TERMS OF REFERENCE: Consultancy Services for the Development of an Animated Advocacy Video on the Supreme Court Mandamus and Directives on Mental Health

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy Services for the Development of an Animated Advocacy Video on the Supreme Court Mandamus and Directives on Mental Health

1. Organizational Background

KOSHISH is a national-level organization established in 2008 to promote mental health, psychosocial well-being, human rights, social inclusion, and the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities in Nepal. KOSHISH is registered with the District Administration Office, Kathmandu (Reg. No. 086/065), affiliated with the Social Welfare Council, Nepal (Reg. No. 25677), and has been a member organization of the National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal (NFDN) since 2066/07/19 B.S.

KOSHISH works to advance the rights, dignity, participation, autonomy, and inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities and persons with lived experience of mental health problems. Its work includes advocacy for accessible, equitable, quality, community-based, and rights-based mental health and psychosocial support services, as well as efforts to strengthen the recognition of mental health as a matter of health, human rights, and social justice.

2. Background and Rationale

Mental health is an integral component of the right to health and is closely linked with the rights to dignity, equality, non-discrimination, participation, autonomy, and social inclusion. However, significant challenges remain in ensuring the availability, accessibility, affordability, quality, and rights-based provision of mental health services in Nepal.

Over the years, KOSHISH has undertaken advocacy to promote greater recognition of mental health rights, strengthen mental health systems and services, and address barriers faced by persons with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities. As part of this broader advocacy journey, matters concerning mental health rights and access to appropriate mental health services were brought before the Supreme Court of Nepal.

The Supreme Court's decision and mandamus constitute an important development in Nepal's mental health rights and systems agenda. The decision recognizes mental health within the broader right to health and addresses the State's responsibility to progressively ensure accessible, acceptable, equitable, and quality mental health services. It also addresses institutional arrangements, financing and resource allocation, human resources, integration of mental health within the health system, community-based services, social protection, stigma and discrimination, and the protection of the rights and dignity of persons with mental health problems.

The Court's directives further provide important directions concerning mental health structures and services, resource allocation, community-based approaches, awareness and stigma reduction, human rights protections in relation to involuntary treatment, assisted decision-making, and mechanisms for monitoring implementation.

The significance of the decision therefore extends beyond the courtroom. Its value lies in its potential to contribute to a mental health system in which rights are respected, services are accessible and responsive, and persons with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities are able to participate meaningfully in society.

KOSHISH intends to develop a 4 to 6 minute animated advocacy video that brings this journey to life: from the emergence of the mental health rights agenda and KOSHISH's advocacy efforts, through the Supreme Court's intervention, to the significance of the Court's directives and the need for their implementation.

The video is intended to make a complex legal and policy development understandable to a broad audience without reducing or misrepresenting its substance.

3. Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to conceptualize and produce a compelling, evidence-based and professionally executed animated advocacy video that connects KOSHISH's mental health rights advocacy journey with the Supreme Court's mandamus and directives on mental health.

Rather than functioning as a conventional mental health awareness video, the production should tell a concise institutional and public-interest story: Why was change needed? What was advocated for? What did the Supreme Court decide? What did the Court direct? Why does it matter? And what needs to happen next?

The final product should enable audiences with limited familiarity with legal or mental health terminology to understand the significance of the decision and its implications for mental health rights and services in Nepal.

4. Objectives

4.1 General Objective

To develop an engaging, accessible and rights-based animated advocacy video that communicates the significance of the Supreme Court's mandamus and directives on mental health while documenting KOSHISH's verified advocacy journey leading to and around this important development.

4.2 Specific Objectives

The video is expected to:

• Briefly introduce the concerns that gave rise to mental health rights advocacy and communicate KOSHISH's verified contribution to advancing the mental health rights agenda. 
• Present mental health as an integral component of the right to health and explain, in accessible language, the relevance and significance of the Court's mandamus and directives. 
• Communicate the principal directions concerning accessible, equitable and quality mental health services, community-based and inclusive approaches, dignity, autonomy, non-discrimination, and protection of human rights in mental health care and treatment.
• Highlight the importance of translating the Court's directives into practice through effective implementation, monitoring, accountability, and strengthened mental health systems and services. 
• Encourage government, service providers, civil society, persons with lived experience, families, communities, and other stakeholders to work collectively towards realizing mental health rights and meaningful, sustainable change.

5. Intended Audience

The video is intended as a public-facing advocacy and communication product and should therefore be accessible to a diverse audience, including persons with lived experience of mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities, families and caregivers, communities, health and social service providers, government authorities at federal, provincial and local levels, policymakers, civil society organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, development partners, human rights actors and the general public.

