Request For Proposal

Term of Reference for

Facilitating Social accountability Tool (SAT) training

Women Leadership Programme

1. RATIONAL

The Government is committed to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action and is modifying national laws and policies to be consistent with these international commitments. The Interim Constitution of Nepal has enshrined women’s right to freedom from violence and discrimination mandating protection, empowerment and advancement of women’s interests and has guaranteed 33 percent representation at all levels of government and public institutions. Institutionalization of an inclusive, democratic and progressive local governance system is currently at the centre of Nepal’s national aspirations to bring good governance and development interventions to the people.  However, despite the favorable environment Nepal's governance sector is characterized by a lack of timely, transparent, participatory and accountable planning and budgeting. 

Development planning and budget allocation processes in practice are highly centralized, and lack transparency. Governance is dominated by local elites and politicians, while resources are often inefficiently used due to poor planning and corruption. The women, especially from Dalit and ethnic groups are not aware of legal and institutional arrangements and consequently do not participate as envisioned. However, when the participation of women in decision making at community level in a meaningful way has been supported they have shown impressive results. The previous Raising Her Voice (RHV) project supported 1,997 marginalized women to claim their space in local governance and influence their decisions to the benefit of women and the community at large. This was found to have improved management of community forests, local education, water, sanitation and health services in 81 villages, with more public money, better spent and officials more respectful of and responsive to women’s demands. 

It is at the Village Development Committee (VDC) level that poor and marginalised women have the greatest potential to play a leadership role in promoting local governance that directly will improve the lives of the poorest. As the local bodies are currently devoid of elected representatives transparency and accountability towards the people has come under big question. The Village Development Plan and Budget Formulation Guidelines of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development have clearly spelt out a 14-step participatory planning process, which calls for meaningful participation of community people including women in the local planning and budgeting processes. However, despite this seemingly positive political and institutional context Nepal has a history of poor implementation of centrally developed policies and plans.

2. PROJECT BRIEF

• Overall Impact: The overall impact of this project is to improved local governance and gender relations in 10 VDCs of Nepal. 

• Project Outcome: Increased influence of poor and marginalized women in decision-making in 40 community level governance structures including the VDC level planning process and improved gender relation in 70 % of the families of women directly supported by this project in 10 VDCs of Nepal.

The primary focuses of the project are;

• Empowerment of poor and marginalized women,

• Engaging men and in-laws in addressing gender issues, 

• Development of linkages at various levels of women’s groups and networks at local to national level,

• Advocacy forums to create a strong and broad base for shared learning, knowledge, solidarity and collective action,

• Create space for collaboration between right holders and duty bearers to build an environment of collaboration and cooperation, and 

• Focus on evidence-based advocacy generating evidence and good models, and using them as lobby and advocacy tools. 

The project is to be implemented over three years from 1 April 2014 to March 2017, covering 10 VDCs of Nepal, and Kathmandu, especially for national level policy advocacy. It will be implemented in partnership with Women’s Association for Marginalized Women (WAM), Surkhet, and PRERANA: Support Group for Participatory Development, Lalitpur. 

3. TRAINING OBJECTIVE

• To develop cadre as an active citizen in project communities who will play active role to aware community people on Right to Information (RTI) and ensure duty bearers transparent and accountable toward right holders.

• Poor and marginalised women and men who participate in training will gain knowledge and skill on Social Accountability Tool (SAT) to monitor selected local decision making structures in project VDCs.

• Project staff will gain ability to monitor and provide strategic direction to make community monitoring initiatives effective and meaningful.

4. SCOPE OF WORKS

Facilitate five-day Social Accountability Tool (SAT) Training including field test for project staff, CDC facilitators and community monitoring committee representative from project district.

 5. METHODOLOGY

• The consultant will review the relevant literature (project proposal and other relevant materials) to grasp the overall project objectives, activities and expected results into training content,

• S/he will develop training content, session plans, pre/post test questionnaire methodology and handouts,  

• S/he will finalize preparation work as mention above bullet after consultation with PRERANA and Oxfam, 

• S/he will balance the training between practical exercise and theory of tools and their use,

• S/he will make the training highly interactive and participatory with practical tips,

• Submit final training report which also includes training methodology, agreed action plan and its process, hands outs and recommendations,

6. EXPECTED OUTPUTS

• Training content will be developed

• Pre test and post test questionnaire will be developed

• 5 days long 2 SAT training  in Surkhet will be conducted

• SAT users' guideline and necessary handouts will be distributed

• Final training report in Nepali provided

7. PROPOSAL FROM CONSULTANT

The Consultant will submit a brief technical and financial proposal to PRERANA. The technical proposal should include methodology, work plan and an updated CV of the proposed Consultant(s). The financial proposal will include Consultant’s fee, cost incurred against travel, accommodation and food during field visit. The assignment is expected to involve three weeks of fieldwork. 

The technical proposal will be scrutinized based on the following criteria:

• Adequate grasp of concepts and issues related to the project

• Soundness of methodology 

• Past experience from similar fields/tasks

8. QUALIFICATION/SKILL REQUIRED

• Proven experience and knowledge and skill on facilitation of model training,

• Sound knowledge on SAT and RTI

• Sound knowledge on  gender analysis, governance and policy advocacy work

• Excellent verbal and written skills in Nepali.

• Excellent knowledge on community mobilization as an active citizen. 

• At least Bachelors Degree in relevant field

• Consultant should have a VAT registration certificate 

9. TEAM 

The Consultant will lead the training from preparation to producing final report where one co trainer will support in training period.

10. TIME LINE

The duration of the consultancy will be 14 days including 10 days training in field where consultancy of co trainer for training period only . Training will be tentatively planned around 3rd and 4th week of October 2014. The Consultant(s) will submit the initial draft of the report by the 4th week October 2014 and the final report by end of October 2014. 

11. RESOURCE PERSON'S PROPOSAL AND APPLICATIONS 

The Resource Person will submit a detail proposal on the basis of this ToR before 10th September 2014 in following address:

CONTACT DETAILS:

To,

Executive Director

PRERANA

Satdobato, Lalitpur

Email address:  prerana@wlink.com.np

Phone no. 01-2121081/01-6924286