Hiring a Consultant/Consulting Firm to Review the current SBK package in lens of gender responsiveness and to develop necessary contents, materials, sessions to make it more gender transformative – Gender Transformative Early Childhood Development (GeTECD) project

1. About of Plan International

We strive to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organization, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

Plan International Bangladesh started its operation in Bangladesh in 1994. Currently as determined in country strategy IV, implementing projects under six thematic areas i.e. health, education, WASH, child protection, youth employment and engagement and disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. In recent years, as part of its country strategy, Plan International Bangladesh has emphasized more to establish an inclusive and effective community based child protection mechanism at local and national level.

2. Project description:

Early childhood is the most critical period of development in a child’s life. Parents/ caregivers are the most important actors in children’s lives from before they are born. Young children’s development and happiness depends on the nurturing care they are provide by mothers, fathers or other caregivers. During these first years, parents/caregivers already begin treating girls and boys differently based on their ideas about the value, potential and expected behaviors of each gender. In addition, in low income communities where son preference exists, families may opt to provide girls with poorer quality care than boys.

Plan’s ECD programme aims to ensure that young girls and boys equally receive the care and supports they need to thrive, free from limiting gender norms. Gender-Transformative parenting has been identified as the priority for delivering on this ambition, including promoting male engagement in parenting and early childhood development We need to learn how to integrate reflection on gender norms and socialization into existing parenting programmes in ways that are effective and make sense for parents, other caregivers and parenting group facilitators (many of whom are community members themselves).

Under ECD programme of Plan, GeTECD project will be implemented in Barguna Sadar in Barguna district and Urban slums in Dhaks city (please see the areas in footnote)¹. The project will work effectively with parents, other caregivers, and parenting group facilitators to sensitively challenge gender-norms and son-preference so that we can ensure that girls have equal opportunities to thrive and develop free from gendered expectations that are limiting and discriminatory. It is a three-year project funded by DFAT and Australia National Office of Plan is supporting by proving technical assistance and coordination with the donor. This is an innovative project because this is an aspect of work that few other organizations in the sector are approaching and that affords a thought leadership opportunity; and this is an area that has also not been explored very much in research yet.

Key target Beneficiaries of the project are Children aged 0-8 years (6000), parents of the children (5,000), Community leaders and policy makers.

Goal of the project is-
All children under eight years - especially girls - develop to their full potential, free from discriminatory and limiting attitudes, practices and expectations based on gender, ability and other identities.
And long-term outcomes are-

Long-term outcome -1: Parents/primary caregivers (and other family members) –female and male - share decision-making, care work and childrearing responsibilities within the household and provide nurturing care equally to girls and boys.
Long-term Outcome 2: Community leaders, parents, local authorities and teachers ensure that children have access to quality gender-responsive and inclusive learning opportunities, from SBK through to the early grades of primary. 
Long-term outcome 3: Policy and decision makers have improved understanding of why investing in gender-transformative ECD policy, programmes and services is important, and of what are effective, scalable gender-transformative interventions.
Cross Cutting Outcome:
3.1 Community leaders and members promote changes in gender norms that influence negative parenting and childcare behaviors and practices, in order to create a gender-responsive enabling environment

3. Brief of SBK package:²

Shishu Bikash Kendra (SBK) is a community based early learning and development center for 3-4 years old children. This intervention is implemented in a house or courtyard of a community with 8-15 children for 2 hours, 5 days in a week. In selecting the venue, children's safety, security, protection and other facilities are considered, giving importance to the consent and willingness of concerned persons and families. One trained caregiver selected from the community facilitate the sessions in the center following the guidelines with an aim to achieve certain developmental and learning competencies. Basically, the centre is operated through child friendly joyful activities for children such as games, rhymes, dance, songs, drawing etc. A portion of resource for venue, decoration, materials and honorarium is coming from parents with their active and cordial engagement. The management committee of the center comprising local parents and elites oversee all the activities of the center. Parents session also run to educate parents on children development so that each child get favorable environment at their home for their better development.

This SBK package will be mainly used in the SBK centres that run for the children aged 3-5 years This package consists three major parts-

SBK contents: These contents applied in SBK internal activities for 2 hours in a day. Mostly different types of rhymes, songs, stories, indoor-outdoor play activities etc are considered in that part.
Parenting sessions with SBK parents: Parents of SBK learners are attend 6 sessions in a year with different contents relate to gender, child development, protection, disaster etc so that parents can ensure a gender responsive environment at family levels and children can grow up in a discrimination free environment. It’s a courtyard session where 10-15 parents are attended where father’s participations are highly encouraged.
Training manual: All SBK facilitators attend 5 days training on basic child development and SBK activities (technical and operational) along with gender. This is an activity-based training manual where facilitator gets chance to practice all activities that they have to perform in centres. The training manual will be used to train the SBK facilitator who are mostly selected from the community and minimum education qualification is grade -VIII pass.

4. Objectives of reviewing SBK package

The objectives  of reviewing the SBK package are-

1. To review and update all the contents, pictures, materials in lens of Gender responsiveness
2. To review the T-L process that apply in SBK centres in lens of gender inclusion to make it more gender transformative
3. To develop necessary contents and strategies to make the current SBK package more gender transformative
4. To review and update all parenting sessions in lens of gender and include necessary contents to make it gender transformative
5. To review and update the training manual of SBK facilitator to capacitated facilitators following gender responsive pedagogy

5. Intended users of package and key stakeholders involved

This parenting package will be mainly used at community level early learning centres (SBK). Other hand this package could be used in sponsorship programs areas. Other organizations and Plan’s countries who are intended to implement this type of activity they can get support from this package.  Govt: can get evidence-based learning from that package and can mainstream in their regular activities. 

6. Scope of work

The scope of work will preferably include, but not limited to:

• Conduct workshop with Plan’s ECD personnel, partner staff, to know about he current practices in SBK centres to find out the gap in current package considering the issue of gender transformation
• Conduct FGD, KII with community parents, SBK facilitator to know the current practices that followed in SBK centers, parents meeting, training sessions
• Document analysis of other organizations (BRAC, SCI etc) who run same type of intervention for children and technical  documents regarding gender transformation( Plan’s global documents)
• Review the current SBK package (contents, parenting sessions, training manual)
• Develop new contents, materials, training and parents’ sessions to make the SBK package more gender responsive (need based SBK contents, parenting sessions, training manual)
• Conduct a validation workshop for the SBK package
• Field test
• Finalize the revised SBK package
• Develop a monitoring tool (both on process and effectiveness)
• Write a brief on the package (1/2 pagers) both in Bangla and English
• Prepare a PPT to share with external audiences

Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be downloaded from this link.

Submission of Proposal

The technical and financial proposals should be submitted electronically to the email address: Planbd.consultant.hiring@plan-international.org with subject line “ Consultant hiring for SBK package review and develop in lens of gender and inclusion – Gender Transformative Early Childhood Development (GeTECD)” as subject. Two different folders i.e. technical and financial should be submitted into one zip folder with a covering letter. The proposals should be submitted in pdf format.

Proposal submitted to any other email account except this and in hard copy will be treated as disqualified.

Submissions deadline 08  May 2021 at 3:00 pm Both technical and financial proposal should be submitted PDF format into one zip folder with a covering letter addressing to Mr. Enamul Haque, Supply & Procurement Specialist, Plan International Bangladesh.