End-of-project Evaluation Consultant _Health Project

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT 

ChildFund Vietnam is the representative office of ChildFund Australia – an independent international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities.

ChildFund Australia is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – a global network of 11 organisations that assists almost 23 million children and their families in 70 countries. ChildFund Australia is a registered charity, a member of the Australian Council for International Development, and fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which manages the Australian Government’s overseas aid program.

ChildFund began working in Vietnam in 1995 and works in partnership to create community and systems change which enables children and young people in vulnerable situations, to assert and realise their rights.

Projects are mainly implemented in the northern provinces of former Bac Kan, Cao Bang, and Hoa Binh, where most people are from ethnic minority groups; often the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of the population. ChildFund Vietnam also implements nationwide projects that provide support to both formal and informal systems at national and provincial levels.

ChildFund Vietnam’s projects focus on child rights and child protection, education, health, and well-being for children. ChildFund Vietnam prioritises building the resilience of young people, by giving them the opportunity to take part in suitable activities, life skills learning, and supporting their participation in local decision-making processes.

BACKGROUND 

In Vietnam, the Government has made progress as a duty bearer towards improving the rights of children, in line with its commitments to international conventions and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is still more to be done.

ChildFund Vietnam’s findings and related assessments indicate that the first 1,000 days (0 - 3 years) is the most critical period for brain development; however, there has not been adequate attention or investment in this age group. As a result, many parents and caregivers lack knowledge and awareness of the importance of this period for positive child health and development, affecting children across socio-economic groups, with ethnic minority children more affected due to disparities in economic and social conditions.

In the project areas, maternal and child health care and infant and young child feeding practices remain limited. There are still customs that act as barriers to appropriate feeding practices, and hygiene practices among mothers and caregivers. At the same time, high poverty rates, low household incomes, and limited access to food sources from distant markets result in meals of pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children often having low nutritional value.

Assessments also indicate that services for children aged 0–3 years have not received adequate attention. The health sector focuses mainly on immunisation and management of child illness, while interventions for maternal and child nutrition are not regularly implemented due to limited budget and capacity. The education sector focuses more on older children, with low enrolment rates for children under three and limited physical and language development activities. In addition, services are delivered by different sectors with limited coordination and collaboration, resulting in gaps in supporting children’s cognitive and emotional development.

In this context, poor early childhood development outcomes among children aged 0–3 years in ethnic minority communities in Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces remain a challenge that requires appropriate interventions and coordinated support from caregivers, communities, and local health and education systems.

This project addresses these issues by strengthening caregiver knowledge and practices on nutrition, childcare, hygiene, and early stimulation; improving access to maternal and child health services; and promoting better coordination among relevant stakeholders to support the healthy development of young children.

PROJECT LOCATION
The project has been implemented across (Dong Khe, Thach An, Kim Dong, Duc Long) in Cao Bang province and (Ngan Son, Hiep Luc, Bang Van, Thuong Quan, Na Phac) in Thai Nguyen province. Before the communes merge, these areas corresponded to Le Lai, Kim Dong, Thuy Hung, Thai Cuong and Trong Con communes in Cao Bang province, and Coc Dan, Thuong An, Thuong Quan, Hiep Luc and Trung Hoa communes in Bac Kan province.

PROJECT GOAL

Ethnic minority children 0 to 3 years living in Thai Nguyen province and Cao Bang province receive improved childhood nutrition and early stimulation supported by healthcare service.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this evaluation is to measure the extent to which the project goal and outcomes have been achieved and provide recommendations for how technical approaches and project implementation could be improved for new project design in the future. The results of evaluation and reports may also be shared back with project stakeholders and government in the interests of learning and accountability.

The evaluation should consider below criteria:

• Project management: This evaluation will identify areas of improvement in all aspects of project management.
• Relevance: is the intervention doing the right things?
• Effectiveness: is the intervention achieving its objectives?
• Efficiency: how well are resources being used?
• Impact: what difference does the intervention make?
• Sustainability: will the benefits last?

Cross-cutting issues: has the program/project considered inclusion of vulnerable groups, gender sensitivity, and child safety integration?

SCOPE OF EVALUATION

• The consultants’ work will include field trips in project locations in Cao Bang province and Thai Nguyen province, and participate in meeting with key stakeholders
• It is expected that the selected consultant team will follow the deliverables and time frame as mentioned in item #6. Timeline and Deliverables

METHODOLOGY 

The consultant team is expected to apply qualitative and quantitative methods for the evaluation.

This consultancy will include the following steps:

• Review all available documentation and relevant primary and secondary resources information relating to the projects (provided by ChildFund Vietnam and other sources)
• Design an inception report including a plan, methodology, and tools, and prepare a schedule for the survey by consulting with Program Manager, Technical Sspecialist, Project Coordination Officer and relevant staff of ChildFund Vietnam.
• Design and lead data collection (both quantitative and qualitative) in the project field and document Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Most Significant Change with the different stakeholder groups as stated in the project proposal.
• Train local enumerators on quantitative data collection using the KOBO toolbox, or any appropriate data collection platform as suggested.
• All quantitative and qualitative data collected must be classified by location (commune), age, and sex. There should be individual consideration for girls and boys, men, women, youth, and people with disability.
• Analyze available information, data, and relevant documents, along with findings and recommendations.
• Present findings to the ChildFund Vietnam team for discussion and feedback.
• Finalize 01 evaluation reports in both Vietnamese and English
• High-resolution JPG photos with relevant consensus, data collection tools, and collected data (both quantitative and qualitative) will also be included and shared with ChildFund as part of the final report.
• (Desirable) At least 02 case studies highlighting examples of project impact (including quotes and quality photos of the subject/s).
• Present the findings at the Project Closing Workshop.

SELECTION CRITERIA

To carry out the assignment, the consultant team (or consultant) should meet the criteria as follows:

Team leader

• Relevant qualifications associated with monitoring and evaluation, public health, nutrition, early childhood development, or social science, social work or education.
• Knowledge and experience of Vietnam’s current situation related to early childhood development, maternal, child health, and nutrition.
• Proven experience in working with communities, and knowledge of relevant national policies and government positions.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English and Vietnamese.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
• Psychology/social and emotional learning, child-friendly communication and research experience are preferred.
• Experience and skill in working with ethnic minority people

Team member:

• Relevant qualifications associated with monitoring and evaluation, public health, nutrition, early childhood development, or social science, social work or education.
• Knowledge and experience of Vietnam’s current situation related to early childhood development, maternal, child health, and nutrition.
• Proven experience in working with communities, especially ethnic minority people.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in Vietnamese.
• Psychology/social and emotional learning, obstetrics and reproductive health and research experience are preferred.

HOW TO APPLY

Send a short Expression of Interest (less than 10 pages) including:

• Technical proposal for the end-line evaluation;
• Chart allocation of days (note details above under ‘Timeframe’);

Proposed total budget including daily rate (in Vietnamese and includes PIT) for consultants. The per-diem, travel and accommodation costs are not included in the proposed budget. It will be paid according to the current policy of ChildFund Vietnam.

And attached the following documents:

• CV of consultant (or consultant team);
• Contact details of at least two referees;
• Two samples of previous reports that are relevant to this consultancy.

Interested applicants should submit their Expression of Interest and complete the online application form through this link: https://childfund.org.vn/work-with-us/

Application deadline: 30/04/2026

Please see TOR HERE