Request for Proposal: Design Agency for School and Home Health Program Toolkit

Topline Objective:

Girl Effect India is seeking the services of an agency to design and develop a branded, culturally relevant branded School and Home Health Program toolkit aged 10-14 years in schools in target geographies across India. The toolkit will focus on critical health and social issues, such as the cervical cancer prevention vaccine, menstrual health management, gender norms, mental wellbeing, nutrition, anaemia, and tech-facilitated gender-based violence. The content will follow a narrative structure centered around a mother-daughter relationship, reflecting the daughter’s evolving needs as she enters puberty to bridge the growing gap between the two. This toolkit will be adapted for both physical and digital formats, with a specific goal to be adaptable into an animated series.

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that connects girls to the resources and support she needs to overcome barriers, see themselves differently and unleash their full potential. We believe that the most powerful force to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty is GIRLS. When you connect GIRLS to what they need, unleash the limits communities set for them, and change how girls see themselves- they change the world. That’s the Girl Effect.

Our approach redefines what girls think they can and should do. We do this by building digital and media technologies that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots and applications to chat shows and TV dramas our approach uses modern technologies to reach girls where they are today.  

Our reach is 23 million and counting. 

We are girl centered. We engage girls through evidence based social and behavior change.  We meet girls where they are today, in the spaces, on the platforms and channels they trust and love. We work with governments to transform systems to work for HER. 

We reach girls across the world, where they are -online and offline, to support them at the critical moments in life when choices around their health, education and economic future need to be made. 

We use our expertise in behavior change science to motivate and equip girls with information and support to help them see a different future for themselves, act on those choices, and drive greater demand for the opportunities and services available to them. 

Chhaa Jaa in India, Tujibebe in Tanzania, Yegna in Ethiopia - are some of our youth brands. They exist across multiple channels - digital ( Meta, Google and other SM platforms), TV, radio, print and offline. Where required and relevant, we also use white label brands for specific campaigns. 

Our Approach

Girl Effect uses a branded media approach towards delivering behavioral change programmes.

We reach girls across the world, where they are - online and offline, to support them at the critical moments in life when choices around their health, education and economic future need to be made. 

We use our expertise in behavior change science to motivate and equip girls with information and support to help them see a different future for themselves, act on those choices, and drive greater demand for the opportunities and services available to them. 

Chhaa Jaa in India, Tujibebe in Tanzania, Yegna in Ethiopia - are some of our youth brands. They exist across multiple channels - digital ( Meta, Google and other SM platforms), TV, radio, print, and on-ground. 

Objectives

1. Raise Awareness: Educate girls about their health and social needs, with a focus on cervical cancer vaccination, menstrual health, anaemia, mental health, and online gender-based violence.
2. Engage and Empower: Foster open communication between mothers and daughters, enabling behavior change and promoting a supportive environment.
3. Culturally Sensitive and Relevant Content: Ensure the toolkit is relevant to the cultural context of low- to mid-income households in India.
4. Language  Accessibility: Develop content in both Hindi and English to ensure accessibility for diverse audiences across India.
5. Adapting for Animation and Audiobook: The toolkit must be flexible enough to transition into an Animated series and audiobook that maintains engagement while educating.
6. Website and YouTube: The animated content should be uploaded on Girl Effect’s Website ChaaaJaa and YouTube channel for easy access.

Target Audience

• Primary Audience: Girls aged 10-14 years (adolescents).
• Secondary Audience: Mothers or caregivers of the girls, who will be involved in behavior change and understanding the evolving health and social needs of their daughters.

