Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Preparation of Guideline on Climate Smart Village (CSV) in Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality, Saptari District, Madhesh Province, Nepal

Saksham Saptari: Building Community Resilience through Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Measures in Saptari District of Nepal, June 2026

1.    Project Summary

2. INTRODUCTION

Rural Oriented Youth Movement Nepal (ROYM-Nepal) is an NGO established in 2009, dedicated to enhance the sustainable livelihoods of women, disadvantaged and marginalized groups of society through skill transformation, youth engagement, and transformative initiatives aligned with SDGs. Organization vision is to create a socio-economically empowered society with equality, climate and social justice. ROYM-Nepal focuses on climate change, health, education, gender equality, WASH, and sustainable livelihood. Our approaches include community based participatory actions, women led interventions, and evidence-based planning and policy advocacy.

ROYM-Nepal, with the support of AEIN Luxembourg, is implementing the project "Saksham Saptari" to promote community resilience in the flood-prone region of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality, Ward 4. The project has been implementing in Saptari District that lies in the Southern belt of Nepal and federally in Madhesh Province. Madhesh Province stands in first rank of population in the country consisting of a total of population of 6,126 million (20.99%) and sex ratio is 100.99%. Saptari District lies in Madhesh Province with an area of 1.363 km2 and has a population of 713,203 (males - 355,530 and females - 357,673). The average family size consists of 4,71 and the rate of population growth is 1.05% (National Census 2021). The district headquarter is Rajbiraj. Saptari District is renowned for agricultural outputs and is bordered in the Eastern part by the massive Sapta Koshi river. The district’s boundaries are Chure mountain range in the North and the Terai plain areas in the South.

The district consists of 18 municipalities, out of which 9 are urban municipalities and 9 are rural municipalities. The selected project area, Tilathi Koiladi is a rural municipality in Saptari District. According to the National Census 2021, its population size is 32,389 spread up into 9,845 individual households (Source: Profile of Saptari District).

The project has been implementing in Ward no. 4 of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality with a primary focus on four hamlets: Mushar Tole, Ram Tole, Mukhiya Tole and Koilari Tole with a total population of 3,500. The other hamlets of the ward will indirectly benefit from the project implementation: Chhati Tole, Goriyari Tole, Tervari Tole and Kham Tole. Moreover, Ward no. 4 has a total number of 878 households. The total population in the community is 4,904 (males - 2,576 and females - 2,328). Each household owns approx. 0.1693 hectares of land) (http://www.tilathikoiladimun.gov.np). The selected settlements belong to the financially poorest and Dalit communities. The communities represent the minority population in the district.

The project is mainly addressing climate change adaptation activities, while covering also certain types of interventions aimed at mitigating climate change effects as well as transversal activities. This project enhances the protection of the environment against degradable changes caused by human activity for the benefit and welfare of community people.

The general objective of the project is to enhance community resilience by promoting affordable and replicable climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. It is aimed at educating the target groups including all genders, intersectional groups and youth to take action against climate change.

Specific objectives:

• Improve awareness of local communities, local authorities, and other stakeholders on climate change
• Enhance disaster preparedness against floods and reduce flood damage
• Promote climate-resilient community water management systems
• Reduce carbon emissions by adapting appropriate cooking methods
• Improve carbon capture by tree plantations and reduce soil erosion
• Increase and diversify households’ income by adopting climate-smart agricultural and livestock practices
• Development of a Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA) and a Community Adaptation Plan (CAP)
• Promote the establishment of “Climate smart villages” following up the “Climate Smart Village” operation guideline by the Government of Nepal
• Among the key deliverables of the project is the declaration of “Climate smart village” that helps communities adapt to climate change while improving their livelihoods. However, there is a need for a clear, practical, and locally relevant guideline that can support local governments, communities, and stakeholders to understand and implement the Climate Smart Village approach effectively.

3. SCOPE OF STUDY

Purpose, Objectives and Scope

The main purpose of this TOR is to develop a comprehensive and user-friendly Guideline on Climate Smart Village (CSV) that can be applied in the context of Saptari and similar areas.

Specific Objectives:

The specific objectives are:

• To develop a practical guideline for establishing and implementing Climate Smart Villages.
• To integrate climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable livelihood practices.
• To ensure the guideline reflects local context, knowledge, and needs of Saptari communities.
• To support local governments and stakeholders in planning and implementation.

