Vishwo Shrestha, Author at Blind Youth Association Nepal

Background

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is an organization established by Blind and Partially Sighted (BPs) Youth of Nepal, with the vision of "BPS people of Nepal enjoying a dignified life in an inclusive society." Currently, BYAN is working in the areas of policy advocacy, education, employment, disaster risk reduction, political participation, and promotion of SRHR of persons with disabilities in general and BPS in particular.

BYAN is currently carrying out a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) related project under Right Here Right Now 2 (RHRN2). One of its major outcomes is to ensure that young people with disabilities are empowered to make their decisions related to sexuality, voice their needs, and claim their rights. To bring about this outcome, the project has set the objective to train young people with different types of disabilities, i.e., physical disability, hearing-related disability, vision-related disability, and intellectual/autism-related disability, on various components of CSE and mobilize them to conduct awareness sessions in their respective schools. BYAN, on the other side, is also doing an advocacy and lobby meetings with local and federal government agencies to integrate CSE in local curriculums, allocate budget and develop/produce IEC materials in an accessible and alternative version. In this context, BYAN wants to prepare a status paper on CSE and Young people with disabilities that can further guide BYAN and other OPDS for the effective and evidence-based advocacy.

BYAN is looking for a consultant to develop a status paper on CSE and Young people with disabilities. Thus, BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from experienced and qualified experts to carry out this assignment. Interested and eligible individuals or organizations are invited to submit EOI in the following address, mentioning "Expression of Interest for developing a status paper on CSE and young people with disabilities" in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected] CC to [email protected] and [email protected].

Final Deadline for submitting the EOI is Sunday, Apr. 09, 2023.

Extended Deadline for EOI submission is Apr. 18, 2023

Objective of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to develop a status paper on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and young people with disabilities. The status paper will clearly present the status of access of young people with disabilities in CSE. It further will identify the gaps in relevant policies, programs and practices and outline the key issues that must be addressed to ensure access of young people with disabilities in CSE.

Scope of Work

Prepare a plan and outline of the status paper
Conduct a desk review of CSE and young people with disabilities related legal provisions and practices in international context and of Nepal
Hold regular meetings with BYAN team and Reference Group of Youth with Disabilities to understand the context and take required inputs on status paper,
Prepare a draft of the status paper and share it with BYAN and RHRN team for the required feedback
Incorporate the received feedback/inputs and finalize the status paper.
Give a presentation of status paper in the National Policy Dialogue.

Eligibility Criteria

a. Minimum bachelor degree in Public Health, Disability, or Social Science

b. Minimum five years of experience in the field of SRHR/CSE and disability, particularly experience in developing a toolkit on CSE/SRHR targeting young people with disabilities, i.e., young people with physical, hearing, vision, and intellectual/autism-related disabilities

c. Skills and experience in how to teach and support children with different types of disabilities

d. Excellent facilitation skills, i.e., organizing consultation workshop, meeting with wider stakeholders, including people with diverse groups of disabilities, is highly preferred.3.

Service Duration and Location

The consultant will be working in close coordination with BYAN team. The consultant shall be engaged on a daily basis for a maximum of 15 working days, including a paper presentation at National Policy Dialogue. The assignment will immediately be started and completed by the end of April, 2023.

Required Documents for Submitting Proposal Firms:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design
The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Firm Registration & Renewal certificate
Copy of VAT Registration Certificate
Latest Tax clearance certificate

Individuals:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanisms.
The proposal should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.

BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.

BYAN reserves the right to select or not to select any of the application. BYAN keeps safeguarding as a top priority so, any data or information collected during the task shall be kept confidential and shall not be disseminated without BYAN’s prior consent.

Blind Youth Association is an organization establish by the Blind and Partially Sighted Youth of Nepal. With the vision of ‘BPS people of Nepal enjoying dignified life in an inclusive society’ BYAN is currently working in the area of policy advocacy, education, employment disaster risk reduction, political participation and SRHR of persons with disabilities in general and BPS in particular. Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a right based organization established to advocate and promote the rights of blind and partially sighted youth that are scattered across the country of Nepal.

