Documentation of TPO Uganda’s Lessons and Good Practices as a Pioneering PEPFAR Local Partner within the USAID’s Keeping Children Healthy and Safe Activity (KCHS)
Introduction:
TPO Uganda invites proposals from experienced consultants/firms to undertake the documentation of its exemplary practices as a pioneering PEPFAR local partner within the framework of the USAID’s Keeping Children Healthy and Safe Activity (KCHS) initiative, operational in Uganda's Central, South Western, and Rwenzori Regions.
Established in 1994, TPO Uganda is a national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to humanitarian and developmental efforts, steadfastly serving vulnerable communities across Uganda. Over the past three decades, TPO Uganda has remained resolute in its mission to empower communities affected by armed conflict and various crises, addressing their protection needs, bolstering psychosocial and mental health well-being, and fostering livelihood improvements.
Guided by a visionary ethos of "a society where individuals enjoy mental health and socioeconomic well-being," TPO Uganda proudly commemorates 30 years of steadfast commitment in 2024, embodying a legacy of restoring hope and transforming lives.
Background:
KCHS Activity Goal:
The overarching aim of the KCHS Activity is to reduce new HIV infections and vulnerability among OVC, adolescents, and young women in South Western Uganda.
KCHS Activity Objectives:
- Economically empower OVC adolescents and their families to access essential services.
- Strengthen local government and community platforms to enhance the quality of services provided to beneficiaries.
- Coordinate Community-Based and Social-Economic Services to establish a robust continuum of care.
Districts of Coverage:
The implementation districts in South Western Uganda comprise Kabale, Kanungu, Rubanda, Rukiga, Mbarara, Bushenyi, Rukungiri, Isingiro, Rwampara, Rukungiri, Bushenyi, Mbarara City, Ibanda, Kazo, Kiruhura. In Central Uganda, the covered districts include Mpigi, Masaka, Masaka City, Bukomansimbi, Sembabule, Kalungu, Lwengo, Rakai, Kyotera, Kalangala, Lyantonde. Meanwhile, in the Rwenzori Region, our operations span Kasese, Kamwenge, and Kitagwenda.
The USAID/KCHS Activity, a five-year project spanning from 2020 to 2025, is a PEPFAR-funded initiative focused on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), managed by TPO Uganda as the prime implementer in collaboration with AVSI Foundation Uganda, ACORD Uganda, REPSSI Uganda, and Maska Diocesan Medical Services (MDMS). TPO Uganda operates in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, the Ministry of Health, and District Local Governments. We engage with clinical partners such as JCRC, TASO, UPMB, RHSP, IDI, UHA, and Uganda Cares, along with health facilities, District Community-Based Services Department Structures, District Health Offices, and Economic Growth and Private Sector actors. Together, we provide comprehensive HIV and violence prevention, care, and treatment, as well as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), alongside economic strengthening services. Our collective goal is to contribute to ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 and fostering resilience among individuals, families, and communities.
The KCHS Activity aims to achieve the following thematic priorities by September 2025;
| PRIORITY 1: Economic Empowerment of OVC, Youth and their Caregivers to Access Core Services
|
To bolster resilience and mitigate the impact of socioeconomic shocks, the KCHS initiative offers a spectrum of household economic support tailored to the varying degrees of vulnerability among families. For households exhibiting moderate vulnerability but possessing the capacity to accumulate assets, we facilitate the establishment of Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC). Within these communities, members pool resources to access loans at favorable interest rates and terms, thereby fostering financial empowerment. Furthermore, SILC includes an EduFund component, enabling caregivers to allocate funds for their children's education.
In addition, KCHS delivers child-centered financial education to these households, ensuring that the needs of vulnerable children remain a priority within household budgets. Moreover, we facilitate market linkages for households seeking to augment their incomes and assets. Youth are provided with opportunities for business apprenticeships and training aimed at cultivating and marketing high-value crops and products, thereby enhancing their economic prospects. Across all households, KCHS offers comprehensive support programs, including cottage industry, kitchen gardening and financial skills training for youth. These initiatives collectively contribute to building stronger, more resilient families better equipped to navigate socio-economic challenges. Multi-layered stakeholder engagement has been indispensable on the KCHS Activity. It enhances economic stability among the project beneficiaries. Intentional mapping and collaboration with economic growth partners and private sector actors has generated additional in-kind and monetary resources. Collaboration activities have created opportunities for implementation synergies while leveraging USAID's broader development portfolio to improve service delivery for OVC households |
| PRIORITY 2: Capacity Strengthening of Local Government and Community Platforms
|
KCHS is dedicated to enhancing the capacity of local government staff, including Child Development Officers (CDOs) and Probation Officers, as well as reinforcing structures such as District Action Centers and Parasocial Workers. These efforts are geared towards facilitating increased access to high-quality violence prevention and intervention services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).
