Company Profile

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. CRS Ghana was established in 1958, a year after Ghana gained independence. In Ghana, CRS works with local partners to tackle poverty on several fronts including improving health and nutrition; increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation; promoting agriculture to enhance food security; and increasing financial assets through Savings and Internal Lending Communities. 

Job Description

Baseline Study in Kumbungu, East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi and Mamprugu Moaduri Districts for Technology for Promoting Maternal and Infant Survival Excellence (Tech4PROMISE ) Project

Background

• Since July 2014, USAID Systems for Health (S4H) has worked in partnership with Ghana Health Services (GHS) to improve Ghana’s health system. The principal focus of this partnership includes strengthening Ghana’s Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds initiative to improve equitable access to, demand for, and use of quality health services to reduce avoidable maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
• CRS is implementing in partnership with USAID S4H the Technology for Promoting Maternal and Infant Survival Excellence (Tech4PROMISE) Project. Tech4PROMISE will leverage ongoing CRS programming creating community level demand for, and improving access to health facilities, while testing the use of three new appropriate technologies. The twelve (12) month Tech4PROMISE project will target pregnant women and mother- newborn pairs, including husbands, engaging them to improve on positive pregnancy and newborn care practices to enhance maternal and newborn survival. The Tech4PROMISE Project will target all 32 CHPS compounds in four target districts of East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi, Mamprugu-Moaduri, and Kumbungu in the Northern Region, reaching a pilot number of five communities per CHPS compound (160 communities). Tech4PROMISE aims to reach 30,435 direct beneficiaries (see Annex VI for targeting summary).

Decription of Problem Tech4PROMISE Project seeks to address

In Ghana, maternal and child mortality rates are unacceptably high despite concerted efforts from Ghana Health Services and its Development Partners (USAID, UNICEF and WHO, among others). In fact, all of Ghana’s health-related Millennium Development Goal targets were not met, though significant progress was made in reducing institutional maternal mortality and under 5 mortality  . Maternal and child health indicators are the worst in the Northern region of Ghana. Innovative technologies provide a way for health care providers to reach pregnant women with referral systems and encourage them to use skilled delivery. Evidence shows that the use of skilled assistance at child birth and during postnatal care periods significantly reduces mortality among pregnant women and neonates. Furthermore, research has shown that Community health workers have used mobile tools to advance a broad range of health aims throughout the globe, particularly maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health. For example, community health workers have used  mobile technology to collect field-based health data, receive alerts and reminders, facilitate health education sessions, and conduct person-to-person communication ( Rebecca et. al 2013).

Goal: Vulnerable communities in Northern Region of Ghana enjoy improved maternal and neonatal health.
Strategic Objective: Pregnant women and mothers/caregivers of newborn babies have access to and use skilled assistance at child birth and at postnatal care periods

• Output 1: Pregnant women and mothers/ caregivers of neonates have improved access to and use skilled assistance at childbirth and during postnatal period.
• Output 2: Pregnant women and mothers/ caregivers adopt positive practices and behaviors during pregnancy and at postnatal periods

Objective and Scope of Work of the consultancy

The main objective of the consultancy is to establish a district level base‐line indicators  on relevant Tech4PROMISE Indicators in the four project districts – Kumbungu District, Eat Mamprusi District, West Mamprusi District and Mamprugu Moaduri District. This includes both a quantitative analysis of Output level indicators, as well as a qualitative understanding of the existing opportunities and barriers to implementing this type of project.

