Terms of Reference- Development of Media and Programme Baseline Data Consultancy, December 2020

Terms of Reference

Basic Needs Basic Rights is seeking support for the Development of Media and Programme Baseline Data, as well as development of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Framework for the SpeakUp Campaign project

Background on BRBR

Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya (BNBR) is a non-profit organization currently involved in a project aimed at challenging stigma and discrimination of people with mental health problems in Nairobi County and its environs. The objective of this project is to improve the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the General Public and media on mental health. To this end, BNBR is working with mental health champions from across Nairobi, who have lived experience of mental illness, to champion the project’s campaign messages online primarily through social media platforms.

Project Overview: BNBR has partnered with CBM Kenya and Time to Change/Mind UK on a project known as ‘’Evidence based approaches empowering youth with mental health problems to tackle stigma’’. The project seeks to empower and support young people with lived experience of mental health problems to challenge stigma and discrimination in Nairobi County. They will do this through face to face conversations with the public and a public campaign with mass reach. As part of institutional development the project will also aim to strengthen BNBR’s governance and safeguarding practices for effectiveness and sustainability.**

Expected project outcomes: 1) Youth with lived / personal experience of mental health problems empowered to challenge stigma and claim their rights; 2) Change in knowledge, attitude and intended behaviour of people without lived experience of mental health problems not to stigmatize or discriminate against people with lived experience of mental health problems; 3) Caregivers and Community health workers are able to effectively support youth with mental health problems and refer them to appropriate care; 4) BNBR’s Board of Directors diversifies its composition and resource mobilization and institutes performance management. BNBR Staff training needs are identified and addressed including safeguarding, inclusion and inclusive project management

Type of contract

Consultancy

Duration of the work

MERL consultancy – 15 days from 1st December 2020

Media monitoring is to take place between 1st Dec – 28th Feb 2021

Line management

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer and Communications and advocacy officer

Please note that the consultancy shall be carried out either as two separate assignments, or collectively as a single assignment by individual consultants/consulting firms/media agencies with the desired skills and expertise to combine media analytics with the development of project baselines and MERL systems

Purpose of the Consultancy

Main Purpose

Activity

Deliverables

Media monitoring

To track current media articles/stories around mental health, as well as conversations by the general public on social media platforms, touching on mental health matters, noting images and language being used. This will then be reported on a monthly basis to BNBR (for 3 months – Nov 2020 to Jan 2021) and a final full report presented at the end of the three-month exercise.

This report will serve as a baseline which BNBR will use at the end of our campaign to measure the effectiveness of our messaging in influencing the attitudes, behaviour and knowledge of both the general public and media, towards mental health.

Brief the BNBR team on the tools that will be used to monitor media reports and online conversations touching on mental health, and why these tools are preferred.
Work with BNBR to develop a user-friendly template for recording media reports and online conversations around mental health.
Work with BNBR consultant to develop guidelines for ongoing monitoring so that BNBR staff will know how best to undertake this monitoring over the course of the project
Work with BNBR to identify key words that will best capture online conversations and media reports touching on mental health.
Continuously (in a three-month period) collect, collate and analyse media reports (on both traditional and digital platforms), and online conversations touching on mental health.
A monthly report of media stories and online conversations touching on mental health (for three months – Nov 2020 to Jan 2021).
A comprehensive report of media stories and online conversations touching on mental health for the three-month media monitoring period (to be delivered by mid-February 2021).

MERL

The MERL component seeks to develop a monitoring, evaluation, research and learning framework (including indicators, methodologies and tools) which can be used to determine qualitatively and quantitatively the situation in relation to the main elements of the project amongst the stakeholders and beneficiaries in Nairobi County in Kenya before, during and after project implementation.

The MERL framework will be used to help the project staff and partners focus on what the program is trying to achieve in the form of a set of expected outcomes; and to empower partners to collaboratively measure and review these outcomes. In line with the MERL framework, the consultant will also establish selected baselines for the project´s key indicators and will provide the benchmarks against which to measure the project performance.

Desk review of all applicable MERL and other relevant documents including the existing draft Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) which includes draft indictors and methodologies, existing data collection tools and existing relevant data collected during and prior to the start of the project including existing baseline data
Series of discussions with project staff and Champions to get a clear understanding of the project design and obtain input on the MERL framework
Adapt and add to the existing PMF as required to produce a final MERL framework including outcomes, indicators, data collection methodologies and tools: –
Adapt existing data collection tools and create new ones as required to produce a final set of tools (e.g. surveys, FGD discussion guides, interview questions etc)
Conduct/collect, verify and report baseline data for the indicators as agreed
Inception report outlining the key scope of work and intended work plan of the analysis and evaluation questions.
MERL framework
Data collection tools
Baseline data for the proposed/agreed indicators

Desired skills and experience

This assignment is open to Kenya nationals only, and shall be carried out either as two separate assignments, or collectively as a single assignment by individual consultants/consulting firms/media agencies with the desired skills and expertise to combine media analytics with the development of project baselines and MERL systems
For the Media Monitoring component, the applicant should possess the following desired knowledge and expertise in: media monitoring and analytics; Tech savvy; Expertise with social listening tools; Expertise with media monitoring tools; An eye for details and nose for news, and; Familiarity with the media landscape in Kenya.
For the project baseline data and MERL component the applicant should have demonstrated skills and experience in project/programme baseline assessments, operations research and/or evaluations particularly on Mental Health programmes
Demonstrated understanding of the political, cultural, economic and social factors that impact on mental health problems in Kenya, including mental health stigma,
Experience in mental health rights and role of the youth in influencing mental health policies and programmes in the Kenyan context
At least a Master’s Degree in Social Science, Development Studies, public health or other relevant disciplines.
Excellent analytical and report writing skills,

8. Fluency in spoken and written English and Kiswahili.**