Website Oxfam
Title: Baseline Study and Health Facility Audit with Quality-of-Care Assessment
Project Detail
Project Name Comprehensive Health Options through Innovative Community Engagement (CHOICE)
Program Location Zambia (Chibombo, Chisamba, Namwala & Itezhi tezhi)
Work Requested Baseline Study Evaluation
Timeframe of Work Requested June 15th to 1st August ,2025
Background
The Comprehensive Health Options through Innovative Community Engagement (CHOICE) project is a multi-country sexual and reproductive health, and rights (SRHR) initiative implemented by Oxfam Canada in partnership with 13 local organisations across Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The project spans 84 months (7 years) with funding from Global Affairs Canada. CHOICE’s ultimate goal is to increase the bodily autonomy, agency, and enjoyment of SRHR among people experiencing poverty, marginalization, and vulnerability – particularly women, girls, adolescents, and persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions in targeted districts of the three countries. CHOICE places a strong emphasis on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, in line with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy.
CHOICE seeks to advance the SRHR of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) through three strategic pillars:
Pillar 1: Transforming Social Norms and Strengthening AGYW Agency
Intermediate Outcome 1100: Strengthened agency of AGYW and marginalized groups in exercising SRHR.
Activities include addressing harmful social norms through education and community engagement, increasing the uptake of SRH services, and creating youth-friendly spaces.
Pillar 2: Improving the Supply and Quality of SRHR Services
Intermediate Outcome 1200: Increased access to comprehensive, resilient, gender-responsive, youth-centered SRHR services.
This includes capacity building for providers, strengthening infrastructure, and ensuring availability of essential SRHR commodities and services.
Pillar 3: Strengthening Civil Society Advocacy and Policy Influence
Intermediate Outcome 1300: Enhanced social action by CSOs, particularly women’s and youth-led organizations, to promote equal protection of SRHR.
This involves funding and supporting advocacy efforts, coalition building, and organizational capacity strengthening.
In Zambia, the CHOICE project will be implemented in five districts namely; Chibombo and Chisamba districts in Central, Itezhi-Itezhi, and Namwala districts in Southern Province. The interventions of the project will focus on working with the schools, communities, and health facilities. The Zambian baseline study will provide a foundational assessment that combines a population-level baseline survey with a health facility audit and quality of care assessment. The hybrid approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of both demand- and supply-side factors influencing SRHR outcomes. The results will guide monitoring, learning, and decision-making throughout the life of the project.
Objectives of the Consultancy
The primary objectives for the baseline assessment encompass the following:
Establish Baseline Indicator Values: Gather and analyze data to determine initial values for outcome-level indicators within the CHOICE Performance Measurement Framework. This analysis will focus on areas such as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) knowledge, access to services, gender equality, health system capacity, and community resilience, with disaggregation by sex, age, and other relevant variables such as disability inclusion.
Validate and Refine Indicators: Evaluate the relevance and measurability of project indicators in Zambia by conducting field inquiries and stakeholder consultations. This process will recommend necessary adjustments to ensure alignment with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC) Results-Based Management (RBM) standards.
Inform Results-Based Management: Develop a comprehensive baseline report intended to guide RBM and performance monitoring strategies. This report will confirm or adjust targets, enhance monitoring tools, and prioritise interventions based on the identified gaps.
Accountability and Learning: Establish a documented reference of pre-project conditions to promote transparency and serve as a learning resource. This documentation will emphasize initial challenges and opportunities related to SRHR and gender equality, facilitating future evaluations.
Scope of Work
The CHOICE Baseline Study in Zambia integrates two interrelated components:
A general household and community-level baseline survey, focused on understanding SRHR-related attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and agency (Pillars 1 and 3), an
A health facility audit and quality of care assessment, evaluating the availability, readiness, and responsiveness of SRHR services (Pillar 2).
Together, these two components will establish a comprehensive baseline against which progress will be measured throughout the project’s lifecycle. This study will collect comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data from project implementation areas in Zambia using a mixed-methods approach. It will incorporate structured surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs) to capture the experiences, needs, and perspectives of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and other stakeholders.
Component 1 – General Baseline Survey: This component will generate data on the experiences, needs, and perspectives of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), community members, and key stakeholders. Methods will include structured household surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs). The survey will explore SRHR knowledge, harmful social norms, AGYW agency, attitudes toward SRHR, and civil society advocacy.
Component 2 – Quality of Care Assessment: The study will also assess the quality of care to evaluate the supply and delivery of SRHR services. This will involve the use of three tools: Health Facility Audit, Quality of Care Assessment, and Client Exit Interviews. These tools will assess facility readiness, youth-friendly and gender-responsive care, provider capacity, and emergency preparedness, aligning with Pillar 2 indicators.
Technical Support Requirements: To ensure quality, consistency, and timely analysis, the consultant must be proficient in SurveyCTO to program and adapt tools, manage translations, test for logic and usability, and support data collection teams. The consultant will also clean and consolidate datasets, run descriptive and frequency analyses, and prepare a unified report that integrates quantitative and qualitative findings.
Geographic Coverage and Thematic Areas: The consultant will be responsible for planning and executing all activities required to complete the baseline study across the four implementing districts: Chibombo and Chisamba (Central Province), and Namwala and Itezhi Tezhi (Southern Province). The study will cover communities, health facilities, schools, and partner sites. Key themes include SRHR knowledge, women’s agency, service quality, health system capacity, and civil society advocacy.
