Request for Consultancy Service for Data Collection for Rapid Evaluation and Impact Report on the relevance of Playboxes and Community Listening Libraries

Published · Updated

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.

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

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:

  • 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,
  • Engage remote, ICT-enabled data collection systems to collect primary and secondary data,
  • Conduct data collection and complete initial data analysis as agreed through the dummy tables,
  • Deliver all data and data analysis in pre-agreed format, i.e., excel,
  • Share regular (to be agreed based on data collection plans) summaries of the data collected with AKF and the research partner, and
  • Other assets as suggested by AKF or the applicant.

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.

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

To Apply

Consultants or organizations interested in this opportunity with AKF should submit:

Technical proposal of no greater than seven pages

Proposed work plan

Proposed budget

CV of core team members

Examples of previous data collection experience

Applications should be submitted by midday EAT on 7th October 2022. Please note thatapplicants must include “Playbox and Community Library Data Collection” in the email subject line and all attached documents must be under 10 MB for consideration. Send your applications to​akfkenya.procurement@akdn.org

Criteria for selection

All submissions will be assessed on the following criteria:

Technical proposal 40%

Technical experience 30%

Value for Money 30%

AKF is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is Committed to Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Vulnerable Adults and Expects all Staff and Partners to Share this Commitment.

The Aga Khan Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org)

You may also like...