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Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

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For every child, Protection 

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How can you make a difference? 

Background:

The UNICEF Polio Programme in Afghanistan is guided by a revised comprehensive Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) strategy for 2025 designed to optimize the site-to-site modality and address behavioural and structural barriers to immunization. This strategy emphasizes five key pillars:

• Pillar 1: Build and maintain an enabling environment through traditional and social media.
• Pillar 2: Intensify between-campaign activities to engage communities through with local influencers/ groups and ensure social mobilization workforce is best-equipped to address evolving challenges.
• Pillar 3: Strengthen advocacy for local ownership and oversight of SIAs by de facto authorities.
• Pillar 4: Strengthen campaign-based mobilization activities to optimize ‘pull’ to vaccination sites.
• Pillar 5: Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) framework and knowledge management. 

Rationale: 

UNICEF will use the evaluation results to inform strategic and operational decision-making, ensuring its programmes are optimized to address the critical challenge of missed children and to bridge immunity gaps. The insights will help refine strategies for Social Behaviour Change (SBC), strengthen the Monitoring and Evaluation framework to correspond to the revised strategy, enhance campaign planning and execution, and harmonize coordination within UNICEF in particular and by extension increase effectiveness of coordination with external partners. Findings will also guide resource allocation to ensure cost-effectiveness and alignment with high-risk provinces and districts, as well as support the restructuring or reinforcement of staffing models to meet programme needs.

Propose, Objective, Use and Scope:

The purpose of this formative evaluation is to assess UNICEF Afghanistan’s Polio Programme (particularly from October 2024 onwards when the site-to-site campaign modality was implemented nationwide) and examine its strategies to address immunity gaps in Afghanistan (particularly in overcoming refusals and reaching hard-to-access populations). This evaluation aims to generate actionable insights to inform strategic and operational decision-making, ensuring that UNICEF’s interventions are evidence-based, context-specific, impactful, and makes best use of financial and human resources.  

More specific objectives of the evaluation are the following:

Relevance and coverage: The evaluation will assess the extent to which programme interventions effectively addressed the needs of vulnerable populations, with a particular focus on the coverage of key interventions. 

Effectiveness: The evaluation will assess the achievement of intended results by assessing UNICEF’s performance in its core GPEI accountabilities: Social Behaviour Change (SBC) and Vaccine & Cold Chain Management (VCCM). It will examine how these strategies address missed children, including overcoming refusals and logistical barriers. The evaluation will review the robustness of strategy development, implementation effectiveness, and the outcomes achieved, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

Efficiency, management, and governance: The evaluation will analyze the programme's management and governance to assess how efficiently both human and financial resources were utilized to achieve results. It will evaluate the project’s cost-effectiveness, risk management strategies, and mitigation measures. 

Contribution: The evaluation will assess the programme’s overall contribution to improving polio outcomes, to the extent measurable. The evaluation will identify any unintended consequences, positive or negative, that may have influenced the programme’s effectiveness.

Sustainability: This objective will explore the long-term viability of the achieved results, identifying key factors that can sustain and support their continuation. It will assess the programme's ability to maintain progress over time, examining the durability of its outcomes and the institutional, financial, and operational conditions necessary for ongoing success.

Coordination: The evaluation will assess the coordination among key stakeholders to include UNICEF, WHO, de facto authorities, donors, and wider GPEI partners, to determine how effectively they collaborate at national and subnational levels in optimizing the site-to-site modality. It will review the integration of key components of the revised strategy between SBC, M&E and Communications in addressing immunity gaps and reducing missed children and evaluate the links between Kabul and field offices for governance and coordination gaps.

Lessons learned: The evaluation will identify key lessons and best practices derived from the programme, with a focus on improving strategies and processes for greater impact. It will highlight successful approaches in addressing missed children, overcoming barriers, and enhancing coordination, while providing actionable recommendations for refining programme implementation.

Adequacy of M&E and knowledge management systems: The quality and coherence of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems will be reviewed, including the relevance of indicators, availability of baseline data, and comprehensiveness of data collection systems. The assessment will examine data governance, equity, and inclusiveness, as well as the timeliness and utility of evidence for decision-making. Additionally, it will assess plans for complementary studies, research, and other evaluative activities to strengthen knowledge management.

Evaluation users and use: The findings and recommendations from the external evaluation will be used to further shape the future of polio interventions in Afghanistan. The primary user of this exercise is UNICEF Afghanistan. Additional secondary users will be implementing partners, de-facto Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), beneficiaries, donors, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, and UNICEF Regional Office in South Asia.

Scope of the exercise: The temporal scope of this evaluation will primarily cover October 2024 to present day of the programme. The review period may also extend back to 2021 as needed to answer the key evaluation questions and/or to conduct a thorough desk review of the programme to understand the current status of polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan.

The geographic scope will cover high-risk districts of Afghanistan, particularly East and Southern regions which serve as the core reservoirs of the polio virus. A detailed list of priority districts will be provided to the selected institution/evaluation team.

