Local Consultant for the Baseline Evaluation of the STRIDES Project Consultancy NEW

Introduction

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), established by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1967. AKF is a private, not-for-profit international development agency that seeks to provide long-term solutions to society’s problems. AKF brings together human, financial, and technical resources to address challenges faced by the poorest and most marginalized communities in the world. AKF has a special focus on investing in human potential, expanding opportunity, and improving the overall quality of life, especially for women and girls, primarily in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia to improve the quality of life of communities in remote and resource poor areas. In Kenya, AKF works with partners to improve the quality of life by promoting and developing innovative solutions to challenges of development. Reflecting the complex and multi-faceted nature of development, AKF programmes in Kenya encompasses Agriculture and Food Security, Civil Society, Climate Resilience, Early Childhood Development, Education, Health and Nutrition, and, Work and Enterprise.

About STRIDES Project

STRIDES for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) through Resilient Health Systems (STRIDES) is a seven-year project (2025-2032), gender-targeted (GE-3). The $25 million CAD project is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and implemented by AKFC in partnership with AKF’s country offices and local partners in Kenya and Mozambique. The project aims to enhance the equal enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for women and adolescent girls in marginalized and underserved areas of Kilifi County, Kenya and Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique.

In Kenya, Kilifi, STRIDES aims to reach 137,335 direct and indirect beneficiaries, including 78,721 women ages 20-49 and 58,614 adolescent girls ages 10-19 in 5 sub-counties (Ganze, Kilifi North, Kaloleni, Rabai, and Malindi), working with 5,210 intermediaries (2,635 women and 2,575 men) including health workers, community leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs), and women’s rights organizations (WROs). It will focus on addressing social norms, service delivery barriers, and systemic weaknesses through a gender-transformative and rights-based approach. STRIDES aligns with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the SheSOARS initiative, the WHO’s health systems framework, and country-level SRHR priorities. The project’s Theory of Change (ToC) is anchored in three strategic pillars: (a) improving SRHR behaviours and practices, (b) increasing access to and quality of integrated SRH and nutrition services, and (c) strengthening governance and data use for SRHR and nutrition policies and laws.

About the Assignment

AKF Kenya is seeking to engage an experienced baseline study consultant to support the baseline study in Kilifi Kenya under the supervision of a lead consultant (covering Kenya and Mozambique) managed by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). The lead consultant will provide leadership, guidance and technical guidance for the overall process while the local consultant will implement the study tools and data collection in Kenya under the technical supervision of the lead consultant, and guidance and support of the Aga Khan Foundation Kenya.

AKF Kenya is seeking applications from qualified consultants or firms to lead the data collection part of the Baseline Study. This Terms of Reference (ToR) outlines the responsibilities of the local consultant(s)/firm, who will implement the study tools and data collection within the country for the baseline study.

Objectives of the Baseline Study

The overall objective of the STRIDES baseline study is to help stakeholders understand the pre-implementation context in project geographies and help lay the groundwork for successful results-based management during implementation. The baseline study is designed to achieve four specific objectives:

• To establish baseline values and additional qualitative insights for selected outcome-level indicators in the project’s Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) and assess indicator feasibility and relevance.
• To provide an evidence base on which the project team can define targets for selected outcome indicators in the PMF and provide suggestions for the review of indicators if and where necessary.
• To inform the establishment of realistic and achievable targets, as a point of reference against which progress towards the achievement of outcomes can be monitored and evaluated.
• To provide recommendations for fine-tuning the project implementation and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) strategies.

Scope of the Study in Kenya

The baseline study will be done in Kilifi County in target sub counties in Kilifi County (Ganze, Kilifi North, Malindi, Rabai, and Kaloleni), all led by the lead consultant and technical support from the Local consultant. The study population will include women, men, adolescents, boys, and girls residing within the project areas of implementation. The baseline study will provide a set of measurements against the intermediate and immediate outcome indicators for the STRIDES project in Kilifi County which will set a benchmark for measuring the extent to which the project achieves the desired impact on the project population.

Roles and responsibilities

The consultant will work under the technical supervision of the Lead Consultant and the contractual supervision of the AKF Kenya Country Office, specifically the STRIDE Project Manager and the Project MERL Coordinator. Therefore, the local consultant will carry out all major tasks under the supervision of the Aga Khan Foundation Kenya and under the technical guidance from the lead consultant.

