Request for Proposals: Evaluation and Learning Consultant – #MyDataOurHealth Campaign in East Africa and West Africa

At the end of 2022, Transform Health set up a new  campaign – MyDataOurHealth. The campaign was piloted in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania), where it was coordinated by our partner KANCO, and in West Africa (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal). The campaign focused on the issue of health data governance. Transform Health is inviting applications from consultants to conduct a mid and end-term evaluation of the campaign.

About the Campaign

Transform Health’s first popular mobilisation campaign focuses on the issue of health data governance. Health data governance has been identified as a key area of focus within the wider strategy of Transform Health to create an enabling environment for the digital transformation of primary health care systems, to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Digital transformation of health systems relies on the ability of digital technologies to collect, interpret and use, store and dispose of vast amounts of health data. The need to ensure the rights to privacy and security of individuals, while allowing health planners, providers and researchers to use this data for public good purposes is paramount. Currently there are no global or regional standards on health data governance and national governments risk developing very different frameworks that will complicate the transfer of information or compromise the rights of individuals across jurisdictions.  

Evaluation and Learning

The purpose of the evaluation is twofold: 

1. Assessing the effectiveness of the processes of this pilot in order to identify and document lessons for scaling up across other regions (with the necessary contextualisation to increase the relevance in that region) 
2. Evaluate the  outcomes and impact of the campaign .

• Evaluation of the MyDataOurHealth processes 

The major areas to be evaluated include the following:

• The approach of the campaign: the way it was set up, was the process participatory and inclusive, did the planning process take into account different perspective, particularly that of youth, women and marginalised groups
• The operating model: was this aligned with our principles? Did it manage to engage youth, women and marginalised communities? How effective was the grant dispersal process? How effective was the reporting process? How supported were the CBOs and the partners throughout the process? Did it confer ownership on CBOs and partners?
• The campaign engagement model: Did it provide people with little knowledge and understanding of digital health an avenue for participation? How effective was the campaign in terms of capturing and sharing knowledge, assets and cross country learnings? How effective was the in-country and regional coordination? 

The areas above will be evaluated through surveys, focus group discussions and after action reviews with the following types of stakeholders: youth and women-led organisations, civil society organisations, government representatives, regional bodies, core partners etc. We are looking for innovative cost efficient and language applicable solutions to meet the evaluation needs.

• Evaluation of the outcomes and impact of the campaign

Our core objectives for this campaign are:

Create greater awareness among the general public, media and lawmakers on health data by November April 2024. We will know we’ve achieved this when:

• We have generated at least 10 media stories on health data in Tanzania by April 2024
• We have recruited at least five traditional and social media influencers and thought leaders to speak on the issue of health data by April 2024
• Increase awareness and understanding among Parliamentarians of the issue of health data governance
• organise visits with MPs in their constituencies in Tanzania and to raise their awareness on the issue on health data governance and to ask them to call on the Minister of Health to sponsor a resolution on health data governance at the World Health Assembly in May.

We want politicians to pay more attention to this issue and show greater leadership in pressing for health data governance (increase political will). We will know we’ve achieved this when:

• Government sponsors or supports a health data governance resolution at the World Health Assembly, instructing the WHO to develop a set of global standards on health data governance that can then be integrated into national laws. We want this resolution by May 2024.
• Government publicly recognises the importance of engaging civil society in any global, regional or national process relating to health data governance and commit to ensuring this happens.

Greater civil society engagement on the issue of health data governance in Tanzania. We want to broaden and strengthen the civil society engagement on this issue in order to generate sustained demand on the government to act. We will know we’ve achieved this when:

• At least 5 additional student, women and youth organisations and those representing marginalised communities and Adolescent Girls and Young Women sign up to the campaign and / or integrate the campaign calls into their sets of demands to government by 2024
• Build a civil society coalition in participating countries to demand effective implementation of health data governance by 2024 by participating in the Where’s My Data Campaign action (here it would be great if we can invite local leaders, MPs and other to take part in the campaign, basically to approach their health provider and to request their health records or data, To enhance the coordination within existing technical working groups at sub- national and national level for effective implementation of health data governance regulation by 2030
• Enhance technical standards for effective participation in health data governance processes by 2024

Evaluation areas:

• How effectively did we use our resources in activities to achieve the desired outputs?
  • The content and execution of the capacity building workshops done within the campaign. We conducted a pre-evaluation survey which can be used as additional information.
  • The effectiveness of the campaign resources (including concept note, campaign matrix etc.) and materials created for the recipients
• How effectively were these outputs in achieving the outcomes desired?
• How effectively did partners collaborate towards these joint outcomes?
  • The process of sourcing partners for the small grants, overall impact of investment by partners awarded the small grants and the overall support given to the partners in execution of the work.
• What impact did we achieve on public attitudes and understanding, and on political attitudes and understanding? 
  • The influence of the public debate on public awareness
  • The influence of the public debate on policy makers, parliamentarians and health leaders, and as a result increasing the level of priority on health data governance across the pilot countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Benin, Cote d’ivoire and Senegal) 
  • The impact of the campaign (and the public debate) on regional decision makers/ing bodies.
  • The process and effectiveness of identifying and embedding key messages within the media and social media outreach.

