About WaterAid 

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit, determined to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We have been working with government and non-governmental partners to ensure that these essential services are available to poor and marginalized communities, especially women, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable groups.

WaterAid employs a public health and climate adaptation approach to addressing current water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) service requirements and sustaining them for the future. Hygiene behaviour change, menstrual hygiene, rural and urban sanitation and safe water systems, WASH in institutions (healthcare facilities, schools, public places) and nature-based solutions for water conservation, groundwater recharge and waste-water treatment are some of the interventions used for achieving our objectives. We also work with sector partners to support and influence the behavioural, institutional and policy mechanisms for accelerating progress toward achieving safe and sustainable WASH access for the poor and marginalized communities.

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

Background

Punjab is undergoing a major transformation of its community health system through the introduction of the Community Health Inspector (CHI) cadre under the outsourced Community Health Services programme. This reform integrates and expands the functions of the Lady Health Worker (LHW) programme into a single, more qualified and digitally enabled workforce, expected to operate at scale across both rural and urban settings. Following a pilot with 500 CHIs in late 2024, approximately 20,000 CHIs are now being recruited province-wide, complementing around 39,000 Lady Health Workers (LHWs). While this reform significantly strengthens service coverage and delivery mechanisms, the foundational CHI training curriculum currently under finalization, needs to be reviewed to ensure that Climate-Resilient and Gender-Responsive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is integrated as core competencies.

A recent assessment done by WaterAid recommends a comprehensive strengthening of the Lady Health Worker (LHW) curriculum to systematically integrate climate-resilient and gender-inclusive WASH. Key recommendations from the assessment include introducing or strengthening dedicated WASH modules to ensure consistent coverage of safe water, sanitation, hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, and climate-related health risks such as heatwaves, floods, smog, and vector-borne diseases. The curriculum should enhance climate resilience and emergency preparedness, equipping LHWs with practical skills for sanitation and hygiene management during disasters, relief operations, and extreme weather events. Strong emphasis is placed on gender-inclusive WASH, including culturally sensitive menstrual hygiene education, privacy- and safety-oriented sanitation design, and equitable access for women, girls, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities. To improve effectiveness, the curriculum should incorporate practical, interactive, and community-based learning approaches, supported by visual materials, hands-on field exercises, and behaviour change communication strategies. The recommendations further highlight the importance of strengthening LHWs’ roles in disaster risk reduction, improving coordination with relevant authorities, integrating WASH indicators into routine reporting systems, fostering multi-sectoral partnerships, and institutionalizing periodic curriculum reviews to ensure sustainability, relevance, and long-term public health impact. 

The Department of Health Punjab is currently finalizing the foundational CHI training curriculum. The transition from the LHW programme to the CHI model presents a time-sensitive policy and system-strengthening opportunity. As the CHI cadre is newly introduced and its curriculum is still being finalized, targeted technical inputs at this stage can ensure that climate resilience and gender-responsive WASH are institutionalized from the outset, rather than added retrospectively. 

Purpose of the assignment 

The objective of this assignment is to conduct a technical review of the Community Health Inspectors (CHI) curriculum in Punjab, to assess its current coverage of Climate Resilient and Gender Inclusive WASH topics and to identify the needs for further integration of these areas into the curriculum.

Scope of Work 

The consultant/firm will conduct the following 

1. Curriculum Review and Gap Analysis

• Review draft CHI curriculum and training materials

• Identify gaps in:

• Overall WASH 

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

• Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)

• Gender and social inclusion 

• Climate-resilient WASH

2. Development/strengthening of CR WASH Curriculum Content

• Develop/strengthen the CHI curriculum’s modules relevant to WASH 

• Include practical guidance on:

• Safe water, sanitation, and hygiene

• IPC and hygiene promotion

• Gender-sensitive WASH and MHM 

• Climate risks and community health

• Align with provincial policies and CHIs’ job descriptions

3. Stakeholder Validation Workshop

• Facilitate consultation with:

• Health & Population Department Punjab

• Training institutions

• WASH and public health experts

• Development partners

• Gather feedback on the effectiveness of the current curriculum and the need for integration of the specified areas.

• Finalize content based on consensus recommendations

4. Finalization and Endorsement

• Incorporate validated inputs into the CHI curriculum

• Support formal government endorsement to institutionalize change

Methodology:

The consultant will conduct desk review, field visits, and meetings with key stakeholders. In doing this work, the consultant will develop tools to collect and analyse the needed information, which will be vetted by WaterAid prior to utilization.

• Document Review: Analyze the CHI curriculum and related training materials from Punjab with respect to the inclusion of WASH, climate resilience, and gender inclusivity.

