TERMS OF REFERENCE Research Consultant Qualitative and Mixed-Method Studies

1. Background

Data from 2018 indicates that in Mozambique, the completion rate of grade 5 (primary school) is 62% for boys and 65% for girls, while for 7th grade (complete primary school), the completion rate drops to 51% for boys and 45% for girls. General secondary school enrolment is only 18% for both boys and girls.

Among the various factors that contribute to school dropout are extreme poverty; menstrual hygiene and the taboo around menstruation; early pregnancy; child and forced marriages and unions (CEFM); harmful cultural practices that devalue education; and violence in the school environment, including bullying (teachers to students, students to students), and SGBV including sex for grades. In Milange, Morrumbala and Derre districts, the project’s baseline survey shows that the percentage of girls and boys aged 10 to 14 who claimed to be in school was 88% for both boy sexes. For adolescents aged 15 to 19, the percentage of school attendance dropped to 78% for boys and 49% for girls.

In general, rural areas are the most affected by this dilemma as it is where the socio-cultural and economic factors that cause school dropout are most profound. Girls, due to gender and cultural norms and systemic inequality, are typically the ones with the highest dropout rate.

In response, Save the Children (SC) is implementing a project called Reaching the Poorest: Supporting Quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Services, locally known as the Ungumi Project, with funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The ultimate goal for this 4.5-year long project is to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for rural adolescent girls and boys in and out of school across 43 communities and schools in three districts in Zambézia province (Morumbala, Derre and Milange) of Mozambique through access to gender-sensitive and age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and counselling. The project was initiated on 1 April 2018 and will conclude on 30 September, 2022.

The project seeks to measure the percentage reduction in adolescent girls’ absenteeism from school due to SGBV, CEFM, or other SRH challenges, such as Menstural Hygiene Management (MHM). In the 43 communities and schools, the Ungumi project implements various approaches with the aim of ensuring that adolescents are enrolled and remain in school. The project includes both in and out of school adolescents to ensure that all adolescents in the target areas have access to accurate, quality, age-appropriate adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) information and services.

The project has been implementing the following key activities:

· The training of student and teacher activists in the Geração Biz curriculum (SRHR activities in schools), including peer counselling.

· The installation/ strengthening of Zero Tolerance policies against all forms of violence, including SGBV, bullying, etc.

· The installation of complaints boxes and committees to review and manage the complaints.

· The establishment and training of Hygiene Committees to help manage girls’ MHM and other issues related to hygiene and sanitation in the schools.

· The distribution of emergency pads for girls who start menstruation during school hours.

· The distribution of 1,600 PeriodPanties in 6 rural schools; in all 43 schools and communities, the project has been teaching girls (and boys) how to make homemade reusable menstrual pads in order to reduce the absenteeism of girls during their menstrual periods.

· The implementation of monthly mobile SAAJ services in 19 remote schools; in 2020, these were moved to the communities (as schools were closed) and since 2021, mobile SAAJ services are being offered monthly in both schools and communities.

· The implementation of girls soccer training and tournaments in 2019, which included the integration of life skills; this activity could not be implemented in 2020 or 2021 due to the government’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Additionally, in the 43 communities, the project has been implementing a number of activities to promote school retention by addressing the myriad of pressures and challenges that adolescents face. The project’s community-based activities include:

· The establishment of mentoring groups for boys and girls (aged 10-14 and 15 to 19) to address a range of ASRHR and related issues, including staying in school.

· Working with initiation rites providers to change their messaging and practices to ensure that they promote delaying marriage, delaying sexual debut and completing school.

· Raising the awareness of parents and caregivers about the importance of children exercising their right to an education, as well as adolescents’ rights to ASRHR services so that they can prevent early pregnancies.

· The implementation of monthly mobile SAAJ services in 19 remote communities to provide ASRH services.

· The establishment of Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs), who aim to resolve cases of children who are not attending school.

Save the Children Canada (SCC) is a member of Save the Children International, a federation that works in more than 120 countries worldwide delivering programs focused on health and nutrition, education, child protection, child poverty, humanitarian response, and child rights governance. As the world’s leading independent organization for children, Save the Children’s vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

2. Purpose of the Assignment

Save the Children Canada is seeking to hire a consultant to lead two studies on the project’s impact and lessons learned around adolescent SRHR.

3. Scope of work

The Consultant will serve as the lead for two small studies conducted under Ungumi. The Consultant will work in close collaboration with the SCI-Mozambique office to develop necessary tools, team training, data collection and data entry, and analysis. While the exact scope of the studies is still under development, please see below for examples of two studies that the consultant would support.

Proposed Study

Main objective

Suggested data collection

(open to innovative methodology)

1. Impact of Ungumi interventions on primary & secondary school enrolment and retention of adolescent girls

2. Verify if school enrolment and retention rates have increased over the project period (2018, 2019, and 2021; schools were closed in 2020 due to COVID-19) in the Ungumi-supported complete primary schools compared to similar schools that are not supported by an NGO in the same districts.

