Terms of Reference for a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Consultant
Global Fund for Children (GFC) is looking for a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) consultant to
apply innovative solutions and approaches to support the operationalization of the MEL plan for its
Empowering adolescent girls and local organizations to address root causes of violence against women
and girls (VAWG) Program.
Description of the Program
In July 2019, Global Fund for Children (GFC) was awarded restricted funds by NoVo Foundation to support
grassroots community-based organizations in developing innovative strategies to address the root causes
of violence against women and girls (VAWG). The program is a two year pilot to be implemented from July
2019-July 2021. The initiative focuses on Adolescent girls aged between 10 to 18 years of age in the rural
areas and aims at empowering them to exercise agency and autonomy over their bodies and lives as well
as act as agents of change in their communities. To contribute to this goal, GFC will select a cohort of 6-8
partners in both countries based on rigorous criteria that will prioritize a girl-centered approach. GFC will
support the partners to work towards the following three main outcomes:
 Adolescent Girls participating in partners’ programs know their rights and are empowered,
supported and resourced to claim them as individuals and collectively
 Adolescent Girls safely access adequate and appropriate support services (shelter, security,
psychosocial, economic, medical) from community-based organizations
 Communities create an enabling environment for adolescent girls to exercise their right to
information and participation.
The initiative will kick-off with partners’ self-capacity assessment in three key areas (organizational,
programmatic and networking) using the organizational capacity index (OCI) tool. Based on this
assessment, partner organizations will develop an action plan to improve on the gaps identified during
the assessments.
The geographical focus of the project will be the rural areas with a specific focus on the border areas
namely the Southwest part of Liberia (primarily Bomi, Cape Mount and Gbarpolu counties) and the
Southeast province of Sierra Leone (with a focus on Pujehun, Bo and Kenema districts).
Scope of Work
The MEL consultant will coordinate directly with the Regional Capacity Development Specialist based in
Liberia and the GFC Africa team in the United States, to develop the baseline strategy to collect
information on indicators prior to start the intervention. For the indicators that do not require collection
during the baseline, the consultant will support the program to develop the necessary tools and process
to collect, process and analyze this information over the life of the project.
The consultant will also provide support to assess the theory of change of each of the partners. During
this process, the consultant will assess the MEL capacity of each partner and help partners establish the
necessary mechanisms to select and report an outcome indicator as requested by the MEL plan.
At the end of the program in 2021, the MEL consultant will conduct the endline study to measure key
indicators at the conclusion of the program.
Any proposed solution needs to be of high quality and grounded in principles of Do No Harm and ethical
considerations. Any data collection or processing needs to respect respondents, ensure their safety and
prevent unauthorized disclosure and use of personal data. GFC will provide the consultant with its
safeguarding policy for review and signature prior to awarding this contract.
Key deliverables
Deliverables will include
 Finalize the draft MEL Plan developed for the program.
 Develop the necessary tools, process, datasets, etc. needed to operationalize the MEL plan.
 Carry out the baseline and endline data collection, analysis and reporting.
 Assess partner’s theory of change and MEL capacities including a plan of action for partners to
comply with Program MEL requirements and demonstrate what is being learnt through the
Program.
 Attend the Kick-off, Mid-term Learning and Closeout convenings/workshops.
Proposal Information
Please submit your proposal by 6.00 PM GMT on January 31, 2020 to adavid@globalfundforchildren.orgOr apply through the system below.
with the subject line “MEL Consultant – [Applicant name]”. You may submit your proposal as a PDF or
Word document file. Prior to the submission deadline, you may email any questions to the email listed
above.
Your proposal should be concise and include the following:
1. Your understanding of the scope of work and a description of how you would approach the
scope of work.
2. Previous relevant experience providing MEL support to programs in Liberia, Sierra Leone or in
the West Africa region including references from previous clients/donors.
3. Required team structure for the baseline and endline.
4. Your proposed all-in cost with breakdowns of key cost drivers including level of effort and
consultant rates.
5. Applicant or Lead consultant (if a company) CV.
6. Your availability in the month of April 2020 to take part in the project kick-off meeting with
selected partners and conduct the baseline in the field in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Evaluation Criteria
GFC will award a contract to a Consultant based on a range of evaluation criteria, including:
1. Capacity of the respondent to provide a complete solution, as demonstrated by relevant
expertise and experience including but not limited to the following:
 Expertise conducting baseline/endline studies
 Experience supporting grassroots organizations to improve their MEL capacities
including assessing and helping develop theories of change and MEL systems
 Data collection expertise with grassroots, e.g., where data is hidden or concealed
 Understanding of any geography-specific precautions/limitations
 Understanding of and experience working on VAWG issues
2. Ability to present concise, actionable and practical MEL tools and reports, as demonstrated
(among other things) through the proposal document itself.
3. Ability to establish trust and rapport with partners, especially during baseline and endline data
collection.
4. Reasonable daily consultancy fees.