REQUEST FOR CONSULTANT: Promoting Young Children’s Development Through Primary Health Care in Tanzania

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. 

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

Problem Statement: Results for Development, with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, aims to strengthen primary health care (PHC) in low- and middle-income countries to support optimal development of young children—with a focus on nurturing care in the first 1,000 days. Young children and caregivers have a myriad of touchpoints within the health system during the first 1000 days of life. Using these moments to promote responsive caregiving and other critical early childhood development (ECD) services can alter their developmental trajectories. This work is motivated by the potential to increase the coverage and equity of interventions, improve the efficiency of service delivery, bolster the programmatic and financial sustainability of ECD services, and ultimately improve child outcomes.

 

This work aims to bring attention to the opportunities associated with leveraging PHC platforms for delivery of ECD services, offer concrete examples and guidance, and support application of this guidance in diverse contexts. This work will have global and country-level components following a consultative process. Specifically, this work seeks to:

·        Develop a global resource to support national and sub-national planning for promoting optimal development of young children through primary health care.

·        Collaborate with countries to identify goals and priorities for ECD within the health system and leverage relevant recommendations from the global resource in action planning efforts. The focus countries for this work include Kenya (both nationally and at a subnational level), Mozambique, and Tanzania . Reflections from the country experience will be used to further improve the global resource.

 

Consultant Scope of Work: R4D is seeking a consultant to support the planning process for promoting young children’s development through primary health care in Tanzania .

Expected level of effort : 25-30 days

Timeline: The consultancy is to begin in January 2024 and is expected to continue through June 2024, with potential for extension. The consultancy will be part-time during this period based on the agreed upon work plan with the project team.

 

Supervision: The consultant will report to Caroline Andridge, senior program officer, as well as staff from the R4D Tanzania office. The consultant will participate in a collaborative relationship with all team members on R4D’s education and nutrition teams.

Activities

• The consultant’s tasks and activities will include, but not be limited to, the following:


1. Conduct situational analysis on current state of ECD and the services within the primary health care system which support child development
• Support development of research questions and methodology for the situational analysis
• Conduct desk research to ensure the team has a comprehensive understanding of (1) existing ECD policies and programs, including the agencies and partners involved in delivering them, and an (2) overview of the primary health care system. The research will seek to understand various primary health care touch points and delivery models, and extent and diversity, as well as feasibility of promoting ECD within existing services (e.g., percentage of children reached by home visits made by CHWs/health facility visits to see pediatricians, content of such standardized visits, training to providers on ECD-specific topics).
• Conduct a rapid analysis of the primary health care system using the health system building blocks to identify opportunities to promote ECD outcomes, and challenges to doing so.
• Conduct stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions to complement the desk research. As part of this activity, the consultant is expected to:
• Conduct a stakeholder mapping to identify key stakeholders for engagement in this activity.
• Provide development support and feedback for interview and focus group guides.
• Conduct interviews and focus group discussions with the stakeholders identified through the mapping process.
• Coordinate and/or schedule meetings with appropriate stakeholders. The consultant will conduct some of these independently, while others will be conducted together with R4D.
• Consult with stakeholders to understand interest and feasibility of developing an action plan at county level.
• Conduct a political economy assessment as part of the situational analysis, including a written summary which details any context-specific enablers, constraints, and potential sensitivities. This will be a dynamic section and may be updated throughout the project as needed.
• Support analysis of data collected and write-up of the situational analysis.


2. Coordinate and/or conduct meetings with appropriate stakeholders to raise awareness for the activity


• Support the team to identify relevant stakeholders in country to be consulted for this work.
• Coordinate and/or schedule meetings with appropriate stakeholders.
• Conduct meetings with stakeholders to introduce the project and gather information to support planning efforts to promote ECD through PHC. The consultant will conduct some of these independently, while others will be conducted together with R4D. This would likely include stakeholders at various ministries/departments, NGO/civil society partners, and other partners (e.g., UNICEF, PATH).
• Prepare short written summaries of key takeaways and next steps from the stakeholder meetings.


3. Participate in regular check-ins with the R4D team.


Expected Deliverables:
Deliverable and expected date
• Research questions and methodology for situational analysis - February 2024
• Writeup of draft situational analysis - May 2024
• Submission of final situational analysis - June 2024
• Notes and next steps from stakeholder meetings - June 2024


Requirements:
• Applicants must live in Tanzania to apply.
• 8-10+ years working in primary health care, early childhood development, child health, welfare, or another related field.
• Thorough knowledge of Tanzania’s primary health care system and key actors is required.
• Demonstrated experience working with government stakeholders on issues related to early childhood development.
• Advanced knowledge and fluency in Microsoft Office.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• High level of organization, attention to detail, professionalism, proactivity, and reliability.
• Fluency in English is required.

Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering

and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.