3. Establish the degree of impact that the various interventions may have had on the retention of adolescent boys and girls in school (ages 10 – 19) and provide recommendations based on these findings.

4. Specifically, verify if the PeriodPanties and homemade, reusable pads had an impact on girls’ retention.

5. Desk review of 12 school records made up of 6 Ungumi-supported schools and 6 control group schools

6. 5-8 FGD per district with girls and boys (approx. 90 girls, 90 boys) or until saturation point

7. KII parents, teachers, CCPC members, school directors, community leaders (number to be determined)

8. Adolescent Satisfaction with Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Services (SAAJ) Services

9. Conduct in-depth interviews with adolescent boys and girls directly after they finish attending SAAJ consultations in health facilities, communities and schools. Discuss these results during focus group discussions with health facility SAAJ providers and health facility directors.

10. Collect recommendations that can improve SAAJ services provision.

11. Exit interview with adolescent 6 boys and 6 girls in SAAJ facilities (number to be determined)

12. 6 FGDs

13. Workshop with district health service staff to discuss challenges and opportunities to improve health services to adolescents

Roles and responsibilities of the Consultant:

· Propose a conceptual framework and methodological approach that includes mainstreams a gender lens for final approval by SCI Mozambique and SCC

· Develop data collection tools, data quality protocols and data analysis plan, with final approval by SCI Mozambique and SCC

· Ensure ethical considerations and safeguarding policies are followed as part of the overall research protocol, including guaranteeing that only female facilitators interview female interviewees and FGDs, and male facilitator interview male interviewees and FGDs – there will be no exceptions except in the case of KIIs where the interviewee is over 18 years old.

· Recruit, train, prepare and lead the research team training, with SCI Mozambique’s guidance. Consultant will be responsible for paying the salaries, per diems, , , phone credit and any other logistical costs associated with implementing the studies

· Procuring and managing the interview equipment (tablets / smartphones, laptops, recording devices) and associated costs

· Participate in all government introductory meetings, which will be arranged and facilitated by SCI Mozambique

· Oversee data collection including supervision and quality assurance; ensure that beneficiary selection criteria is clearly followed

· Maintain ongoing communication and briefings with SCI Moz and SCC to ensure key deliverables are completed as per expected timelines.

· Conduct data review to ensure data quality and consistency (preliminary checks conducted before data entry completed) on a regular basis.

· Verify, process, clean and analyze data following best practices for qualitative methods

· Write draft and final reports, incorporating feedback from SCI Moz and SCC and following the agreed timeline

Roles and Responsibilities of SCI Mozambique:

· Provide ongoing guidance and facilitation support to consultant regarding the study logistics, including arranging meetings with the government, providing a list of project communities, health facilities and schools for randomized selection of the study sites; alert community leaders about the study team in the selected communities and request their assistance for organizing the focal groups.

· Payment of accommodation for consultants in Quelimane and the districts;

· Payment of training costs (training room, feeding and piloting the tools)

· Payment of transport costs during piloting and data collection, including flights to Quelimane from Maputo.

· Review and finalize the study design, methodology and instruments once provided by the consultant.

· Train enumerators on child safeguarding and gender equality; provide a security briefing if needed

· Verify data quality as it is being uploaded each day onto the virtual site (as applicable)

· Technically support the consultant on data analysis and triangulation of findings with contextual understanding, if requested

· Review report drafts and sign off on final report

Roles and Responsibilities of SCC:

· Lead recruitment and contracting of consultant for the studies, including conducting the interviews

· Review drafts of all study instruments, including data collection guiding questions, methodology, etc and sign off on final versions

· Review and provide input into report drafts and sign off on final report

· Pay consultant based on payment schedule

4. Timeframe

The consultancy will take place over a period of two months (May 1 – June 30, 2022).

5. Qualifications and Experience of the consultant / consultancy team

· Master degree from a recognized university/global consultancy with a minimum of 8 years of experience in designing and administering research studies, collecting data and producing research reports, preferably for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies, including multi-country studies

· Demonstrated experience in qualitative study design, including overall approach and methodological rigor, applying a mixed methods approach, developing tools, developing data quality protocols and training facilitators

· Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis

· Expertise in health promotion, communications and/or behaviour change (SBCC), and demonstrated experience in designing and conducting research in these areas

· Knowledge and experience with SRHR, especially for adolescents, and family planning issues, policies and services systems, particularly in developing country contexts

· Demonstrated experience in integrating gender equality considerations across the research design, methodology, analysis and recommendations

· Fluency in English and Portuguese

· Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes

6. Competencies, Skills and Behaviours **

· Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to develop strong working relationships across cultural and organizational boundaries with internal and external stakeholders;

· Superior English writing skills;

· Strong organization and project management skills, with the ability to work within tight deadlines and time pressures;

· Critical thinking and analytical skills.