Request for Proposal (RFP)
Undertake Baseline Assessment for the "Yes to Poshan" Program
Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation (VCF) – Supported by Procter & Gamble (P&G)
Location: Koutala Mandal, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana
1. Background
Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation (VCF) is a Section 8 not-for-profit organization working across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in collaboration with Government departments and development partners. VCF works in the areas of nutrition, health, livelihoods, agriculture, education, water and sanitation through scalable and sustainable interventions.
The Yes to Poshan program, supported by Procter & Gamble (P&G), aims to improve maternal and child nutrition by promoting dietary diversity, strengthening behaviour change communication (BCC), enhancing the capacities of Anganwadi Workers and Poshan Sakhis, and improving Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices among Pregnant & Lactating Women (PLW) and families.
The program will be implemented in 20 villages of Koutala Mandal in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana, targeting pregnant women, lactating mothers, children below five years and adolescent girls.
To establish benchmark values for program monitoring and evaluation, VCF intends to commission an external agency to undertake a comprehensive Baseline Assessment.
2. Purpose of the Baseline Assessment
The purpose of the baseline assessment is to establish benchmark values for all key program indicators, understand existing nutritional practices, identify implementation barriers and opportunities, and provide evidence for refining implementation strategies.
3. Objectives of the Study
The baseline assessment shall aim to:
- Assess the current status of key nutrition, health and education indicators among the target population.
- Collect demographic and household information using the VCF’s M-Grant data collection format.
- Assess dietary diversity among pregnant women, lactating mothers and children.
- Assess Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.
- Assess nutritional status of children including prevalence of underweight and other anthropocentric indicators.
- Assess Early Childhood Education (ECE) services available at Anganwadi Centres.
- Measure school readiness among children aged 3–6 years.
- Identify issues and assess menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls.
- Identify factors influencing uptake of nutrition behaviours and program implementation.
- Provide recommendations for improving program implementation and monitoring.
4. Geographical Coverage
The assessment shall cover 20 program villages in Koutala Mandal, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana, with an estimated population of approximately 32,145 across 6,712 households.
5. Target Respondents
The assessment should include, but not be limited to (Full target population and sample of others):
- Pregnant women
- Lactating mothers
- Mothers of children aged 0–24 months
- Children below five years
- Children aged 3–6 years attending Anganwadi Centres
- Adolescent girls
- Husbands and family influencers
- Anganwadi Workers / Poshan Sakhis / ASHAs / ANMs
- ICDS Supervisors
- CDPOs
- Medical Officers
- PRI representatives
- SHG members
- Community leaders
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below