Final Evaluation of a USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Project in Malawi At Nascent Solutions

Please see the full TOR here.

Terms of Reference

Final Evaluation of a 5-year McGovern-Dole International

Food for Education and Child Nutrition Project in Malawi

Implementer: Nascent Solutions Inc. (Nascent)

Funder: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Location: Central and Southern regions of Malawi

Period for the evaluation: Around January-June 2024.

Purpose of this Terms of Reference (ToR): To solicit bids for a final evaluation for Nascent’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Project in Malawi.

Project Description

This is a five-year project funded under USDA’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Implemented by Nascent, the project is designed to improve the literacy of school-age children and increase the use of good health and dietary practices. The project runs from October 2019 to September 2024.

The staple activity is the provision of a daily breakfast and periodic take-home rations (THRs) using food commodities provided by USDA. The specific project objectives are:

• Improve the quality of literacy instruction, through more consistent teacher attendance, better teaching and learning materials, and training of teachers and administrators;
• Increase student attentiveness, through extracurricular activities, and the daily school meals program;
• Increase student attendance, through school infrastructure improvements, enrolment outreaches, an increased community understanding of education benefits, and reducing health related absences;
• Increase the use of good health and dietary practices, through training on hygiene, safe food storage and preparation, provision of clean water and sanitation services;
• Increase use of improved farming practices, climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices and postharvest management techniques;
• Improve engagement of stakeholder capacity through training in good governance practices.

The project benefits nearly 500,000 students and their families, teachers, administrators, civil servants, parent-teacher association members, in the 106 schools in the Central and Southern regions. Nascent is working in close collaboration with the Government lead by the titular agency, the Ministry of Education (MoE) as well as the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP); Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources (MoAENR); and Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare (MoGCDSW). Other implementing partners include World Vision Malawi, Kansas State University, and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

Purpose and Target Audience

The final evaluation will inform Nascent, USDA, the Government of Malawi, implementation partners, and other stakeholders on the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the program. Nascent will use the results to 1) assess progress in project implementation; 2) reassess Nascent’s theory of change; 3) document lessons learned; 4) emphasize the most viable sustainability paths to stakeholders; and 5) provide evidence for future McGovern-Dole and school feeding projects in Malawi.

Profile of Evaluation Team

Evaluators are welcome to assemble a team as they see fit. Their skills should be complementary, with one identified as the Team Lead, who will bear responsibility for all work products and processes. Firms and groups of independent consultants are welcome to apply. Combined, the team should have the following skills and attributes:

• Demonstrated experience leading complex impact evaluations.
• Demonstrated expertise in study design and sampling.
• Demonstrated experience in the development of quantitative data collection tools and managing field data using Survey CTO and Tangerine for digital data collection.
• Demonstrated experience in using qualitative methods such as focus groups and key informant interviews.
• Demonstrated experience in data management and analysis using statistical software, including analyzing complex (multi-stage cluster samples) surveys.
• Demonstrated experience using propensity score matching, principal component analysis, and difference-in-differences analysis techniques.
• Demonstrated experience in concise, illuminating report writing, including data visualization.
• Demonstrated experience in training and managing field data collectors and complex logistics.
• Subject matter expertise in literacy and education.
• Subject matter expertise in maternal nutrition, child nutrition, and hygiene.
• Strong teamwork ability across cultures and time zones.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and gender balance to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders, ranging from young students to government officials.
• Experience using local data collectors and involving project stakeholders in the evaluation.
• Experience with EGRA.
• Experience with the Stallings Classroom Observation system.
• Experience with dietary diversity surveys.
• Experience with observation of agricultural practices.
• Experience with USDA McGovern-Dole projects.
• Experience in Malawi or the region.
• High proficiency in written and verbal English.