KCHS implements USAID-approved violence prevention curricula, including "No Means No" for children aged 9-14 and "SINOVUYO" for those aged 15-17. Additionally, we advocate for the utilization of the National Child Helpline 116 as a crucial resource for reporting and addressing cases of child abuse. Furthermore, KCHS fosters collaboration among stakeholders through case conferencing, fortifies community-health facility referral networks, and empowers Community-Based Services Department (CBSD) staff to effectively manage the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Management Information System (OVCMIS). KCHS activity has a robust structure: Project Advisory Committee (PAC) is the highest Policy and Advisory Structure appointed by the Permanent Secretary of MGLSD, Chaired by Commissioner Children and Youth affairs of MGLSD, Chaired by TPO Uganda Country Director, the Project Steering Committee (PSC) is constituted by CEOs of the Implementing organizations; ACORD, AVSI, REPSSI, MDMS). At Regional Office, the Activity has Senior Management Team (SMT) which meets regular basis with TPO Uganda Headquarters Senior Management Team and provides strategic leadership and Technical Support Unit (TSU) which provides program technical leadership of the IP clusters for effective implementation and timely reporting. |
| PRIORITY 3: Improve coordination of community-based clinical and socio-economic services to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the continuum of care
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KCHS is committed to addressing social, behavioral, and structural barriers that impede access to HIV testing and treatment services, with the ultimate aim of achieving viral load suppression. By systematically addressing these barriers, KCHS actively contributes to the global HIV/AIDS treatment targets of 95-95-95. This effort aligns with the overarching goal of preventing new HIV infections and reducing vulnerability among Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Central, South Western Uganda, and the Rwenzori Region.
KCHS facilitates referrals for vulnerable children, youth, and their caregivers to appropriate socio-economic and clinical services available at public, faith-based, and private not-for-profit health facilities within their communities. These services include HIV Testing Services (HTS) and support for HIV-positive individuals to access Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Tuberculosis (TB) services, as well as adherence support for treatment. Additionally, KCHS collaborates with clinical partners to deliver treatment literacy programs, monitor viral load levels, and conduct joint home visits to ensure comprehensive support. Central to KCHS's approach to service referrals is a robust household case management system, which ensures that families receive the comprehensive services and support necessary for their success. |
Purpose:
This assignment aims to document the lessons and good practices of TPO Uganda as a pioneering PEPFAR local partner executing the USAID’s Keeping Children Healthy and Safe Activity (KCHS), covering the period from October 2020 to September 2023. The consultant/firm is tasked with synthesizing the identified lessons and good practices across priorities 1, 2, and 3, while also documenting and sharing innovative initiatives with potential for wider scalability or replication. These findings will be supported by narratives and testimonies of change where applicable. The objective is to facilitate knowledge exchange by showcasing effective strategies to other implementers in Uganda and beyond, enabling them to replicate these successful practices.
A "good practice" is defined as a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, reliably leads to desired outcomes. Embracing good practices entails utilizing all available knowledge and technology to ensure success. Key criteria for identifying good practices include relevance in addressing operational and programming challenges, innovation in presenting new and creative solutions, impactful results that enhance program delivery and contribute to long-term success, and replicability, demonstrating potential for effective application in diverse contexts or programs.
The overarching purpose of this consultancy is to synthesize and document the good practices and lessons learned from the implementation of the USAID’s Keeping Children Healthy and Safe Activity (KCHS) within the framework of PEPFAR's localization efforts in combating HIV in Uganda. Specifically, the Consultant(s) is expected to:
- Identify good practices and lessons learned pertaining to the three identified priority areas through existing reports, engagement with implementing partners, and field exercises.
- Conduct further in-depth analysis and documentation of these good practices and lessons learned, specifically focusing on the localization of PEPFAR's HIV intervention strategies in Uganda.
Timelines and Deliverables:
The consultancy is scheduled to take place between July 1, 2024, and August 30, 2024. Key deliverables for this assignment include:
Deliverables
The selected consultant/firm will be expected to produce a number of deliverables on the below specified scope of work.
- Inception report: The selected consultant/firm will deliver an inception report that clearly spells out; detailed approach and methodology, Plan of Action outlining activities and timelines on how to realize the assignment purpose and this will be discussed and agreed with TPO Uganda/KCHS Activity team before commencement of the task.
- Document review: The consultant/firm will review relevant project documents and reports and related donor and line ministries OVC and HIV policies/reports.
- Evidence generation. The consultant/firm will conduct field work to project areas and interview staff, beneficiaries, line ministries/districts’ officials and, donor and implementing partners and clinical care organizations’ representatives to collect evidence on the selected promising good practices for documentation.
- Compendium/Report of good practices and lessons: The consultant/firm will analyze data from secondary sources and field work to produce a comprehensive and well-organized compendium of TPO Uganda’s KCHS activity good practices and PEPFAR localization lessons (main body of the report should be a maximum of 60 pages in length with quality photography, illustrations excluding TOC, tables, and annexes).
- Abridged Report: The consultant/firm will synthesize the findings from the compendium/main report to produce an abridged version of the report (not to exceed 10 pages in length).
