative movements e.g. Parents Associations / DPOs and an understanding of the role of self-advocacy in development
- Fluent in Kenya Sign Language1
- Knowledge of participatory methodology
Desirable
- Knowledge of policy framework and service provision for deaf children in Kenya
- Direct experience of working with deaf children and families in rural areas of Kenya
- Submission of Expressions of Interest
Please submit your expression of interest including full CV, letter of recommendation, proposed fee per day and a brief outline of proposed methodology for the evaluation to APPCAN at regional@anppcan.org marked ‘Expression of Interest for Kenya Mid-Term Evaluation’ by 17th September 2010.