Key Themes of the School and Home Health Program

1. Cervical Cancer Prevention:
• Why is this important to protect the future of the girl and her aspirations?
• Importance and benefits of the cervical cancer prevention vaccine.
• Creating a supportive environment at home and school.
2. Menstruation:
• How to speak to each other about periods.
• Social and emotional changes during menstruation.
• Knowledge about the menstrual cycle.
• Tips and tricks to manage menstrual discomfort for both mothers and daughters.
• Addressing myths and taboos around menstruation.
• Hygiene practices and menstrual products.
3. Mental Health:
• Understanding mental health and emotional well-being in the context of puberty.
• Coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, and mood swings.
• How the mother-daughter relationship can support mental health.
• De-stigmatizing mental health issues in adolescence.
4. Nutrition:
• Understanding how nutrition plays a critical role in physical and mental well-being.
• The role of nutrition in preventing anaemia.
• Healthy eating habits.
5. Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV):
• Understanding what constitutes online gender-based violence (OGBV).
• Tips for prevention and protection online.
• How to speak up and report online violence.
• Building resilience and self-confidence in a digital space.
• Promoting positive digital behavior, including respect for self and others.

Key Deliverables

1. Branding and logo:  the agency will design branding,  logo  and a brand book for the program
2. Toolkit Content:
   • 5 comprehensive books/guides, each focusing on one core health theme (Cervical Cancer prevention vaccine,  Menstruation, Mental Health, Anemia, and Online Gender-Based Violence). 
   • Each book should include:
     • Narrative-based learning with a mother-daughter perspective.
     • Short stories or dialogues that convey relatable scenarios.
     • Quizzes and activities to do together to reinforce key messages at the end of each chapter.
     • Illustrations or images that reflect the target demographic.
     • A list of recommended resources (videos, helplines, etc.).
3. Illustrations & Visual Aids:
   • Custom illustrations for each module reflecting the characters, settings, and key themes.
   • Visual aids such as infographics or diagrams for topics like menstruation hygiene, vaccine information, OGBV awareness, etc.
4. Adaptation for Animation:
   • A script outline for each module, formatted for an animated series.
   • Character designs for the mother-daughter duo, supporting characters, and animation style guidelines.
   • Dialogue and narrative structure suitable for animation and visual storytelling.
   • Animation should be 3D, of good quality and also should capture cultural nuances / regional nuances 
5. Adaptation for Audio
   • The story should be  adaptable for Audiobook to be used in school/ home/ community settings 
   • It should contain thematic episodes that help inform and educate mothers, community members and girls out of school on the identified themes
6. Translations:
   • Toolkit and animated script should be available in both Hindi, English and other local languages as applicable. ( At least 5 languages ) and should be culturally relevant for specific regions (  Northeast, West India)
7. Teacher and Facilitator Guide:
   • An instructional manual for teachers and facilitators to deliver the program effectively, including suggested activities, discussion points, and behavior change techniques.
8. Peer Activities 

• • The toolkit must include activities that girls can do  as a group that facilitate the sharing of information, learning and discussing each theme and quizzes and play activities

     9. Parent's Handbook :

• • A guide for mothers to navigate discussions on puberty, menstruation, mental health, vaccination, and online gender-based violence with their daughters.

    10. School collaterals :

• • The toolkit must include designs for branded school materials such as timetables stickers, posters, information leaflets, handbooks, button buddies, stationery boxes, bags, folders and other collaterals ( should be suggested) for use during activities.Van design ; The program will also be promoted by a Van and the logo and branding must be adapted for a school Van 

All the above should be available as an online and an offline toolkit that can be made available on Girl Effect’s ChaaJaa website and YouTube channels.

Responsibilities

1. Agency Responsibilities:
   • Branding and logo: design the branding and logo for the program and toolkit
   • Content Development: Design the entire toolkit / content, integrating the health and social themes with a compelling narrative.
   • Storyboarding and Scripting: Develop a storyboard for the animation adaptation and write scripts for each module in both English and Hindi.
   • Graphic Design and Illustrations: Create illustrations that are culturally sensitive, relatable, and engaging for both girls and mothers.
   • Consultation with Health and Social Experts: Collaborate with subject matter experts (doctors, counsellors, health educators, digital safety experts) to ensure the accuracy of the health and OGBV-related content.
   • Testing and Feedback: Pilot test the toolkit with a select group of mothers and daughters, gather feedback, and refine the content accordingly.
   • Multilingual Content: Translate all materials into Hindi and English, ensuring the translations are culturally and contextually appropriate.
   • Animation and Audio/ Visual content: the content must be animated/ made into an audiobook and broken into thematic episodes.
   • Design of collaterals: Design collaterals such as Bag, folder, time table, pledge cards, quiz cards, activity sheets, stickers, pencil cases, button buddies etc
   • Van design; the program will also be promoted by a Van and the logo and branding must be adapted for a school Van 
2. Client Responsibilities:
   • Health and Social Content Approval: Provide relevant health data, references, and approval of health-related material, including content on online gender-based violence.
   • Access to Target Groups: Facilitate connections with focus groups for testing and piloting the toolkit .
   • Approval Process: Ensure timely review and approval of drafts, illustrations, scripts, and final outputs.
3. External Collaborators :

