Fundação Lafaek Diak, Triloka Clinic

Fundação Lafaek Diak, Triloka Clinic

Project Evaluation

Terms of Reference

April 2015

Project Name / Triloka Community Health Project
Project Number / 50680
Partner Organisation / Fundação Lafaek Diak
(The Good Crocodile Foundation)
Location / Triloka village, District of Baucau, East Timor
Evaluation dates / April 2015
Funding Partner / Transform Aid International, Sydney, Australia
Key Contact: FLD / Constantino Pinto

Key Contact: Transform Aid International / Steve Hamlin

Background

Fundação Lafaek Diak (FLD) – The Good Crocodile Foundation – began in Timor Leste in 2005, founded by four Timorese who had a vision to build the nation of Timor Leste and serve the poor through community development in rural areas of the country.

Fundação Lafaek Diak established a medical clinic in Triloka village in the district of Baucau in 2006 to provide medical services to eight local villages. This clinic now sees up to 16,500 patients from over 15 villages each year. Alongside the medical care provided to patients attending the clinic, staff have also provided community health services through health education and health promotion.

In 2008 Triloka clinic realised its vision to begin a mobile health clinic which then expanded in 2010 and now visits at least three villages on a regular basis, providing child and maternal health services as well as basic medical care. Additionally in early 2009 the clinic facilities were able to be expanded, providing an additional seven rooms for consultation as well as administrative and other support services.

In 2011 Fundação Lafaek Diak was able to grant a Scholarship to a local student to undertake a three year Laboratory Technician degree in Indonesia, as part of the University Scholarship Program. 2011 saw the return of two nursing students after completing three year degrees in Indonesia. They have returned to work at the Triloka Health Clinic. As this program continues to develop Fundação Lafaek Diak hopes to send students to study Pharmacy Studies, Radiography, Midwifery and Medical administration.

Over the years the community health program has expanded to provide education through four local schools as well as through the mobile clinic and in the Triloka clinic waiting room. More recently a nutrition program has started as part of the mother and child health program, to address issues of malnutrition for both children and mothers.

The four main areas of Fundação Lafaek Diak’s work: Health, Agriculture, Small Business Development and Education, are part of an integrated vision of community, where all the components interplay. It began with the community health program, which opened the “door into community”. Through this ongoing service over the past seven years, trust has been built and many other offshoot areas became apparent and developed. Fundação Lafaek Diak uses a strength-based approach to its community development ethos, appreciating what the land and people have to offer in the community and build on those assets together holistically.

The vision of Fundação Lafaek Diak:

Fundação Lafaek Diak works towards a fully independent and democratic Timor Leste where its citizens will have access to quality education, good health care, meaningful employment, and a fair judicial system. The Foundation envisions a society where resources will be equally distributed, where human rights will be respected, and where there will be equality among all people. The Foundation aspires for Timor Leste to be a country where agriculture is respected and developed and where the environment and all ecological systems are preserved and respected. The Foundation hopes for a happy and healthy citizenry engaged in civil society and aware and concerned about the global community.

Which is operationalized through the mission of:

Fundação Lafaek Diak is a non-profit community development agency that seeks to demonstrate God’s love by working among people suffering from poverty and conflict. It will develop integrated agriculture with farmers in a way that respects and preserves the environment, provide community-based services, undertake education and training in rural communities throughout Timor Leste, and initiate small business development in rural communities.

Transform Aid International is a not-for-profit Christian organisation, committed to improving outcomes for poor communities and empowering the world’s poor to lift themselves out of poverty. We work with local organisations in countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Pacific, who partner with communities to bring about positive changes that address the rights of all community members. Transform Aid International has been supporting the work of Fundação Lafaek Diak in Timor Leste for almost seven years. This support has provided funds primarily for the Triloka Clinic and Community Health Project.

