Job Description

1.0 Introduction
Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe (LCDZ) wishes to engage an experienced consultant to conduct the mid-term evaluation for the project - Supporting quality integrated inclusive education and eye health services in Masvingo Province of Zimbabwe. The project which commenced in July 2023 has a three-and half-years duration. Broadly, the project seeks to support accessible, equitable and quality inclusive education and eye health for children and young persons with disabilities in Masvingo province.
Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe is a non-profit making disability service organisation registered as a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO 36/80). The organisation envisions a society in which every person with a disability can enjoy their rights and have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Its mission is to enable Persons with Disabilities to improve their quality of life and to campaign for the removal of the barriers which hinder them. LCDZ values and promotes a culture of disability inclusion, openness and self-sustenance through implementation of various projects throughout Zimbabwe.
3.0 Background to the Project
The project being implemented in the 7 districts of Masvingo with funding from Christian Blind Mission Global (CBMG) is carried out by three partners in a consortium. Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe is the lead organisation while Morgenster Mission Hospital and Zimbabwe Association for the Visually Handicapped (ZAVH) are the co-implementing partners. Morgenster mission hospital has robust experience in offering inclusive eye health services in the province since 1992. Zimbabwe Association for the Visually Handicapped (ZAVH) is an active Organisation of Persons with Disabilities experienced in the advocacy for disability inclusive development and mobilisation of persons with disabilities for their rights.
According to Zimbabwe National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) living conditions conducted in 2013, there are more than 600 000 children with disabilities of school going age who have never attended school, with more than 70% living in rural areas. The 2020 Comprehensive Situational Analysis on Persons with Disabilities Report noted that school going children and youth with disabilities are also prone to physical, emotional, and sexual abuses. It is therefore, progressive to ensure that safeguarding and child protection measures be upheld as part of efforts to enhance access to education. Overall, the absence of early interventions has seen a huge restriction to equal opportunities for those with disabilities in the later years. For example, it was found that out of an enrolment of 28000 in teacher education colleges in 2021, only 1.7% were Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Inclusive Education and eye health are intertwined elements and are seen as central to improving education outcomes in underdeveloped communities. The government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) is making several efforts to promote inclusive education; however, gaps still exist. The challenges range from structural, attitudinal, institutional, and economic, within an environment of discriminatory practices against girls with hidden disabilities such as intellectual disabilities driven by socio-cultural norms and inaccessible infrastructure. When access to education is limited, areas such as finance, nutrition and health, family, and employment are put at risk and can further increase poverty. This intervention seeks to address functionality challenges faced by children and young people in Masvingo in order to enhance school enrolment, attainment and retention.
3.1 Project Context
The intervention being implemented in the 7 districts of Masvingo province seeks to ensure that 8327 learners with disabilities already in schools are retained and transition across grades, have access to early eye screening and, improved children safeguarding environments and access to community managed livelihoods that will cater for their nutrition, fees, transport, and classroom-care needs. Masvingo province has functional difficulty prevalence of 10.4%, 1.2 percentage points above the national figure (Zimbabwe National Census, 2022). According to a Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness survey (RAAB) conducted in 2019, the major causes of blindness in Masvingo province include untreated cataracts (74.1%), glaucoma (8.2%) and refractive errors (4.6%).
3.2 Project Strategies
According to the project, inclusive education interventions include improvement of teaching and learning facilities for children with disabilities, provision of enabling resources; lobbying and advocacy for policy and attitude changes, as well as strengthening the capacity of teachers to handle diversity and effectively manage the teaching and learning of learners with disabilities. Eye health services focus on eye health screening services, refraction services, provision of spectacles, low vision services and provision of devices at outreach and base hospital. Safeguarding and child protection aspects of the intervention capacitate project staff and stakeholders. The project also includes an inclusive complaints and feedback mechanism on abuse and exploitation of children. A community livelihood improvement component ensures retention of children in schools by supporting fees, educational accessories, feeding as well as sustaining the model schools beyond the life of the intervention.

Duties and Responsibilities

3.3 Overall Objectives of the Project
To support accessible, equitable and quality inclusive education and eye health for children and young persons with disabilities in Masvingo province.
3.3.1 Specific Objectives
1. To facilitate enrolment and retention of 2980 learners with disabilities in mainstream primary schools in Masvingo province by December 2026
2. 7 000 people including children and young people with disabilities have access to eye health services in Masvingo Province by December 2026.
3.4 Expected Results
Result 1: Enrolment and retention of 2980 learners with disabilities in schools in Masvingo Province
Result 2: Improved capacity of 30 teacher educators and 210 in-service teachers to deliver gender-sensitive and inclusive pedagogy in mainstream schools.
Result 3: Improved learners’ access to school infrastructure, teaching and learning materials in 7 model schools.
Result 4: Strengthened community structures on safeguarding, mental health and psychosocial support, screening and referrals of children and young people with disabilities for appropriate services.
Result 5: Improved access to assessment and treatment or assistive devices to 7 000 children and young persons with disabilities.
4.0 Purpose of the Mid-Term Evaluation
The mid-term evaluation seeks to measure the status of all indicators with a view to determine: i) progress of the project; ii) effectiveness; iii) efficiency; iv) coherence; v) sustainability and vi) impact. Furthermore, evaluation will also identify challenges and lessons learned during project implementation.
4.1 Objectives of the Mid-Term Evaluation
The specific objectives of the mid-term evaluation are;
• To measure the current status of project outcomes and output indicators as outlined in the project log frame and facilitate monitoring of progress towards meeting programme objectives:
• To make strategic recommendations for effective and sustainable project implementation.
4.2 Methodology
The consultant is expected to propose a suitable methodology which will include both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Qualifications and Experience

4.4 Ethical Considerations
The consultant and evaluation team should adhere to the standard research and evaluation ethics/principles. The assignment is to be carried out according to the following standard ethical principles, and norms.
1. Confidentiality and anonymity: The evaluation team must respect the rights of individuals who provide information, ensuring their anonymity and confidentiality is guaranteed.
2. Disability inclusive: The consultant and evaluation team must ensure the inclusion of persons/children with disabilities during the course of their work.
3. Independence: The survey should be free of bias of any nature. In this regard, the consultant is recruited for his/her ability to exercise independent judgment.
4. Validation of information: The consultant and evaluation team will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the collected information while preparing the reports and will be ultimately responsible for the information presented in the report.
5. Intellectual property: The survey team shall respect the intellectual property rights of the institutions and communities that are under review. All materials generated during the survey are the property of LCDZ and can only be used with written permission.
Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse (PSEA) and Child Safeguarding
The consultant and evaluation team should adhere to LCDZ PSEA and Child Safeguarding policy. In case any breach of these policies, the contract of this evaluation may be terminated immediately, and necessary procedure including reporting to the police may be followed.

How to Apply

4.5 Evaluation Timeline
The entire evaluation process is expected to take a maximum of 30 days.
5.0 Consultancy Fee and Payment Terms
Consultant will be paid dependent on agreed modalities with LCDZ. Payment schedule will be discussed and agreed with successful consultant. The consultant will be offered a fixed-price contract to include all the activities and deliverables listed above.
6.0 Response/ Expression of Interest
Interested individuals/organisations to send their cover letter, CV of the lead consultant and expression of interest by email to [email protected] by the 7th of February 2025. Only successful shortlisted candidates will be communicated to.

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