Terms of Reference – Baseline Survey for the MWACODEP Program in Kanduku TA, Mwanza District, Malawi

Consultancies

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Terms of Reference

Baseline Survey for the MWACODEP Program in Kanduku TA, Mwanza District, Malawi

1.0 BACKGROUND

1.1 World Neighbors

World Neighbors (WN) is an international development organization incorporated in 1952 in the US. WN works in Asia, Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean, and its mission is to inspire people and strengthen communities to find lasting solutions to hunger, poverty and disease and to promote a healthy environment. The essence of WN’s work is to foster the emergence and strengthen the capacity of local organizations to engage in wider collective action for sustainable positive social change. WN supports local partner organizations and communities to analyze their own situations, strengthen their capacities to undertake a range of complementary and reinforcing activities, and effectively utilize their assets to drive their own development agenda.

WN employs a participatory, people-centered, holistic and evolutionary approach to development. Its programs are founded on the understanding that local people are principally responsible for their own development and that participatory approaches are the most effective tools in broadbased and lasting development practices. WN’s development approach is based on an appreciation of community assets, a commitment to local ownership and sustainability, and the promotion of action and inter-institutional learning for increased program impact.

Based on its experience, WN employs a distinct five-stage development model aimed at enabling communities to fully assume responsibility for their own development. The aim is to facilitate and support program communities to take ownership of the initiated interventions and drive them further without continued external financial support. This results in the emergence of strong, community-based structures to continue with and expand the development initiatives long after WN has transitioned out of the area.

1.2 The MWACODEP Program in Mwanza District

World Neighbors commenced the program exploration exercise for Malawi in April 2022. Discussions were held with the heads of the relevant government departments in Lilongwe after which a decision was made to focus the attention in the Lower Region of Malawi because of its poor development indicators. World Neighbors works with the poor and marginalized communities in the countries where we are present, so Southern Malawi was considered a potential site. Intensive exploration was launched in the Southern Region by meeting district heads as well as  community groups in various villages and other development organizations. It was after these exploratory activities that a decision was made to initiate the program in Mwanza District. Mwanza District has three Traditional Authority (TA) Areas, namely Nthache, Govati and Kanduku.  One of World Neighbors program principles is to start small before later expanding the intervention area. Hence, only one TA was to be chosen for the initial program intervention. Therefore, after literature review, discussions with district government staff, and field visits to the villages, it was decided to choose Kanduku TA for program inauguration. Kanduku has seven Group Villages, namely Zivaya, Kunenekude, Kanduku, Nchotseni, Mulongolora, Thambala, and Tulonkhondo. The program could not start in all the seven Group Villages. After further analysis, a decision was made to start with four Group Villages: Mulongolora, Nchotseni, Kunenekude and Kanduku, which are spatially contiguous.

Various program foundational activities have been completed. The community has formed and registered an umbrella organization known as the Mwanza Development Organization (MDO) which has a constitution and a leadership structure. A stakeholders’ workshop and an Asset Based Community-driven Development (ABCD) exercise have also been undertaken. The program to be implemented, known as the Mwanza Community Development Program (MWACODEP), is in place with a program implementation team (PIT), various sectoral committees and a Community Facilitator (CF) to manage the day-to-day operations of the program. Activity implementation has commenced and the annual work plan and budget for the fiscal year 2024/2025 has been approved and commenced on July 1, 2024 and will run up to June 30, 2025.

2.0 THE PURPOSE AND SCOPE

WN is seeking to hire a Consultant to carry out a baseline survey in Kanduku Traditional Authority (TA) where the program is to be implemented. The objective is to gather relevant baseline information for key program indicators based on WN’s five-stage development model (see attached outline). Data will be gathered on the program’s long-term goals based on WN thematic areas of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods (SARL); Community and Reproductive Health (CRH); Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM); and incorporating the transversal themes of gender equity, HIV/AIDS, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The data will provide benchmarks for measuring the program’s progress over time and the impact at the end. Hence, the baseline information collected at the outset will support monitoring and evaluating the progress and impact of the program over its life-span.

The components of the baseline study are as outlined below.

