Consultant on Participatory Action Media

Branch of Family Health International (FHI 360) in Kyrgyzstan.

RFQ : EpiC: 002/27

Solicitation Title: Consultant on Participatory Action Media

Submit Proposal to: [email protected]

Date of Issue: January 6, 2025 Date Proposal Due: January 15, 2025

Approximate Date/Month Consultant Contract Issued to Successful Candidate(s): February 03, 2025

Method of submission: Respond via e-mail with attached document in MS Word / PDF format. The Consultant agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm until FHI 360 finalizes the consultant agreement approval process.

Executive Summary

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research, technology, communication, and social marketing- creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries and all U.S. states and territories.

FHI 360 is currently implementing the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project, a global initiative funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to achieve and sustain epidemiological control of HIV. The project is being led by FHI 360 as the main implementer and spans an eight-year period, from April 15, 2019, to December 30, 2027.

The EpiC project provides strategic technical assistance (TA) and direct service delivery (DSD) to break through barriers to 95-95-95 and promote self-reliant management of national HIV programs by improving HIV case-finding, prevention, and treatment programming.

The EpiC project is also well positioned to strengthen global, regional, and local public health systems to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases, building on broad experience and existing capabilities that align with Global Health Security (GHS) priorities, National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) goals.

From 2023, FHI 360, which is implementing the EpiC project in Central Asia, is also a member of a consortium of organizations implementing the Global Health Security (GHS) and Pandemic Preparedness program, which aims to protect the health of Kyrgyz people in the context of the country’s preparedness to prevent and respond to public health emergencies.
One of the key components of EpiC Kyrgyz Republic’s GHS activities is Risk Communication and Community Engagement – Infodemic Management (RCCE-IM). Under this component EpiC will support the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Ministry of Emergency Situations (MOES) to develop and implement Multi-sectoral Multi-hazard One Health RCCE-IM Strategy. The implementation of the Strategy will include, amongst others, supporting the MOH with the development of RCEE-IM toolkits through applying Participatory Action Media methodology.

Objective: to design and facilitate a series of Participatory Action Media workshops for selected communities in the Kyrgyz Republic with key populations representing various demographic groups whose participation is crucial for risk communication related to public health emergencies caused by infectious diseases outbreaks.
Key Responsibilities:

• to facilitate understanding of key issues related to the need for risk communication materials and to explore locally appropriate communication modalities and channels for effective messaging.
• using a Human-Centered Design approach, the workshops will need to elicit enough information to co-design detailed creative briefs and develop communication materials/toolkits targeting appropriate audiences. An ideation session will facilitate co-creation of content to address identified gaps. This consultancy will follow a Training-of-Trainers format, where the consultant trains selected staff from the Kyrgyz Republic’s Ministry of Health and the Republican Center for Health Promotion in Participatory Action Media methodology, skills and techniques.

Qualifications:

• An experienced leader in social and behavior change, participatory research methods, Participatory Action Media methodology and health related topics such as vaccination, family planning and related topics.
• Experience working in a lower middle income country context and with communities, government health systems and non-government organizations.
• Experience developing research protocols, focus group discussions for formative research purposes, data analysis and journal article formulation and publishing.
• Experience leading Training-of-Trainers workshops including research protocol development, instructor-guide development and adult learning approaches.
• Advanced proficiency in MS applications (MS Office, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint)
• Strong communication skills with ability to present information effectively, lead training workshops and provide mentoring and consultative services to social and behavior change programs and projects.
• Fluent written and spoken English is required.

Deliverables/Milestones & Due Dates:

1. Review existing background information (3 days)

   Review existing communication materials already in use with select audiences on zoonotic diseases with outbreak potential

2. Develop a detailed protocol for the workshops. (3 days)The protocol should include:

• Overall objectives of the workshop
• Description of approach
• Logistics (participant recruitment, methods, supplies needed, etc.)
• Detailed break out and description of sessions per day, including session objectives, methodology, and content.

3.Conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT) briefing together witth EpiC-Kyrgyzstan team who will be able to carry forward the Participatory Action Media workshops methodology in other settings. ( 3 days)

4. Together with the EpiC-Kyrgyzstan team, finalize preparations for Action Media sessions. (3 days)

5. Conduct a three-day Participatory Action Media workshop session with one (1) select group (e.g., cattle owners) with ‘hands on’ training for up to 6 TOT participants. (5 days)

The consultant will be expected to work with EpiC-Kyrgyzstan Associate Director for GHS, RCCE-IM Advisor and Specialist, and other EpiC-GHS staff members to build their capacity to conduct future Participatory Action Media workshops.

EpiC-Kyrgyzstan will employ the services of a creative agency/designer to come up with mockups/material prototypes that can be concept tested and discussed during a final third day with each participant group.

6.Develop and finalize report which details findings per audience and makes recommendations on the content, form and function (types of materials etc.) to be developed for each group. (5 days)

7.Provide feedback and input into the development of detailed toolkits developed by Epic Kyrgyzstan/MOH based on the Participatory Action Media Reports for each audience/brief. (5 days)

8.Revise and adapt a Participatory Action Media Trainer of Trainers Guide previously developed by FHI 360. (10 days) Updates should include contextualization to the Kyrgyz Republic context, key improvements to the guide to improve usability and an electronic based version for continuous use.

The consultant shall submit the following deliverables and proposed timeline and proposal to the EpiC Kyrgyzstan according to a schedule, agreed upon by FHI 360 and chosen consultant. FHI 360 will work with the consultant to finalize format and structure for key deliverables during the consultancy, and the Senior SBC Technical Advisor (Thaddeus Pennas) and RCCE-IM Advisor Dinara Akmatbekova and other relevant staff will review the consultant’s proposed drafts and provide feedback accordingly.

Deliverables:

1. Draft protocol. Tentative due date: February 25, 2025

2. Final protocol incorporating EpiC Kyrgyzstan comments. Tentative due date: March 20, 2025

3. Draft workshop report and messaging guide. Tentative due date: April 15, 2025

4. Final workshop report incorporating EpiC-Kyrgyzstan comments. Tentative due date: April 30, 2025

5. Revised and adapted Participatory Action Media Trainer-of-Trainers Guide. Tentative Due date: May 20, 2025

6. Inputs provided to detailed toolkits developed by MOH/EpiC through the engagement of participants. Tentative due date: June 20, 2025

Location of Work : Bishkek.

Travel

The consultant will be responsible for their own travel and should provide an estimate of travel and per diem using US. State Department Foreign Travel rates. Those rates can be found here. https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp

Procedure for payment of rendered services

Payment of rendered services is carried out upon the fact of their provision according to the agreement.
Evaluation Criteria

Criterion (Total points: 100)

• Quality of the Technical proposal for the assignment (Maximum points: 30)
• Financial proposal for the assignment (Maximum points: 15)
• Experience in and familiarity with similar assignments (Maximum points: 15)
• Consultant’s qualifications are relevant to the consultancy (Maximum points: 10)
• Demonstrated ability to manage the project/consultancy timelines (Maximum points: 10)
• Proven toolset and framework (Maximum points: 10)
• Familiarity with the Central Asia context (Maximum points: 5)
• Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions for FHI 360 (Maximum points: 5)