The thematic focus will primarily focus on UNICEF’s contribution to polio eradication activities, especially in relation to the effectiveness of the social and behaviour change component. Thematic case studies should be conducted for in-depth analysis, with proposed case studies outlined in the technical proposal and refined during the inception phase for more tailored insights (e.g. a deep dive into eradication efforts in Kandahar City which has a longer history of operating using a site-to-site modality).

The evaluation questions are reflected in Annex 1 at the bottom of this document.

Evaluation Approach, Methodology, and Ethical Consideration:

Employing a mixed methods approach, the evaluation will collect and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data, enhancing convergence and validity through triangulation. The evaluation is designed to be utilization-focused, aiming to inform key decisions and leverage evidence for ongoing programme and organizational enhancements. A participatory approach will be adopted, closely engaging key UNICEF and internal partner stakeholders to foster meaningful participation and ownership throughout the evaluation process and its outputs. The evaluation will systematically integrate gender, human rights, disability, climate, ESS, and equity considerations across all stages, encompassing key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and the survey. Special attention will be given to ensuring the accessibility of data collection tools. 

At a minimum, the following data gathering methods are recommended:

• Desk, Data, and Literature Review: Conduct a systematic desk review encompassing key documents, peer-reviewed journal articles (as necessary), programme materials, presentations, project proposals and reports, etc.
• Administrative and Secondary Data: Utilize administrative and secondary data judiciously, optimizing efficiency in the evaluation process.
• Survey: Undertake surveys involving key polio stakeholders, such as FLWs. Propose the sampling size and strategy in the technical proposal, with further refinement during the inception stage to ensure methodological rigour. Note: Considering challenges in obtaining approvals to conduct primary data collection with beneficiaries, the evaluation will focus on available secondary data collection and primary data collection from other key stakeholders.
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Conduct interviews with key decision-makers, including UNICEF stakeholders, donors, implementing partners, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, line ministries, other UN agencies.
• Cost-Analysis: Perform a thorough cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Management and Governance Arrangement: 

Management Team and Contract Supervisor

Supervisor/Approving Authority: An Evaluation Specialist will manage and supervise the exercise (i.e., Evaluation Manager). The standard UNICEF evaluation quality control protocols and processes will be in place to ensure close management through the exercise.

Management Team (MT): The Management Team (MT) will be composed to support the exercise. The team will consist of the Evaluation Manager and representatives from the Polio section. The roles of the MT will be to:

• Meet regularly to offer insights on issues under discussion, and provide guidance, technical input, and quality assurance.
• Review and approve all deliverables, including the inception report, emerging evidence summary presentations, and final report.

Compared to the Reference Group, the Management Team will be closely engaged in the process. The decisions will be participatory; however, the final approving authority will be under the Evaluation Specialist, per the Evaluation Policy.

Reference Group (RG): A Reference Group (RG) will be created to support the evaluation firm and the management team in an advisory capacity. The RG will consist of members of internal and external stakeholders. The roles of the RG will be to:

• Offer insights on issues under discussion, especially in the inception phase where the methods, design, and data to be sought are to be determined.
• Review all deliverables, including the inception report, emerging evidence summary presentations, and final report.
• Participate in workshop-style meetings for the presentation and discussion of emerging findings, for validation and to provide further comments.

Evaluation Schedule and Deliverables:

A timeline of around seven months is envisaged for the evaluation between April 2025 and October 2025, with preliminary analysis available by July 2025. The evaluation team should allocate reasonable effort to ensure the timely submission of all the deliverables. The proposed organization of the evaluation phases is as follows:

Inception Phase: During this phase, the evaluation team is expected to gain a deep understanding of the proposed documentation, assess possible information gaps, refining the scope, methods, and critical stakeholders.  The main deliverable for this phase will be the inception report, presenting a detailed description of the final scope; revised methodological approach, including any data collection and analytical instruments; preliminary evidence from the initial desk review and critical informant consultations; as well as the structure of the final report and an updated timeline for deliverables. It is expected that a short meeting will be planned with the Reference Group for the presentation of the inception report plan and discussion.

Data Collection and Analysis Phase: Additional documentation and secondary and primary data will be collected using instruments previously piloted during the inception phase.  The main deliverable for this phase is all data gathered is analyzed, including preliminary data, stored in a secure repository, cleaned, and processed to ensure the anonymity of key informants. A presentation with emerging findings is also expected during this phase.  Meetings with the Reference Group will be scheduled.

Report Drafting and Dissemination Phase: The main deliverables for this phase are the preliminary draft of the final report and the final agreed report. In addition, it is expected that the main findings, conclusions, recommendations, and lessons learned will be presented to the Reference Group and other relevant stakeholders, with a stand-alone Evaluation Brief and PowerPoint to be delivered. Additionally, it is anticipated that the firm will submit the manuscript for the publication as a key deliverable.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• An advanced degree (PhD preferred) in Public Health, Infectious Disease Control, Immunization, Global Health Security, Health Economics, Biostatistics or other Health or Social Science related field.   
• At least ten years’ experience in conducting evaluations/ research of programmes focusing on public health, infectious disease control, immunization (particularly polio), ideally with experience in fragile countries.
• Experience in conducting evaluations of Polio programmes, preferably in Afghanistan.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.