Term of Reference (ToR) for Baseline/Pilot Study of 1. Background Caritas Switzerland (thereafter CaCH) & Caritas Bangladesh (thereafter CB) have been engaged in implementing a three year (July 2018-June 2021) project “Ensured Access to Sustainable WASH and Nutrition Foods through Multi-stake holders Involvement and Small Farming” (thereafter WASH). This project is built on the good and innovative practices and learning approaches of the previous phases. The first two phases were implemented through consortium approaches (phase-I: 2011-2013 and phase II: 2014-2017) financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) seeking to increase sustainability and health impact and facilitating knowledge sharing in order to mainstream innovations and replicate good practices and to scale-up promising approaches through advocacy interventions. During the previous phases implemented in the North and Northwestern part of Bangladesh (Pirgonj upazila of Thakurgoan district under Dinajpur region and Gomostapur upazila of Chapanawabgonj district under Rajshahi region), 34,440 community people gained access into safe drinking water, 8057 people have improved sanitation, 922 school level students have access into improved WASH and 6874 people have availed of the improved WASH facilities from union level public health centre. This project has created multiple consolidated impacts in reducing water borne diseases, increased nutrition, brought change in food habit, increased crop yield for the small holder farmers, created health environment in the community and also reduced early child marriage because of ensuring latrine; increased number of women and children to access medical services from local health centers etc. in the lives of 20 villagers under two upazila (sub-district) where access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, family farming, health centers etc. have made very good nexus by way of getting involved with this unique project. Households, community, school children, market places, farmer field school, local union parishad (local govt council) performed as key actors/entry points to create positive impact on local people. In addition, young learners at schools (termed as Blue Schools) have demonstrated significant behavior change in personal hygiene, reusing, recycling and recharging water, practicing agriculture, waste management, producing organic manure which indicates that future generation has been made aware of the consequences of climate change. WASH in market places has triggered multiplier effects and benefits of WASH are also being multiplied. While Bangladesh has abandance of water resource yet, the quality of water supply in Bangladesh is undermined by safety issues, especially arsenic contamination. About 20 million of its people are currently exposed to water having arsenic contamination. In sanitation, while only 3 percent of the population defecates in the open, more than half of the latrines used in Bangladesh are unsanitary in design, operation or maintenance (JMP, 2014). In regard to hygiene practice, while general awareness is high, only 30 percent of people wash hands with soap or ash and water after defecating (UNICEF/ICDDR-B, 2014). So, ensuring universal access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene is a major challenge for Bangladesh that will require a multi-pronged approach. This will need to address the challenges posed by hard to reach areas and vulnerable people. Bangladesh also has to tackle emerging issues, such as reducing the negative impacts of climate change and meeting the increasing demands for services due to the rapid pace of urbanization, as well as strengthening sector governance through building the capacity of institutions to ensure equity, accountability and transparency. Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has estimated that 50 percent of its people will be living in urban areas by 2020. To address some of the challenges mentioned above and in order to continue the good works that the project has generated; CaCH has decided to continue works on WASH for CB to scale up the activities. The project will be implemented in two Unions - Jabarhat union in Pirgonj Upazila of Thakurgan District in northern Bangladesh and Radhanagar union in Gomostapur Upazila of Chapai Nawabganj District of Rajshahi Region in the North western Bangladesh. The overall objective of the new phase of WASH project is to contribute to improve the living conditions of the most disadvantaged population groups in Bangladesh through increased and sustainable access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, improved hygiene, health services, nutritional foods and water for family farming. The specific objectives of the project are to increase access to and adoption of improved water sanitation and hygiene practices; to increase access to small scale irrigation, livestock watering and production of nutritional vegetables; and to increase knowledge and expertise of the multi-stakeholders and facilitate the replication of good practices. The key results forseen to be produced under the project is to achieve the set objectives that are referred in the Logramwork of the project. The entire community people in two unions Jabarhat and Radhanagar will be targeted for triggering and accelerating community led total sanitation movement. Thus, 16,251 HHs (including 4,424 HHs under follow-up) or 72,389 people (including 20,251 people under follow-up) living in these two unions will be brought under the coverage of WASH interventions. In order to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation plan, a baseline study is proposed in the project to be conducted to gather relevant baseline data for key project indicators. Thus, a consultancy is required to carry out a baseline survey, which will also combine a pilot study with the following objectives. The Blue School Concept compliments the usual WASH in school activities with a school garden as practical place to show relationship between food production and efficient management of water; and a demonstrative place for watershed and land management practices. The Blue School concept is based on International Rain Water Harvesting Alliance’s Blue School initiative, also supported and promoted by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). |
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