Environmental and Social Instruments Consulting Services — Projects Coordination Unit, Ministry of Health, The Gambia

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES)

Republic of The Gambia

Projects Coordination Unit

Ministry of Health

The Government of The Republic of the Gambia has requested and obtained an advance fund for the preparation of Sub-Saharan Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project (P176693) (SWEDD) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) includes services to prepare environmental and social instruments i.e., Environmental and Social Management Framework, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and Labor Management Procedures. The Ministry of Health Projects Coordination Unit now invites eligible consultants (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are qualifications and experience of the firm.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 World Bank’s Procurement Regulations dated July 2017, revised in November 2017 and August 2018, and is open to all eligible bidders as defined in the guidelines (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment: the bank requires that firms or individuals involved in Bank IPF procurement shall not have a conflict of interest.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from Monday to Thursday 8am to 4pm. The terms of reference are also attached to this request.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below by e-mail by September 16th, 2022

Projects Coordination Unit

Attn: Abdoulie Mam Njie

Kanifing Estate, The Gambia

Tel: +220 3373333

E-mail: [email protected]

Copy : [email protected]

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consulting Firm for the

Preparation of Environmental and Social Risk Management Instruments:

• CONTEXT AND RATIONALE The Gambia has observed rapid population growth, increasing pressure on the economy and national social systems including health, education, and social protection. High desired family size and high levels of adolescent childbearing are some of the drivers of rapid population growth with gender inequality as both a root cause and a consequence of this. In The Gambia, the demographic transition is still in its early stages. The under-five mortality rate has decreased by approximately two-thirds, from 167 in 1990 to 49 in 2020. The age dependency ratio decreased from 95 in 2000 but continues to be among the highest globally at 87 in 2020. Fertility rates remain high (Total Fertility Rate [TFR] 4.4). This exposes the country to higher poverty rates, smaller investments in human capital, high unemployment, or underemployment, especially among young women, higher poverty, increased pressure on natural environments and climate vulnerability, economic migration, and increased risks of instability.

Child marriage and teenage pregnancy continue to be high, increasing total unwanted fertility and contributing to the high level of population growth. At sub-regional levels there are “hotspots” with rates above The Gambia’s national average of married underage girls, adolescent, and total fertility, as well as low student retention rates for girls. In addition to child marriage, adolescent pregnancies can occur due to girls being at a higher risk of sexual exploitation and abuse, making it one of the most vulnerable population groups. A very large proportion of girls is out of school during the secondary school years, specifically for those in the poorest wealth quintiles and in five of the eight Local Government Administrative areas. The low secondary educational attainment of adolescents leads to even more limited prospects for current or future employment, in an economy already restricted by employment opportunities, presenting a challenge to increasing the human capital. The 2020 Gambia Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) Act provides the avenue to expand economic opportunity for adolescents and young women. Empowering adolescent girls and young women is essential to accelerate The Gambia’s demographic transition, improve human development outcomes, and build human capital and inclusive growth. Investing in adolescent girls and young women human capital also has the potential to contribute to building resilient communities that can adapt to rising threats such as climate change.

• GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 2.1 Project Development Objective (PDO) The Project objective is to increase adolescent girls’ and young women’s empowerment, including their access to quality reproductive, maternal neonatal child and adolescent health services, in selected areas of the participating countries and to improve regional peer learning, capacity and coordination in The Gambia.

2.3. Objective of the SWEDD3 Project

Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment in the context of SWEDD3 objectives is defined as contributing to:

• Increase in completion of secondary school for girls
• Decrease in child marriage
• Delay of first pregnancy to adulthood, followed by healthy spacing
• Increased income and financial autonomy for women
• Improved enabling environment in support of female agency in all domains of life, and the elimination of gender-based violence against women and girls. 2.4. Project components and sub-components

The proposed project has three components.

Component 1: Design and implement gender transformative interventions across the 4E’s that promote girls’ and women’s social and economic autonomy

This component has two subcomponents: Subcomponent 1.1: Promoting positive gender roles, girls’ continued schooling and other GWE messages through community engagement and use of a variety of channels; Subcomponent 1.2: Empowering young women and girls using community level interventions based on evidence and learning from across SWEDD countries.

Subcomponent 1.1: Promoting positive gender roles, girls’ continued schooling and other GWE messages through community engagement and use of a variety of channels

• • SBCC campaign in the SWEDD overall. This subcomponent will finance SBCC activities for an extensive regional campaign and community outreach for a variety of audiences including youth living in target communities, parents, religious and traditional leaders, legislators, and members of the communities where project beneficiaries live. Through a coordinated launch across countries, information is reinforced by message carriers from across the region.
• Establish grievance redress system. This subcomponent will also support the design and implementation of a grievance redress system for the MoWCSW. The redress system will ensure that beneficiaries have multiple channels (for example, direct contact with the project implementing personnel, a tollfree call line, a MoWCSW website, a Facebook page, and SMS) to report grievances or suggestions regarding the project as well as non-project MoWCSW activities. The baseline key informant audience analysis noted above will include a question on preference for the various channels noted earlier. The SBCC program will incorporate awareness raising regarding the grievance redress system, and MoWCSW will engage stakeholders that can continually provide input on analyzing, monitoring, and improving the grievance redress system.
• Marriage registration using birth certificates to prevent child marriage.

Subcomponent 1.2: Empowering young women and girls using community level interventions based on evidence and learning from across SWEDD countries

The project will include the following activities under Subcomponent 1.2: improve livelihood skills and SRH of adolescents; keep girls in school through at least upper basic school; expand economic opportunity and financial inclusion; and improve prevention and response to GBV/SEA/SH.

Component 2: Improve Availability of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAHN) Commodities and Qualified Health Workers at the community level and Strengthen Regional Capacity for adolescent-friendly services (US$8 million equivalent IDA)

This component will have two subcomponents: Subcomponent 2.1: Enhance accessibility of contraceptives and targeting of adolescents at the community level; and Subcomponent 2.2: Improve availability of reproductive health workers in rural areas, strengthening rural midwives and other personnel involved in RMNCAHN delivery services.

Component 3: Foster National and Regional Commitment and Capacity for Policy Making and Project Implementation

Component 3.1: Strengthen advocacy, legal frameworks, and political commitment on RMNCAHN at continental, regional and national levels

Component 3.2: Strengthen capacity for policymaking, M&E related to demographic dividend and gender issues.

Component 3.3: Strengthen project implementation capacity

Beneficiaries.

Primary beneficiaries are adolescent girls and young women that are vulnerable to early marriage, early pregnancy, and early school drop-out.

Other beneficiaries include:

• secondary beneficiaries are the communities where these adolescent girls live including parents, siblings, husbands, children, religious and traditional leaders, health workers, and other community members who can influence decision-making and access to services
• Legislators, government officials, technical government agencies such as National Demographic Dividend Observatories, civil society to strengthen advocacy and political commitment on women’s empowerment and for policy making, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) related to demographic dividend and gender issues .

2.5 Project intervention area

The project activities will be imple