Terms of Reference to Hire a Consultancy Firm to Carry Out a Comparative and Impact Evaluation of Caritas Rwanda’s Ecd Project 

Background

Caritas Rwanda, in partnership with Plan International Rwanda, has been implementing an Early Childhood Development (ECD) project since July 2022 in Bugesera, Gatsibo, and Nyaruguru Districts. The project aims to create a conducive environment for the holistic development of young children by strengthening caregiver capacity, promoting positive parenting and male engagement, improving nutrition and WASH practices, supporting inclusive early learning, and strengthening child protection mechanisms.

The project currently supports a total of 59 Home-Based ECDs distributed as follows:

• Gatsibo District: 18 in Rwimbogo, 17 in Kiziguro, 17 in Murambi, and 7 in Kabarore sectors
• Nyaruguru District: 4 in Muganza, 11 in Rusenge, and 11 in Munini sectors
• Bugesera District: 14 in Kamabuye and 16 in Ngeruka sectors

Evaluation Focus Areas

As the project progresses, Caritas Rwanda seeks to:

• Compare the performance of children who attended supported ECD centers with those who did not attend ECD before primary school
• Compare supported ECD centers with non-supported ECD centers within the same geographical locations
• Assess whether observed improvements can be attributed to the ECD intervention
• Determine scalability potential and strategic expansion needs

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness, impact, and added value of Caritas Rwanda-supported ECD interventions, using national ECD minimum standards and the six pillars of ECD as benchmarks, and to provide evidence-based recommendations for scaling, strengthening, or adapting the intervention model.

Study Objectives

Overall Objective:

To evaluate the impact of Caritas Rwanda's ECD project in the three target districts.