Scope of Work

The consultant/organization will be responsible for:

• Reviewing existing policies, frameworks, and CSV practices at national and international levels.
• Conducting field consultations with local communities, farmers, local governments, and stakeholders in Saptari.
• Identifying key climate risks, vulnerabilities, and local adaptation practices.
• Developing components of Climate Smart Village as per the local context such as:
  • Climate-resilient agriculture practices (such as drought-tolerant crops, crop diversification, seasonal crop planning, and improved irrigation practices suitable for Saptari’s climate conditions)
  • Water resource management (including rainwater harvesting, conservation of ponds and canals, and efficient use of groundwater considering frequent drought and water scarcity in the area)
  • Disaster risk reduction measures (such as flood preparedness, early warning awareness, safe shelter practices, and community-based disaster planning considering flood-prone areas of Saptari)
  • Renewable energy and environment-friendly practices (such as use of solar energy, improved cookstoves, and reduction of deforestation and environmental degradation at community level)
  • Livelihood diversification (including promotion of off-farm income activities, small enterprises, and climate-resilient livelihood options suitable for local communities)
  • Community awareness and capacity building (focusing on local knowledge, behavior change, and active participation of youth, women, and marginalized groups in climate actions)
  • Local governance and planning integration (ensuring alignment with local government plans, policies, and budgeting processes for sustainability of Climate Smart Village approach)
• Preparing a step-by-step guideline for implementation
• Including roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
• Developing monitoring and evaluation indicators
• Finalizing the guideline based on feedback from ROYM-Nepal and stakeholders

4. METHODOLOGY

The assignment will follow a participatory and practical approach:

• Conduct desk review of relevant documents, policies, and existing practices related to climate smart village.
• Carry out field visits and community consultations in the project areas to understand local context and needs.
• Facilitate workshop at municipal level for the preparation of the climate smart village guideline.
• Conduct key informant interviews with local government representatives, stakeholders, and experts.
• Facilitate focus group discussions with community members, farmers, and vulnerable groups.
• Prepare draft guideline based on findings and consultations.
• Facilitate validation workshop with stakeholders to collect feedback and suggestions.
• Finalize the guideline incorporating all feedback and inputs.

4.1 Intended Audience and Use of the Study

The primary intended audience of the study are LDMC/WDMC members, AEIN Luxembourg, ROYM-Nepal, local governments, like-minded agencies working to area of climate justice and people of Rural Municipality. The study will facilitate local government and other concerned stakeholders for climate resilience planning, budgeting, its implementation and monitoring of climate resilience interventions.

The study team is required to adhere to the ROYM-Nepal Safeguarding Policy, Data Protection Policy, Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Gender Equality Policies throughout the assignment/study.

5. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

Deliverables and Tentative Timeline

6. REPORTING AND GOVERNANCE 

The task will be led by external consultant and coordinate and report to Senior Program Coordinator of ROYM-Nepal. The consultant will also communicate and report to Executive Director, Communication Associate, and District Project Coordinator of ROYM-Nepal

7. TEAM AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Interested consultants will be required to submit an Expression of Interest in line with the provided details below, which should demonstrate adherence to the following requirements.

7.1 Understanding of Requirements and Experience

• The team leader should have advanced degree in climate change, environmental science, agriculture, or related field.
• The team has a strong track record of working flexibly to accommodate changes as the project is implemented.
• Team Leader (Climate Change Expert): At least 10 years of experience in climate adaptation, DRR/CCA, or rural development projects.
• Experience in guideline/manual development.
• Good understanding of local context of Nepal, preferably Madhesh Province or Saptari.
• Preference will be given to consultants/organizations with local experts who have strong understanding of community practices and realities of Saptari district.
• Ability to communicate and conduct consultations in local language (Maithili and/or Nepali) will be highly preferred to ensure effective community engagement.
• Social Facilitator: Experience in local level facilitation and gender-inclusive community engagement
• Data Analyst (optional): For climate data synthesis and risk mapping

7.2 Financial Proposal

ROYM-Nepal seeks value for money in its work. This does not necessarily mean "lowest cost", but quality of the service and reasonableness of the proposed costs. Proposals shall include personnel allocation (role/number of days/daily rates/taxes), as well as any other applicable costs etc. Financial proposal needs to be submitted in excel format separately during the proposal submission by consultant.

8. SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT

The following payments will be made to the consultant using and agreed mode of payment.

• Upon approval of inception report: [30%]
• Upon approval of progress report: [30%]
• Upon approval of the final report: [40%]

Note: Tax will be deducted as per the government rule.

9. HOW TO APPLY

Proposal should be submitted via email to nepalroym@gmail.com. Contact person for any clarity to this call is senior-program@roymnepal.org (Senior Program Coordinator of ROYM Nepal). 

Interested team of professional experienced consultants should submit below mentioned documents by June 30, 2025. 

CV(s) of the proposed consultant(s) with full date of birth in dd/mm/yyyy format. 

For firms: Copies of - Firm registration certificate, VAT registration certificate, and latest Tax clearance certificate should be submitted. 

For Individuals (Nepali): Copies of citizenship certificate and PAN registration certificate. 

Applications not including all the above information will not be reviewed. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

If an individual is a full-time staff member of another organization, a no objection/consent letter signed by the organization head must be submitted along with the proposal. This is not applicable for proposals sent through a firm.