Terms of Reference – A consultancy service for Social Exclusion and Gender Analysis - SEGA for (ENGAGE) Project
Background (VSO)
VSO is the world’s leading international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty. Working in 21 countries around the world, our unique role in international development is to place committed volunteers with carefully selected organisations where their skills can have the greatest impact. Our extraordinary volunteers live and work in some of the world’s poorest communities. Sharing their unique skills and experience to generate new ideas and new ways of doing things, helping the communities they work in, lift themselves out of poverty. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change, that will impact generations to come.
About Project
Empowering a New Generation of Adolescent Girls with Education (ENGAGE) project is GEC-LNGB window, is implemented by consortium led by VSO, consortium partner Humanity & Inclusion and three implementing partners (DYC-Parsa, PRERANA-Sarlahi and DEC-Banke). Its main objectives are to empower the out of school (OOS) children with disabilities and marginalized girls, to increase the parental support, improve attendance of OOS children with disabilities and marginalized girls. It also helps to improve the teaching quality and inclusive education practice in learning facilities. It works in 3 districts (Parsa, Sarlahi and Banke) of Nepal focusing on out of school children with disabilities and marginalized girls aged between 10-19 years.
The project has implemented interventions to support nearly 2,635 girls by equipping them with new skills for learning and employability, experiencing new-found confidence and self-esteem, and to be able to influence and control their own sexual and reproductive health.
Social Exclusion, Gender, and gender-based violence
VSO views social exclusion as a complex and multidimensional process by which different people and/or groups are systematically denied rights, resources, services, opportunities and dignity, and the ability to participate fully in social, economic, cultural, educational, and political life. VSO believes that unequal power relations between men and women underpin the system of exclusion which is sometimes reinforced by discriminatory policies and laws, and harmful social norms and practices that are internalized by both those with power and those excluded. Education systems, religious doctrines, economic systems, and media coverage can all help perpetuate the exclusion process.
Exclusion can happen to everyone in varying degrees, but those most at risks or affected by exclusion and living in vulnerable conditions are facing difficulty in access to quality education. Likewise, people who are disadvantaged or discriminated based on their age, sex, ethnicity, are further facing exclusion from educational opportunities. These often include, but are not limited to, gender, sexual orientation, age, health status, disability, religion, ethnicity, and socio-economic and educational status. People rarely only have one social identity, and the intersection of their multiple social identities (i.e., race and age) can lead to their discrimination and ultimately exclusion at different spheres and time of their lives. For instance, women with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence compared to women without disabilities1.
Patriarchal values and practices are seen to be deeply entrenched and reinforced through unequal power relations at the household level in the plains of VSO’s working districts Sarlahi and Parsa in Madhesh Province, and Banke district of Lumbini Province. The 2014 UNDP report, “Nepali Masculinities and Gender Based Violence” revealed that 93% of people living within the Terai region have seen women being beaten or scolded by men, and 27% of them said this happens frequently. Likewise, the report shows division of labor in childcare and household chores performing by men is very low 78% and 51% respectively. The impact directly hit women and girls and being the major reason of dropout for adolescent girls in Tearai region. A specific risk factor for young women living in the Terai region is related to the widespread adherence to dowry practices that increases their exposure to the risk of experiencing various forms of GBV. Although Terai tends to have less incidence of child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) than the far west, it is nonetheless commonplace for many girls, and CEFM now is the third most common reason for school drop-out across the country2. Such arrangements expose unmarried girls to an extremely high risk of violence, reinforcing the cycle of gender inequality.
Exclusion and gender-based violence is a direct violation of human rights and have a direct impact on people’s lives. VSO believes that social exclusion is a key driver of poverty, where the poorest are often those that experience these multiple and intersecting forms of exclusion. Development and humanitarian initiatives can struggle to identify and reach the most excluded. The most excluded are less likely to participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of these initiatives making them less effective. As a result, socially excluded populations are often trapped in a vicious cycle of inequality and poverty, with limited opportunities and capacities to break out of it.
Submission of Proposal
The bidder shall send both the “Technical” and “Financial” Proposal along with below documents to:
I. Technical and financial proposal demonstrating the understanding of the terms of references of SEGA study.
II. Curriculum vitae of proposed team members (no more than 4 pages each) detailing only relevant experiences.
III. A one-page cover letter detailing at a high-level how you meet the requirements for this assignment.
IV. The proposed methodologies, sampling, clear costing of planned activities including all applicable taxes and fees.
V. Company registration certificate.
VI. VAT/PAN registration certificate.
VII. Latest Tax clearance certificate of FY 2077/78
Proposals must be submitted to an email: [email protected] by 6th July 2022.
For Detailed ToR Please "CLICK HERE"
