CONCEPT NOTE PROCESS EVALUATION AND PRODUCTION OF A DOCUMENTARY ON ADOLESCENT & YOUTH FRIENDLY SRH SERVICE PROVISION (YFSP) IN ZIMBABWE

Background:

Zimbabwe has a young population with a third being between the ages of 10-24 years. These young people face a myriad of challenges related to their development.  These include, gender based violence, child marriage, HIV infection and other negative reproductive health outcomes including teenage pregnancy among adolescent girls. There is already a global realization that youth - friendly services can remove obstacles to sexual health care, if implemented against international standards.  There is wide evidence that providers and policy makers can take a number of steps to design and provide adolescent/youth friendly services thereby attracting them to seek clinical sexual and reproductive health services and enhance safe and responsible behaviors.

Both the National Adolescent & Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Strategy: 2010 – 2015 and the 2016 - 2020 have adopted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) description of adolescent friendly clinical SRH services as “services that should be ‘safe, effective and affordable; meet the individual needs of young people (adolescent males and females) who return when they need to and recommend these services to friends”. Understanding of what young people want in the context of their community and society is therefore an essential aspect of this definition.  The clinical services can be provided through service delivery points in a variety of settings such as through outreach in places where young people meet, tertiary institutions, youth centers and health facilities. 

In 2016, Zimbabwe, through an evidence based and participatory process adapted the 2015 WHO Global standards for quality health care services for adolescents. The National Guidelines on Clinical Adolescent and Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Provision (YFSP) therefore seeks to assist services providers and managers to provide quality, efficient and accessible youth friendly services to the adolescent and youth population: 10 – 24 years. They are also a key reference documents for on the job trainings and mentorship opportunities for service providers in youth friendly service provision. To date, the guidelines have been fully implemented in 20 focus districts, selected from Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Harare, Mashonaland Central, with a total of 360 public health facilities.

Overall objective of the assignment:

Following a 2-year period of implementing the 9 standards and quality assessments, by December 2018, 87% of the targeted health facilities had been certified in YFSP, based on defined criteria. This assignment therefore seeks to evaluate the YFSP implementation process, focusing on the inputs, processes and outputs to determine how successful the YFS model was and in the process document the results. The expected deliverable is the document which showcases and disseminates experiences (including both process, output and any immediate outcome results) on the implementation of the 9 standards on YFSP in Zimbabwe.  As such the Ministry of Health and Child Care, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) would like to engage consultancy to conduct the process evaluation that will document the experiences through a service uptake comparative analysis. The findings will be designed and packaged into a documentary (Digital Video Disk and a story booklet).  This process will be annexed to the ASRH Strategy II review, to inform the development of the National Adolescent Health Implementation Plan: 2021 – 2025 and other planning processes.

A:         PROCESS EVALUATION:

The specific objectives of the process evaluation are:

1. To provide an independent assessment of the achievements of the YFSP towards the expected outputs and immediate/intermediate outcomes with special focus on:
   1. 1. Determining whether YFSP was implemented as planned and whether outputs and immediate/intermediate outcomes were met
      2. Examining program effectiveness and efficiency in implementing and achieving expected results and where improvements could be made
      3. Assessing the scalability/sustainability of YFSP
      4. Exploring how flexible the program is to adjust and adapt new lessons and challenges
2. Identify challenges and draw lessons and good practices that can be used to implement the program nationally

A quasi experimental design is proposed and it is expected to show the difference or lack thereof that the YFS model caused. Two groups (those with YFS and those without) will be compared to draw conclusions. The consultant(s) is expected to refine the methodology taking into consideration the objectives and expected deliverables.

