REQUEST FOR BIDS
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund is seeking proposals for development of Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy (LPPMP) and Standard Operating Procedures
Offers should be sent by email to [email protected]
Reference – Consultancy for Development of Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy and Standard Operating Procedures
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy and Standard Operating Procedures
TERMS OF REFERENCE (to be completed by Hiring Office)
Background: Early and unintended pregnancy can be best understood by looking at each of the words in turn. ‘Early’ is defined to mean the “correlation between lower age and the increased health risk of adverse health and social consequences for the mother and her newborn’. The term ‘unintended’ refers to unplanned or unexpected pregnancies which should be addressed separately from pregnancies that are early and planned.” EUP is driven by multiple factors that include poverty, lack of information and access to reproductive health services, cultural norms, peer pressure and sexual coercion/abuse . EUP jeopardizes educational attainment for girls through school drop-out and decreased school completion. Evidence indicates that retaining girls in school on its own is a protective factor and can go a long way in preventing adolescent pregnancy. When adolescent girls become pregnant and they drop out of school, education sector indicators are negatively affected . It is therefore in the interest of education sector to play its important role and collaborate with other sectors in preventing and managing learner pregnancy to ensure the right to education for all girls. Reducing early and unintended pregnancies is also one of the targets in the 2013 Ministerial Commitment to providing CSE and friendly SRHR Services.
At regional level, partners launched “Let’s Talk” Campaign on 31 July 2019 with the aim to fulfil the vision of an “Eastern and Southern Africa region where all adolescents are empowered and have the knowledge, information, agency and support to prevent early and unintended pregnancies and reach their full potential.”
Lesotho, like other countries in the region launched and rolled out the Let’s Talk Campaign in line with the regional campaign, to reduce and prevent early and unintended pregnancy (EUP) and afford girls who fall pregnant an opportunity to continue with their education. Because Basotho are a very religious society with strong cultural and religious norms, and since 90% of schools belong to the churches , it was important to mobilise communities and policy decision makers on prevention and management of EUP with the aim to expand education opportunities for girls.
A Situational Analysis of Early and Unintended Pregnancy in Lesotho School System undertaken in 2018 found that one of the major gaps is the absence of a learner pregnancy prevention and management policy. As a result of the absence of this policy, there are no clear interventions to prevent pregnancy among learners and when cases of pregnancy occur, different schools deal with such cases differently. The study therefore recommends development and adoption of Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy which would be accompanied by Standard Operating Procedures and referral mechanisms . The need for this policy was also emphasized by teachers, learners, policymakers, parents, and other stakeholders who participated in dialogues during the Let’s Talk Campaign in 2019. It is in the light of this need that UNFPA in collaboration with UNESCO will support Lesotho MOET to develop Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy, with an Implementation Plan and Standard Operating Procedures.
Rationale
Reports on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights indicate that “Adolescent girls continue to experience the disproportionately high burden of sexual and reproductive ill health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescents are likely to have complications during pregnancy including unsafe- abortion and are more likely to become young mothers a second time . After AIDS, the second highest cause of death for adolescent girls is related to pregnancy. In 2014, 19% of women aged 15 – 19 had begun childbearing in Lesotho (LDHS 2014). Of these 15% had had a live birth and 4% were pregnant at the time of the interview. The proportion of teenagers who have begun childbearing rises rapidly with age, from 3% at age 15 to 40% at age 19 (rural teenagers and those in the lowest wealth quintile tend to start childbearing earlier than other teenagers) .
A brief analysis of data from Education Management Information System (EMIS) for 2015 reveals that pregnancy is the number 4 reason for girls dropping out of secondary school after no money for school fees, marriage and failure in school. Considering that most of the early marriages are as a result of pregnancy, when the numbers of girls who dropout of schools as a result of pregnancy and marriage are combined, they become the primary reason why girls dropped out of school in 2015 at 37.31% .
While all relevant stakeholders understand the importance of girls accessing education and being retained in schools, lack of clear policy has resulted in individual schools and school proprietors dealing with cases of pregnancies in different ways. In many cases girls are expelled or will simply stay at home once they are pregnant and once that happens very few will go back to school after giving birth. This consequently impinges on the right of girls to education, dignity, and gender equality. There is therefore need for greater clarity among policymakers, programme developers, implementers, and other stakeholders on how to prevent and deal with cases of early and unintended pregnancy within the school setting. UNFPA is thus supporting the Ministry of Education and Training to procure a consultancy to lead the process of developing a Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy, with an Implementation Plan and Standard Operating Procedures. It is expected that the policy will provide procedural guidelines on prevention and management of EUP, address current gaps, incorporate innovations and evidence-based interventions. The policy will function as a guiding tool to address early and unintended pregnancies in schools and reintegration into the school system, school related gender-based violence and engagement of boys and young men in learning and practicing pregnancy prevention. It will also outline strategies to address cultural norms that put girls at risk of EUP including community structures and lack of young peoples’ access to health education and services (including contraception). The developed policy will be developed in line with international and regional standards in responding to learner pregnancies.
