Pacific Menstrual Health Network project evaluation: Short-term consultancy

About us

WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the world’s poorest communities.                           

About the role
We are seeking an individual consultant to complete a short-term contract leading a small evaluation of a WaterAid project in the Pacific region, funded by the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

About WaterAid’s project: ‘Galvanising action on menstrual health in the Pacific’
This three-year project (2019-2022) aimed to strengthen Pacific-led menstrual health collective action. The project’s three outcome areas were to i) establish and drive a regional multi-sectoral menstrual health network; ii) strengthen collective advocacy, action and shared learning; and iii) to build a greater collective understanding of key opportunities to bring about improved menstrual health outcomes across the Pacific.

The project works closely with a small group of local rights-holder organisations; CSO’s and small businesses to lead the network across five Pacific Island Countries: Fiji; PNG; Samoa the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The first phase of the project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, therefore a big focus of the first three years has been on building relationships; establishing governance structures and building the evidence base to understand the menstrual health context across the region.

Purpose and scope of the evaluation
The purpose of the evaluation is to document progress to date and inform a design of the second phase of the project (2022-2025). The evaluation will take a strengths-based and participatory approach to critically analyse the project’s progress, with a view to informing a revised Theory of Change for phase two. Specifically, the evaluation will work with partners and WaterAid teams to understand what has worked well and why; key constraints and how WaterAid can most effectively support the network going forward. The evaluation will provide recommendations to inform the next phase of design.

Key evaluation questions
1. In what ways has the development of a regional network been an effective modality to address menstrual health in the Pacific?
2. What value has being part of the network brought to its members and what learning or improved practice have members taken forward?
3. What factors have enabled or impeded the regional network progress towards influencing other stakeholders on greater commitment or support for menstrual health across the Pacific?
4. How can WaterAid most effectively support the network going forward and work towards a sustainable model beyond our support?

Methodology
The review will be primarily qualitative and completed remotely. It will draw on existing program documentation with remote consultations (interviews or focus groups) with members of the regional coalition; WaterAid and other in-country stakeholders. The consultant will be required to prepare a detailed evaluation plan outlining how data will be collected and analysed for each Key Evaluation Question.

Roles and responsibilities
WaterAid Australia’s Head of Learning and Evidence and Technical Lead – Equality and Inclusion will jointly coordinate the review, with support from two Pacific Coordinators. WaterAid will provide program documentation and reports; provide a list of key contacts for interviews / consultations and provide general support throughout the process. WaterAid will also review key deliverables, provide feedback and sign-off on the final report. The consultant will be expected to develop their own schedule of consultations.

Deliverables and Timeframe
We expect to appoint a consultant in March 2022 and conclude the process by 16 June 2022.
Deliverables/outputs:
1. Evaluation plan
2. Draft report
3. Validation workshop
4. Final report with recommendations to inform next design phase

Consultant Qualifications
We seek an individual consultant for this assignment who would bring the following knowledge and experience:

• Experience working in the Pacific and/or with Pacific stakeholders
• Gender equality and social inclusion - particularly using advocacy or coalitions to effect change
• Evaluation – particularly methods for qualitative data collection, analysis and interpretation
• Theory of change– particularly supporting organisations to apply the concepts in development programming

Budget
The budget for this review is AUD20,000-25,000 (inclusive of GST and reimbursable expenses).

To apply
Interested applicants are requested to submit a proposal with the following:
1. A 1-2 page cover letter outlining your approach to the evaluation and the expertise you will bring to the review.
2. A CV
3. Financial proposal with daily rates and a total budget
4. 2-3 executive summaries from recent evaluation reports where you were the lead evaluator.

Please submit proposals to [email protected] by 11:59pm AEDT 25 March 2022. Please include ‘Application: Pacific Menstrual Health Network Evaluation’ in the subject line. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the evaluation, please email [email protected].