PR 2024-03-12 Call for proposal for the conduction of coverage surveys for Helen Keller Intl Vitamin A Supplementation Program

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.
Helen Keller Intl supports the supplementation with high dose of Vitamin A of up to 40 million children every year in 14 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. When delivered twice a year to at least 80% of children aged 6 to 59 months in countries with high under five mortality and high rates of vitamin A deficiency, Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) can contribute to a reduction of child mortality by up to 24%.
In Kenya, Helen Keller Intl supports the delivery of VAS in the 25 counties (Baringo, Bungoma, Elgeyo Marakwet, Homa Bay Kakamega, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kisumu, Kitui, Kwale, Laikipia, Machakos, Meru, Migori, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nyamira, Narok, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Siaya, Taita Taveta, Trans Nzoia, Tharaka Nithi, and Uasin Gishu). Throughout the year, children receive VAS when attending health facilities. However, as beyond one-year, healthy children usually do not attend facilities, twice a year catch up events called Malezi Bora are organized using multiple platforms: health facilities, outreach points, Early Childhood Development (ECDE) centres, and community door to door distribution models. The Malezi Bora events are organized twice a year, around May and November every year and are implemented by the Ministry of Health at National and County government with financial and technical support from Helen Keller team. The additional services offered during the event include deworming drugs, other immunization services, and health talk/counselling targeting children under five years and women.
To assess the number of children reached through the routine services and during malezi bora events (semester coverage), Helen Keller Intl conducts cross sectional household surveys following the methodology developed by the WHO for measuring the coverage of immunization campaigns.
We are currently looking for an agency to support Helen Keller Kenya to conduct at least one survey, scheduled for July 2024. We shall have 2 strata:
(i) Stratum one comprising the 5 counties (77 clusters): due to the VAS work we support in these counties.
(ii) Statum two will be Narok North Sub-county (77 clusters): due to a geospatial information system study we are conducting there.
These will be two separate/independent strata, in which data collection will be done simultaneously, and therefore, expression of the capacity to conduct this will be key. The agency will be responsible for the preparation of the survey, including adaptation of protocols and tools, submission of protocols and tools to ethical review boards, recruitment, training and supervision of field data collectors, data quality assurance, analysis of data and reporting.