Key Responsibilities:
Desk Review: Review relevant documents (proposal, PMF, partner plans) and national data to inform study design.
Inception and Study Plan: Develop the study design in consultation with Oxfam; define methods, indicators, sampling, tools, and ethical considerations. Submit an Inception Report.
Field Data Collection: Organize and conduct data collection across the four districts. This includes:
Surveys: Administer structured questionnaires to a representative sample.
Facility Assessments: Use audit and quality tools for SRHR service evaluation.
KIIs: Interview key stakeholders (healthcare workers, local leaders, partners).
FGDs: Conduct gender-segregated discussions with community groups.
Observations: Visit facilities to validate and enrich data through direct observation.
Enumerator Management: Recruit and train local enumerators; ensure cultural and linguistic appropriateness.
Stakeholder Engagement: Consult and involve implementing partners and rights-holders throughout; validate preliminary findings with local feedback.
Data Analysis and Interpretation: Perform statistical and thematic analysis; triangulate data sources; compare findings with national benchmarks.
Presentation of Findings: Share preliminary results with Oxfam and partners for validation.
Reporting: Draft and finalize a unified report combining baseline and quality of care data.
The health facility audit and quality of care assessment will be conducted as a complete enumeration of all targeted health facilities within the implementation districts. However, the baseline survey will use a representative sample of community respondents. Both components will be implemented concurrently at the same facilities to enable integrated analysis and cross-validation of supply and demand perspectives. The two different components are articulated below:
Component 1: Baseline Survey of the CHOICE Project
Objective: To establish baseline values for the CHOICE Project indicators related to knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and experiences of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Key Activities:
Desk review of relevant documents including CHOICE PMF, previous surveys, and partner plans.
Design of a mixed-methods study with household/community surveys, FGDs, and KIIs.
Develop survey tools (quantitative and qualitative) and train enumerators.
Conduct fieldwork in the districts of Chibombo, Chisamba, Namwala, and Itezhi Tezhi.
Analyze data by outcome indicators and disaggregate by age, sex, and other relevant demographics.
Present preliminary findings and submit a draft and final Baseline Report.
Key Indicators Assessed:
SRHR knowledge and attitudes
Contraceptive use
Adolescent pregnancy and GBV indicators
Gender norms and agency
Community engagement levels
Component 2: Health Facility Audit and Quality of Care Assessment
Objective: To assess the readiness, availability, and quality of SRHR service delivery in health facilities serving CHOICE project communities.
Key Activities:
Adapt and program standardized health facility audit tools in SurveyCTO.
Conduct observations, interviews with health workers, and client exit interviews.
Focus on service quality elements: youth-friendliness, privacy, respectful care, availability of SRHR commodities, and infrastructure.
Analyze data to identify service delivery gaps and regional disparities.
Integrate findings with baseline survey for unified reporting.
Tools to be Used:
Health Facility Audit Checklist
Quality of Care Observation Tool
Client Exit Interview Questionnaire
Cross-Cutting Roles for Consultant:
Lead tool development, programming, testing in SurveyCTO
Manage translation, training, and data quality assurance
Conduct triangulated analysis combining facility and household data
Collaborate with Oxfam and partners throughout the process
Deliverables:
Inception Report outlining methodology, indicators, tools, and work plan
Data Collection Tools for both components (surveys, audit checklists, interview guides)
Enumerator Training Summary and Fieldwork Plan
Fieldwork Summary Report indicating coverage, challenges, and resolutions
Clean data sets for both the community-based survey and the HFA
Preliminary Findings Presentation for validation with stakeholders
Draft Baseline and Quality of Care Report integrating household and facility findings
Final Baseline and Quality of Care Report including cleaned datasets and updated PMF values
Timeframe: Assignment duration: 8 weeks (June 15th to August 1st, 2025)
Week 1: Inception and tool development
Week 2: Enumerator training and logistics
Week 3–4: Fieldwork across 4 districts
Week 5: clean data sets and starts Data analysis,
Week 6: validation presentation, and
Week 7: draft reporting
Week 8: final report
Consultant Profile:
Advanced experience with SRHR, baseline surveys, and facility assessments
Proficiency in SurveyCTO
Strong skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis
Experience in Zambia or Southern Africa context
Ability to facilitate and relate to stakeholders at multiple levels and in diverse contexts
Familiarity with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Results-Based Management (RBM) standards
Excellent communication and report writing skills in English
Advanced degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, or related field
Oxfam Policies: The consultant must abide by and ensure their team abides by the following Oxfam policies:
One Oxfam Policy on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
Oxfam Responsible Data Management Policy
Oxfam Code of Conduct (to be signed before commencement)
Submission and Evaluation of Proposals: Interested consultants must submit a proposal by May 30th, 2025, via email to Zambialogistics@oxfam.org.uk with the subject line: “Proposal for CHOICE Baseline.”
The proposal should include:
A cover letter outlining relevant experience in SRHR and evaluations
A 5-page technical proposal (excluding annexes) describing the approach, work plan, and management arrangements
CVs of the consultant/team
Three references with contact details
Two examples of similar large-scale studies (preferably in SRHR or Southern Africa)
Submission Deadline: May 30th, 2025, to Zambialogistics@oxfam.org.uk
To apply for this job email your details to Zambialogistics@oxfam.org.uk