In Partnership with IFES Nepal, BYAN conducted election observation disability access on a 20 November 2022 election day to find out the real situation and facts of Person with Disabilities access on election in Nepal and produced a tentatively 40 pages report name “ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN GENERAL ELECTION OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND PROVINCE ASSEMBLY “ on the based of observations' findings. BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from the experienced and qualified experts to translate report from English language to Nepali language. Interested and Eligible individual or organization are invited to submit EOI in the following address mentioning “Expression of Interest to translate election access observation report in Nepali language” in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected]

Eligibility to submit the EOI ;

EOI can be submitted by a company or individual having the potential eligibility.
Company must be registered in Nepal and person must be Nepali citizen in case of individual.
Consultant should have an excellent command on Nepali language as well as good knowledge on the subject of disability and election.
Company and Individual consultant shall provide at least 1 details of similar assignment experience, in the previous 3 years.

Required Documents need to submit by company:

Interest Letter
Quotation of consulting fee
The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Firm Registration & Renewal certificate
Copy of VAT Registration Certificate
Latest Tax clearance certificate

Required Documents need to submit by Individual:

Interest Letter
Quotation of consulting fee
The proposal should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Copy of Nepali citizenship and PAN

Selection criteria

BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.
Working experience and knowledge in disability and election observation will be an advantage.
Date of call for the EOI: 2 April , 2023
Deadline for the Submission of EOI: 5 pm, 7th April , 2023. (Nepali Standard Time)

In Partnership with IFES Nepal, BYAN conducted election observation disability access on a 20 November 2022 election day to find out the real situation and facts of Person with Disabilities access on election in Nepal and produced a tentatively 40 pages report name “ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN GENERAL ELECTION OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND PROVINCE ASSEMBLY “ based on the observations' findings. BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from the experienced and qualified experts to design and print election access observation report book in different version. Interested and Eligible individual or organization are invited to submit EOI in the following address mentioning “Expression of Interest to design and print ” in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected]

Eligibility to submit the EOI ;

EOI can be submitted by a company having the potential eligibility.
At least 3 years of experience in designing and printing.
Previous work experience in disability and election subject.

Required Documents need to submit by company:

• Interest Letter

• Quotation of consulting fee

• The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.

• Firm Registration & Renewal certificate

• Copy of VAT Registration Certificate

• Latest Tax clearance certificate

Please send the quotation of designing and printing the report book on following quantity . Do mention the delivery time after the agreement is final.

SN	Particulars	QTY of books to be print
1	In English language with cover design and pictures	100	500	1000
2	In Nepali language with cover design and pictures	100	500	1000
3	Large print with cover design and pictures	100	500	1000
4	Easy to read version with cover design and pictures	100	500	1000

Selection criteria

• BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.

• Working experience and knowledge in disability and election observation will be an advantage.

Date of call for the EOI: 2^ndApril , 2023

Deadline for the Submission of EOI: 5 pm, 7th April , 2023. (Nepali Standard Time)

The project was designed and developed by community and BYAN team, who identified the needs, chose the working area and the intervention modality that is feasible for them. This reflects the power-shift effort for CBM Global and BYAN team itself. This 3-year project is an advocacy initiative for the promotion of inclusive Sexual and Reproductive Health Right and Family Planning services for persons with disabilities and strengthened the right movement in Nepal.

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) organised a kickoff meeting of the “Action for Change” project from 7th to 10th March 2023 in Kathmandu in the presence of 51 participants (23 female, of which 39 persons with disability). The project aimed at empowering persons with disabilities to exercise their rights and make informed sexual and reproductive choices in a supportive social, institutional, and legal environment.

The project kick-off was conducted in two phases, starting with an orientation workshop among the concerned stakeholders. Representatives from various organizations, including education division of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Ministry of Health & Population, national Center for health education information and communication, CBM Global and Civil Society Organizations like FHI 360, along with BYAN’s national board members, staff and chapter presidents from different provinces joined the workshop. This orientation program aimed to build a common understanding of the project’s objectives and strategies.

Following the workshop, project staff, board members of BYAN, and other representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities developed the Detail Implementation Plan for coming three years. Few of the learning sessions were also facilitated on safeguarding, MEAL (monitoring, evaluation, accounting and learning) tools, and financial compliances. The project’s lead, BYAN is based on the power shift module, empowering grassroots-level people to identify their needs and design the project based on the changes they want to see in their society for themselves.

BYAN president Mr. Kaladhar Bhandari said “We’re excited to see the positive impact that “Action for Change” will have on the target populations, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the project’s progress. We hope that this project will serve as an example of the power shift module, inspiring other organizations to adopt this approach and empower communities to drive their own development”.

Actions for Change is a 3-year programme which will explore how local and international organisations can work in more balanced and equitable partnership to achieve impact for people with disabilities in Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh. The programme will give grants to four local partner organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) to carry out project activities according to their identified needs.

