Terms of Reference for the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework on Older Persons
Background
In Africa, older
people have always played an important role in the community through their
contribution to among others caring for orphaned grand children and providing
much needed house hold income- “Increasingly, older generations are becoming
active in political processes, forming their own organizations and campaigning
for change. Older persons in rural areas often have expert knowledge of farming
practices, including ways of coping with environmental shocks and food
shortages, which may be crucial for the survival of rural communities in times
of crisis.” (UNFPA Report: Ageing in
the Twenty-First Century A
Celebration and A Challenge)
In
spite of the important position that older people continue to have in society,
they are often excluded from development programmes and since most live in
rural areas, they have limited access to hospitals, clinics and other health
services. And furthermore they experience economic exclusion and have no
opportunity for gainful employment and no access to insurance or credit
schemes.
Both older men and older women may face age
discrimination, with the latter being at the greater disadvantage when it comes
to gender discrimination.
For
the past decade, the AU Commission specifically the Department of Social
Affairs has been making concerted efforts to address the multifarious
challenges older persons face by promoting the rights and welfare of older
persons through the AU Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing which was
adopted by the AU policy organs in 2002, the AU Social Policy Framework adopted
in 2008 and most recently Africa’s Common Position On Human Rights of Older Persons In Africa adopted
at the 3rd AU Session of the Conference of Ministers of Social
Development 26-30 November 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The AU
Commission recognises that ageing is a pertinent and cross-cutting development
issue in Africa and that the demographic of older persons is expanding, in
addition to changing family structures and reduced family support but yet older
persons, and even worse, older persons with disabilities, are still not given
priority at the national level in terms of solid policies and resources to
implement these policies.
The main purpose of the Monitoring and
Evaluation Framework is to provide common sets of indicators for tracking
progress made by Member States towards putting in place and implementing
policies and programmes for older persons in their respective countries based
on the agreed priority areas of the AU Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing.
The key objectives of this Monitoring and
Evaluation Framework are to:
- Set
benchmarks, evaluate progress, identify obstacles, share good practices
and generate inputs to further enhance implementation and achieve the
goals of the AU Framework and Plan
of Action on Ageing;
- Serve
as a guideline to enhance national monitoring and evaluation efforts and
expedite coordination and implementation of issues of older persons;
- To
facilitate reporting to relevant African Union organs such as the African
Commission on Human and People’s Rights;
Tasks to be performed
The Consultant will work under the guidance
and supervision of the Director of Social Affairs and closely with the Head of
Social Welfare Division and HelpAge Regional Director in the preparation of the
framework. The key tasks of the Consultant will be to:
- Fully
review and familiarize himself/herself with all literature/background
documents related to issues of
older persons in Africa, the Plan of Action on Ageing and its Strategies;
- Prepare
the structure of the Framework (to include but not least)-:
o
Definition of the approach (types of
data and information)
o
Indicator definition template (should include the data
disaggregation levels, anticipated data quality considerations)
o
Monitoring and Evaluation Matrix
(should include; frequency of data collection,
organization body responsible for data collection and compilation,
milestones, desired results e.t.c)
o
Clear linkage between the proposed
results, outcome/output indicators and activities.
o
Key monitoring and evaluation activities and
timelines
o
A Structured
questionnaire consisting of a set of
qualitative and quantitative indicators, covering outcomes and outputs
resulting from the implementation of programmes and member States’
interventions targeting at achieving the goals of the Plan of Action
- Review
all replies and assess the extent to which the Member State has complied
with the questionnaire;
- Submit
the first and final drafts of the
framework to the AU Department of Social Affairs for approval;
Outputs and Timeframe
The following are the main
deliverables/outputs:
|
Deliverable/Output
|
Timeframe
|
|
Prepare outline/structure of Framework and submit to
DSA
|
Within 15 days of commencement of
assignment
(1 July 2013-Tentative)
|
|
First Draft Framework
|
10
July 2013
|
|
Revised Framework (Final)
|
14
August 2013
|
The Consultant will work with
the Department of Social Affairs starting 1 July 2013. He/She is expected to work on a full time
basis for the duration of the contract.
Required
Qualifications and Experience
- Advanced
University degree in Sociology, Economics, Social Science or other
discipline;
- Demonstrated
experience in designing high level Monitoring Evidence and Learning
frameworks
- At least 5 –10
years working experience on social development related
issues in Africa including on older persons;
- Research,
policy analysis and policy development;
- Good
analytical skills using both qualitative and quantitative methods;
- Excellent and
proven report writing skills;
- Excellent
knowledge of English and good working knowledge of French would be an
asset;
- Good knowledge
of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (to create and format documents,
spreadsheets, and presentations);
- Ability to
deliver quality product to deadlines
Supervision and Reporting Lines
The Consultant will work under
the direct supervision and guidance of the Director and in collaboration and
frequent contact with the Head of Social Welfare Division and Regional Director
Help Age and under the overall supervision of the Commissioner for Social
Affairs.
Duty Station and Working Environment
The
Consultant will work at his/her duty station. E-mail communication will
constitute a vital part of the work and will be considered as official
communication. Transmission of document
and draft to the AU as well as progress report will be done via E-mail. However, if during the course of his/her work
there is a need for the Consultant to liaise and consult with the Department,
then a visit to the AU Commission in Addis Ababa will be arranged accordingly.
The draft report and final report will be submitted to the AU under cover of a
signed letter in hard copy. Accordingly, the AU
will reply in writing with a signed letter in hard copy, its acceptance of the
Report and the approval of the final payment. If the final report is not
satisfactory to the DSA and HelpAge, then they will withhold any further
payment to the Consultant.
Expression of Interest
All interested consultants/firms are requested to
write an expression of interest by:
a) Explaining
their competences to meet the requirements of the assignment
b) Explain
in details the methodology to be used in carrying out the assignment
c) Provide
a detailed professional budget in USD(Indicate daily professional rates)
d) Provide
duration of the assignment and when ready to undertake the assignment.
e) Provide
evidence of similar work undertaken in the recent past (Not more than 3 years)
Tax Liability
Settlement of
any tax liability arising from this agreement will remain the responsibility of
the consultant.
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