The specific objectives of the baseline survey will be to:

• Establish existing systems and  pratices at health facilities for providing reminders and alerts for ANC and postnantal service clients.
•  Eestablish the prevailing practices, rituals, a ttitutes and beliefs (PRABs) that influence access and utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services
• Identify existing practices and systems for referals
• Establish existing stragies being used by Ghana Health Services ( GHS) to euducate communities on
• EstablisH status of key maternal and child health indicators  in the district

Main Tasks of the Consultancy

The consultant will work in conjunction with the PROMISE Project Coordinator, Health Program Manager and the MEAL Coordinator of CRS to finalize the design and inception plan for the study. Within project district, the consultant will work with the PROMISE Coordinator, PROMISE Community Mobilization Specialsit, MEAL Specialist , Ghana Health Service focal staff and project communities. This is largely a facility based study and will rely heavely on secondary data from DHMTs and ramdomly sected health facilities in each project district. The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

General

• Carry out a desk‐review of relevant project documents including Technical proposal, results framework, list  health facilities and other relevant documents,  which will be agreed upon and made available prior to the conduct of the study.
• Develop an inception report, detailing the study design, methodology, indicators,tools and schedules. This swill be developed and finalized in consultation with the Promise Coordinator Health Program Manager , Meal Specialist and the Meal Coordinator.
• Write and submit draft reports, incorporate comments received from CRS, and submit a final report within ten days of the end of the survey.

Specific

• In conjunction with CRS staff, develop questionnaires using the KPC 2000+guidance and other relevant tools that will support the collection of qualitative data or information
• Training of data collectors(supervisors and interviewers)
• Facilitate pre-testing of questionnaire and finalize for data collection
• Supervise field level data collection
• Facilitate data management and analysis

Deliverables

• Inception report detailing the baseline  design, methodology, tools, work plan that includes task description support required from  CRS Project team
• Data collection tools, data set with codebook
• Designed database templates/screens for data entry
• Draft and final Base‐line  Report (final report in a soft copy).
• Copies of original and cleaned data sets including field notes, audio tapes, and transcribed material

The final written report is expected to be organized as follows:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Study Description
• Methods and Results – Including key findings with key child survival indicators  and other prioritized indicators with numerators, denominators
• Conclusions and Recommendations for future directions
• Annexes:
  • Scope of Work
  • The Study Team Members
  • List of Interviewees
  • Methodology
  • Questionnaire, Guides/ tools

Please note that the contents of the report will be analyzed and final payment will only be made upon agreement on the final Baseline Survey Report from the PROMISE Coordinator, Meal Coordinator and  Health Program Manager

Time‐frame

The assignment is expected to take a maximum of 3 weeks from the date of award and includes desk‐review, preparation, conduct of the survey  report‐writing.

Role of CRS Ghana and collaborators

CRS Ghana will perform the following roles in the conduct of the baseline study:

• Provide project documents such as the  project proposal, list of communities and Health Facilities
• Form a Baseline Assessment Coordinating Team, which includes CRS staff, local authorities (DHMT, CHMT, Local government agents as necessary) and other partners involved in the project
• Provide means of transport for  study team to and from the field
• Facilitate ground preparation such as community entry processes, arrangements for interviewees to be interviewed
• Review tools and provide support in the data collection process.
• Facilitate the conduct of community entry processes in all the survey communities
• Provide venues for discussion and mobilize the required persons for interviews.

The consultant will be responsible for guiding the entire baseline process and all other specific responsibilities as stipulated in this SOW.

Required Skills or Experience

Expected Profile of the Consultant

The consultant is expected to hold the following qualifications in order to be eligible for thisposition:

• A recognized university degree in public health, medicine, international development, medical anthropology or related social science (at a minimum of masters’ level.
• Deep understanding of the health system in Ghana, organization of the health sector, the health sector value chain and the drivers of change in the health sector value chain
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working in the field of maternal, newborn and child health and mHealth  and ehealth policy of Ghana.
• Preferably with field experience of having managed or supervised m/ehealth intervention in Ghana or elsewhere, and with work experience in northern Ghana.
• At least 6 years experience in the area of public health in General,  and Child and maternal health  interventions in particular , both in organizations and in projects
• Experience in the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of projects in maternal, newborn and child health/publichealth within the last 3 years
• A demonstrated high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high pressure situations under tight deadlines