Purpose: The purpose of the consultancy is to lead the process of developing Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy and Standard Operation Procedures.
Specific objectives of assignment are as follows:
- Review and update the current evidence /data available on School Health and adolescent and young people sexual and reproductive health and attainment of education; and policies and use this to document situation regarding creating an enabling policy environment and legal framework that will facilitate completion of education for adolescents and young people and determine priority issues for the Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy
- Document existing coordination mechanism and identifies gaps for young peoples’ sexual reproductive health and rights and outline coordination at national, district and community level outlining the roles of school boards, health facility committees and groups of young people at community level for implementation of the policy.
- Facilitate development of the Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy and SOPs for Lesotho through consultative meetings in line with national legal, policy and strategic documents and international best practice and frameworks.
Scope of work:
(Description of services, activities, or outputs) A Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy and Standard Operating Procedures will be developed through attainment of the following deliverables: - Inception Report
- Desk/literature review Report
- Report from key informant interviews/FGDs including raw information of the interviews
- Documentation of workshops and meetings conducted
- Policy issues that needs to be taken to the next level
- Draft Policy
- Validation of the Policy and SOPs
- Final Policy
- Standard Operating Procedures
Scope of work:
The assignment will include but not limited to the following:
• Undertake desk review of documents including sectoral and global and regional policies, guidelines, strategies relevant to Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and development as they relate to early and unintended pregnancy
• Conduct interviews with relevant policy decision-makers including ministries of health, education, Gender and Youth, Social Development as well as with other relevant stakeholders such as international and national NGOs that have youth programmes
• Consult with different groups of people to gather information in relation to Early and unintended pregnancy that could inform the policy and SOPs. These groups should include but not limited to:
groups of young people including young people with disabilities -comprised of adolescents and young people in primary, secondary an d tertiary education and solicit their ideas on how best the Ministry can address EUP
School proprietors
men (taxi drivers, herd boys, officers)
Groups of parents to learn about their concerns regarding EUP in their communities. A major focus will be to learn how parents can participate in prevention and management of EUP
Healthcare providers
schools’ principals and teachers at primary and secondary levels
Groups of religious leaders (Muslim, Christian, Hindu etc)
• Conduct workshops to develop the policy and SOPs
Duration and working schedule: This assignment including any travel is expected to take duration of 60 days after the signing of the contract in October 2020,
Place where services are to be delivered: • Ministry of Education and Training
• UNFPA Office, Maseru, Lesotho
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.): The consultant will be expected to deliver work electronically as per the schedule
Deliverable Time Frame
Inception Report 13th November 2020
Policy development meetings, interviews, consultations and workshops 15 November to 12th December 2020
Validations and Reviews 13-19 December 2020
Policy finalization 20-25th December 2020
Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline: The consultant will be required to provide regular updates through one-on-one meetings, e-mails or telephonically to Ministry of Education and
Training and UNFPA.
Supervisory arrangements: The consultant will be supervised by and report to Ministry of Education and Training Chief Education Officer Secondary and UNFPA National Programme Analyst BCC Adolescent and Youth.
The Consultant will also work closely with the Task team under the leadership of MOET
Expected travel: The consultant is expected to undertake travel to and in Lesotho
Required expertise, qualifications, and competencies, including language requirements: The consultant must possess a Master’s degree in a Public Health, Education or a related field with extensive experience in Adolescent Development, policy development, analysis, and or evaluation
NOTE: If the consultant or consulting firm is outside Lesotho, the consultancy MUST engage a local consultant
Competencies:
The Consultant should meet the following requirements:
• Demonstrable extensive prior experience in policy formulation and review, research, and analysis as well as programming
• Understanding of sexual and reproductive and rights issues as they affect adolescents in Lesotho and the region
• Excellent writing and good communication skills in English .
• Demonstrates leadership, team working and coordinating skills
• Strong facilitation and analytical skills
• Ability to propose innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
• Openness to change and ability to manage complex situations.
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable: • The Task team will provide the consultant with available documents and contacts for she or he to undertake this task
• Ministry of Education and Training will provide the consultant with an office and desk to work
• The task team will provide technical assistance to the development process
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:
Signature of Requesting Officer in Hiring Office:
Date:
Procedures for Submission
Interested consultants should submit (by mail) their financial and program proposals to [email protected] 2222 8000