Specific tasks for the Process Evaluation:

Under the guidance of the MoHCC and UNFPA, the consultant will be required to:

1. Conduct a desk review of existing literature and implementation documents.
2. Conduct data analysis for comparative analysis on service uptake by adolescents and young people based on agreed indicators; e.g.  new and repeat users of FP, 1st ANC visit, treated for STI, tested for HIV, initiated on ART, between January 2016 and December 2019, using the DHIS2, for the selected/sampled health facilities for documentation, and the 356 targeted health facilities, drawn from the 20 focus districts. Conduct selected key interviews with personnel agreed upon with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and virtual FGDs to answer any qualitative questions or any questions coming from the data analysis. Some of the interviews will be packaged as part of the Digital Video Disk (DVD) and booklet;
3. Produce a narrative report

Key Deliverables for the Process Evaluation Exercise:

The following are the key deliverables for the assignment:

• A Process Evaluation Report
  
  • including comparative analysis narrative report and
  • Including Data visualisation elements e.g. graphs, maps, charts, infographics and dashboards on agreed indicators for the selected DVD production health facilities and for the 356 targeted health facilities, drawn from the 20 focus districts.

Expected qualifications for the Process Evaluation Consultant:

The consultant must possess the following attributes:

1. A Bio-Statistician or Public Health researcher with at least ten years proven experience in developing and managing large databases (STATA, EpInfo, e.t.c) and datasets;
2. Demonstrable understanding and experience with the DHIS2 a requisite;
3. Experience in producing reports and application of data visualisation elements;
4. Experience in conducting quasi-experimental and comparative studies a must and
5. Have strong analytical skills

B:         PRODUCTION OF A DOCUMENTARY

Following guidance of the Ministry and UNFPA, conduct interviews and field visits to selected health facilities, do facility based-document reviews, do the video shootings and produce 9 short videos of 5 minutes long (with a possibility of recording 2 health facilities per standard in 1 video), highlighting the following:

• Name of health facility, Location (district & province),
• Name/Title of standard being showcased,
• How the facility interprets the rationale/purpose of the standard,
• How the standard has been successfully implemented: indicating examples of positive changes and results (based on selected outcome indicators which include but not limited to new and repeat users of FP, 1^st ANC visit, treated for STI, tested for HIV, initiated on ART) that have come as a result of implementing/addressing the particular standard and indeed all the 9 standards;
• Any challenges faced in implementing the standard and how they have been addressed or are being addressing
• How the health facility plans or established systems/mechanims to sustain the particular standard and linkages with sustaining all the 9 standards. 

Key Deliverables for the Documentation Exercise:

• A DVD documentary for the selected health facilities
  
  • Produce a narrative story for each produced short video, giving a total of 10 stories (including the key informant), to be packaged into a story booklet and
  • Package the 9 videos and the key interviews into a DVD.

NB: The production team need to find innovative ways of presenting the videos, making them exciting and engaging. Engagement of adolescents & young people, community leadership and health centre committees is also highly encouraged.

Terms and conditions:

1. Copyright of the videos will be assumed by the MoHCC and UNFPA, which will be free to use the media in any way they choose without any further permission from the producers and

2. The producer is responsible for ensuring ethical issues (written consent of all participants/actors) in their productions. Therefore, the MoHCC and UNFPA will not be held liable for any claims of lack of consent.

Expected qualifications of the Documentation Consultant:

The consultant must possess the following attributes:

• A qualification in media studies, videography or related disciplines
• Must have excellent and demonstrable documentation experience;
• Excellent technical capacities (state of art filming equipment preferably High Definition) to ensure smooth and high quality production.
• Experience in documenting development programmes
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills, including experience in writing story booklets

C:          APPLICATION PROCESSES

Interested persons should submit electronic copy of application letter with the following accompanying documents: Curriculum Vitae (CV), copies of related previous work done with contactable referees, separate brief technical and financial proposal including suggested timeframes (maximum 2.5 pages) on how the consultant intends to carry out the assignment.

The closing date for submission of applications is Monday, 5th of October 2020 at 1700 hours.  All applications should be submitted electronically to zimbabwe.office@unfpa.org. clearly marked “ASRH Process evaluation” or “ASRH Documentation”

Please take note that due to the Covid 19 pandemic, all applications and accompanying documents should be submitted in electronic form. No hard copies will be accepted. 

Notice:

• There are no advance fees, application, processing or other fees at any stage of the application and recruitment process.

• UNFPA does not solicit, screen or discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

• Please note that UNFPA will respond and contact ONLY shortlisted applicants.

• UNFPA is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are encouraged to apply.