ToR - Evaluation of Working Animals International’s Primary School Education Package in Zimbabwe

Terms of reference: education evaluation

Evaluation of Working Animals International’s primary school learning package

PROJECT

Evaluation of Working Animals International’s Primary School Education Package in Zimbabwe

DATE

01 September 2026

SUMMARY

Working Animals International is commissioning an independent formative evaluation of its Primary School Learning Package in Zimbabwe. The evaluation will test the programme model and Theory of Change, assess early outcomes, and generate practical learning on teacher-led delivery, child behaviour-change pathways, household influence in Tsholotsho, and future scale-up. Findings will inform programme improvement, measurement approaches and wider learning for Working Animals International, AWARE Trust and the animal welfare education sector.

QUESTIONS

Questions can be addressed by email to [contact details removed] on or before 25 September 2026

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DEADLINE

The proposal is to be submitted to [contact details removed] by 09:00am (GMT) Monday 28 September 2026

1. Background

About Working Animals International

For over a century, Working Animals International has been dedicated to transforming the lives of working animals and supporting the people who depend on them. We work with partners worldwide to increase access to essential veterinary treatment and campaign for better welfare standards. We also support owners as they develop the knowledge and skills to look after their animals with confidence and care while inspiring the next generation to do the same. Together, we're building a world where working animals are healthy and valued, communities are stronger and livelihoods are more secure.

Education is a core part of Working Animals International’s mission. By supporting children and communities to understand and practice good animal care, Working Animals International aims to contribute to lasting improvements in the welfare of working animals.

Introduction

Working Animals International is seeking to commission an independent evaluation consultant, preferably based in Zimbabwe or with strong knowledge of the local context, to design and deliver an external evaluation of its upper primary school working animal welfare learning package.

The package was implemented for the first time in Zimbabwe in 2026 through extra-curricular school-based clubs. While the package builds on Working Animals International’s wider education experience, this is a new implementation context, and the programme is still at an early stage of delivery and learning.

This evaluation is therefore intended to help Working Animals International and AWARE Trust understand how the model is working in practice, whether the assumptions underpinning the approach are credible, and what should be strengthened before wider expansion.

Primary school learning package

The Primary School Learning Package (PSLP) has been implemented in Zimbabwe since February 2026. It targets upper primary school children aged approximately 8 to 12 years and is delivered through extra-curricular school-based clubs.

The programme focuses on:

Understanding the needs of working animals;

Developing empathy and responsibility towards animals; and

Encouraging children to influence positive animal care practices within their families and communities.

The programme operates through a teacher-led delivery model. Teachers receive training, learning materials, and ongoing support from Working Animals International and AWARE Trust, and deliver the learning package to a new cohort of children each academic year. Programme sustainability is therefore expected to be driven through teacher capacity, school-level ownership and repeated delivery to successive cohorts rather, than continued engagement with a single group of children.

AWARE Trust is the implementing partner in Zimbabwe and is responsible for programme delivery, coordination with schools and education stakeholders, and supporting evaluation logistics.

The programme is implemented in two districts, Chegutu (Norton) and Tsholotsho. These contexts differ significantly. Norton is primarily urban and children’s households generally do not own working animals. Tsholotsho includes more rural and geographically dispersed schools, and approximately half of participating children come from households that own working animals. This difference is important to the evaluation design.

From the start of 2027, the programme is expected to expand to an additional 30 schools in Tsholotsho. Consultants may propose ways of using this expansion to generate learning on implementation, teacher support, adaptation, sustainability and future scale-up.

Submission details

Proposals must be submitted electronically to [contact details removed] by 09:00am (GMT) Monday 28 September 2026. No late submissions will be accepted.

Shortlisted contractors may be requested to attend an online interview/presentation in the week beginning Monday 12 October.

For questions, please contact: [contact details removed]

For detailed information, please check the complete version of the advert attached below.