The creative treatment should ensure that the message remains accessible to audiences with varying levels of literacy and familiarity with mental health and legal terminology.

6. Creative and Narrative Direction

The consultant is expected to develop a creative approach that transforms a complex legal and advocacy journey into a human-centred visual narrative.

The video should not simply reproduce or sequentially read out the Court's directives. Instead, it should create a narrative bridge between lived realities, advocacy, judicial recognition and implementation.

7. Content Framework

Within the limitations of a 4 to 6 minute production, the video should communicate the principal messages arising from the Supreme Court's decision rather than attempting to reproduce every legal direction.

The content should appropriately cover the following interconnected themes:

Mental health as a right. The video should establish that mental health is not merely a clinical or individual concern but an integral component of the right to health.

Responsibility of the State. The Court's directions concerning the progressive realization of accessible, acceptable, equitable and quality mental health services should be communicated in clear public language.

Stronger mental health systems. The video should highlight the importance of appropriate institutional arrangements, human resources, financing, infrastructure and service capacity.

Accessible and community-based services. The narrative should communicate the importance of integrating mental health into broader health and community systems and strengthening services closer to where people live.

Dignity, autonomy and inclusion. Persons with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities should be portrayed as rights-holders and active participants rather than merely as recipients of care.

Stigma and discrimination. The video should reinforce the need to challenge stigma, discrimination, exclusion and harmful social practices.

Human rights in mental health care. The video should sensitively communicate the Court's concern regarding rights protections in relation to involuntary treatment and ECT, without using sensational or potentially harmful visual representations.

Assisted decision-making and legal capacity. Where appropriate within the available duration, the video should introduce the importance of supporting people to exercise their rights and participate in decisions affecting their lives.

Implementation and accountability. The closing narrative should emphasize that the significance of the Court's decision depends on effective implementation, monitoring and accountability.

These themes should be presented as part of one coherent story rather than as separate informational segments. The Court's decision provides the substantive basis for these areas, including institutional structures, resources, service provision, community-based approaches and rights protections. 

8. Scope of Consultancy Services

The selected consultant or consultancy firm will be responsible for the end-to-end development and production of the animated video, from concept development through final delivery.

The assignment will commence with an inception and content-development phase during which the consultant will engage with KOSHISH to understand the purpose, audience, advocacy objectives and desired communication outcomes. The consultant will review the Supreme Court decision, relevant supporting documents and the verified chronology of KOSHISH's advocacy journey.

Based on this review, the consultant will develop a creative concept and narrative treatment. The proposed concept should demonstrate how legal and policy content can be communicated through visual storytelling rather than through a conventional documentary or presentation format.

Following approval of the concept, the consultant will develop the Nepali script and detailed storyboard, including character development, visual language, narration, dialogue where appropriate, on-screen text, transitions and proposed animation sequences.

The consultant will then undertake the full animation production, including illustration, character animation, motion graphics, voice recording, music, sound design, editing, subtitles and accessibility features.

The production should use a visual style that is contemporary, culturally appropriate, inclusive and suitable for institutional advocacy. The representation of persons with psychosocial disabilities and persons with lived experience should be respectful, authentic and free from stereotypes.

The consultant will submit a first cut for review by KOSHISH and incorporate consolidated feedback before producing the final version.

9. Deliverables

The consultancy is expected to produce the following:

10. Technical and Production Specifications

The principal video shall be a 2D digital animation approximately 4 to 6 minutes long, produced primarily in Nepali.

The final master should be delivered in Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080), with a high-quality MP4 version suitable for public dissemination and archival purposes.

The consultant should additionally provide optimized versions suitable for digital dissemination through platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram/Reels, TikTok and WhatsApp, as well as a version appropriate for community and stakeholder screenings.

English subtitles shall be incorporated in the final version. Captions/subtitle files should also be provided separately in an editable or standard subtitle format. Sign-language interpretation or an equivalent accessible version shall be incorporated as agreed during the production process.

The consultant should ensure professional-quality narration, sound recording, music, sound effects, animation and visual composition.

11. Accuracy, Legal Integrity and Content Approval

As the video concerns a Supreme Court decision, accuracy and fidelity to the source material shall be fundamental requirements of the assignment.

The consultant shall work from the official decision and other authoritative documents provided by KOSHISH. Legal provisions, directives, institutional responsibilities and other substantive messages shall not be paraphrased in a manner that changes their meaning.

Similarly, the historical account of KOSHISH's advocacy shall be developed only from information and documentation verified by KOSHISH.

The consultant shall not independently attribute legal, political or institutional claims to KOSHISH or the Supreme Court without prior verification.

