SAPLING cash transfer through mobile banking

Scope of Work

Introduction
On September 30, 2015, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl) cooperative agreement No. AID-FFPA- 15-00010 to lead the Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience, and Gender Equity, (SAPLING) Development Food Security Activity (DFSA). To achieve its goal of improved gender equitable food security, nutrition and resilience of vulnerable individuals in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh, SAPLING works to increase household (HH) availability, utilization and access to nutritious foods and income, enhance maternal and child health and nutrition (MCHN), and improve resilience of families who experience frequent natural and human-induced shocks and stressors by implementing activities under the following three Purpose areas:

• Purpose 1 (P1): Increased income and access to nutritious foods attained more equitably by both women and men
• Purpose 2 (P2): Improved nutrition and health status of children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women (PLW), and adolescent girls
• Purpose 3 (P3): Improved ability of households, communities, and systems to mitigate, adapt to and recover from human induced and natural shocks and stressors

As the prime agreement holder, Helen Keller Intl is responsible for representation, strategic vision, management and compliance and is both the strategic and technical lead on MCHN, resilient livelihoods, gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and environment. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) provides strategic direction and oversight of disaster risk management (DRM), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), local capacity building and Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC). Caritas Bangladesh is responsible for operational and technical management of field-level activities in three upazilas, while also providing technical oversight on WASH, DRM and SILC in all five upazilas. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, SAPLING is implemented with support of two local partners, Tahzingdong and GRAUS, each directly responsible for field activities in their respective geographical areas

Interventions under each Purpose area build livelihoods assets (human, social, financial, natural, and physical capital), fundamental to strengthening resilience capacities. P1interventions increase yields and incomes, while at the same time teaching participants to plan and save. P1 interventions include Integrated Enhanced Homestead Food Production (IEHFP), income generating activities (IGA) and SILC. P2 interventions improve HH and community health with an emphasis on MCHN. Activities include group sessions with PLW and caregivers of children under two, adolescent girls, senior women and adult males; and WASH. P3 supports DRM at the HH, community and governmental levels and natural resource management. As SAPLING is phasing down and out in FY21, the scale down and phase out of these interventions has been detailed in the approved FY20 and FY21 Detailed Implementation Plans (DIP) and corresponding narratives.

Through September 30, 2021, SAPLING will continue to support the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MOCHTA) to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals by implementing activities in its five designated upazilas of the Bandarban District. These are Ruma, Bandarban Sadar, Lama, Thanchi and Rowangchhari. The total estimated population in this area is 285,118, which comprises 11 minority ethnic groups and Bengalis, each with its own language and traditions.

Purpose and Objectives
The objectives of this SOW are to distribute/disburse money among the participants through Mobile Banking. SAPLING is going to start activities on Cash for Work (CFW) for Support to Fire Recovery in Talukder Para, Bandarban in SAPLING working area at Bandarban. Talukder Para is Tarachha Union, in Rowangchhari Upazila of Bandarban District. Total estimated participants 212. There are not sufficient Bank services at para level and it is not feasible to collect participants’ money from bank at upazila head quarter. SAPLING plans to distribute money to the participant’s through mobile banking number which will be provided by participant and they will collect the money from their nearest mobile banking agents. Mobile banking service provider will responsible to ensure all support to transfer the money to participants and arrange to available the money at agent level for getting (for cash out) at participant level (field) through agent

Methodology and Key Activities
SAPLING will collect the active personal mobile account number from participants and staff will check that all SIMs are active or not.

As per field requirement, SAPLING will disburse the money to the Vendor through A/C payee cheque or online bank transfer and submit a list of participants with mobile bank account and mentioning the amount to transfer each participant account. Vendor will inform/provide report to SAPLING after sending the money to participants’ account.

General Deliverables
Transfer the money to the enlisted beneficiaries in due time.

Timeframe
The work is expected to be carried out over a three-month period as mentioned above. The level of effort should be estimated by the vendor to complete the work described in the SOW.

All work will be conducted under the supervision of HKI’s Head of Program Operations and carried out in consultation with the SAPLING staffs

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