Call for Proposals: Net Care and Repair Baseline Survey in Kaliro and Serere districts, Uganda

NetWorks, a five-year USAID-funded global project focusing on distribution and use of LLINs, is led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHUCCP), with partners Malaria Consortium, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH), and Mennonite Economic and Development Associates (MEDA).

Click here for Call for Proposal in full.

Background

The NetWorks project is a global USAID funded project with activities in various countries, designed to address the following award objective and four results:

Award Objective: To support National Malaria Control Programs (NMCP) to develop efficient, comprehensive and multi-channel sustainable programs for achieving and maintaining high ownership and use levels of LLINs and related technologies by at risk populations. The project will build upon previous successful investments and efforts achieved through a range of public, private, campaign and routine approaches.

Result 1: Develop and promote appropriate policies at national level to encourage sustained, high levels of LLIN and related technologies ownership and use.

Result 2: Develop, promote and support efficient and effective distribution approaches to ensure sustained high level coverage of LLINs and related technologies in communities, particularly among the targeted populations.

Result 3: Increase demand for and use of LLINs and related technologies to promote sustainable high levels of LLINs ownership and use.

Result 4: Design, conduct, and analyze strategic operational research to pilot, document and scale-up innovative best practices that contribute towards achieving and maintaining high levels of LLINs and related technologies ownership and use.

Background on call for expression of interest

Malaria prevention with long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets (LLIN) has seen a tremendous scale-up in sub-Sahara Africa in recent years. As many countries have now achieved high ownership coverage with LLIN and are approaching the universal coverage target of one net for every two people of the population at risk as recommended by WHO, the question of how these successes can be sustained, i.e. high coverage levels be maintained, becomes the focus of discussion. In this context the importance of net durability and the “average useful life” of a net is increasingly recognized as one of the critical factors that determine the frequency at which nets need to be replaced. This is reflected in the recent WHO guideline for the monitoring of LLIN in the field which outlines the issues and suggests methods of net assessment.

While data on net durability is generally very scarce to date there is some indication that it may vary by environmental or climatic conditions: Allan et al. [2011, AJTMH, in press] found the physical condition of polyester nets in Eastern Chad to be much poorer than would have been expected from similar nets seen in the more moderate climate of Western Uganda. No data at all is available on how the durability of a net is influenced by behavior of net maintenance, care and repair and whether behavioral change interventions (BCC) could significantly impact on the average useful life of the net.

In Uganda, NetWorks proposes to undertake a BCC intervention on net care and repair in either Kaliro or Serere districts.

Objectives of Survey

The objective of the survey is to assess the impact of a net care and repair BCC program in one district in Uganda

Methods

The principle study design is that of repeated, two-stage cluster sampling household surveys representative of the rural population of the selected districts. Data collection points are soon after net distribution for baseline and 18 months after intervention.
A sample of 30 clusters with 15 households each (450 households) per site and time point will allow examination of 1125 nets per site at baseline and 900 after 18 months. 

This call is for the baseline only. Figure below illustrates general description and timeframe for the baseline survey activities to be carried out by the selected consulting firm within the period.

Who should apply

Proposals are expected from individuals or research agencies with demonstrable presence in the study area and experience in qualitative and quantitative research.

The successful agency will be responsible for the following, under the supervision of Malaria Consortium technical staff:

1.    Recruiting qualified and experienced field staff
2.    Training of field staff and pre-test of the questionnaire (the questionnaire has already been designed)
3.    Assisting with sampling process and carrying out the survey in the field with adequate quality control
4.    Entering the data collected according to an agreed format and ensuring adequate cleaning is conducted before submission
5.    Submitting a report on the field experience.  

The data analysis and final report will be carried out by the NetWorks technical team and is not part of this assignment.
All field data collection needs to be completed by the 7th September 2012. To allow time for orientation, interviewer recruitment and training, it is expected that the selected agency will need to conclude all preliminary arrangements and contracting by the second week of July 2012.

How to apply

Proposal should be in English providing all the following information:

1.    Name of and contacts (telephone, fax and e-mail address) of the team leader and a description of the research team
2.    Company profile
3.    Workplan, timelines and budget
4.    List of institutional collaborations
5.    Records of similar on-going and past surveys in the past 5 years
6.    Information on experience managing regulatory / Ministry of Health / ethics committee application process & timelines
7.    Minimum lead time for mobilization for study

Please indicate whether your agency would be able to carry out this type of work in the time frame given.

Responses must be received by email to [email protected] no later than 5pm, 10th of July 2012. Please include Net Care and Repair Baseline Survey Uganda in the subject line of the email.