- Photography and videography: The Consultant/firm during execution of the assignment will take high quality action-oriented photos and submit a folder with 300 soft copies with at least 100 plus 7 short video clips of 3-5 minutes covering each of the 3 priority areas indicated above,
Methodology and Approach:
The assignment will commence with a desk review of existing documents, including project and activity reports, as well as relevant donor and line ministries' OVC and HIV policies/reports. Field visits to various districts will be conducted to engage with KCHS implementers at the district level and beneficiaries, and to interview line ministries/districts' officials, donor and implementing partners, and representatives from clinical care organizations. These field visits will focus on interventions under the three identified outputs for this review. The results framework of the KCHS activity will serve as the basis for the methodology, assessing good practices at the output level and their contribution to outcome-level changes.
| Planned Activity/Review Stage | Deliverables | Responsible | Timelines
|
| Submit Inception and get feedback | Inception report | Consultant/firm
TPO Uganda/KCHS |
3 days |
| Review of relevant project and stakeholders’ documents | Desk review report | Consultant/firm | 3 days |
| Field consultations/ Data collection (field work) | Data collected to inform compendium of good practices. | Consultant/firm
TPO Uganda/KCHS |
10 days |
| Data Analysis and writing of first draft of the compendium of good practices. | Draft compendium of good practices. | Consultant/firm
|
5 days |
| Review of draft compendium of good practices and provide feedback | Feedback provided to consultant on first draft | TPO Uganda/KCHS | 3 days |
| Stakeholder validation and consultation meeting | Stakeholder feedback captured and incorporated in final compendium of good practices. | Consultant/firm
TPO Uganda/KCHS Key stakeholders |
3 days |
| Incorporate stakeholders’ comments and submit final compendium of good practices (60 pages) and abridged report (7-10 pages) | Final compendium of good practices and abridged report, Photography, short video clips submitted for final approval. | Consultant/firm
|
2 days |
| TOTAL | 30 days |
NOTE: The consultant/firm is also at liberty to propose a reasonable timeframe/ Schedule for executing and delivering the assignment based on their interpretation of the scope of work.
Key Competencies and Experience Required:
The consultant/firm should possess expertise in research for documenting good practices and disseminating research data using the latest methods. The consultant/firm team members should have a minimum of 5-10 years of relevant experience in the field. Preference will be given to individuals with Masters or doctoral-level qualifications in Public Health, Development Studies, Journalism & Mass Communication, or Social Science.
Strong technical experience in PEPFAR and USAID-funded child protection and HIV programming in resource-constrained countries, particularly focusing on children, adolescents, and young people, is essential. A proven track record and solid understanding of community-health facility linkage strategies, community-based approaches and collaborative learning adaptation (CLA) are highly desirable.
The consultant/firm team should have varied skills in content development and management, photography, videography, design graphics and professional layout of documents and editing. The consultant team should have experience with implementing in both humanitarian and development contexts.
The consultant/firm will be required to submit samples of work completed within the last 3 years.
Governance and Management of the Assignment:
The consultant/firm will directly report to the KCHS Director Technical Services/DCOP, who will provide general oversight. They will collaborate closely with the Documentation and Communication Manager and Director Knowledge Development & Innovations at TPO Uganda to ensure compliance with organization, donor documentation expectations and branding guidelines. Additionally, support on approved project documents and data-related issues will be provided by the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) at KCHS.
Required External Response to Terms of Reference:
Technical and Cost Proposal: The consultant/firm is requested to submit a comprehensive proposal addressing the following components:
- Detailed Approach and Methodology:
- Outline a clear approach and methodology for achieving the purpose of the assignment, emphasizing the documentation of good practices and dissemination of research data.
- Work Plan:
- Provide a detailed work plan outlining key activities to be implemented and corresponding timelines. Preferably, present the work plan in a format such as a Gantt chart for clarity.
- Roles and Responsibilities:
- Specify the specific roles and responsibilities of the team leader, supervisory chain, and other core members involved in data collection, report writing, editing, and finalization.
- Budget:
- Present a detailed budget with justification to cover costs associated with the documentation exercise. Ensure transparency and alignment with the proposed approach and activities.
- CVs of Team Members:
- Include updated CVs of the Team Leader and other core members of the Consulting Team, highlighting relevant experience and qualifications.
- Consulting Firm Profile:
- Provide a profile of the consulting firm, including information on past projects and at least three sample works. Additionally, include any recommendation letters or testimonials from previous clients.
- Evidence of official registration in Uganda as a consultancy firm (submit evidence of registration and tax compliance).
Interested consultants/firms are invited to submit hard copies of their sealed proposals marked “Documentation of TPO Uganda/KCHS Good Practices” to the Procurement Committee, TPO Head Office, plot 652, block 257 Wamala close Munyonyo and or a soft copy to; sngabirano@tpoug.org dnuwagaba@tpoug.org anantaba@tpoug.org Bid submission closing date is July 12, 2024 at 4:00 pm. Late proposals will not be accepted. All consultants/firms should clearly indicate their daytime telephone contact numbers and email addresses on their proposals.