On March 23rd, 2023, the Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) organized a one-day disability sensitization program for members of the RHRN Coalition partner organizations. The program had 16 participants in total, all of whom attended with the aim of developing a common understanding of disability and disability inclusion.

The program covered various topics related to disability and disability inclusion, including concepts, definitions, and types of disabilities, disability-inclusive etiquettes, and dignified terminologies for addressing persons with disabilities. The participants also learned about the basics of disability inclusion, digital accessibility, and disability-inclusive Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).

The program concluded with a discussion on the way forward for disability inclusion, including potential contributions BYAN could make to promote disability inclusion among the partner organizations.

The RHRN2 Nepal coalition comprises six partner organizations, including Yuwa, Blind Youth Association Nepal, Beyond Beijing Committee, Blue Diamond Society, CDS-Park, and Youth Alliance for Development (YARD).

Background

BYAN is currently carrying out a Project named “Action for Change: An initiative for the promotion of inclusive SRH and FP services for persons with disabilities and strengthened movement" in partnership with CBM Nepal. One of its major outcomes is to ensure the BYAN policies are revised through the Sexual and Reproductive Health rights and Family Planning lens.

BYAN is looking for a consultant to carry out capacity assessment of the chapters of BYAN Thus, BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from experienced and qualified experts to revise BYAN’s Policies from SRH and FP lens. Interested and eligible individuals or organizations are invited to submit EOI in the following address, mentioning "Expression of Interest for “Revising BYAN’s Polices” in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected] CC to [email protected] and [email protected].

Final Deadline for submitting the EOI is Friday, Mar. 24, 2023.

Objective of the Assignment

The purpose of this activity is to revise BYAN polices from Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Family Planning lens.

capacity assessment is to examine the organizational strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats of BYAN's three chapters namely Kathmandu, Bara and Surkhet. The assessment will help BYAN to understand the current capacity of its chapters and determine the activities to address future capacity- building needs to achieve its organizational goals.

Scope of Work

Conduct a comprehensive review of BYAN’s existing policies related to sexual and reproductive health and family planning, as well as relevant national and international policies and guidelines.
Conduct a needs assessment to identify the SRH and FP needs of young people in the region or country where BYAN operates. This may involve gathering data on SRH and FP indicators, conducting surveys or focus groups with young people, and consulting with relevant stakeholders.
Identify any gaps or areas for improvement in BYAN’s existing policies related to SRH and FP, based on the review of existing policies and the needs assessment.
Develop evidence-based policy recommendations to address the identified gaps and improve the alignment of BYAN’s policies with international standards and best practices for SRH and FP.
Develop implementation guidelines and tools to support the implementation of the revised polices, such as training materials, advocacy strategies, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
Conduct consultation with relevant stakeholders, including young people, SRH and FP experts, and BYAN staff and leadership, to gather feedback and ensure that the revised policies and guidelines are responsive to the needs and perspectives of key stakeholders.
Ensure that the revised polices and guidelines are aligned with relevant national and international laws and polices related to SRH and FP.
Develop a dissemination plan to ensure that the revised policies and guidelines are widely shared and implemented, including strategies for engaging stakeholders, promoting the policies and providing training and technical assistance as needed.
Develop a plan for monitoring and evaluating the implementation and impact of the revised policies and guidelines, including strategies for collecting and analyzing data, tracking progress, and sharing results with relevant stakeholders

Methodology:

The Policies revision will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including desk review, interviews, and focus group discussions.

Deliverables:

The following deliverables will be provided:

Inception Report: A report outlining the methodology, data collection tools and work plan for the policy revision.
Draft Report: A comprehensive report presenting the findings, conclusions, and recommendations for policies.
Final Report: A final revised policies incorporating the SRH and FP lenses.

Eligibility Criteria

Relevant academic qualifications and/or professional experience in sexual and reproductive health rights and family planning
Minimum bachelor degree in organizational development, disability or social science.
More than 5 years of experience in making polices, including experience with different types of organization and sectors.
Strong understanding of various policies required in the organization.
Should have excellent communication skills both verbal and written, and the ability to engage with stakeholders at all level of the organizations.
Should be able to analyze data and information to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats to the organizations capacity.
The person should have cultural awareness and sensitivity, particularly persons with disabilities.

Service Duration and Location

The consultant will be working in close coordination with BYAN team. The consultant shall be engaged on a daily basis for a maximum of 15 working days. The assignment will immediately be started and completed by the end of April, 2023

Required Documents for Submitting Proposal Firms:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design
The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Firm Registration & Renewal certificate
Copy of VAT Registration Certificate
Latest Tax clearance certificate

Individuals:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanisms.
The proposal should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.

BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.

Background

BYAN is currently carrying out a Project named “Action for Change: An initiative for the promotion of inclusive SRH and FP services for persons with disabilities and strengthened movement" in partnership with CBM Nepal. One of its major outcomes is to ensure increased organizational capacity to claim disability inclusive SRHR and FP services. To bring this outcome, the project has set the objective to carry out capacity assessment of it three chapter- Kathmandu, Bara and Surkhet. .

BYAN is looking for a consultant to carry out capacity assessment of the chapters of BYAN Thus, BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from experienced and qualified experts to carry out the capacity assessment. Interested and eligible individuals or organizations are invited to submit EOI in the following address, mentioning "Expression of Interest for “capacity assessment” in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected] CC to [email protected] and [email protected].

Final Deadline for submitting the EOI is April 7, 2023.

Objective of the Assignment

The purpose of this capacity assessment is to examine the organizational strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats of BYAN's three chapters namely Kathmandu, Bara and Surkhet. The assessment will help BYAN to understand the current capacity of its chapters and determine the activities to address future capacity- building needs to achieve its organizational goals.

Scope of Work

The capacity assessment will cover the following areas:

Organizational Structure and Governance: Assess the structure and governance of the chapters, including its membership, board of directors, and management team. Evaluate the effectiveness of chapters Decision- making process and internal communication mechanisms.
Programs and Services: Assess the relevance and effectiveness of CHAPTER’s programs and services in meeting the needs of blind and partially sighted youth. Evaluate the impact of chapter's programs and services in the lives of blind and partially sighted youths and other youths with disabilities.
Financial management: Assess the financial management of chapters, including its budgeting, financial reporting, and internal control systems. Evaluate the sustainability of chapters financial resources and its ability to mobilize resources from external sources.
Human Resource Management: Assess the capacity of chapter's staff and volunteers to effectively implement its program and services. Evaluate the effectiveness of chapter's performance management system and staff development programs.
Networking and Advocacy: Evaluate the effectiveness of chapter's networking and advocacy efforts in promoting the rights of youth with disabilities in general and rights of blind and partially sighted youth in specific. Assess chapter’s relationship with other organizations working in the disability sector and its ability to influence policy and decision-making processes.
Target group and working environment: Conduct dialogue with target group to ensure that they are involved in project cycle (planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation). Assess the work environment of the organization to identify if the organization follows the legal framework of the country and has good relationship with the donors, media, other actors, government and advocacy.
Administrative capacity: Conduct brief administrative capacity assessment on accounting system, bank account and petty cash, fixed assets, internal and external control, planning and budgeting, reporting, staff and board, donor and grant management, financial sustainability.

Methodology:

The capacity assessment will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including desk review, interviews, and focus group discussions. The Assessment team will consist if experts in organizational development, disability rights and capacity building.

Deliverables:

The following deliverables will be provided:

Inception Report: A report outlining the methodology, data collection tools and work plan for the capacity assessment.
Draft Report: A comprehensive report presenting the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the capacity assessment.
Final Report: A final report incorporating feedback and comments from BYAN and other stakeholders.

Eligibility Criteria

Minimum bachelor degree in organizational development, disability or social science.
More than 5 years of experience in conducting organizational capacity assessments, including experience with different types of organization and sectors.
Strong understanding of organizational development and management, including various systems and process that impact organizational performance. Along with the knowledge of assessment methodologies and tools.
Should have excellent communication skills both verbal and written, and the ability to engage with stakeholders at all level of the organizations.
Should be able to analyze data and information to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats to the organizations capacity.
The person should have cultural awareness and sensitivity, particularly persons with disabilities.

Service Duration and Location

The consultant will be working in close coordination with BYAN team. The consultant shall be engaged on a daily basis for a maximum of 15 working days, including the field assessment of two chapter of BYAN in Bara, Madesh Province and Surkhet, Karnali province. The assignment will immediately be started and completed by the end of May, 2023

Required Documents for Submitting Proposal Firms:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design
The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Firm Registration & Renewal certificate
Copy of VAT Registration Certificate
Latest Tax clearance certificate

Individuals:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanisms.
The proposal should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.

BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.