• Review the User-centered LHW curriculum review study conducted by WateAid and analyze how the recommendations can be incorporated in the CHI curriculum 

• Interviews with the direct beneficiaries: Conduct Key informant interviews/FGDs with DG health office, CHI’s Master Trainers and already trained CHI’s to assess their experiences with the current curriculum and its application in their fieldwork and to identify the gaps on WASH, climate resilience, and gender sensitivity.

• Stakeholder Consultations: Hold 4-5 consultations with health department officials including but not limited to Health & Population Department (H&PD office), Directorate General of Health Services, MNCH, HISDU, CEO health Loodhran etc.to understand their perspectives on the integration of these topics and the practical needs for curriculum improvements.

*All logistic arrangements and cost of above activities will be borne by the consultant. 

 Deliverables:

1. Inception Report: Outline the research methodology, tools, and work plan for the study.

2. Gap Analysis Report: A comprehensive report based on findings from the review of the CHI’s curriculum highlighting gaps in the coverage of Climate resilient gender Inclusive WASH ,  research findings from the interviews/FGDs identifying the content with practical field needs and identifying areas for integration of Climate Resilient and Gender Inclusive WASH topics.

3. One to one Validation sessions: to be conducted with the relevant health department and relevant key stakeholders who were directly involved in the curriculum development and its implementation e.g Health & Population Department (H&PD office), Directorate General of Health Services, MNCH, HISDU, CHI trainers, trained CHI  to build consensus on the content   improvement. The validation report based on these recommendations will be submitted as a deliverable. The consultant will bear the cost of arranging these validation sessions. 

4. Integration of the recommendation: Integration or improvement of Climate resilient gender inclusive -WASH related content in CHIs curriculum based on the validated recommendations and the research findings

5. Final Report: A consolidated report that includes a gap analysis, stakeholder feedback, and actionable recommendations from validation workshop and the evidence of improvement/ integration of CR gender sensitive WASH content in the CHI curriculum. Electronic and hard copies of the research report (including relevant data tables if any) along with the presentation. The cost of creating electronic and hard copies will be borne by the consultant. 

6. Endorsement letter: An endorsement letter by Department of Health and Population Punjab to ensure the validated inputs around WASH have been incorporated in CHI’s curriculum 

Supervision

The Health and WASH Specialist at WaterAid Pakistan will serve as the focal person for this assignment and provide technical oversight on the deliverables. The Provincial team will be actively engaged for coordination and support, to ensure effective implementation.

Duration of assignment

WaterAid intends to receive the services of a selected consultant with total level of efforts of 30 working days commencing from the agreement signing date. 

Evaluation criteria

Each candidate shall submit technical and financial proposals in two separate sealed envelopes. Technical offers will first be evaluated according to the “Evaluation criteria” below and the technical qualification threshold point is “70”. 

1. Technical Evaluation criteria

2. Financial offer 

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

Standard Contract Terms & Conditions

WaterAid practices the following terms and conditions stated below:

• 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 for performing the obligations under the agreement with WaterAid shall remain the exclusive property of WaterAid Pakistan.

• Any reports 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.

• The vendor assumes all responsibility for complying with local legal codes as they apply to an Agreement and work performed there under. In addition, the vendor shall be liable to pay all applicable taxes and fees as required by the laws of government of Pakistan. WaterAid will deduct Income Tax and VAT at source as per Govt. rules. 

• The vendor shall not without first obtaining the consent in writing of WaterAid, permit any of its duties or obligations made under the Agreement to be performed or carried out by any other person or reassign his/her interest in the Agreement.

• The vendor shall not hold WaterAid liable for any accident or misadventure befalling them whilst on duty or pursuing activities to fulfil the Agreement.

• WaterAid reserves the right to accept and reject any proposal without assigning any verbal and or written rationale whatsoever.

Application Process and Closing date

Please send your one sealed bid having Technical & Financial proposal in separate envelopes inside through registered mail/courier or by hand to the following address on or before February 02, 2026, 1200 hrs.  Please write the subject “WAP/01982/21-01-26/Consultancy-IntegratingClimate-Resilient-Gender-SensitiveWASHCommunity HealthInspectorCurriculumPunjab” on the envelope

Head of Admin Security & Govt Relations
WaterAid Pakistan
2nd Floor, Executive Heights
65 West, A.K. Fazl-ul-Haq Road,
Blue area, Islamabad, 44000

Tel: +92 51 2806120
Enquiries may be directed to [email protected]

WaterAid reserves the right to accept or reject any bid or part of any bid without assigning any reason to it.