PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will contribute to the development of a landscape analysis and recommendations on improving maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding counseling into health systems across South Asian countries, and its dissemination (Activity 1.1). While the activity spans multiple countries in the South Asian region, the consultant will be responsible for leading data collection, documentation and validation for one country only (Maldives).

The objective of Activity 1.1 is to assess and document bottlenecks and enabling factors in the policy and programme delivery environment that affect the integration of quality MIYCN counselling services into the health system and adaptations in the delivery and scale up of these services in the prevailing Covid-19 context and routine post pandemic practice in eight countries in South Asia. Its specific objectives are to (a) generate regional and country specific knowledge on the current situation, bottlenecks and enabling factors in the policy and programme delivery environment affecting scale up of integration of MIYCN counselling services; (b) develop regional synthesis of programmatic adaptations and innovations that have been made across the health system functions to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on delivery and scale up of MIYCN counselling services; and (c) develop country recommendations on improving MIYCN counselling with direct participation of government and key partners across eight countries in the region.

The consultant will be responsible for country data collection and validation of findings for one country. The country-level information will feed into a regional synthesis being led by a regional MN and IYCF consultant, who will organize the work, develop the analytical approach and tools and drive synthesis of the overall report.

The consultant will closely collaborate closely with the MN and IYCF consultant (who is leading the overall activity and regional synthesis), Senior Technical Advisor South Asia, the Associate Director for South Asia Programs, Director Programs South Asia, and FHI Solutions and FHI 360 team members across the region.

Specific Tasks for the Consultant:

1. Collect data at the country level using the approach and tools for country data collection (stakeholder interviews and secondary research). This will involve:

a. Collecting relevant national guidelines, technical documents, project reports and government monitoring system documents;

b. Identifying key informants for interviews, and conducting 10 – 15 key informant interviews with various stakeholders, including national officials, state/district officials, sub-district officials, and funders or NGOs

c. Setting up meetings

d. Meeting with stakeholders

e. Documenting interviews

2. Liaise with the MN and IYCF consultant to fill in any country level gaps for the regional synthesis

3. Review and provide technical feedback on the draft synthesis prepared by the MN and IYCF consultant

4. Support MN and IYCF consultant to validate findings at the country level, including sharing draft information on country with stakeholders for feedback.

The full RFA, including application instructions, can be found at: https://aliveandthrive.org/en/procurement-solicitation.