Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant for a Capacity Building Study in Haiti
Background
Medicines for Humanity (MFH) has been working with Congregations of Catholic Sisters across Haiti since 2000 to address maternal and child health needs across the country. We believe Sisters are dedicated agents of change in the community who provide essential health services with little resources. We have been working with committed Sisters to provide support for their health care services, improve Community Health Worker (CHW) programs and ultimately save lives of children and their mothers. We are strengthening health systems, building capacity and empowering communities around 3 clinics in the North West Department of Haiti to provide effective maternal and child health (MCH services). This current project began in October 2021 and builds on previous efforts. We are also engaged with 13 congregations across the country on the various components from MCH clinical services and programming to management strengthening to strategic sustainability planning. The Project includes an in-depth study of the impact of capacity building of providers, managers, health workers and community workers on not only their own effectiveness and productivity, but also the resulting impact on the health facility programming and services and ultimately, the health outcomes on children under five and their mothers in the surrounding communities.
Objective of the Project Agreement
MFH is seeking an experienced monitoring and evaluation consultant to support the development of a 2–3-year capacity building study and potentially support the analysis of data and contribute to creating publishable work on this research study. A key focus of the work is facilitating and leading the MFH team and its’ partners in the development of clear study protocol and tools that can be used to capture date over time on the effect of interventions. This study is an important piece in the overall M&E plan for the project, which is run by an M&E Advisor and Officer in the region. The capacity building study will require understanding the Sisters’/workers current capacity to provide MCH clinical services and programming, as well as learn how they currently manage their clinics. The project will subsequently be providing significant training and investment in clinic activities, and we must explore how this support/learning changes capacity. There is a specific focus on determining the impact of a virtual learning platform on capacity development in terms of knowledge, practice, skills and attitude. Furthermore, the study must aim to understand how the capacity development of health worker and community staff translates to service provision and programming quality. MFH is also seeking to determine how that capacity building further impacts the MCH health outcomes and indicators in the community directly. Some baseline data is already being collected; further may be required. Midline and endline evaluations will also be needed.
Ideally, this consultant will have expertise in capacity building research. This work will entail a literature review to better understand current trends, study protocols and lessons learned around capacity building research. The study may require a theoretical base with hypothesis. Next, the work will require engagement with the MFH team to facilitate the development of a comprehensive study protocol that will go through Haitian IRB approval processes and collect data for a period of 2-3 years. This may also include training of MFH staff, development of study tools and guidelines for ongoing analysis of data, as well as participating in actual analysis and writing reports and articles on research findings. The following are some plausible tasks for this Scope of Work:
Task 1: Conduct research on capacity building research and assessments utilized in low-resource settings and developing countries that could be useful for this project. This includes a literature review and review of protocols and tools utilized by other global health organizations. It will also include summarizing trends and findings in this area that may be applicable or useful to our own study design.
Deliverables:
1. A report that not only summarizes results from the literature but captures the most useful protocols and tools obtained with a summary on each and references to the author/organization. This report should also contain recommended design components for the study methodology.
2. A file containing Word or PDF versions of any capacity building assessment or data collection tools that could be useful to our own study.
Task 2: Design a capacity building study with protocols and tools for this project. Facilitate this development process with the MFH team and Sisters partners. This study will be based on an overall theory, and capture capacity building impact at the individual level, health facility level and in the community with MCH health outcomes over time. This study must be incorporated within the overall project M&E plan and should include protocol, data collection tools, IRB submission documents and a data analysis plan.
Deliverables:
1. Develop methodology for a capacity building study encased within the confines of the project in Haiti in collaboration with MFH staff and its partners.
2. Facilitate the development process.
3. Create a study protocol, data collection tools and submit for IRB approval in Haiti, along with the MFH team.
4. Identify a clear analysis plan including resources, software and requirements, roles and responsibilities for conducting the analysis and writing reports/articles/publications.
5. Assist in putting these tools into Open Data Kit (ODK) or CommCare format as needed.
Task 3: Train, mentor and engage MFH staff in Haiti and the US on the use of data collection instruments, frequency of collection, and basic analytics.
Deliverables:
6. Virtual training (with potential or in-person) with MFH staff on the assessment, collection and analysis.
7. Provision of all training tools, notes, etc. used in this process
This consultancy has the potential to expand beyond these initial stages and develop into a longer term engagement that also focuses on review and analysis of data collected, writing reports and preparing and writing articles for publication of research. After the initial stage of the consultancy is complete, we can further discuss ongoing engagement and how that might look.
Timeline
This consultancy will begin in January 2022 for approximately 3-4 months. Time required may vary and will be need to be discussed and determined with input from the consultant and MFH.