Consultant to document lessons learnt

[Guest guest]

We are looking for a consultant who can help us document lessons learnt in one

of our projects. The detailed Scope of Work has been described below. We would

like to receive expression of interest along with CV through email by the 21st

of August. The shortlisted candidates will be later requested to submit

proposal.

Scope of work for Documenting Lessons Learnt in Implementing a Community Based

Care project for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CAA)

I. Introduction: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international relief and

development agency with programs in more than 80 countries. Its international

headquarters are in Baltimore, MD. CRS has emerged as one of the world's leaders

in providing assistance to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. It has more

than 100 ongoing HIV/AIDS programs in 31 countries with a value of more than

$44m. More than 75% of this money is out of private funds. These ongoing

programs serve more than 4 million people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

CRS provides assistance to India under the Indo-US Agreement since 1951.

Initially Title II food resources were used to support the " family feeding

program " . Programming evolved to include maternal and child health, education,

agricultural and emergency and non-emergency general relief components. Since

FY1997 CRS concentrated its efforts on the transition from a development program

focusing on needy individuals to a community based approach that actively

engaged CRS partners, village level groups, and program participants to develop

and implement sustainable development activities at the grassroots level.

Keeping in view the enormity of the HIV/AIDS prevalence and its consequences CRS

/India has been implementing programs in the area of care and support of both

HIV/AIDS infected and affected in the country since FY 97. Currently it is

supporting 22 projects in 8 states of the country.

CRS is implementing a project specific to providing community based care to the

infected / affected children in Peddapuram Mandal of Andhra Pradesh and 3

selected slums in east Delhi since October 2002. This project is for a period of

eighteen months and covers 1000 and 250 HIV infected/affected children. The

project is one of its kinds in the country.

The overall goal and objectives of the project are:

Goal: To improve the well being of HIV/AIDS infected and affected children in

the target area through provision of comprehensive care and support programs

within an enabling environment.

Objectives:

1.. To provide supportive care through the provision of nutrition, primary

medical care facilities and education to the affected and infected children

2.. Advocate and sensitize the family and wider community for providing care

and support to orphans, affected and infected children

3.. Empower children through psychosocial support to cope with their

situation.

4.. Establish and strengthen linkages with institutional facilities for

education and health through referrals

5.. Build capacities of two implementing partners and other local NGOs for

effective delivery of services for the vulnerable community through on going

support.

In order to meet the set goal and objectives following strategies are adopted in

the project:

· Community based care and support through social workers and peer

educators

· Community based medical care and treatment for affected and infected

children through clinic

· Community sensitization, mobilization and participation of key

stakeholders in project activities in creating an enabling environment

· Generate optimal utilization of services (institutional facilities)

through established referrals and linkages for medical, IGP and education

· Capacity building of implementing partners and local NGOs and provide

technical support to them

Activities carried out in the project are:

1.. Regular supply of nutritional supplements for the affected and infected

children

2.. Running community based clinics for the treatment of opportunistic

infections for the affected and other medical needs of the affected

3.. Conducting clinic based awareness generation activities on curative and

preventive care

4.. Conducting camps for awareness generation and demonstration of nutritional

needs

5.. Conducting home visits for interpersonal communication

6.. Conducting group meetings for collective communication

7.. Using local events and forums in the community for mass communication

8.. Stakeholders meets to ensure participation, planning and review

9.. Developing and producing a range of need based BCC materials to be used at

different points of communication

10.. Counseling affected and infected children through clinics and home visits

11.. FHI will provide technical assistance and develop a protocol on

counseling of children and their parents and referral to VCTs

12.. Setting up and running drop-in center(s) for recreational activities for

the infected and affected children

13.. Organizing programs and establishing linkages with other institutions for

vocational training and/or extra-curricular activities

14.. Peer education

15.. Establishing linkages with government and private institutions for HIV

testing and treatment services

16.. Rehabilitation for CAA

17.. Mainstreaming drop-out children to local educational institutions

18.. All the children below poverty line will be given financial assistance

for education of children after ascertaining their needs

19.. Orient implementing partners on the program, program design and help in

development of project implementation plan

20.. CRS to coordinate with FHI to provide ongoing technical support to the

implementing partners at various stages of the project

21.. Planning and designing programs

22.. Conducting workshops, training, and orientation programs for different

functionaries

23.. Design and develop manual on home based care for CAA

24.. Organize exposure visits

25.. Participation in international and national conferences

26.. Sharing of lessons learnt

Objective of the assignment:

· To document the Lessons learnt in implementing the project over the

last one year. This would include the successes / failures / challenges

· To suggest for overcoming the failures and meet the challenges

The document would help in sharing the project learning with the stakeholders

and the outside World. The sharing is expected to advocate for increasing

programming on the care and support of infected and affected children. The

donors would get a message for increasing their investments on the issues.

Responsibilities of External consultant

CRS is looking for an external consultant with prior experience and expertise in

similar assignments and having track record of working within specified time

schedules. The consultant will work with CRS Technical Advisor HIV/AIDS based in

Kolkata.

The external consultant will be responsible to:

Develop a detailed activity plan for the assignment

Review project documents: proposal, Baseline survey report, BCC strategy

document, Project progress reports etc

Make field visits: hold meetings with project staff, peer educators,

stakeholders committee, and representatives of the referral points, local

government etc

Develop the document

It is anticipated that about 30 days will be required to complete the

assignment.

The work is to be completed in September / October 2003

Consultancy deliverables

The external expert will be responsible for the following deliverables:

1.. Detailed activity plan

2.. Field visit reports

3.. The document in English

Dr. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, MBBS, MD

Technical Advisor- HIV/AIDS

Catholic Relief Services

4/2 Orient Row, Kolkata - 700 017

India

Tel. No. 91-33-247 6433/1969

Fax No. 91-33-240 8652

E-mail : drashok@...