  1. The physical characteristics of the area and the natural resource base
    • Physical features
    • Soils
    • Vegetation
    • Water resources
    • Other natural resources
  2. The demographic, social and economic characteristics of the community
    • Household composition and structure
    • Demographics
    • Income and expenditure patterns (i.e. local economic analysis)
    • Educational enrolment
    • Literacy rates
    • Social capital (i.e. organizations and groupings)
    • Gender issues
  3. The economic base
    • Crop production
    • Livestock husbandry
    • Fisheries
    • Food security status
    • Value addition, value chains and marketing
    • Income sources
  4. Health issues

Community health (situational analysis)

  • Prevalent diseases
  • Access to health services
  • Health seeking behaviour
  • HIV prevalence
  • Morbidity and mortality rates
  • Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Reproductive health (situational analysis)  Maternal and infant mortality
  • Fertility rates, child spacing, etc.
  • Pre-natal and post-natal scenarios
  • Vaccination and immunization coverage Nutrition
  • Nutritional security
  • Malnutrition rates among children
  • Stunting and under-weight rates among children under 5 years
  1. Capacity of community organizations
    • Number and types of community organizations
    • Organizational structures and decision making
    • Governance structures and systems: constitution, bylaws, etc.
    • Program management: planning, budgeting, financial management, reporting, documentation
    • Capacities of the groups (skills and knowledge)
    • Networking, collaboration, participation in various forums, etc.
  2. Stakeholder mapping
    • Government departments and current (and past) development programs
    • Non-governmental organizations active in the area and their thematic areas of focus
    • Private enterprises, including microfinance institutions
    • Existing forums, networks and platforms

The specific objectives of the baseline survey are to establish and assess the following:

  1. The current capacities (organizational and technical) of community-based groups
  2. Key social, economic and demographic characteristics of the community
  3. Main aspects of community empowerment, especially of women, youth and vulnerable groups
  4. Natural resource base: its utilization and management
  5. Current agricultural practices and output (crops, livestock, and fisheries)
  6. Health status of the community, including the healthcare services and systems
  7. Gender issues and their implications for inclusive program implementation and success
  8. Livelihood opportunities and sources of income
  9. Existing stakeholders in the program area (TA and district levels) in respect of the potential for partnerships and synergies with a view to avoiding duplication and conflicts in the development interventions

3.0 THE METHODOLOGY

The Consultant will be expected to clearly articulate the methodology to be used in conducting the baseline study. The study design and methodology will be discussed and agreed upon before the commencement of the consultancy.

4.0 THE TASKS AND OUTPUTS 4.1 Tasks

  1. Review program documents and understand WN development approach
  2. Develop the baseline survey framework (including tools for data collection, processing and analysis, the proposed budget, and the timeline for the activity)
  3. Field test the baseline survey tools
  4. Undertake field data collection
  5. Analyze the data
  6. Organize and facilitate a workshop to disseminate the preliminary findings
  7. Produce the final baseline survey report

4.2 Outputs

  1. All raw data (quantitative data files, transcripts of Focus Group Discussions, etc.)
  2. The dissemination workshop report
  3. Baseline survey report (three bound copies and an electronic copy)

5.0 THE FINAL REPORT

The final report, written in English, should include:

  1. Title page
  2. Table of contents
  3. List of abbreviations and acronyms
  4. Executive summary
  5. Introduction
  6. Context (describing the program, location, etc.)
  7. Methodology and scope
  8. Findings and Analysis (baseline information including a monitoring, evaluation and learning matrix)
  9. Recommendations Annexes:
    1. Terms of reference
    2. List of people and organizations consulted
    3. References / List of documents reviewed
    4. Data collection tools used
    5. Additional methodological information if required (e.g. more detailed information on sampling)
    6. Full data tables of all quantitative results (if relevant but not already included in the main report)
    7. Additional maps, photos or more detailed case studies if available
    8. The survey timeline used

THE PRELIMINARIES AND LOGISTICS

The duration

The survey should not take more than  30 working days from the date of signing the consultancy contract and end with the submission of an acceptable report.

The qualifications and skills of the Consultant

  1. Masters degree in Rural/Community Development, Agriculture, Public Health, Social Sciences, International Development or equivalents. Training in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) will be an added advantage.
  2. Experience in community development and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
  3. Proven experience in conducting baseline studies
  4. Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills
  5. Excellent report writing skills
  6. Proficiency in English, and the local language (i.e. Chichewa)

The application procedure

Interested Consultants should submit an expression of interest, which should include the following:

  1. Cover letter indicating the applicant’s ability to undertake the assignment
  2. The methodology to be used in the survey
  3. The proposed activity schedule/work plan with time frame
  4. A detailed financial proposal with itemized cost estimates
  5. A detailed curriculum vitae of the lead consultant and other staff (if necessary). If more than one Consultant will be involved, clearly identify the lead consultant
  6. Recent example of a similar baseline study undertaken by the applicant (where possible)

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

All applications must be received by September 28, 2024 and addressed to:

The Regional Director,

World Neighbors,

Marsabit Plaza, Second Floor, Ngong Road,

P.O. Box 14728 – 00800

NAIROBI, Kenya

Email: infonairobi@wn.org

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