Appel d’offres lancé par Fred Hollows Foundation : Consultation pour l’évaluation de fin de projet sur le trachome au Kenya.

Appel d’offres lancé par Fred Hollows Foundation : Consultation pour l’évaluation de fin de projet sur le trachome au Kenya.

Introduction

The Fred Hollows Foundation (The Foundation) is a secular non-profit public health organisation based in Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eminent eye surgeon Professor Fred Hollows. The Foundation focuses on strengthening eye health systems and the treatment and prevention of avoidable blindness caused by Cataract, Trachoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Refractive Error. It operates in more than 20 countries across Australia, The Pacific, South and South-East Asia, and Africa. The Foundation was named The Australian Charity of the Year 2013 at the inaugural Australian Charity Awards.

The Foundation began working in Kenya in 2004, partnering with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to deliver comprehensive eye health care in the three hitherto districts (now counties) of Nakuru, Homa Bay, and Migori, evolving to eventually cover 13 counties based on the needs identified in the National Plan for Blindness Prevention (NPBP). Working in partnership with the MoH, The Foundation strives to improve access to high quality eye health services through community empowerment, development of appropriate infrastructure to enhance coverage of effective eye health programmes, and improvement of the quality of eye health workforce education and training through capacity strengthening of health professional training institutions.

Project background

Phase II of the 5year Kenya Trachoma Elimination Project (KTEP) funded by Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (the Trust) and The Fred Hollows Foundation ended on March 31st, 2019. The July 2017 and March 2018 Trachoma Impact Assessment (IA) report, the outcome of the Trust YR4 review and planning meeting, and the December 2017 FHF SAFE review reports identified gaps post the TRUST funded KTEP project. The gaps were contributed majorly by delayed MDAs due to delay in signing of an agreement between MoH and ITI, delay in implementation of impact assessments, lack of agreement on methodology to use for the surveys and delay in commencement of F and E activities. By the end of the Trust funding, three Counties (Turkana, West Pokot and Baringo-East Pokot) had an estimated number of 1,771 cases to threshold. Initial reports on sweeping indicated that the sweeping coverage in Kitui and Embu counties was at close to 100%. In Baringo however, there were no interventions in 2 sub counties of interest. Specifically, the 2018/ 2019 impact assessments conducted in Kitui, Embu and Baringo revealed that the three counties had a back log of over 4,000 TT cases and 2824 TT cases to manage to reach to elimination. Therefore, urgent interventions were required to address these cases and reach the recommended elimination threshold.

The current Trachoma project was therefore to address these gaps between 2019 and 2023. The project outcomes remained the same with an emphasis to strengthen the sustainability of interventions beyond elimination period. The planned activities targeted communities living in 6 Trachoma endemic counties (Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Kitui, Narok and Embu) which had not reached elimination by March 31, 2019. Specific SAFE activities were implemented in different counties with transition activities implemented in all the six counties. Gender and disability inclusivity was a key focus during the implementation of the various SAFE components.

Project partners

MOH including National government and Directorates, agencies, OSU, KEMRI, CHMTs;

Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA);

National consortia – Health & Eye health NGOs;

Council of Governors/County governments;

NTD department.

Purpose of the evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the achievement of the project across the four objectives. This will provide the project with information that can be used identify which areas the project successfully achieved and areas that will need to be followed up after the project term.

The primary intended users of this of the end of project evaluation will be The Foundation’s:

• Programs Division (including Program Development Team and country program teams)
• Kenya Team
• Country Support Network and other country teams
• Development Effectiveness Team

These teams provide advice and/or make decisions about the choice and design of programs across The Foundation.

The evaluation is also likely to be of interest to a range of secondary users, including:

• International eye health sector NGOs, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• Ministry of Health in Kenya and 6 counties where Trachoma is being implemented.

Evaluation team & qualifications

This evaluation will be contracted to an independent evaluator or team who will work closely with The Foundation staff in the design and implementation of the evaluation. The Foundation seeks to engage the services of an independent individual or registered organization, that have the following experiences and expertise in project/program evaluation.

• At least a master’s degree in public health, Ophthalmology, or related health sciences.
• Demonstrable experience in evaluation of public health programs including health systems assessments and eye health especially Trachoma.
• Experience in development and use of quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and evaluation methods
• Strong knowledge and experience working with the health care systems and overall understanding of health sector policies including Trachoma elimination programs.
• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in English language.