• • Subject Matter Experts: Provide technical expertise on health topics (cervical cancer, menstruation, anaemia, mental health, online gender-based violence).
  • Animation Studio: Work with a professional animation studio to adapt the toolkit into an engaging animated format.
  • Voice/ audio Studio; Work with professional recording artists to make it into an audio series
    
    

Team Composition

1. Project Manager: Responsible for overseeing the project’s execution, timelines, and coordination between the team and client.
2. Toolkit Designer: Develops the structure, modules, and content of the toolkit , ensuring pedagogical and cultural appropriateness.
3. Health and Social Experts: Provides input and ensures that all health and social-related content (OGBV, mental health, anaemia, etc.) is accurate and aligned with best practices.
4. Illustrators/Graphic Designers: Create the visual content, including characters, diagrams, and engaging educational materials.
5. Scriptwriters: Write the toolkit narrative and script for animation in both Hindi and English.
6. Animator: Translates the script and storyboard into animated visuals.
7. Translator: Ensures the content is accurately translated and culturally appropriate in both Hindi and English.
8. Testing and Evaluation Coordinator: Leads the pilot testing phase and gathers feedback to refine the toolkit .

Project Tentative Timeline

To be phased out as per theme. The HPV and Menstrual Health Management content is to be completed in 60 days.

Phase 1: Research and Planning

• Initial meetings and finalizing content outline.
• Collaborate with health experts and digital safety specialists for content accuracy.
• Define the characters and storyline structure.

Phase 2: Toolkit Development & Design

• Development of module content (14 modules, including OGBV).
• Creation of character designs, storyboards, and initial sketches.
• Drafting of facilitator and parent’s guide.

Phase 3: Testing & Feedback 

• Pilot testing with select groups of mothers and daughters.
• Feedback collection and content refinement.

Phase 4: Finalization & Translation 

• Finalize toolkit content based on feedback.
• Translation of materials into Hindi and English.
• Development of animated series script outline.

Phase 5: Animation Adaptation

• Final animation scripting.
• Animation studio production (if outsourced).
• Incorporating feedback from animation tests.

Phase 6: Final Deliverables & Launch 

• Delivery of all content and materials for schools in various languages.
• Final animated series available.
• Final Audio Series
• Hand-off to the client for distribution and implementation.

Conclusion

This school and home health for girls program will play a crucial role in empowering adolescent girls and their mothers with knowledge and tools to navigate puberty, health, emotional changes, and online safety. The final product will be an engaging, culturally relevant, and educational resource, adaptable into an animated format for further reach.

Who You Are 

Experience, Skills, and Expertise:

We are looking for agencies who have experience in the following either in-house or through preferred partners.

1. Toolkit Development & Educational Design

• Expertise in creating age-appropriate, engaging health education content, particularly focused on adolescence.
• Knowledge of behavior change communication to promote lasting health behavior shifts.
• Ability to design culturally sensitive, gender-inclusive educational materials.

2. Health & Social Issue Expertise

• In-depth understanding of adolescent health topics, including cervical cancer prevention, menstruation, anaemia, mental health, and online gender-based violence.
• Ability to collaborate with health professionals and digital safety experts to ensure content accuracy.

3. Creative & Visual Design

• Strong skills in illustration and graphic design to create culturally relevant visuals, including infographics and character designs for animated content.
• Ability to adapt toolkit into an animated series with clear, engaging visual storytelling.