Transform Aid International’s funding for Fundação Lafaek Diak over the past seven years has been as follows:

Year / Transform Aid International Funding Contribution
2006-2007 / USD 20 000
2007-2008 / USD 35 000
2008-2009 / USD 54 977
2009-2010 / USD 54 461
2010-2011 / USD 59 230
2011-2012 / USD 63 849
2012-2013 / USD 69 861
2013-2014 / USD 71 579
2014-2015 / USD 67 600
Plus, costs associated with this evaluation.

Purpose of the Evaluation

The evaluation will both look back and forward. It will have a particular focus on the project impacts and lessons learnt through the Triloka Clinic program to date, in the context of the broader work of Fundação Lafaek Diak. The evaluation will also provide recommendations for the ongoing work of Fundação Lafaek Diak in the framework of reflection on past achievements and project impact.

The evaluation will:

1.  Assess the impact (both positive and negative) the project activities and outputs have had on the target communities so far, considering:

o  Who has benefited and how? Who has not benefited and why not? A consideration of impact should include direct and indirect impact, as well as intended and unintended impacts, due to the work of the Triloka clinic. Impact should consider local social, economic, environmental and other development indicators.

o  What real difference/change have the program components and various activities (clinic, mobile clinic, mother and child health program, nutrition program and community health education) made to the beneficiaries and various stakeholders? What long-term changes have been produced in communities because of the work of the clinic?

2.  Assess the effectiveness of the project activities in attaining the program objectives so far, considering:

o  How effective have the project activities been in meeting the stated objectives? What have been the major influencing and hindering factors to meeting objectives? Consider the various program components.

o  What has been the effectiveness/impact of the chosen approach, particularly to community health education and the mobile clinic, versus other possible approaches?

o  Did staff have the experience and expertise to carry-out the activities envisaged?

3.  Examine the relevance of the project design to the priorities and needs of the target group, and assess how well the project has assisted the most marginalised members of the community, including children, widows, people with a disability, those from minority groups and the elderly. Consider also:

o  How relevant was the design in relation to the priorities of the local community, and the policies and priorities of the government health authorities?

o  How to stakeholders/beneficiaries view the project and its various activities?

o  What has been the level of local stakeholder (including community members and government representatives) participation in project design, implementation and monitoring?

4.  Make an assessment of the sustainability of the project/program approach and outcomes.

Sustainability of development activities should be a key consideration in all project planning, design and implementation. To this extent, the evaluation should examine the ability of the project/program to encourage participation and ownership of the development activities by project stakeholders and the wider community. Alongside this, the evaluation should consider the chosen project methodology and its potential to ensure sustainability of project activities and learning within the target communities.

This should include a consideration of:

o  What are the major factors influencing the potential for long-term sustainability, both of the clinic and mobile clinic, as well as the maternal and child health program and community health education?

o  What actions have been taken to ensure the ownership by the beneficiaries, local communities, local governments and other stakeholders of the program?

o  What training of community leadership and other key stakeholders has taken place? What capacity is being built in communities?

5.  Explore the dreams, aspirations and plans of Fundação Lafaek Diak into the near and long-term future.

o  What dreams does the organization have for the near and distant future? In what direction do they envision Fundação Lafaek Diak to grow?

o  What areas does the organization want to expand into and develop further, and what will it take to get there?

o  Where does Fundação Lafaek Diak see itself in 5 to 10 years?

Process

The evaluation approach will adopt a participatory and appreciative approach, ensuring the participation of the local community, Fundação Lafaek Diak, and other key stakeholders, to inform and create ownership of the process. In the context of celebrating and reflecting on key achievements, the process will also consider issues of sustainability and recommendations for future operations.

Development of methodology and a work plan: the consultant/s will develop a detailed methodology and work plan for meeting the objectives of this ToR. This should include various participatory approaches to engaging various stakeholders. These plans will be submitted to Fundação Lafaek Diak and Transform Aid International, and agreed on prior to commencement of fieldwork.

Desk Review: the consultant/s will review various project documents and other relevant documents as provided by Transform Aid International and Fundação Lafaek Diak in order to gain background and supporting data.

