Request for consultancy service for Data collection for Rapid Evaluation & Impact Report on the relevance of Playboxes & community listening Libraries

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Introduction

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private not-for profit, non-denominational international development agencies, institutions and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia to improve the quality of life of communities in remote and resource poor areas. Globally, AKF seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill-health, with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous, coastal, and other resource-poor areas. In East Africa, AKF works with partners to improve the quality of life by promoting and developing innovative solutions to challenges of development in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Reflecting the complex and multi-faceted nature of development, AKF operates a multi-sectoral portfolio that includes programming in Education, Economic Inclusion, Civil Society, Health and Early Childhood Development.

1. Background

In 2020, AKF led a diverse consortium of partners to generate media content to elevate the importance of reading for enjoyment and learning through play. These included, but were not limited to, Night-Time Tales, Bena and Kena (both aired on NTV), and Play kits with videos and posters (See akflearninghub.org/). Based on the success and learning from these, AKF is looking to expand this partnership to increase the reach and impact of reading and play content across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In 2022, AKF will be engaging in a research study on the overall relevance and impact of the distribution of Let’s Make a Toy Play boxes to households and support to Community Listening Libraries to understand: i) the relevance, use, and efficacy of the materials provided, and ii) the impact of these interventions on networks between children, parents, teachers, and the community as they relate to children’s learning.

The Play boxes and Community Listening Libraries are located in the following geographies:

• Kenya: Mombasa and Lamu Counties
• Tanzania: Kilwa and Zanzibar
• Uganda: Arua and Yumbe Districts

1. Consultant scope of work

AKF is seeking to engage partner organizations to work as part of a diverse team to collect data and develop a research project to investigate the relevance, use, and efficacy of the household play boxes and community listening libraries to promote reading for joy and learning through play. The research will need to: i) be formative and inform the further distribution of content to households and libraries, and ii) assess the overall relevance, use, and efficacy of these interventions. The scope of work includes:

1. In collaboration with AKF and research partner, finalize data collection tools and any dummy tables to respond to the data needs, mode of data collection, and data analysis needs,
2. Engage remote, ICT-enabled data collection systems to collect primary and secondary data,
3. Conduct data collection and complete initial data analysis as agreed through the dummy tables,
4. Deliver all data and data analysis in pre-agreed format, i.e., excel,
5. Share regular (to be agreed based on data collection plans) summaries of the data collected with AKF and the research partner, and
6. Other assets as suggested by AKF or the applicant.
7. Key deliverables

At minimum, the deliverables include:

• All data collection tools developed, and all data collected through the process,
• Regular presentations on preliminary findings of data collected for each geography, and
• Finalized presentations/tables/graphics of findings to contribute to the final report evaluating overall relevance, use, and efficacy of the Play boxes and Community Listening Library interventions in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

1. Work Plan

The applicant can recommend different ways to ensure how the deliverables are achieved. However, the below timelines for are non-negotiable:

Product Date

Initial meeting on data collection and research project————————-October 2022

Presentation of data collection tools and ICT-enabled system——————–October 2022

Data collection and regular presentations of preliminary analyses by geography—–October 2022-June 2023

Submission of draft report—————————————————————————-Early June 2023

Submission of final report, presentation, and other materials—————————August 2023