Expected deliverables

The consultant will complete the following key deliverables:

1. Translate set of survey tools (questionnaires and training manual and other study guides) from English to Kiswahili as may be required,
2. Lead in training and supervision of research assistants/enumerators in data collection (qualitative and quantitative methods);
3. Data entry spreadsheets using appropriate statistical packages and codebook prepared.
4. Manage data collection, coding, entry, cleaning, with technical guidance and support provided from the lead consultant; and
5. Submit all data sets as per requirements to be provided. (in English)

Summary of Roles and responsibilities

Lead Consultant

• Lead the design, analysis, and reporting of the study.

Kenya Consultant

• Lead data collection
• Train and supervise enumerators
• Obtain ethical approvals from relevant authorities.

AKF Kenya Team

• Recruit enumerators
• Recruit, oversee, and support Consultant
• Provide inputs on study design and findings.

AKF-Canada

• Recruit Lead Consultant, provide overall oversight.

Implementing Partners

• Support community entry, mobilization, and review of study design and findings.

Methodology

The baseline study is expected to adopt a mixed methods approach applying a combination of participatory qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to allow for a comprehensive examination of all aspects of the programme.

The STRIDES baseline study will focus on collecting data from several sources. The first is adolescent girls (ages 10–19) and women (ages 20–49), who are the primary beneficiaries of the project in Kilifi County, Kenya. Using the household survey approach, a representative sample of females aged 10–49 years will be sampled, ensuring adequate representation across age groups, sub-geographies, and (if required) other relevant demographics. The household survey will also include a sample of men and boys (ages 15+) who will be surveyed on the actions they have taken to support women or girls to achieve their SRH rights. The household survey will be complemented by qualitative data collection methods, tentatively focus group discussions and key informant interviews with women, girls, men, boys, and other key stakeholders, which will help triangulate and make meaning from the quantitative household survey findings, alongside secondary data from a literature review. Secondary data on selected indicators measure health service uptake will also be gathered from government Health Management Information Systems (HMISs). In addition, data will be collected from partner CSOs through an Organizational Performance Index (OPI) assessment to evaluate their performance, using AKF’s in-house OPI tool.

The sample size and overall sampling strategy will be designed and proposed by the Lead Consultant in collaboration with local consultants and MEL teams and finalized in the inception phase.

Ethical Standards and Safeguarding

The baseline study must conscientiously abide by AKF’s Safeguarding Manual, and all members of the Consultant team must sign AKF’s Safeguarding Statement of Commitment upon being taken through and contracting. The design and implementation of the studies must be in line with the research ethical standards including protection of participants from potential research-related harms, confidentiality, informed consent, beneficence, and safeguarding principles to protect respondents from potential harms such as sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying. The consultant will seek approvals at the Kilifi County level to gain entry permission to the sub counties and sites for project implementation.

Deliverables and timelines

The main deliverables and tentative timelines for this study are as follows:

• Pre–Data Collection Activities: Training of Research Assistants / enumerators on use of the data collection tools and data collection process in the field, overview of the study objectives and methodology, ethical considerations and informed consent procedures.
• Data collection: Field data collection, submission of raw data, and data quality check.

Required skills and competencies for the consultant:

• The team lead should possess at least a master’s degree in Gender Studies or Public Health, demography/ population studies, or Statistics and with essential training in monitoring and evaluation. Any training in public policy or Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights is an added advantage.
• Other team members should ideally possess multidisciplinary qualifications across gender, social science, social work, and related qualifications.
• Strong experience carrying out surveys and associated qualitative data collection, particularly focusing on Gender or related thematic areas.
• The lead should have experience of conducting evaluations on gender and women studies for at least 6 years.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating field activities, including engagement with relevant line ministries and local stakeholders to facilitate smooth implementation. Proven ability to manage logistics, supervise data collection teams, and ensure adherence to study protocols in collaboration with the lead consultant.
• Demonstrated experience in employing mobile data collection tools or other computer assisted personal interviewing software.
• Demonstrated experience in data management, including designing and managing Gender Sensitive projects and capable of handling large datasets for study purposes.
• Country knowledge and experience in conducting research and impact evaluation studies in Coast region, both urban and peri-urban areas and especially the County applied for.
• Demonstrated experience safeguarding and working with vulnerable populations.
• Advanced proficiency in English is mandatory. Knowledge of additional languages used in the project area applied for is an asset.

Tagged as: Aga Khan Foundation, Kenya