Assessment: the consultant/s will work with Fundação Lafaek Diak staff to review and develop specific questions and methodology for the assessment, as well as to confirm fieldwork plans.

Presentation of findings: the consultant/s will present initial findings and recommendations at a post-evaluation workshop at the conclusion of the fieldwork time. This workshop will include community representatives, key stakeholders and Fundação Lafaek Diak staff involved in the evaluation process, as well as any other relevant stakeholders as advised by Fundação Lafaek Diak. This workshop should discuss key observations and initial recommendations, whilst encouraging feedback and clarification from staff and stakeholders.

To obtain all perspectives, the main stakeholders that are required to be involved in the evaluation are:

·  FLD Board

·  FLD senior management

·  FLD staff relevant to the evaluation criteria questions

·  Direct project staff

·  Beneficiaries

·  Strategic partners – government of Timor Leste

·  Senior staff at Baucau hospital

·  Relevant community leaders

Evaluation Outputs

A written report will be provided to Transform Aid International and Fundação Lafaek Diak, containing observations and recommendations for future practice.

The evaluation report should include:

·  A section on the strengths of the program.

·  A section on areas the program can build on, or recommendations for the future of the project.

·  A section of impact stories and information gathered from stakeholders.

·  Recommendations and observations regarding organisational capacity in program planning, design and implementation.

All observations and recommendations will be provided honestly and openly, with the intent to be constructive and to aid capacity building. Each section will have specific comments related to the above questions, and recommendations will be provided for FLD overall as it is likely they will be common to a number of aspects in both the project performance and capacity evaluations.

Time frame

This project will take place between February and May 2015, with the evaluation fieldwork being facilitated during April 2015. An illustrative timeframe for the project is listed below, with precise timing to be agreed by all parties.

Activity / Planned Timeframe
Development of evaluation design, finalisation of the evaluation criteria matrix and a sampling strategy / To be completed pre-evaluation period
Development of research instruments including questionnaires, interview guidelines etc / To be completed pre-evaluation period
Desk evaluation involving a review of documentation / Week 1 of evaluation period (begin)
Field evaluation activities. Planning and scheduling of actual activities to be defined by FLD and consultant. / Week 2 of evaluation period
Preparation of the draft report / Week 4 of the evaluation period
FLD feedback to the draft report / Week 6 of the evaluation period
Finalisation and submission of the evaluation report / Week 7 of the evaluation period (end)
Translation of the evaluation report into Tetum / 1 month after submission of the final (English) report

A written draft evaluation report that highlights important observations, recommendations and conclusions is to be submitted within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the evaluation. This should be distributed to Fundação Lafaek Diak leadership and Transform Aid International Program Manager for feedback. Feedback will be provided within 2 weeks following receipt.

The final written evaluation report is to be submitted 30 days following the evaluation. This should be sent in both hard copy and electronic form to both Transform Aid International and Fundação Lafaek Diak.

Resources

Transform Aid International will fund all aspects of the evaluation according to the agreed budget and in proportion to current funding. The total cost of the consultancy should not exceed AUD10,000, including all travel and other expenses incurred by the consultant.

Fundação Lafaek Diak is to provide the following:

·  Assistance to locate appropriate accommodation if necessary.

·  Local transport, where required, for evaluators to travel to villages in order to conduct interviews.

·  Logistical support in scheduling meetings and interviews with staff and project beneficiaries.

·  Meeting space, where necessary, as well as any other practical materials required by the evaluation team.

·  An estimated budget for costs incurred as part of the evaluation process, where not acquitted by evaluation team.

·  Provision of interpreters for consultants and local language speakers (e.g. Uaimua, Makasae and Tetun)

Some specific budget guidelines and requirements are outlined below:

·  Transform Aid International will reimburse agreed FLD expenses incurred due to its participation in the evaluation

·  No additional expenditure other than the prescribed approved budget will be authorized unless amendments to the budget are approved