Name of Project: VSO(Volunteering For Development)
Country: Nepal
Project Location: 2 districts (Sarlahi and Parsa)
Duration of the Research: The research final report and summary report (a 4-page document) must be finalised before 28th September 2020.
Purpose of the Research: To identify gaps in existing policy on SRHR and recommendation for development of VSO Nepal’s SRHR framework.

Scope of the Gap Analysis

Policy Gap analysis on SRHR including study and identification of barriers to the services including societal and institutional barriers for enhanced fulfilment of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for excluded and marginalized people including education system; - which will be a guiding document for developing SRHR framework of VSO Nepal and help to create  an enabling policy environment for advocacy and policy influencing in relation to inclusive SRHR . Desk review should include landscape analysis, donor landscape, identification of evidence- based gaps on SRHR policies and guidelines.

Scope of Work: 

• Collect primary information through KII, Virtual group discussion with Primary Actors and secondary information through conduct desk review of relevant health information management systems related documents such as national level surveys like DHS etc. recording, reporting forms and guidelines and training manuals on SRHR. 
• Carry out in-depth interviews with key governmental personnel (e.g. health professional, and partner agencies and carry out observation of existing data recording and reporting forms and processes (both paper-based and electronic) to and from local, provincial and federal governments where possible. 
• Conduct a gap analysis and identify key policy and programme gap and issues in the existing service systems on SRHR both in health services and in education system 
• Identify key gaps and issues regarding enabling environment for strengthening information system, feedbacks mechanism and human resource management in the local, provincial and federal government level to promote SRH interventions
• A compilation of impact of COVID on National SRHR programs and developing guidelines for continuation, mechanisms and monitoring of SRHR services how COVID-19 is shaping the donor landscape (max 5 pages) 
• Recommend key barriers in terms of services and data reporting and its use programmatic decisions within government and non-government levels. 
• Draft report preparation with recommendations to strengthen SRHR services align with education system and data management information system including HMIS, and submission to VSO for review 
• Recommend potential SRH areas of interventions so that VSO can design and implement SRH project in future.
• Developing and adapting key set of SRHR indicators to monitor/evaluate the progress of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services and SRHR rights in line with integrating in education system. . 
• Map out the existing national level donor supporting SRH interventions and explore the possibilities of future funding from the donors.
•  Incorporate comments/suggestions and finalize report

3. Methodological Approach and Design

The consultant should propose appropriate methodology for the desk review and analysis of policy Gaps including  guidelines, and interview checklist must be developed, shared with and agreed by  VSO Nepal technical team, incorporated the technical inputs provided and finally approved by VSO before the consultant starts desk review and policy analysis.

Evidence Review 

Review of Government and other policy guidelines and Manuals related to Inclusive SRHR and Comprehensive Sexuality education, grey literature such as Teachers manuals developed by Curriculum development Centers, Media coverage, ISRHR blogs and other existing documents both government and I/NGOs( existing legislation that either helps or hinders excluded groups to access their SRHR eg. sex work, Drug use, Family planning provision to unmarried youth, law prohibit young people under a certain age accessing SRHR without parental consent, status of CSE in schools)

Key Informants Interviews

Academia, Researchers, SRHR Advocates (organisations of excluded people eg. disability groups, LGBTQI groups, sex worker groups, PLWHIV groups, youth forums or groups, Health workers, Government officials (Health and Education),

Focus Group Discussion: (at least 1 district of VSO working District)

Adolescent youth of Government and Private School (of VSO working District)
Adolescent youth (key population/PWD) attending Health/SRH Service or groups that target specific hard to reach populations, representatives of the different excluded communities as mentioned on KII.

While collecting data, VSO wants to refer to its Evidence Principles, see Annex 1, to ensure the following:

• Our approaches and designs are ethical and reasonable
• Build in continuous and on-going analysis into the methodology 
• Methods are appropriate and relevant for the purpose 
• Test and peer review our methodological approaches 
• Ethical approach to evidence collection, analysis and use 
• Data is analyzed in a systematic way that leads to convincing conclusions 
• The perspectives of different stakeholders are compared and analyzed in establishing if and how change has occurred

It is encouraged that the consultant presents some findings, especially on the intervention processes, as diagrams or flowcharts or power point Presentation for visual impact. There will technical discussions on  findings with the VSO technical team and the consultants need to present the findings through various modes, i.e. face to face interactions, online mode (skype call), etc.  The consultant is responsible to incorporate relevant technical feedback provided, share the report and get approval from the VSO to make it final. 

Deliverables:

A comprehensive desk review of the literature available on SRH and Comprehensive Sexuality Education, related health services and Health systems of Nepal, and barriers to the services including societal and institutional barriers for Enhanced fulfilment of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for excluded and marginalized people including Education System.

