USAID CHA Pause & Reflect and collaborating, Learning and Adapting – Consultant

Background of the project

Over 80 years ago, Albert Einstein helped create the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Today, we are a leading humanitarian and development organization working in more than 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.

The IRC has been present in Liberia since 1996, serving as a lead partner in the health sector. The country program supports the Ministry of Health (MOH) in strengthening the health care systems and service delivery at all levels following the MOH national standards. Guided by its 2015 – 2020 Strategic Action Plan, now transitioned to the “IRC Strategy-100”, the IRC strives to make measurable progress in the Liberian people’s health, safety, and decision-making power of Liberian people. The IRC Liberia operates in Lofa, Bong, and the southeast (River Gee and Grand Kru) Counties, implementing the USAID Community Health Activity Project. It has worked in 11 of 15 counties within Liberia, namely Montserrado, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Grand Gedeh, Maryland, River Gee, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bomi, and Grand Cape Mount. The IRC current portfolio is the USAID-funded Community Health Activity Project.

COLLABORATING, LEARNING, AND ADAPTING (CLA) OVERVIEW:

Over the past three years, the IRC has adopted an institutionalized, systematic, and well-resourced approach to Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) during project implementation. This approach is supported by programmatic and operational mechanisms that provide guidance and support to teams on the ground. These activities have been integrated with the CLA framework to ensure continuous learning and adaptive management. For instance, in 2021, the project initiated its first Pause and Reflect (P&R) session, followed by the implementation of internal learning sessions among the consortium members in 2022.

However, many of these activities were primarily designed to address learning at the county level. County review meetings are regularly conducted to reflect on program progress and challenges, supplemented by quarterly data verification exercises facilitated with the support of the Ministry of Health (MoH). The findings from these exercises prompt discussions among all program stakeholders, fostering collaboration and shared learning.

As the project enters its fourth year, the Consortium prepares for a learning workshop to critically assess its operations, implementation strategies, achievements, and the invaluable lessons gained through implementing the P&R component. Aligned with the USAID CLA framework, this workshop will systematically review project outcomes across the three key implementation approaches: Government to Government, CSOs, and Partners.

COLLABORATING, LEARNING, AND ADAPTING CONSULTANT

This person will primarily work with the CHA Project Leadership team and other departments as required. The consultant must meet specific requirements to create content related to Track A: Improved Access, Quality, and Utilization of Community Health Program. This includes understanding the USAID CHA program’s objectives, strategic interventions, and achievements in expanding community health services. The consultant should also familiarize himself with the key sub-tracks and strategic focus areas within Track A, such as CHA coverage, quality improvement of health services, disease prevention, and accountability for CHA commodities.

THE SPECIFIC TASKS OF THE CONSULTANT WILL COMPRISE THE FOLLOWING RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES:

Deliverables:

Regarding case development – The consultant must work with technical staff to identify notable success stories and challenges in each sub-track. They should create at least three detailed cases that showcase successful interventions, innovative strategies, and lessons learned within each sub-track. These cases should provide a comprehensive overview of the implemented interventions, their impact on improving access, quality, and utilization of community health services, and the strategies used to address challenges.

Video Documentary Script Development –The consultant must collaborate with the video production team to develop scripts for at least three video scenes for Track A. These video scenes should effectively capture the essence of each case study, featuring community health workers in action, interactions with community members, and testimonials from beneficiaries. The consultant should work with technical staff to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the content portrayed in the video scenes. The consultant should assist in identifying suitable panelists, developing discussion points and questions, and providing guidance on structuring the panel discussion. The goal is to facilitate a meaningful conversation about CHA coverage, quality improvement strategies, the challenges faced, and solutions implemented within the community health program.

PowerPoint Presentation Development

The consultant must collaborate with technical staff to create PowerPoint presentations for each case study. These presentations should be visually appealing and concise, effectively conveying the key interventions, achievements, and lessons learned from each case study. The consultant should also establish a theme and outline for the PowerPoint presentation that sets the tone for the panel discussion and complements the plenary presentation format. The consultant will develop PowerPoint presentations based on each modality’s identified innovations and best practices. These presentations will showcase the innovative strategies, successes, challenges, and lessons learned from each approach. They will provide valuable insights for stakeholders and decision-makers.