The script, storyboard and key legal messages shall be subject to review and approval by KOSHISH before full animation production. Where necessary, KOSHISH may undertake an internal legal or technical review of the content.

12. Rights-Based, Inclusive and Ethical Communication

The production shall reflect KOSHISH's rights-based approach and its commitment to dignity, inclusion and meaningful participation.

Persons with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities should be represented as rights-holders, citizens and active participants, rather than primarily as patients or passive beneficiaries.

The video shall avoid stigma, discrimination, fear-based communication, stereotypes, sensationalism and representations that may unintentionally reinforce harmful perceptions of mental health.

Visuals and language should be gender-sensitive, disability-inclusive, culturally appropriate and consistent with principles of equality, dignity, autonomy and non-discrimination.

Where lived-experience narratives, voices, photographs or other personally identifiable materials are used, appropriate informed consent shall be obtained.

The consultant shall comply with KOSHISH's Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct and other applicable organizational requirements.

13. Consultation, Review and Approval

The assignment will follow a staged development process designed to ensure both creative quality and substantive accuracy.

The consultant will initially engage with KOSHISH to establish the narrative and key messages. The creative concept will then be reviewed before script development. The script and storyboard will be approved prior to full animation production.

A first cut will be presented to KOSHISH for consolidated feedback. The consultant will incorporate agreed revisions and submit the final version for approval.

The consultant should therefore allow sufficient time within the proposed schedule for consultation, technical review, revision and final approval, rather than treating feedback as an end-stage activity.

14. Duration

The consultancy is expected to be completed within three months from the date of contract signing, subject to the agreed production schedule.

The proposed work plan should demonstrate realistic time allocation for content development, creative development, scriptwriting, storyboard approval, animation, review, revision, accessibility integration and final delivery.

15. Required Qualifications and Experience

• The assignment may be undertaken by an individual consultant registered in Vat, a production team, or a consultancy firm with a demonstrated capacity in professional animation and advocacy communication.
• The applicant should have a minimum of three years of relevant experience in animation, multimedia production, visual communication, social and behaviour change communication, advocacy communication or related fields.
• Experience producing communication products relating to health, mental health, human rights, disability inclusion, social justice, governance or development will be strongly preferred.
• The applicant should demonstrate the ability to translate complex policy, legal, health or social issues into compelling visual narratives for non-specialist audiences.
• Experience working with NGOs, INGOs, government institutions, development partners or other public-interest organizations will be an advantage.
• A strong portfolio of relevant previous work shall be an important consideration in the selection process.

16. Proposal Requirements

• Interested consultants/consultancy firms are invited to submit a concise technical proposal, preferably not exceeding 6 to 10 pages, demonstrating their understanding of the assignment and proposed creative approach.
• The technical proposal should explain the proposed concept, narrative, and production methodology, how the applicant intends to translate the Supreme Court decision into an accessible visual story, the proposed work plan, team composition and relevant experience.
• A portfolio and links (QR codes) to comparable previous productions should be included.
• A separate financial proposal should provide a clear and reasonable cost breakdown covering, as applicable, concept development, scriptwriting, storyboard, illustration and animation, voice-over, music and sound design, subtitles, accessibility features, revisions, dissemination versions and source files.
• Applicants should also provide the relevant registration, Pan/VAT registration certificates, latest tax clearance certificate and experience documentation applicable to their status.

17. Ownership and Intellectual Property

All intellectual property and materials produced under this assignment, including the creative concept, narrative, script, storyboard, character designs, illustrations, animation, graphics, voice recordings, music and sound elements commissioned for the production, subtitle files, project files, source files and final outputs, shall remain the exclusive property of KOSHISH.

The consultant or consultancy firm shall not reproduce, publish, distribute, commercially exploit, upload or otherwise use the materials developed under this assignment without the prior written authorization of KOSHISH.

18. Equal Opportunity and Safeguarding

KOSHISH promotes equal opportunity and encourages applications from qualified women, persons with disabilities, persons with lived experience and individuals from marginalized communities.

KOSHISH is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and well-being of all individuals and maintains zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, discrimination or any other form of harm.

The selected consultant or consultancy firm will be required to comply with KOSHISH's Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct and other applicable organizational policies and requirements.

The proposal should be submitted via email to procurement@koshish.org.np no later than 7 September 2026, before the close of business (COB).

Note:

1. KOSHISH promotes equal opportunities and encourages applications from qualified women, persons with disabilities, and individuals from marginalized communities.
2. KOSHISH is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals and maintains zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, or any other form of harm. All shortlisted candidates should be required to comply with KOSHISH’s Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct and will undergo appropriate safeguarding checks.
3. KOSHISH reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason.