Summary
Date Posted: Monday, November 22, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Call for Consultant
Strong Bodies, Strong Minds Midline Evaluation
Consultant terms of Reference
Overview:
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is seeking the services of a Zambia-based consultant to carry out qualitative data collection for evaluation of a sport-based mental wellbeing programme for youth living with HIV (YLHIV). The consultant will complete midline data collection for a mixed-methods evaluation on the integration of mental health within SRHR programming and its contribution to adherence outcomes among YLHIV. The consultancy will range from November 2021 to March 2022.

Background on GRS:
Grassroot Soccer Zambia (GRS) is a local Zambian adolescent health organisation that brings deep experience in community-led sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and mental well-being programmes, bridging the gap between young people and their families and the public health system. Founded in Lusaka in 2005, GRS is a registered nonprofit with a local board reaches over 25,000 youth (+60% adolescent girls and young women) ages 9-24 across nine provinces each year (Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern, and Western Provinces). GRS’s experience in adolescent health and well-being spans HIV and GBV prevention, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) support, HIV continuity of care, family planning, mental health, positive youth development (PYD), ending child marriage, and community mobilisation. In its 16 years of community and facility-based programming, including nearly a decade of programming specifically targeting youth living with HIV (YLHIV), GRS has established relationships with public and private sector partners, health clinics, schools, communities, and families across 24 districts within the eight provinces, which makes GRS uniquely positioned to continue to build trust with youth, gain their perspective, gather and disseminate quality evidence, and inform and improve SRH and broader health outcomes for youth across Zambia.

Project Background and Context:
In Zambia, like many other countries faced with a high HIV burden, existing gaps in mental health programming pose challenges in achieving adherence outcomes for youth living with HIV (YLWHIV). GRS in partnership with Strong Minds Zambia (SMZ) is implementing a three-year (2020-2023) Comic Relief-funded project titled “Strong Bodies, Strong Minds in Lusaka and Eastern Provinces of Zambia.” Project beneficiaries includes YLWHIV, family members, service providers, and community and national stakeholders working in the Mental Health landscape in Zambia.

In 2018, at the request of the Ministry of Health (MoH), GRS and SMZ proactively developed a partnership to combine respective expertise in adolescent SRHR and MH. SMZ delivers MH care using Interpersonal Psychotherapy Group (IPT-G), endorsed by WHO as a possible first-line treatment for depression in developing settings. SMZ has observed the overwhelming need for this work among youths in Lusaka and that IPT-G is highly effective among this group. GRS and SMZ recognise this partnership as an opportunity for true integration of each evidence-based models given their promising complementarity, as well as to build the evidence base for scaling MH programming via existing adolescent SRHR programmes. This integrated approach will combine GRS and SMZ’s evidence-based models to deliver an integrated package of MH, antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence support, and SRHR and well-being information and services specifically tailored for YLWHIV.

GRS has demonstrated the impact of the SKILLZ Plus Programme to support YLWHIV to adhere to treatment and maintain viral load suppression. Developed in Lusaka, the programme has scaled to Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Malawi and graduated more than 5131 YLWHIV since 2012. A study in Zambia found 90% of participants remained in treatment throughout the program and were 62% more likely to adhere to treatment than the control group. However, participant and Coach feedback has highlighted an urgent need to provide concurrent MH support to YLWHIV to holistically address their needs.

Tested and refined over five years, SMZ’s cost-effective group talk therapy model for women and youth transforms their psychological health, economic wellbeing, and the lives of their families. With its IPT-G model, SMZ has reached 50,000 women in Africa with +75% depression-free at the end of IPTG and equipped to overcome future MH challenges.
The evaluator is expected to collect qualitative data for the midline point of the evaluation from a variety of project stakeholders. This includes focus group discussions with community members, key informant interviews with health facility staff, in-depth interviews with YLWHIV participants in the program, and key informant interviews with provincial level stakeholders.

Evaluation Approach and Objectives:
The primary aim guiding the mixed methods evaluation is to evaluate the sport-based SRHR and mental health support programme for YLWHIV in improving ART adherence and other key mental health and SRHR outcomes.

For this consultancy, the evaluator will focus on the bolded objectives:
The specific objectives include:
1)Assess feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and sustainability of the integrated model
a) Assess intervention effects on adolescent assets, focusing on life skills and resilience of YLWHIV to maintain good MH and adherence to ART into adulthood
i) Assess effects of the SKILLZ Plus integrated SRH and MH intervention, as well as the IPT-G intervention for YLWHIV with depressive symptoms
b) Examine YLWHIV perceptions of and attitudes towards the quality and youth-friendliness of MH, HIV and SRHR services.
c) Describe key factors contributing to adherence to ART for YLWHIV, including triangulation of routine, self-report data on ART adherence with clinical registers
d) Explore service providers’, community- and family-level awareness, stigma, and support for YLWHIV in relation to MH, HIV & SRHR challenges.
2) Assess the scalability of the integrated model
a) Identify factors in the enabling environment contributing to improved MH service provision for youth at provincial and national levels
b) Describe the perceptions of and coordination amongst key stakeholders including TWG members, service providers, and policy makers.

Scope of Evaluation Consultancy:
• Lead evaluation activities in collaboration with GRS and StrongMinds teams, including:
• Support preparation and submission of Institutional Review Board (IRB) application, including:
• Ethical procedures (parental consent and youth assent tools)
• Evaluation protocol
• Qualitative methods and tools – adaptation and revision of baseline tools as needed
• Train and mentor GRS Coaches as research assistants/data collectors
• Guide and oversee data collection for midline phase
• Appropriately manage data according to guidance from GRS
• Analyse qualitative data sources using an appropriate software package.
• Prepare Midline Evaluation Report

Proposed Deliverable Schedule:
Activities & Outputs/Timelines
Submission of proposal – 3rd December 2021
Notification of selected consultant – 10th December 2021
Contracting & onboarding – 15th December 2021
Preparation of ethics submission including protocol, data collection tools, consent forms -17th December 2021
Data collection -January 2022
Submission of draft report – 4th February 2022
Submission of final report – 14th February 2022

The evaluator is expected to conduct relevant sub-activities for these deliverables, which may include but are not limited to:
• Desk review of key documents
• Initial training and ongoing mentoring of field teams
• Incorporating comments and revising midline evaluation report
• Submission of final report

Evaluation Team Composition & Competencies:
Competencies
• Programme design, including monitoring and evaluation
• Mixed methods research and data analysis
• Mentorship of young investigators
• Collaborative work with multicultural teams

Qualifications
• Successful candidates must have an advanced university degree(s) in social sciences, public health, or a related field and an understanding of international development and health programming
Experience
• Previous experience undertaking complex program evaluations
• Ability to work independently and within tight, evolving timelines
• Knowledge and understanding of adolescent health and development, including mental health and wellbeing
• Prior experience evaluating adolescent health and/or SRHR programmes in Southern Africa
Experience with mental health and/or sport for development sector is desirable

Submission Requirements:
• Outline of evaluation framework: proposed summary description of data collection procedures, reporting schedules, details on quality assurance and the approach for completing the deliverables within the timeframe.
• Proposed evaluation budget: This should be inclusive of all fees and expenses.
• CVs of the evaluator(s) for the consultancy
• Evidence/examples of evaluation experience and writing samples for each team member proposed.
• Referees (2)

Budget and Management of the Evaluation
The total amount available for the evaluation is ZMW230,000. Proposals must account for related costs such as travel, materials and 15% Withholding Tax.

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

Job application procedure
Please submit proposals to: Devyn Lee, Research Officer, dlee@grassrootsoccer.org

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