Review and Familiarization:

The consultant must undertake several tasks to identify innovative ideas for implementing key approaches. The first task involves reviewing and thoroughly understanding the USAID CHA project’s key implementation approaches. These approaches include the local partnership approach, the Government-to-Government (G2G) approach in River Gee, direct support to Grand Kru, partnership with local organizations DEN-L and CSI in Lofa and Bong, and health financing support with Last Mile Health.

Case identification and development

The next task is case identification, which entails conducting a comprehensive desk review and interviewing technical staff. This is done to identify innovative ideas and best practices within each implementation approach. The consultant will then analyze past projects, initiatives, and success stories related to each approach, both within the USAID CHA project and in similar contexts globally.

Feedback and finalization

Collaboration and feedback are crucial aspects of the consultant’s work. They will collaborate with project stakeholders, including the USAID CHA team, local partners, and relevant organizations, to gather information and receive feedback on innovative practices. The consultant will ensure that the developed presentations accurately reflect the achievements and experiences of implementing each approach.

Video script preparation

Lastly, the consultant will develop at least three scripts for filming these approaches in the field. These documentary scripts will serve as a visual representation of the implemented strategies.

Plan and Host the CLA conference

The consultant will design a detailed framework that shows the roadmap to implementation of the CLA conference, outlining objectives, themes, and logistics and lead the on-site execution of the conference.

Deliverable milestones

1. Development of CLA Pause and Reflect Framework

1.1. Background

1.2. CLA and Adaptive Management concepts

1.3. Rationale behind

1.4. CLA Pause and Reflect Tracks and Sub-tracks

1.5. Development of Cases/Lesson Learned Guide

1.6. Identification of Tracks

1.7. Timeline

2. Development of Cases (Lessons for CLA presentation)

2.1. Case 1: Empowering Communities through PDIA and Score-cards

2.2. Case 2: Cultivating Sustainability through Cash Crops Farming: Empowering Communities to Support Community Health Programs

2.3. Case 3: The Success of Zota District’s Revolving Drug Fund

2.4. Case 4: Lessons from River Gee’s G2G Model Implementation

2.5. Case 5: Lessons from direct implementation through CHT

2.6. Case 6: Lesson learned from local CSOs in Bong and Lofa

2.7. Case 7: The Success Of The Kitting Approach In Community Health Initiatives

2.8. Case 8: Utilizing Gift Money to Support TTMs in Ensuring Safe Deliveries

3. Development of Documentary Scenes Scripts

3.1. Scene 1: Malaria Diagnosis for a Child Beneficiary:

3.2. Scene 2: Testimonial from a Parent Beneficiary on malaria diagnosis

3.3. Scene 3: Community Health Assistants Share Their Journey

3.4. Scene 4: Empowering Communities through PDIA and Score-cards

3.5. Scene 5: Reflections on USAID CHA project by the CHD/MOH

3.6. Scene 6: Reflection on the G2G Approach

3.7. Scene 7: Reflection on the direct implementation in River Gee

3.8. Scene 8: Reflection on local partnership engagement in Lofa and Nimba

3.9. Scene 9: The Success of Zota District’s Revolving Drug Fund

3.10. Scene 10: The Success Of The Kitting Approach In Community Health Initiatives

4. Preparation for the Conference

4.1. Formation of the CLA Pause and Reflect Committee

4.2. Development of Agenda and Roles and Responsibility

4.3. Venue Selection

4.4. List of Delegates and Guest of Honor

4.5. Agenda preparation

4.6. Invitation Letters

4.7. CLA Tracks PowerPoint Presentation slides

4.8. CLA Tracks Guides

4.9. Development of Banners

5. Hosting of the Conference

5.1. List of facilitators per Track and Orientation

5.2. List of Presenters and Orientation

5.3. Presentation Deck-Folder

5.4. List of Notetakers and Orientation

5.5. Media coverage and Orientation

5.6. Slide Show Casting

5.7. Group Photo and Photo Gallery

6. Report writing

6.1. Table of contents

6.2. Summary of the Key Findings

6.3. Narrative Report 

6.4. Action plan and Recommendations

6.5. Photo and Caption

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