Strengthening Interfaith led model and mutisectoral engagement

Assignment at a Glance

1. Introduction

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) and religious institutions occupy a uniquely influential position in the social and health landscape of sub-Saharan Africa. Deeply embedded in communities across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda and the rest of the World FBOs and Religious institutions  shape norms, communicate values, and increasingly serve as frontline delivery points and advocacy actors for health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

Yet despite this critical role, the landscape of FBO and religious institution engagement in SRHR across these four East African countries remains fragmented and inadequately documented. Donors, governments, and implementing partners continue to operate with limited systematic evidence on who is doing what, where, at what scale, and with what quality. This gap constrains effective coordination, resource allocation, and policy influence in SRH.

The Faith for Family Health Initiative (3FHi) — Uganda's foremost inter-faith national NGO dedicated to improving family health and well-being of Women, Children, and Adolescents (WCA) through the Inter-faith led model — recognizes this critical knowledge and coordination gap. Drawing on over eight years of pioneering interfaith health programming across Uganda, and its unique position as a convener of faith actors from the grassroots to global policy spaces, 3FHi is commissioning this comprehensive regional mapping study to generate a foundational, evidence-based directory and analytical framework of FBO and religious institution engagement in SRH across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

2. Background and Organizational Context

2.1  About Faith for Family Health Initiative (3FHi)

3FHi is an inter-faith national NGO run by experienced technical staff with governance support from eminent faith leaders and scholars who serve as Board Members. Since its founding, 3FHi has envisioned better family health and well-being for Women, Children, and Adolescents through an interfaith-led model and a multisectoral engagement approach. Its mission is to strengthen interfaith collaborations for better family health and well-being, with primary beneficiaries being Women, Children, and Adolescents (WCA).

3FHi's core model leverages the convening power and moral authority of religious leaders to generate positive local solutions to the policy, structural, and normative barriers to health in Uganda. Over the past eight years, 3FHi has trained more than 1,000 inter-faith and multi-sectoral health champions — including Muslim and Christian leaders (Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostals),cultural leaders, media personalities, political actors, and youth.

2.3  National and Global Leadership

3FHi holds significant convening and leadership roles at both national and global levels, including: Global CSO Representative to the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Investors Group; membership in the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC), The Advocacy and Accountability Coalition (TAAC), and the Self-Care Trailblazer Group; participation in the WHO-led Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (PMNCAH); and membership in the GAVI CSOs Technical Working Group and the Faith Technical Working Group convened by FP2030.

At the national level, 3FHi serves as CSO Representative to Uganda's Health Policy Advisory Committee (HPAC), Convener Chair of the RMNCAH+N CSO Coalition, Convener of the Inter-Faith Alliance for Family Planning, and Founder/Chair of the CSO Accountability Collaborative for FP/RH Supplies.

This rich organizational track record and network positions 3FHi to commission and credibly lead a regional SRH landscape mapping study that can generate actionable intelligence for faith actors, governments, and development partners across East Africa.

2.4  Rationale for the Mapping Study

Despite the prominent and growing role of FBOs in SRHR delivery and advocacy across East Africa, no comprehensive, comparative, and current mapping of FBO engagement in SRH exists for Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Existing knowledge is fragmented across individual country reports, grey literature, and project-specific documentation, with no unified database of organizations, their mandates, geographic coverage, service areas, capacities, or funding landscapes.

This mapping study responds directly to the need for systematic, high-quality evidence to:

• Enable strategic partner identification and coalition building for SRH across East Africa.
• Inform resource mobilization and guide donors on where gaps and opportunities exist in faith-based SRHR programming.
• Support governments in designing and implementing multi-sectoral SRH strategies that effectively engage faith actors.
• Strengthen regional learning and peer exchange among FBOs and religious institutions working on SRHR.
• Facilitate 3FHi's regional expansion strategy and positioning as a lead technical partner and convener in East Africa's SRH landscape.

3. Objectives of the Assignment

The overall objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive, rigorous, and analytical mapping of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and religious institutions engaged in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, with a focus on their interventions in advocacy, policy engagement, service delivery, and capacity building.

3.1  Specific Objectives

1. Identify and document the full spectrum of FBOs, religious institutions, and faith-aligned civil society organizations active in SRH across the four focus countries.
2. Map the thematic scope, geographic coverage, target populations, and scale of each organization's SRH interventions, including sub-themes such as family planning, maternal health, adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH), GBV prevention, HIV/AIDS, immunization, self-care, and SRH commodity security.
3. Characterize each organization's mode of engagement across four primary domains: (a) advocacy and policy influencing; (b) service delivery and referral systems; (c) capacity building of religious leaders and community health actors; and (d) community mobilization and demand generation.

4. Scope of Work

The consultant will carry out the following tasks within the framework of an 8-month assignment:

4.1  Inception and Study Design (Months 1–2)

• Review existing literature, country SRH policies, FBO health frameworks, and relevant mapping studies in the four focus countries.
• Develop a comprehensive inception report outlining the conceptual framework, mapping methodology, data collection tools (quantitative and qualitative), sampling strategy, data management approach, ethical considerations, and workplan.
• Design a standardized organizational profiling tool to capture: organizational identity and mandate; SRH  intervention areas and sub-themes; geographic reach (national, district/county, community level); beneficiary populations; advocacy and policy engagement activities; service delivery modalities; capacity building programs; partnerships and funding sources; monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems; and organizational strengths and gaps.
• Present inception report to 3FHi and key stakeholders for review, input, and approval before field work commences.

4.2  Primary Data Collection and Field Mapping (Months 2–5)

• Conduct desk-based and field-based data collection across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda using the approved tools, including key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), organizational surveys, and document reviews.
• Map FBOs and religious institutions at national, regional/provincial, district/county, and community levels, including: umbrella faith bodies (e.g., national councils of churches, Islamic councils, Catholic secretariats); denominational health departments and faith hospital networks; faith-aligned CSOs and advocacy networks; community-based faith health groups and structures.
• Cover all four primary intervention domains: SRH advocacy and policy influencing; SRHR service delivery and clinical/community health services; capacity building and training programs; and community mobilization and demand generation for SRH.
• Ensure data collection is gender-responsive and includes perspectives of women, adolescents, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups served or underseved by faith institutions in SRH.

4.3  Data Analysis and Report Writing (Months 5–6)

• Conduct rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis of all collected data.
• Produce detailed country-level mapping reports for each of the four focus countries, covering: FBO SRHR landscape overview; organizational directory and profiles; thematic and geographic coverage analysis; capacity and gap analysis; enabling environment assessment; and country-specific recommendations.
• Produce a regional synthesis/comparative report analyzing cross-country findings, regional patterns, shared opportunities, and recommendations for regional coordination and collaboration.

4.4  Hybrid Validation and Dissemination Meetings (Month 7)

• Facilitate one hybrid (in-person and virtual) national-level validation meeting per focus country (four meetings total) to present preliminary findings to key in-country stakeholders — including FBOs, government health departments, CSOs, donor agencies, and technical partners — for review, validation, and enrichment of findings.
• Incorporate validation feedback into final reports
• Facilitate one regional hybrid dissemination meeting bringing together representatives from all four countries to present the regional synthesis findings, launch the organizational directory, and develop a regional action agenda for enhanced faith-led SRH collaboration.

4.5  Global Webinar (Month 8)

• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate one global online webinar open to all four focus countries and the broader global SRHR and FBO community, including international donors, technical agencies, and global networks.
• The webinar will officially present the study findings, demonstrate the digital directory, facilitate global dialogue on promising practices and investment opportunities, and generate commitments for follow-up actions.

4.6  Final Deliverables Submission (Month 8)

• Submit all final deliverables including country reports, regional synthesis, digital directory, webinar recordings, and a comprehensive raw dataset.

5. Key Deliverables

6. Duration and Indicative Work Plan

The assignment is for a period of eight (8) months. The indicative timeline below outlines the key phases and activities:

7. Qualifications and Competencies of the Consultant

3FHi seeks a highly competent, senior-level consultant or consulting firm with demonstrated experience in conducting large-scale landscape analyses and organizational mapping studies in health, SRHR, and /FBOs/civil society contexts in sub-Saharan Africa. The successful consultant must meet the following requirements:

7.1  Essential Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master's level minimum; PhD preferred) in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Health Policy, Gender Studies, or a closely related field.
• At least ten (10) years of progressive professional experience in SRH research, programming, policy analysis, or health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting institutional/organizational mapping studies, landscape analyses, or needs assessments, particularly involving faith-based or civil society actors.
• Proven expertise in mixed-methods research design and execution, including quantitative surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and document/policy analysis.
• Strong understanding of the SRH policy and programmatic landscape in at least two of the four focus countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda), with regional experience highly desirable.
• Familiarity with the structure and functioning of major faith traditions and religious institutions in East Africa, including Catholic, Protestant/Anglican, Evangelical, Pentecostal and islamic.
• Experience engaging with or for faith-based organizations, religious health networks, or inter-faith coalitions on health or development mandates.
• Strong analytical and report writing skills; ability to synthesize complex data and present clear, evidence-based findings and recommendations to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is mandatory; proficiency in Swahili (for Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda engagement) is highly desirable.

7.2  Desirable Qualifications

• Experience conducting multi-country or regional research in East Africa.
• Familiarity with global health financing mechanisms (e.g., GFF, GAVI, USAID, World Bank, Packard and Hewlett Foundation etc) and their interaction with FBO health programs.
• Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder validation and dissemination events, including hybrid in-person/virtual formats.
• Experience designing and facilitating global webinars for diverse international audiences.
• Knowledge of SRH advocacy, budget tracking, and policy accountability frameworks.

8. Institutional Arrangements and Supervision

The consultant will work under the direct supervision and guidance of the Executive Director of 3FHi, with technical oversight provided by 3FHi's senior technical team. Regular check-in meetings will be held throughout the assignment to review progress, address emerging challenges, and ensure quality of outputs.

The consultant will be responsible for organizing and financing all logistics related to data collection in the four countries, including travel, accommodation, translation/interpretation, field research assistance, and data entry. 3FHi will provide the consultant with relevant organizational documents, existing databases, stakeholder contacts, and letters of introduction to facilitate access to key respondents in all four countries.

The consultant will also coordinate closely with 3FHi's national partners and networks in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, as well as with its existing CSO and faith-based networks in Uganda, to facilitate stakeholder engagement and data access.

9. Ethical Standards and Data Protection

The consultant must adhere to the highest standards of research ethics throughout the assignment. This includes:

• Obtaining all necessary ethical approvals from relevant national research bodies in each country, where required.
• Ensuring informed consent of all research participants and guaranteeing confidentiality and anonymity where requested.
• Handling all personal and organizational data in compliance with applicable data protection laws and 3FHi's data governance policies.
• Ensuring gender sensitivity, inclusivity, and respect for cultural and religious diversity in all aspects of data collection and reporting.
• Disclosing any conflicts of interest prior to engagement.

10. Application Requirements

Interested and qualified individual consultants or consulting firms are invited to submit the following:

4. A technical proposal (maximum 15 pages) detailing: understanding of the assignment; proposed methodology and data collection approach; proposed workplan and timeline; team composition and CVs (if a firm); and any relevant ethical considerations.
5. A financial proposal, presented as a lump sum with a detailed budget breakdown, including all professional fees, country data collection costs, validation meeting support costs, webinar facilitation, and any other relevant costs.
6. Curriculum Vitae(s) of the lead consultant and any team members, highlighting relevant qualifications and experience.
7. At least three (3) examples of similar mapping, landscape analysis, or organizational assessment reports previously produced by the consultant or firm.
8. At least three (3) professional references from recent similar assignments, including names, organizational affiliations, and contact details.

Applications should be submitted to 3FHi via info@3fhi.org copy jackie.jk@3fhi.org with the subject line: "Application: FBO SRH mapping Study Consultant"

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 3FHi reserves the right to accept or reject any application, and to cancel this recruitment process at any stage without prior notice or obligation.

11. Evaluation Criteria

12. Contact Information

Faith for Family Health Initiative (3FHi)  |  www.3fhi.org  |  Strengthening Interfaith Collaborations for Better Family Health and Well-being