Terms of Reference: Chronological Documentation of WaterAid Pakistan’s MHM Interventions, Learnings, and Best Practices

Assignment Information

About WaterAid 

WaterAid is an international NGO working in 28 countries including Pakistan. Our vision is of a world where everyone everywhere has access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Our mission is to transform the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people by improving access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. We support local organisations and government authorities to design and demonstrate appropriate, climate-resilient, inclusive and sustainable WASH programmes. WaterAid also seeks to influence policy change to secure and protect the entitlements of marginalised and vulnerable people to safe, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation services.

For more information, please visit www.wateraid.org.

Background

Sustainable and inclusive Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services are essential to human dignity, health, and gender equality. For women and girls in Pakistan, access to adequate WASH is particularly critical for managing Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) safely, hygienically, and with dignity, yet this remains a significant challenge in schools, healthcare facilities (HCFs), workplaces, public spaces, and communities.

The absence of MHM-friendly services contributes to poor health outcomes, school absenteeism, limited mobility, loss of productivity, and social exclusion. Girls may drop out of school due to lack of private toilets or menstrual materials. Women in workplaces or public spaces often face shame and discomfort without access to appropriate WASH facilities. In healthcare settings, inadequate MHM services can affect both patients and staff, increasing the risk of infections and undermining reproductive health care. In communities especially in rural or marginalized settings gender norms, stigma, and infrastructure gaps further limit the ability of women and girls to manage menstruation with dignity.

WaterAid Pakistan, guided by its Country Programme Strategy (2023–2028), places Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) at the core of its programming. Recognizing Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) as a fundamental human rights and public health issue, WaterAid is committed to ensuring that WASH interventions are inclusive and responsive to the specific needs of women, girls, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. Since 2011, WaterAid has been advancing the MHM agenda through comprehensive education and awareness initiatives, promotion of inclusive sanitation infrastructure, and support for the adoption of reusable and environment-friendly menstrual products.

To advance this commitment, WaterAid Pakistan is systematically integrating Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) into its WASH programming across schools, healthcare facilities, workplaces, public spaces, and communities. By addressing MHM in a holistic and cross-sectoral manner, WaterAid is working to transform WASH systems into platforms that promote dignity, improve public health outcomes, and drive gender-equitable development. These efforts go beyond meeting the immediate needs of women and girls, they aim to dismantle systemic barriers, strengthen community resilience, and contribute to long-term, inclusive social change.

Purpose of the assignment:

The objective of this consultancy is to document the chronological progression of WaterAid’s Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) interventions across various contexts in Pakistan. The assignment will capture key milestones, approaches, and adaptations over time, highlighting how WaterAid’s work has evolved to address the diverse needs of women and adolescent girls. The consultant/ consulting firm will assess the inclusivity, accessibility, and impact of these interventions; identify key challenges and opportunities; and develop actionable recommendations aligned with national and international standards and best practices for MHM in both development and humanitarian settings.

Scope of the Assignment

The consultant/ consulting firm will be responsible for conducting a comprehensive documentation of WaterAid Pakistan’s Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) interventions including communities and institutions such as schools, healthcare facilities, and workplaces. 

The scope of the assignment will include the following key areas:

1. One-Day Workshop with the WaterAid Team

• Plan and conduct a one-day workshop with relevant team members of WaterAid Pakistan involved in MHM programming, advocacy, research, and communications. WaterAid Pakistan will arrange the logistics for the workshop.

• Facilitate discussions on WaterAid’s major interventions on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) throughout the intervention period, highlighting milestones, partnerships, innovations, and shifts in approach.

• Document key discussion points on WaterAid’s journey in MHM, including strategic priorities, programmatic approaches, major learnings, and best practices emerging from different phases of the intervention.

2. Desk review of relevant documents

• Collect, review analyse existing project reports, evaluations, policy briefs, communication materials, advocacy products, training manuals, and research studies related to WaterAid’s MHM programming.

• Identify and extract key timelines, strategic shifts, and implementation approaches from 2011 onwards.

3. Development of a Chronological Narrative

• Map out and document the evolution of WaterAid’s MHM work, including pilot projects, policy engagements, partnerships, research, capacity building, and innovation.

• Present a visual timeline highlighting major milestones, strategic contributions, and programmatic expansions.

4. Documentation of Learnings and Adaptations

• Analyse how WaterAid adapted MHM programming in response to contextual realities (e.g. humanitarian emergencies, policy shifts, cultural sensitivities).