We have conducted a benchmarking exercise in which some of the impact and outcomes of the campaign can be assessed against. In addition we have two online surveys conducted at the outset of the campaign with over 2000 respondents that can also be used to assess public understandings and attitudes towards the issue prior to the campaign starting. We are looking for innovative, cost effective approaches to measuring the overall impact of the campaign.

Key Deliverables 

  Pilot Project Learning report (Expected by Dec 1st, 2023):  

• A learning report will be produced by analysing the partner reports and conducting after action reviews/focus group discussions as part of the monitoring and evaluation processes listed below, with the intent of creating a guidance document for further implementation of the pilot project in other regions.  
  • This report will also make key suggestions and recommendations that would increase the effectiveness of the pilot once replicated in other regions. 
  • This report will be shared with partners for their input and guidance as part of the close out of the overall pilot and used for the further implementation of the mobilisation efforts in other regions by Transform Health.
  • The format should be a  document as well as a presentation.
  • The consultant should be prepared to present his/her findings to the team.
• Suggested distribution of the learning report via existing external channels 

   Suggested Tools/Products

• Survey and Focus Group Discussion guides for project components that include
  • Capacity Building Workshop, 
  • Toolkit and materials, 
  • Small grants issue and implementation  and 
  • Popular mobilisation and campaigning. 
  • Social media & online activations (including The Where’s my data? action and the MyDataOurHealth AR filter game)
  • Government, regional and core partner engagement
• ROI framework  for measurement and analysis of small grants and use of said framework.

Expected level of effort

Instructions for Submission:

Proposals should be submitted by 31st September to Transform Health at [email protected] and [email protected].

Please include the following in your submission:

• A clear methodology that you will be using for this exercise. Feel free to make suggestions to enhance the methodology included in this RFP
• A timeline
• A breakdown of the level of effort you will be deploying for each task 
• A cover letter stating your experience and suitability for the role, including details of relevant MEL projects – especially for non-profit organisations, or on technical/ health-related projects. 
• A financial quote for all your services, with a breakdown of all necessary costs 

We will prioritise organisations and individuals headquartered in low and middle income countries. Selection will take place by 10th October and might require a discussion with the team if the proposal is shortlisted. The selected consultant must be available to work from mid October to the end of November.

About Transform Health

Who we are: Transform Health is a global coalition of organisations dedicated to achieving health for all in the digital age.

What we do: Transform Health sets out to build a global movement that brings together organisations and institutions across different sectors, committed to achieving universal health coverage within the next ten years by expanding the use of digital technology and increasing access to data. We campaign and collaborate with the individuals, communities, governments, organisations and institutions that are most affected by the lack of access to equitable, affordable and high-quality healthcare.

Annexes

Background: Context of Data and its Governance

Digital transformation is synonymous with computational capacities to collect, store, and analyse vast amounts of personal data. This data can be used to mount more effective responses to the health needs of a population. It can also be used to marginalise and exclude certain groups from health benefits (such as health insurance) or services (sexual and reproductive health and rights), or to deepen social surveillance and control. 

Current public debates around data governance focus on issues of individual privacy and data security. However, when it comes to health we need to balance individual privacy and security with the health needs of the population. The health data of each one of us holds the key to the well being of others. 

Popular Mobilisation Campaign 

On 16 Feb 2022, the Coalition hosted a workshop with 20 partners from 15 organisations from across 10 different countries (Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, Spain, Switzerland, Guatemala, and USA) to develop the approach, narrative and key messages for the campaign. The campaign, entitled MyDataOurHealth, seeks to raise awareness and galvanise action on the issue of health data and to encourage a public and political conversation on the following set of questions:

• Who determines how this data is collected, managed, used, stored and disposed of? 
• What are the limits of this authority? 
• How can we ensure this data is going to be used for public benefit purposes? 
• How much access and control do and should individuals have over their health data? 
• How can we ensure this ownership and control is respected and protected? 
• How to mitigate the effects of breaches and lost trust in case individual data privacy is compromised.
  

At the heart of this campaign is the question of trust – between the people whose data it is and those collecting it, between the authorities and the public, and between the public and institutions collecting and using it for the public good.  To build this trust we all need to understand and value our data more. 

The underlying assumption of the campaign is that there is little political incentive from politicians to grant this issue time on the legislative agenda and to pass effective legislation and regulation. This is because there is a lack of public and political understanding of the issue and therefore low demand on politicians, most of whom grew up in an analogue world, to act on it. 

As a first step, My Data Our Health will ensure this civil society voice from low and middle income countries among others is well organised and calling for this global framework, to inform national legislation, and also calling for the full and meaningful engagement of all sectors of society in the elaboration of this global framework. is organised and calling we need a bottom up and top down approach. This will also provide the necessary support for a global health data governance framework to be adopted in national legislation. The next step will be to press for domestication.