TOR for Short-term Consultancy to produce the National Dalit Children's Rights Status Report in Nepal

Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) 

Terms of Reference (ToR) 

To produce the National Dalit Children's Rights Status Report in Nepal

Background of Organization:

The Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Nepal is a pioneering Dalit women-led civil society organization established to challenge the deeply entrenched systems of caste- and gender-based discrimination in Nepal. Since its founding, FEDO has worked at the intersection of social justice, feminist movements, and human rights, positioning Dalit women not as beneficiaries but as agents of change. Its work is grounded in a rights-based and movement-oriented approach that seeks to transform unequal power relations at multiple levels.

Over the past three decades, FEDO has evolved into a nationally and internationally recognized institution with a strong grassroots presence across Nepal. Through its network of community-based groups, district chapters, and alliances with civil society, government institutions, and global platforms, FEDO has built a powerful collective voice advocating for Dalit women’s dignity, rights, and leadership. This dual identity as both a movement builder and a policy influencer remain central to its institutional strength.

FEDO’s work reflects a long-term commitment to structural transformation. It engages simultaneously in grassroots mobilization, policy advocacy, service delivery, and knowledge generation. By linking lived experiences of Dalit women with national and global policy processes, FEDO continues to challenge systemic discrimination and contribute to building a more just, inclusive, and democratic Nepal.

Project Background: 

To ensure that all children’s rights are realized and respected, enabling all children to survive, learn, and be protected, FEDO has been implementing the “SANKALP-Together for Children's Rights” Project since 2026 February in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI) Nepal, with financial support from SIDA. The programme aims to collaborate with civil society actors, including children, to strengthen their role in promoting accountability and ensuring the equitable fulfilment of children’s rights. It focuses on enabling civil society actors to engage with government systems, claim civic space, and influence decisions regarding policies, laws, budgets, and services for and with children. Working through national, provincial, and local levels, the programme supports civil society to monitor, report, advocate, and follow up on child rights commitments, and effective implementation of laws, policies, strategies, plans, and budgets for children, thereby contributing to an accountable governance system. 

FEDO, as the technical partner for gender, has been playing an important role in providing technical support to CSO partners from a GESI lens, as well as in monitoring and influencing child rights issues at the federal and provincial levels.

Overall Objective: 

To develop a comprehensive National Dalit Children’s Rights Status Report that generates robust evidence to monitor the status of Dalit children’s rights and inform policy influence and advocacy efforts in Nepal.

Specific Objective:  

1. To review and consolidate existing data (MICS, NDHS, Census, administrative and other sources) on Dalit children, ensuring systematic disaggregation by multiple intersecting factors—including caste/sub-caste, gender, age, disability status, geography (province, district, urban/rural, ecological belt), and socio-economic status (income, parental education, occupation)—across key child rights domains.
2. To assess the status of Dalit children’s rights in the areas of survival, development, protection, and participation, with a focus on intersectional inequalities and layered exclusion (e.g., Dalit girls with disabilities in rural areas), including differential access to basic services, quality of services, and social protection coverage
3. To analyze the implementation of relevant legal and policy frameworks related to child rights and caste-based discrimination, examining how effectively these frameworks address intersectional vulnerabilities and identifying gaps, barriers, and structural inequalities affecting diverse sub-groups of Dalit children across these domains.
4. To identify key disparities and emerging risks (including climate-related vulnerabilities), using intersectional disaggregated data and analysis to capture compounded risks and exclusion patterns, and to provide evidence-based, equity-focused recommendations to inform inclusive policies, targeted programs, and advocacy for the most marginalized groups of Dalit children.

Required Qualifications and Experience: 

• Advanced degree (Master's) in Gender or Development studies, academic research writing, MEAL, Gender and Human Rights, or related areas of development.
• Proven experience working with GESI analysis, preferably in child rights research analysis and data management.
• The consultant must have at least 10 years of progressive experience in children's rights and research writing, and statistics. 
• Good understanding of development work focused on GESI agendas, Gender transformative approaches, and feminist leadership values.
• Cross-cultural awareness and ability to work amongst a diverse group of staff, partners, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to communicate technical matters effectively to a wide audience.

How to Apply:

Interested Consultancies, who meet the above requirements, should apply by submitting the following documents in a single close envelope with the subject line “Consultancy for Dalit Children’s Rights Status Report” before  July 6, 2026, at the FEDO office, Jwagal, Lalitpur, Nepal

Tel: +977(1)5443986 Web: http://www.fedonepal.org 

Followings: 

• Technical and Financial Proposal 
• Updated CVs (3-pages max) of all team members, in case of an individual, and for a consultancy firm, the updated CV of the inclusive team highlighting the relevant experiences, expertise, and qualifications, and contact details of at least 2 recent referees/employers of similar past assignments.
• A copy of the applicant’s valid legal registration (PAN/VAT certificate).
• In case of a consultancy firm, attach the company profile, legal documents, and latest tax clearance.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for the next stage of the selection process. The right to select or reject will remain with FEDO. FEDO is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals, including women. 

Note: This ToR is subject to revision or modification based on discussion and mutual agreement with the selected consultant or consulting firm.

Click on the link below for detailed TOR:

ToR of  Dalit Children's Status Report