Learning-Focused evaluation of UNICEF’S Level 2 Ebola preparedness and response in Uganda

On 20 September 2022, Uganda declared an outbreak caused by the Sudan Ebola Virus (SVD) following a confirmed case in Mubende district. By December, 142 cases with 55 deaths had been reported in nine affected districts. As per the Evaluation Policy (2018), UNICEF is thus proposing an activity best characterized as a learning-focused evaluation (LFE) of UNICEF Uganda’s response to the L2 Ebola emergency in Uganda. The overarching purpose of the LFE is to promote learning and long-term planning for what comes after the UNICEF response, including identifying preparedness interventions for potential future public health emergencies. The secondary purpose is to strengthen UNICEF’s accountability to children and affected populations, partners, and donors supporting the response. Specifically, the LFE will

a) Provide a preliminary assessment of UNICEF’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda vis-a-vis issues of appropriateness/relevance, effectiveness3, efficiency (including value for money), connectedness4 and coordination/partnerships, with a specific focus on UNICEF’s level of preparedness and the adaptiveness/responsiveness of UNICEF response and how it has addressed issues for children, adolescents and women, including those with disability, marginalization and deprivation and

b) Draw out key learning and recommendations to equip UNICEF Uganda decision-makers with the information they need to make adjustments and formulate UCO’s transition from L2 emergency to long-term strategy, ensuring humanitarian-development-peace nexus bridging and preparedness for future public health emergencies. The primary audience for this evaluation is UNICEF staff, management, and regional advisors who are responsible for leading the UNICEF Uganda Ebola response. The evaluation’s findings will also be shared with key national and district-based counterparts, in addition to the main stakeholders involved in this evaluation at the community level.