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs 

• Description of national SRHR policy vision outlining the key SRHR priority outcomes, major government programs and overview of their implementation modalities. (max. 5 pages)
• A compilation of key policies issues and with an analysis discussing the gap between policy (1 above) and action/practice as highlighted by academia, CSO reports, donor program strategy documents and media reports. (Max. 5 pages) 
• A compilation of impact of COVID on National SRHR programs and developing guidelines for continuation, mechanisms and monitoring of SRHR services how COVID-19 is shaping the donor landscape (max. 5 pages)
• A compilation of key points of contention in regard to financing and modes of provision for SRHR by various groups. The compilation should include policy positions of the various players and an accompanying power analysis for the named players in a given policy issue. The compilation should include tables showing data trends for each contention by stakeholders where possible. Maximum 5 pages 
• A sets of potential SRH areas of interventions so that VSO can design and implement SRH project in future.
• A sets of SRHR indicators to monitor/evaluate the progress of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services and SRHR rights in line with integrating in education system. 
• Key gaps and issues regarding enabling environment for strengthening information system, feedbacks mechanism and human resource management in the local, provincial and federal government level to promote SRH interventions
• Mapping of the existing national level donor supporting SRH interventions and explore the possibilities of future funding from the donors.
• Key recommendations for VSO policy work.

The first draft should be made available in due time for VSO team to comment on the draft and for these comments to be incorporated in the later versions; - The final report will be reviewed by VSO team with final approval ; - PPT of the desk review that includes the key findings; - PPT of the summary report on the mapping of comprehensive mapping of  national organizations or international NGOs involved in delivery of HIV, HIV/TB, STI and SRH services. 

Risks and Challenges of The Research

It is important that the successful bidder has taken all reasonable measures to mitigate any potential risk to the delivery of the required outputs for this evaluation. 

Target Audience of The Research

Research findings will be shared with primary actors, and all key stakeholders. These might include funders and other programmes in VSO and wider in the sector. The final report and summary report will be documented as “Knowledge Product” to be presented as learning papers more widely. VSO is the owner of raw data and all final products from this research.

Resources and Budget Available

The research will be conducted and produced for whole package including report preparation. The review final report and summary report (a 4-pager) must be finalised before 28th September 2020.

Budget:

Country : Nepal
Estimated Budget: NPR 3,00,000 only
Remarks: Consultant costs, literature review, KII, Virtual group discussion with Primary Actors cost and reporting

Timeline and output

The final assessment by VSO must be completed within 28th September 2020. Typical project milestones /outputs for deliverables

Interim Report 

• Literature/document reviews completed
• Review of project’s logic models (Theory of Change, Results Framework, Log-frame) completed
• Design of primary study instruments/methodology completed
• Piloting of tools completed
• Primary qualitative survey 
• Analysis of data and results completed
• Draft Interim Report submitted
• Presentation to VSO’s Evaluation Steering Group

Draft of Final Report

• All analyses completed
• Draft of final report completed

Final Reports

• Final report and summary report revised and completed

Deadlines: Whole package including final report within 28th of September 2020.

Detailed steps, processes, need to be designed and their implementation timeline need to be mentioned clearly on the work plan.

Management and Governance

The consultant will be expected to submit reports to the VSO Evaluation Steering Group and attend all meetings as agreed with the Project Manager. The team will be required to submit to the Project Manager monthly progress reports (by email) during the study period, summarising activities/tasks completed to date (percent achieved), time spent, etc.

Expertise Required

Qualification of the Consultant qualified consultant should have: 

• Proven research and analytical skills and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights for transgender persons 
•  Experience and/or academic training in research design and methodology in HIV, key populations, public health or related field 
• Experience working with community-based organizations in Nepal
•  Strong experience in conducting similar research projects or academic works 
•  Strong writing skills, and experience in preparing similar report 
• Fluency in English written and spoken, 
• Experience of developing Policy brief, Advocacy and SRHR strategies.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills 
•  Ability to deliver outcomes in timely manner 
•  University education, Master’s/Doctoral degree in public health, social sciences or related discipline 
• A minimum of 5 years professional experience in research related to HIV and AIDS or Sexual Reproductive Health, including cross cutting areas such as advocacy, Disability and inclusion; 
• Ability to work with remote team

Logistics and Quality Assurance Procedures

Ethical plan: Consultant should consult and coordinate with VSO and Implementing Partner of VSO (Sarlahi and Parsa District) for FGD and KII. In case of any changes on plan, prior notification should be given to VSO team.

Intellectual Property 

This assignment is being funded by UK Aid and led by VSO and therefore it shall be the owner of the assignment output. All information related to this video will remain the property of VSO Nepal. Except for purposes of this assignment, the information will not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever without written permission from VSO Nepal.