Formative Evaluation of the Children's Agenda in Tanzania

UNICEF wishes to invite you to submit a proposal for a Formative Evaluation of the Children's Agenda in Tanzania.

The Children’s Agenda was established in 2010 to respond to these issues of inequity through a coalition of civil society organizations committed to advancing a child rights advocacy agenda in Tanzania. The Children’s Agenda is chaired by the Children’s Development Department of the Ministry of Community Development Gender and Children (MCDGC) with the Deputy Chair occupied by an elected member from civil society and UNICEF acting as the secretariat. The key goals of the current Children’s Agenda 2012-2015 advocacy strategy are to influence party manifestos and policies through advocacy for increased resources and budget allocation, as well as commitment to children and to ensure child rights feature strongly on the policy agenda for the 2015 national and local elections. The strategy builds on experience gained by the operationalization of the Children’s Agenda from 2010, consultations with partners and children, and inputs from a strategic planning meeting convened by the Children’s Agenda in November 2011. During this process “The Top Ten Investments for Children” were defined as the core messages and focus of the Children’s Agenda as follows:

1. Invest to Save the Lives of Children and Women
2. Invest in Good Nutrition
3. Invest in Better Hygiene and Sanitation in Schools and Health Facilities
4. Invest in Early Childhood Development
5. Invest in Quality Education for all Children
6. Invest to Make Schools Safe
7. Invest to Protect Infants and Adolescent Girls from HIV
8. Invest to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy
9. Invest to Protect Children from Violence, Abuse, and Exploitation
10. Invest in Children with Disabilities

The Children’s Agenda aims to provide the tools and build capacity to enable organizations to advocate more effectively in whichever investment area they support. Some Children’s Agenda partners focus on advocacy around one dimension of a particular investment in one or two communities – other organizations may work across a number of investment areas, or cover all ten areas across a number of regions and/or at national level. The strategy does not define what any organization should do or focus on with regards to the Top Ten Investments. It seeks to empower organizations to advocate more effectively for child rights and in partnership with other organizations working in a similar field and/or in the same geographic location.
UNICEF is commissioning an evaluation to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, interim outcomes and sustainability of the Children’s Agenda in its pursuit of advancing an advocacy agenda for child rights at national and sub-national levels. The evaluation covers the period of 2010 to 2012 and is expected to examine the degree to which the desired results have been achieved, or expected to be achieved (effectiveness); how efficient was the engagement (efficiency); and the contribution to the improvements, if any, toward advancing a child rights agenda in Tanzania. The evaluation will also seek to capture unintended consequences produced through the coalition’s existence and the probability of continued long-term benefits (sustainability).

Specific objectives include the following:

• To evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme with respect to the membership capacity of the Children’s Agenda;
• To evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme with respect to the capacity of the Children’s Agenda as an entity in and of itself;
• To document what progress has been made and their links to the Children’s Agenda;
• To evaluate the sustainability of the programme and their contributing factors;
• To evaluate the extent to which gender dimensions have been taken into account in the design of interventions supported by the Children’s Agenda and throughout the implementation process?
• To systematically document weaknesses, strengths, constraints, opportunities and lessons learnt in the project implementation, the capacity and reliability of existing monitoring systems, and make recommendations on strengthening the M&E framework as a result of this analysis.

The primary audience of the evaluation is the Children’s Agenda itself, both at an individual and organizational level and as a coalition entity. The findings of the evaluation will feed into future strategic planning and review processes and be used as the basis of advocacy for the Children’s Agenda through various fora.

How to apply:

Full proposals should be submitted in ENGLISH and must be received not later 10:00 on 13 September 2013 in two (02) original copies (hard copy version; and electronic PDF version on CD, if possible), duly signed and dated. Bidders must submit a sealed proposal, ensuring separate envelopes for the Technical Proposal and the Price Proposal. The Price Proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope separate from the rest of the proposal. Prices or rates shall not appear in any other part of the proposal.
Sealed proposals must be securely closed in suitable envelopes and dispatched to arrive at the UNICEF office indicated no later than the closing time and date. They must be clearly marked as follows: • Outer envelope: Name of company, RFP number • Inner envelope – technical proposal: Name of company, RFP number (technical proposal) • Inner envelope for price proposal: Name of company, RFP number (price proposal)

Proposals should be sent to the following address:
UNICEF Tanzania P.O Box 4076 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Or in person to the UNICEF Reception and dropped in the Bid box situated at Plot 1270 Ali Bin Said Street, Oyster bay near Atlantis Hotel before 10.00 hours.

Please contact UNICEF Tanzania Supply section for further information on +255 219 6600