Terms of Reference for MHM Education Booklet Project Title Rights and Health Improvement Project for Adolescent Girls through Menstrual Hygiene Management in Bajura District, Nepal Type of Project Public Health & Gender Equality Project Duration 2020.02.13 – 2022.12.31 Types of Demands MHM Education Booklet for Adolescent Girls in Bajura District Project Location Bajura District: 3 Municipalities (Badimalika, Budhiganga and Tribeni) 2 Rural Municipalities (Gaumul and Chhededaha) Expected date of End of December 2020 completion of assignment Deadline for EoI submission 5:00PM, 14 October 2020 1. General Background KIRDARC Nepal and PeaceWin in financial support of GNI have agreed to jointly implement the specific project titled “Health Right Improvement Project for Adolescent Girls through Menstrual Hygiene Management” in Bajura district from 1 April 2020 to 31st December, 2022. Karnali Integrated Rural Development and Research Centre (KIRDARC Nepal) is a Nepali Non- Governmental National Organization, registered at District Administration Office, Jumla in 1999. It is affiliated with Social Welfare Council, the regulatory body of Government of Nepal. KIRDARC has its five year’s strategy plan 2019-2023 which envisages a just society with prosperity. PeaceWin is a woman lead, non-government, not for profit making, social development organization. It was established locally in 2047 B.S (26 Sept. 1990 AD) and registered in District Administration Office in B.S. 2049 Paush 5 (20 December 1992 AD) with a vision of “Proficient Person, Happy family and Prosperous Society”. Its activities are quite indifferent from political parties’ alignment and religious partiality. It works with underprivileged groups, especially with children and women for promotion and practices of their social, economic, cultural rights. It addresses on program integration and mainstreaming of social issues, like: Chhaupadi (female has to live in a hut far from a house during menstruation period), HIV and AIDS, anti-tobacco, child marriage, and gender-based violence, caste & other forms of discriminations). 1 Good Neighbors International (GNI) Nepal has been working in Nepal since 2002 with the objective of improving lives of the poor people especially children through education, child protection, and income generating activities, health, WASH, and disaster risk reduction. GNI Nepal has been operating its activities in 20 districts. "Rights and Health Improvement Project for Adolescent Girls through Menstrual Hygiene Management" Project (hereafter, ‘MHM Project’) is jointly implemented by GNI Nepal and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) targeting for three Municipalities and two Rural Municipalities in Bajura District. This project has been commissioned in July 2020 and will run for 3 years ending in December 2022. Major objective of the program is ‘to improve the rights and health status of adolescent girls through support the community to construct menstrual health friendly environment’. This objective will be accomplished through improving and developing a framework for participatory and community-led promotion of menstrual health and hygiene for adolescent girls in cooperation with pertinent right holders including adolescents themselves, parents, schools, local health facilities, influencers of the communities, and different levels of government authorities. Amongst other measures, MHM Project aims to deliver the vision by supporting schools and health facilities in its activities for adolescent girls’ health and rights. Teachers, Health workers and Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) are considered as major counterparts for disseminating MHM information and message towards adolescents, parents and entire communities. Additionally, the project incorporates activities like orienting traditional healers on MHM to help combating menstrual taboos and superstitions. In schools, the project supported for ensuring basic MHM facilities and services through construction of MHM toilets and water supply schemes, providing hygiene kits, and establishment of MHM corner. Additionally, the capacity buildings activities were also targeted to adolescents, teachers, school management and members of school WASH committee. Likewise, the project plans to support the local health facilities with MHM related materials, and training to health workers. The objectives of the projects are: . To improve adolescent girls’ accessibility to MHM services and facilities . To enhance knowledge, attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls . To decrease menstruation-related discrimination at community- and societal level Following table describes key information regarding the target population/institution: 2 # of Municipality/ Rural # of # of # of # of Total SN health Municipality wards* schools girls boys students post 1 Badimalika Municipality 9 8 3 1,202 1,343 2,600 2 Budhiganga Municipality 10 8 3 1,742 1,268 2,709 3 Chhededaha Rural 7 8 5 1,365 958 2,059 Municipality 4 Gaumal Rural Municipality 6 6 2 719 548 1,138 5 Tribeni Municipality 9 10 3 1,355 1,014 2,203 TOTAL 41 40 16 6,383 5,131 11,514 *Note: the target population also includes the general people of targeted wards. The project results and indicators are attached in Annex #1 2. Purpose and Rationale of the Assignment With MHM Project, GNI Nepal intends to bridge the gap between contemporarily increased public knowledge on MHM and persisting negative social attitudes and malpractice concerning menstruation in Far West Mountain region in Nepal. Adding insult to injury, issues regarding MHM is contemporarily more subjective to be disregarded as overshadowed by ‘pressing concerns’ resulted from the transmission of COVID-19 and multiple damages on community’s livelihood caused by heavy rain. Additionally, school closure and restriction on social gathering has kept adolescent girls away from access to proper and timely MHM education. With a dearth of contact-based MHM education for adolescent girls, booklet for MHM education that deals with menstrual health and hygiene issues from the aspect of gender equality as well as public health, in simple language, easy to understand with clear message and illustrated by pictures in local context are of critical tools for pertinent social and behavior change. The MHM education booklet is expected to deal with not only physiological and scientific information but also practical knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene management and sociocultural/psychological perspectives of menstruation. 3. Objective of the Assignment The objective of the assignment is to provide MHM education booklet that is easily understood and culturally relevant to local communities in Far Western Mountain region in Nepal specifically targeting adolescent girls with provision of MHM Kit that would support girls to manage their menstrual period hygienically. The booklet is expected to be focused on addressing multiple questions, practical difficulties and sociocultural constraints of adolescent girls on their menstrual hygiene management in addition to basic knowledge regarding menstruation. The materials shall also be able to provide guidance for groups of caregivers regarding how they can contribute to the construction of MHM-friendly environment for adolescents girls in the community. Specifications for the expected MHM education booklet are as followings: 3 . Unit cost of a copy should not exceed USD 5 . Required amount of the copies: 6,383 copies . Booklet that deals with Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management issue . The booklet shall deal with both reliable and updated information pertinent to MHM The contents is required to be proofread by gynecologist(s); Contents within the booklet shall be valid for practice of adolescents of this era . Main target readers are adolescent girls who are in Grade 6 to 12 – Accordingly, the contents shall be depicted in interesting and catchy for the target group . Only readily-printed booklet will be considered eligible . The stock for the booklet shall suffice the required amount OR the booklet shall be ready for printing and the company shall provide the required number of copies within a certain time . Contents of the booklet supposed to be written in Nepali . Colored print with multiple illustrations/pictures is an advantage . In terms of the volume of the booklet, less than 100 pages will be preferred 4. Documents to be submitted The proposal should reach the address below via email or courier or hand delivery by 14 October 2020 by 17:00 Hrs. (Nepal Local Time). Please, enclose the proposal in an envelope (or subject of email) and mark it “Proposal for MHM Education Booklet for MHM Project, Bajura" and drop it at following address: GNI Nepal Head office Ekantakuna-13, Lalitpur Or send to: GPO Box 8975, EPC 1605 Kathmandu, Nepal Email: [email protected] OR KIRDARC Nepal Coordination Office: Sanepa, Lalitpur Phone No.: +977 01 5548040/5548321 4 Annex #1: Project's Results and Indicators Impact: To improve adolescent girls’ health and rights through improved MHM environment % of adolescent girls who experience the isolation in Chhaupadi hut during the menstrual period within 3 months % of adolescent girls who experience limitation either to conduct housework, choice of food they intake, or to sleep with other family member in the same room during menstrual period within 3 months Outcome 1. Improved accessibility of MHM service when needed % of adolescent girls who were provided disposable sanitary pads or painkillers or proper