• Identify lessons learned from implementation, advocacy, and partnership approaches.

5. Identification of Best Practices and Scalable Models

• Highlight successful approaches and strategies that contributed to policy influence, behaviour change, improved service delivery, and community engagement.

• Identify models or tools with replication potential across other contexts or regions.

6. Gap Analysis and Opportunities

• Identify key gaps or areas that remain under-addressed in MHM programming.

• Recommend strategic opportunities for scaling, innovation, or further research.

7. Development of Knowledge Products

The consultant will develop the following, in line with WaterAid’s house style guide: 

• A detailed narrative report) with data, case insights, and analysis.

• Drafts of visual content (infographic-ready tables, data visualisation, timeline sketches).

• A concise policy/practice brief summarising insights and recommendations

• Slide deck summarizing key findings, timeline, and recommendations for use in internal learning sessions or donor sharing.

• Note: Develop all content in alignment with WaterAid’s house style guide, including tone, language, structure, and voice. Use standardised templates were provided by WaterAid.

Deliverable and time frame

The assignment and its payment is deliverable based. WA envisages flexibly engaging a consultant spanned over a period of 3 months to complete the deliverables.

1. Inception Report 

• Detailed work plan, methodology, tools, and list of key documents to be reviewed.

• Timeline for activities of the workshop and development and submission of knowledge products.

2.One-Day Workshop Plan and Report

• Workshop agenda, facilitation tools, and participant list.

• Detailed workshop report capturing key discussion points on WaterAid’s MHM journey, strategies, learnings, challenges, and best practices.

3. Chronological Documentation Report

• Initial draft of the MHM intervention timeline based on the desk review and workshop.

• A comprehensive narrative (presenting the evolution of WaterAid’s MHM work.

• Includes a visual timeline, analysis of strategies, key shifts, learning, and innovation across the years. (See Scope – Point 7 for expectations on draft visual elements and data visualisation concepts

• Integrates perspectives from both document review and stakeholder engagement.

4.  Policy/Practice Brief

• A concise summary of major findings, learnings, best practices, and forward-looking recommendations for external dissemination to partners, policymakers, and sector actors. Intended for external use with partners, policymakers, and sector stakeholders. 

• The content must be suitable for formatting into a professional publication by WaterAid’s team, and in accordance with the WaterAid’s House style guide. 

5. PowerPoint Presentation

• Slide deck summarizing key findings, timeline, and recommendations for use in internal learning sessions or donor sharing.

Supervision

The Gender Advisor at WaterAid Pakistan will serve as the focal point for this assignment, with strategic and technical inputs from the Head of Programme, Policy and Strategy, thematic Specialists, and other relevant team members at WaterAid Pakistan.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Rights in all documents/ information/ other materials prior to the date of execution of an agreement pursuant to this bid shall vest in the Party to which such document/information/materials belong.  

All Intellectual Property provided by WaterAid Pakistan to the Consultant/ consulting firm for performing the obligations under the agreement with WaterAid shall remain the exclusive property of WaterAid Pakistan.

Any video produced/ data collected, or any other Intellectual Property generated by the Consultant pursuant to or under the agreement with WaterAid shall be the exclusive property of WaterAid Pakistan.

WaterAid will hold the intellectual property rights for the final animated video and any and all assets developed during the project.

Evaluation criteria

1. Each candidate shall submit technical and financial proposals in two separate sealed envelopes to the address mentioned below. Proposals will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria outlined below. A minimum technical qualification threshold of 70% must be met for the financial proposal to be considered in the final evaluation.

2. Selected consultant/consulting firm will be invited to participate in pre-award meetings to ensure a mutual understanding of the project's requirements, clarify any queries, and discuss expectations before the bid is awarded.

Technical Evaluation criteria

Financial offer 

For Financial offer, each deliverable must be included in the financial offer. All deliverables MUST be completed within the assignment duration.

Application Process and Closing date

All proposals must be sent in hardcopies through registered mail/courier to the following address on or before July 23, 2025. 

Head of Admin, Security and Government Relations 

WaterAid Pakistan, 2nd Floor, Executive Heights

West, 65 A.K. Fazl-ul-Haq Road, Islamabad, 44000, Tel: +92 51 2806120 

The consultancy title “WAP-01840/RFP-09-07-2025/ Chronological Documentation of WaterAid Pakistan’s MHM Interventions, Learnings, and Best Practices”must be clearly marked on the envelope. 

Enquiries may be directed to email: [email protected]