Research Agency: Nutrition Formative Assessment At Girl Effect

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting, and we use technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, health, learning and livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

Background

Nigeria faces significant nutritional challenges, with high rates of malnutrition among children and adults and high rates of anaemia among girls and women of reproductive age. The government, along with various international organizations, is committed to improving the nutritional status of its population through targeted interventions and policies. Girl Effect is seeking to better understand the Nutrition programming landscape in Nigeria, what has been done where and by who, what the government priorities are at the National level but also specifically in our 5 States of focus (Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Delta, Kaduna).

We are looking for an experienced agency to support us in conducting a formative assessment to understand the existing evidence around successes, challenges, and gaps in nutrition among adolescents and young women (AGYW) as they relate to knowledge and behaviour change**.**

Objective

The aim is to identify existing literature and conduct research on nutrition among adolescents (9-14 years) and young women (15-25 years) while understanding the Nutrition landscape in Nigeria including knowledge, attitudes and uptake of nutrition services, Nutrition priorities and policies in Nigeria. Identify key stakeholders who are important in the girls and young women’s access to nutrition services. GE would also like to identify potential strategic areas to program around in support of improving nutritional outcomes in Nigeria. At the moment, we are considering Nutrition interventions for 9-14-year-olds- possibly weekly iron-folic acid supplementation and MMS for antenatal (pregnant AGYW) and are happy to learn and understand other possible areas for intervention as guided by the findings

What You’ll Do

The selected agency will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Literature Review:

The team will undertake a thorough literature review on nutrition among AGYW in Nigeria with a focus on five states (Ekiti, Delta, Ondo, Oyo, Kaduna), focusing on unanswered questions and gaps in existing knowledge, including;

Sample questions (not exhaustive)

• What does the Nutrition landscape in Nigeria look like (Key policies, government focus, Key actors, key programs, key intervention areas, target audience of focus, key channels of delivery, key funders)
• What are the gaps in Nutrition programming in Nigeria or potential areas to support?
• What are the identified misconceptions and misinformation about nutrition in Nigeria?
• Does the Nigerian government/MoH have a WIFA (Weekly Iron Folic Acid) policy and program for pre-teens and teens? If yes, what does it entail and its mode of delivery)
• Where do key stakeholders (girls aged 9-14 years, parents/caregivers) get their information about nutrition from? Do they trust this information? Are there sources of misinformation?
• Have other gatekeepers (especially in our 5 States of focus), including organised groups and the media, been engaged meaningfully in the nutrition agenda, are there others we need to bring on board? What would be the best avenue/channel to sustain their engagement?
• What kinds of SBCC or demand generation programs and interventions have been run for nutrition specifically among AGYWs in the respective States? What are their learnings? Have they been government-led/led by other stakeholders?
• Have health workers been trained adequately on counselling for nutrition for AGYWs?
• What are the prevalent channels of communication for all stakeholders ( adolescent girls in and out of school, their parents and guardians, teachers, religious leaders, etc )

1. Desk Review Report**:**

Compile a synthesis report incorporating findings from the literature review, consolidating relevant evidence to inform the project.

1. Tool Development:

Develop research tools for the KII and FGD, including interview and discussion guides, to be used in engaging with AGYW and key stakeholders. The key stakeholders may include but are not limited to national and state-level immunisation program managers, community leaders, and community health extension workers.

1. Ethical Framework Development

Develop a framework for ethical considerations when conducting research involving AGYW.

1. Undertake Key Informant Interviews:

Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with key system actors (government representatives at the state primary healthcare development agency, etc) to understand systemic challenges and opportunities related to AGYW nutrition.

1. Focus Group Discussions:

Conduct Focus Group Discussions with AGYWs, their parents and caregivers, and teachers to understand their perceptions of nutrition services among AGYWs. The FGDs will answer the following questions ( not exhaustive).

• Who are the key gatekeepers for adolescents 9-14 years old getting relevant nutrition services? Who is the main decision maker (e.g. father, in-laws, mother)?
• What is the level of understanding/knowledge of nutrition needs, and services for AGYWs?
• What are the existing enablers and challenges faced by AGYWs while trying to access nutrition services, especially among pregnant/parenting adolescents?
• What are people’s attitudes towards nutrition services for AGYW? (e.g. positive, negative, important, right/wrong, nervous, irrelevant)
• What are the existing myths, misconceptions and misinformation about nutrition for AGYW particularly pregnant/parenting adolescents?

1. Formative Assessment Report Compilation

Compile a synthesis report based on data collected from Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key informant interviews to identify key themes and insights.

