| Project Title | Girls Access Project |
| Project Location | Damaturu and Potiskum, Yobe State |
| Project Period Being Evaluated | Baseline |
| Evaluation timeline | February – March 2023 |
About the Organization
Center for Child Care and Human Development (C3HD) is a Child Centered and Women Focused (CCWF) nongovernmental, non-tribal, non-religious and non-profitable organization established and registered with state in 2017 and later registered as a non-profit organization with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
C3HD was established to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable communities and especially women and children, and those affected by conflict and insurgency through maximizing contributions to Health care and wellbeing, Education, WASH and inequality, Protection (GBV and CP), Peace Building, and Economic recovery and Livelihood.
C3HD is striving for an all-inclusive community and human development for all, including populations who are marginalized, underserved or affected by conflict or insurgency, catering to their health and wellbeing. We have a mission of striving to transform the lives women and children on the edges of society and help them regain and pursue their dreams for sustainable development.
C3HD acts as an agent for change. For 5 years and in 4 states, we help women and children to overcome the massive problem they face through reducing inequality in accessing health services and education, responding to violence, and promoting food security, empowerment, peace and building their resilience to respond to future hardships. We employ “the protective communities’ approach” to our programming’s by mainstreaming safeguarding and protection in our activities.
We put women and girls in the center of our work because we know that we cannot promote sustainable development until all people have equal rights and opportunities. In the communities we work, we strive to reduce inequality while building women and children’s resilience so that they can withstand and adequately respond to future challenges.
Background
In the northeastern Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY states), according to the 2017 UNDP estimates, about 8.5 million people have been displaced since the insurgency began in 2009. In addition, the risk of rising incidence in the North-East (NE) region is significant, driven by limited access to SRH/HIV/GBV services due to protracted violent insurgency and humanitarian crisis that hampers movements of health workers, medicines, and other essential medical supplies coupled with strong religion inclination and harmful social norms. Women and girls in Yobe continue to suffer a number of interconnected structural impediments and operate on unequal terms with men.
Nigeria is among the countries with highest burden of HIV infection in the world United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC, 2019). The HIV epidemic in Nigeria is complex and varies widely by region. Nigeria’s overall prevalence rate is estimated at 1.3 percent (2019 Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) report), with variance from one state to another and with some areas recording prevalence as high as 12 percent. The proportion of women and girls who are likely and willing to access and use Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV services has continued to decrease due to patriarchal socialization, religious fundamentalism, and gendered social roles and expectations. The rationale for this project is to strengthen access to HIV AND AIDS services among young women and girls in Yobe state, through scaling up the USAID funded “Strategic Response to HIV and AIDS Project” (SHARP-TO3) while building on the Key outcomes of the Plan International report on Adolescent Girls in Northeast Nigeria
In addition, the armed Conflict in the northeast Nigeria has contributed immensely to the suffering and vulnerability of children and women leaving them in the need of humanitarian assistant and protection services. This setting presents context of fragility, vulnerability and uncertainties, which encourages and exacerbates HIV transmission. The relationship between HIV, humanitarian emergencies and prolonged conflict is multifaceted and complex. Key drivers of HIV infection in the states include low personal risk perception, multiple concurrent sexual partners, transactional and inter-generational sex, ineffective services for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), poor healthcare seeking behaviour and inadequate access to and poor quality of health care services. Entrenched gender inequalities and inequities, chronic poverty, and persistence of HIV related stigma and discrimination also contribute to the spread of the infection.
Description of the project
The Overall goal of this project is to improve the realization of adolescent girls and young women’s rights and access to inclusive, protective and gender responsive quality SRH and HIV services in Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria. The rationale for this project is to strengthen access to HIV AND AIDS services among young women and girls in Yobe state, Northeast Nigeria through scaling up the USAID funded “Strategic Response to HIV and AIDS Project” (SHARP-TO3) while building on the Key outcomes of the Plan International report on Adolescent Girls in Northeast Nigeria.
The theory of change for this project rests on the assumption, and the evidence collected from existing consultations and literatures that structural and gender-based barriers to SRH/HIV information and services are the push factors that keep AGYW from accessing these services. The project adheres to a three-pronged, gender transformative theory of change, which proposes that (i) By Building the self-confidence, skills and agency of AGYW. (ii) By Mobilizing families, peers and community members to build supportive social environment for AGYW SRH/HIV/GBV. and (iii) By Enhancing the capacity of health authorities to increase availability and quality of gender responsive and inclusive SRH/HIV/GBV services. With the gender transformative theory of change, AGYW can freely access services and be better able to realize their inherent right to SRH which will change the narrative of AGYW.
Project interventions
Center for Child Care and Human Development (C3HD) is positioned to deliver components of an integrated package of HIV prevention and response services, including HIV testing and referrals, medical outreach, economic growth and GBV Services, which will be delivered by age bands and packaged by primary, secondary, and contextual activities. Services in the primary package intended to meet the immediate needs of AGYW, while services in the secondary and contextual packages address other critical vulnerabilities and structural barriers associated with HIV risk and SRHR. The project will be implemented in Damaturu and Potiskum Local Government Areas of Yobe State.
Our project is targeting about 2350 AGYW aged between 15 to 24 years and about 1500 (secondary targets) including AGYW parents/caregivers, community leaders/members, health facility workers and members of Association of people living with HIV (APLHIV), totaling to 3850 beneficiaries and goes beyond individual health initiatives to address these factors and work toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ending AIDS by 2030.
Purpose of the Evaluation
To keep track and evaluate the progress of the project towards achieving the objectives and intended outcomes as stated in the MEAL framework. The findings of the evaluation will be used to inform the project implementation.
Objectives and evaluation
- To measure the existing knowledge and skills of AGYW to counteract gender-based barriers to SRH and HIV services; attitudes regarding SRH, HIV and girls/women protection; and, the IGA skills needed for their self-reliance.
- To measure the Key barriers AGYW face in their communities in accessing HIV/SRH information and services
- To measure the knowledge and perception of community members including AGYW parents, care givers and male partners on SRH rights of AGYW including violence against women and girls
- To assess the situation of AGYW including AGYW who sell sex, use drugs, and living with HIV and or disabilities and identify key concerns of AGYW safety and violence at household and community level
Scope
The evaluation will focus on 2 LGA’s Damaturu and Potiskum as well as in 10 communitiestargeting about 3850 with 2350 AGYW aged between 15 to 24 years and about 1500 (secondary targets) including AGYW parents/caregivers, community leaders/members, health facility workers, line ministries Sector members and members of Association of people living with HIV (APLHIV).
Note: The population of the respondents is 385 which is equivalent to 10% of the total targeted beneficiaries
Qualifications of the evaluation team
C3HD is looking for a consultant or a team of consultants, preferably 2 – 3 people with a strong record in conducting evaluations; particularly in SHR, HIV/AIDs/GBV Services for adolescents.
Qualifications and Experience
- Post graduate degree in Health, Development Studies, SRHR, Human
- All team members shall be fluent in written and spoken English
- Extensive experience (at least 3-5years) in HIV and AIDs services
- Significant practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of conducting evaluations for projects related to SRHR and HIV/AIDs services and development
- Demonstrable experience in producing high-quality and credible evaluations
- Previous experience in working with AGYW
- Experience in quantitative data analysis