Background

BYAN is looking for a consultant to develop a toolkit on CSE for young people with disabilities. Thus, BYAN announces the call for Expression of Interest (EOI) from experienced and qualified experts to develop a toolkit on CSE for young people with disabilities. Interested and eligible individuals or organizations are invited to submit EOI in the following address, mentioning "Expression of Interest for developing a toolkit on CSE for young people with disabilities" in the subject line in the following Address: [email protected] CC to [email protected] and [email protected].

Final Deadline for submitting the EOI is Friday, Mar. 10, 2023.

Extended Deadline for the EOI submission Mar 17, 2023.

Objective of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to develop a toolkit on CSE that will guide the organization to train young people with disabilities on various components of CSE and conduct awareness sessions at different integrated schools. It has been envisioned that the developed toolkit will clearly specify the set of contents, resources, methods, and techniques that will meet the level and requirements of different groups of young people with disabilities, i.e., young people with physical, hearing, vision, and intellectual/autism-related disabilities.

Scope of Work

Prepare a plan and outline of the toolkit
Conduct a desk review of CSE and young people with disabilities related legal provisions and practices in international context and of Nepal
Hold regular meetings with BYAN team and Reference Group of Youth with Disabilities to understand the context and take required inputs on the toolkit
Prepare a draft of the toolkit and share it with BYAN and RHRN team for the required feedback
Conduct a validation workshop with the organizations of young people with and without disabilities for the toolkit validation
Incorporate the received feedback/inputs and finalize the toolkit.
Give an orientation of toolkit for reference groups of youths with disabilities.

Eligibility Criteria

a. Minimum bachelor degree in Public Health, Disability, or Social Science

c. Skills and experience in how to teach and support children with different types of disabilities

d. Excellent facilitation skills, i.e., organizing consultation workshop, meeting with wider stakeholders, including people with diverse groups of disabilities, is highly preferred.3.

Service Duration and Location

The consultant will be working in close coordination with BYAN team. The consultant shall be engaged on a daily basis for a maximum of 15 working days, including a validation workshop and orientation. The assignment will immediately be started and completed by the end of March, 2023.

Required Documents for Submitting Proposal Firms:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design
The document should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.
Firm Registration & Renewal certificate
Copy of VAT Registration Certificate
Latest Tax clearance certificate

Individuals:

Cover Letter
Financial proposal
A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanisms.
The proposal should have annexed bio-data of the assignment team member/s.

BYAN will select the consultant based on their experience and amount proposed for the task.

Toolkit has to include the following

but not limited to:

Section 1: Understanding Disability and Sexuality

This section provides an overview of disability and sexuality, covering topics such as the intersection of disability and gender, sexual orientation, and identity. It also provides guidance on how to address myths and misconceptions around disability and sexuality.

Section 2: Adapting CSE to Meet the Needs of young people with Disabilities

This section provides guidance on how to adapt CSE to meet the diverse needs of young people with disabilities. It covers topics such as accessible formats for learning, the use of assistive technology, and the importance of involving persons with disabilities in the development and delivery of CSE.

Section 3: Approaches to Teaching CSE to Persons with Disabilities

This section provides guidance on different approaches to teaching CSE to children and young people with different types of disabilities, such as peer-to-peer education, group discussions, and individual counseling. It also provides guidance on how to create a safe and inclusive learning environment.

Section 4: Addressing Barriers to Access

This section provides guidance on how to address barriers to access to CSE for young people with disabilities. It covers topics such as physical accessibility, financial barriers, and cultural and social barriers.

Section 5: Resources and Tools

This section provides a list of resources and tools that can be used to support the development and delivery of CSE to young people with different types of disabilities. It includes links to training materials, guidelines, and advocacy resources.

Blind Youth Association Nepal(BYAN) was given the permit to monitor the polling stations in 10 districts all over Nepal in the House of Representative and provincial level election on November 20, 2022. One member each from BYAN was present in 10 polling stations, mainly to assist the people with disabilities to cast a vote and to observe the accessibility as well as the behavior of the authorities towards them. We provided this oppurtunity to the people with disabilities which included people with physical disability, hearing and visual impairments, parents of intellectual disability, to help them realize that despite their challenges, they can work in any field that they want to and achieve everything that they desire. We were very pleased and proud to see them hard at work and also, very satisfied when they expressed their gratitude towards BYAN to provide them this opportunity.

Furthermore, we prepared two sets of questionnaires for each monitor to fill. One of them contained the questions related to the accessibility of the polling stations as well as the IC materials provided by the Election Commission for the people with disability. And the other one was for the civilians, who were interviewed by our monitors. The main objective of the two questionnaires was to attain the shortcomings of the polling stations so that they can be overcome in the future.