Deliverables

• Develop interview and discussion guides to engage AGWYs and key stakeholders.
• Conduct key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions
• Comprehensive evidence review on nutrition with a focus on priority questions
• Report compiling findings from the literature review
• Formative Assessment report highlighting key themes and insights from the qualitative study.

Note: The deliverables on this RFP are subject to changes based on new information that may become available in-country. Final deliverables will be discussed exhaustively with the selected agency before contract engagement.

Expected Commitment

• The consultancy is expected to be completed between October and November 2024.

Location

The agency must be based or have substantial operations in Nigeria and must be conducive to working with teams in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africa, and India. The Assignment is to be carried out in Nigeria at the National level and in our program states (Ekiti, Oyo, Delta, Ondo, Kaduna).

Management

The agency will have a primary point of contact with our Evidence and Insights Team. The language of the materials and reports shall be English. The contract supervisor shall approve all deliverables submitted by the agency before any payment is made.

Who You Are

• Hands-on experience in applied research in emerging markets or developing contexts using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
• Proven experience conducting research related to themes of Nutrition, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, vaccinations, gender etc.
• Strong knowledge of ethical considerations in research involving adolescents and young people.
• Demonstrated ability to compile and analyse qualitative data.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills.
• Great interpersonal communication skills
• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity about the cultures within which Girl Effect operates.
• Experience coordinating work-streams across multiple geographies and ability to work effectively in multicultural teams with varying expertise, skills and backgrounds.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with an ability to cut through complexity and communicate effectively to multi-disciplinary audiences.
• Creative and inquisitive mindset with strong communication and organisational skills.
• Commitment to realising girls’ potential and to the Girl Effect’s vision and values.
• Background in evaluating programmes related to women and girls is also highly desirable.

Timeframe

• Terms of reference published: 26th July 2024
• Deadline for Questions/Clarifications: 2nd August 2024
• Deadline for responses from GE: 5th August 2024
• Proposal submission deadline: 12th August 2024
• Supplier selection, contracting, and briefing: Mid-End August 2024
• Project commencement: September 2024

Proposal Submission

Your proposal should be 10 pages max and cover the following:

• Your understanding of the brief and why you feel you are well-placed to advise us on this
• Credentials/Profile/CV – Please showcase any previous work that you consider relevant to what we are trying to achieve, how we approach our work, and the audience we cater to. Describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the firm or consultant in providing the requested services.
• Reference– Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance.
• Breakdown of Costs with applicable taxes and other charges clearly identified in Naira. Consultants should provide their daily or hourly billing rate or their proposed fixed fee for the requested deliverables.
• All applicable taxes should be quoted separately;

In their proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the RFP and demonstrate how the bidder will meet the requirements of the evaluation criteria.

GE is not liable for any cost incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.

VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for 90 days from the date of bid closure.

Evaluation Criteria

The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below.

Technical Evaluation

• Experience and qualification as outlined in your CV/Credentials/Profile – 15%
• Showcases relevant experience in having done previous similar work with relevant agencies or organizations – 15%
• Interpretation and understanding of this TOR – 10%
• Ability to achieve project goals/deliverables, i.e., does the proposal have strong feasibility in moving forward with the critical deliverables on schedule? -10%
• Demonstrate geographic experience in regions we will be doing the research in Nigeria- 10%
• Evidence of a minimum of three contactable references – 10%

Financial Evaluation

• Value for money/proposed budget breakdown – 30%

Ethics

• The successful agency must adhere to Girl Effect protocols and safeguarding measures during all stages of research. This will ensure all girls’ participation will be conducted safely and securely.
• Ethical approval must be submitted to the relevant ethical board to ensure the research takes place with the proper permissions.
• Consent must be obtained from girls with consent forms that clearly state that at any time, research participants are free to decide to leave the research should they feel a reason to do so.
• Care also should be taken by the successful agency to maintain the confidentiality of the information provided by the respondents during the community. Informed voluntary consent should be taken before starting from the community, and parent/caregiver consent should be obtained for a minor. If an individual refuses to participate, they should not be compelled to participate or demoralised by any means. These cases will be treated as no-response under this survey. The research team must all undergo safeguarding training per Girl Effect’s safeguarding procedures and sign the Girl Effect safeguarding policy.
• All data must be stored in password-protected electronic files and shared with Girl Effect via a secure file transfer protocol (FTP)

Tax

Girl Effect Nigeria is obliged by the Nigerian tax authorities to ensure all taxes are charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions of Nigerian tax legislation when developing their proposals.

Disclaimer

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform the ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the RFP and using our specified email address (suppliers@girleffect.org).

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. The successful applicant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding and data policies. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found at this link. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.

Equal Opportunities

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.