Terms of Reference (ToR) Operational Research and Learning Partnership Caafimaad Plus Consortium

**Title:** Operational Research and Learning Partnership Caafimaad Plus Consortium

**Location:** 31 districts across Banadir, Bay, Bakool, Galgaduud, Gedo, Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba, Middle Shabelle, and Mudug regions

**Tentative time of Consultancy:** 30 June 2026– 31 May 2027 (Renewable subject to performance, availability of funding)

**Key Working Contacts:** Caafimaad Plus Consortium Management Unit

**Background**

Caafimaad Plus is a multi-partner consortium comprised of five INGOs namely; Action Against Hunger, Concern Worldwide, International Medical Corps, SOS Children’s Villages, and Trocaire in partnership with six National organizations – Shabelle Development Community Organization (SHADCO), Juba Foundation, Lifeline Gedo, WARDI, SAMA and Youthlink Somalia. The Consortium implements integrated emergency health, nutrition, protection, and WASH services at facility and community levels across 31 districts in 9 regions of Central and South . Most parts of Somalia, particularly the Central and Southern regions have been disproportionately affected by climatic shocks, conflicts, and internal displacements that have affected the vulnerable populations especially women, children and people in hard-to-reach locations.

As part of its commitment to adaptive programming, learning, and evidence-informed decision-making, the consortium seeks to engage and operations research and learning partner to lead various research and evaluation activities, that will inform implementation, develop capacity, facilitate strategic learning, and inform practice and policy across key stakeholders.

**Purpose of the Assignment**

The objective of this partnership is to generate, analyse, and disseminate high-quality evidence to inform programme design, adaptation, and scale-up. The research and learning partner will support learning, monitoring, and evaluation across the consortium, ensuring the translation of findings into practical programmatic and policy recommendations. This partnership will also strengthen adaptive learning by combining formal research with iterative action research cycles that enable continuous adjustment to context and practice.

**3. Objectives**

The research and learning partnership will aim to:

1. Generate high-quality, context-specific evidence on the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of the consortium’s interventions
2. Strengthen the use of real-time monitoring/evaluations and survey data for adaptive decision-making within the consortium and among national stakeholders
3. Facilitate strategic learning through feedback loops, reflection workshops, and cross-partner knowledge exchange
4. Enhance monitoring and evaluation systems, including baseline, endline, real-time evaluations (RTE), and outcome assessments
5. Support policy engagement and dissemination through publications, policy briefs, and participation in national and global learning platforms

**Scope of Work**

The selected partner will be responsible for leading or supporting the following activities:

**a. Community-Based Surveillance**

- Design and implement longitudinal community-based surveillance systems
- Conduct regular follow-ups and rapid assessments to monitor trends in nutrition, mortality, and health

**b. Evaluation Activities**

- Design and implement baseline, endline, and Real-Time Evaluations (RTEs), as well as process evaluations
- Ensure methodological rigor and participatory approaches

**c. Outcome and Effectiveness Studies**

- Conduct mixed-methods studies to assess programme outcomes using designs such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster randomized trials, quasi-experimental studies, before-and-after studies, longitudinal cohort studies, and process evaluations combining quantitative outcome measurement with qualitative exploration of participant experiences, implementation processes, and contextual influences.
- Identify drivers of change, as well as barriers and facilitators to service uptake

**d. Nutritional Surveys**

- Design and implement nutritional surveys (SMART, SQUEAC, SLEAC or other coverage surveys) to measure the reach and coverage of nutrition interventions.

**e. High-Level Data Analysis**

- Perform advanced analysis of routine and research data
- Support data interpretation, visualization, and evidence-based decision-making

**f. Ethical Approval**

- Develop research protocols and secure ethical approvals from relevant review boards
- Ensure adherence to ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding

**g. Strategic Learning, Dissemination and Policy Engagement**

- Facilitate learning through workshops, briefs, and other knowledge-sharing platforms
- Present research and learning findings to stakeholders in national and international forums
- Work with the consortium to develop peer-reviewed publications and policy briefs
- Embed adaptive learning systems that integrate field insights into real-time decision-making

**Duration an