4. Storytelling & Scriptwriting

• Expertise in crafting narratives that resonate with adolescent girls and their mothers, integrating health messages seamlessly.
• Scriptwriting experience for both written toolkit and animated formats.
• Capability to craft compelling brand narratives and storytelling techniques that effectively communicate the Girl Effect message, create emotional connections, and build brand loyalty.

5. Multilingual Content Creation

• Proficiency in developing educational content in both Hindi and English, ensuring cultural and contextual relevance across India.
• Experience localizing content for diverse regions and communities.
• Strong understanding of local trends, media landscape, and cultural nuances to tailor creative solutions that resonate with the target audience in the Indian market. 

6. Research & Evaluation

• Experience in user research, piloting educational materials, and gathering feedback for refinement.
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the toolkit in driving behavior change.

7. Project Management & Coordination

• Strong project management skills to oversee timelines, budgets, and coordination between cross-functional teams.
• Ability to deliver high-quality content on time and within budget.

8. Animation & Digital  & Audio Expertise

• Experience in animation production, either in-house or through partnerships with animation studios.
• Knowledge of creating digital tools or interactive content for adolescent learners, if applicable.
• Audio expertise ( collaborating with storytellers and voice artists )

Expected Commitment

• The assignment is expected to take 6 months to complete in a phased-out manner with HPV and Menstrual health management toolkit to be completed  in 60 days 
• The agency's assignment period is from March 2025 to September 2025

Location

The consultant must be based in India and have extensive experience in the country. The Assignment will be carried out in India.

Management

The consultant will have a primary point of contact within our India Create team. The language of the materials and reports shall be English. The contract supervisor shall approve all deliverables submitted before any payment is made.

Procurement Timeline

• Terms of Reference Published: February 12, 2025
• Deadline for Questions/Clarifications: February 15, 2025
• Deadline for responses from GE: February 17, 2025
• Deadline for Proposal Submission: February 21, 2025
• Project Commencement: March 1, 2025

Proposal submission

Your proposal should cover  (max 10 pages):

• The Approach: Your understanding of the brief translated into an approach note with the overarching theme and narrative that straddles these formats with an example script and a mood board of characters. Please refer to the evaluation criteria for more details.
• Credentials: 
• Please showcase a minimum of 3 examples of previous work relevant to what we are trying to achieve and how we approach our work, and the audience that we cater to (it need not be a direct example but perhaps the closest one)
• Link to your portfolio of work
• Reference -  Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance
• Breakdown of Costs: 
• Detailed budget sheet with the project fee with applicable taxes and other charges clearly identified in INR. Vendors should provide their daily or hourly billing rate or their proposed fixed fee for the requested deliverables. 
• All applicable taxes should be quoted separately;

Technical and Financial proposals will need to be submitted as separate documents. Financial bids will not be opened until the technical evaluation and then only for those proposals deemed qualified and responsive.

In their Technical proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the RFP and demonstrate how the bidder will meet the requirements of the evaluation criteria.

Please note that Girl Effect is not liable for any cost incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of Girl Effect.

Validity of the proposal shall be for 90 days from the date of bid closure.

Evaluation Criteria

The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below:

Technical Evaluation

• Your approach note:  20%
• Previous work/portfolio relevant or closely relevant to the brief/TG - 20%
• Relevant experience in having done previous similar work with the Government of India - 20 %
• Expertise/ capabilities  in animation and graphics and/or audiobooks: 20%

Financial Evaluation

• Value for money/proposed budget breakdown - 20%

Questions/Clarifications

If you have any questions about this RFP, please email suppliers@girleffect.org by 15th Feb 2025. All questions will be answered and shared with all agencies that have received the RFP for fairness. 

How To Apply

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a proposal by email with the subject line “ Design Agency: School and Home Health Program Toolkit- India” to suppliers@girleffect.org  by 21st February 2025

Tax

Girl Effect India is obliged by the Indian tax authorities to ensure all taxes are charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions to Indian tax legislation when developing their proposals.

Copyright

All materials/documents arising from this consultancy work shall remain the property of Girl Effect.

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found Here. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.

Disclaimer

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the RFP and using our specified email address (suppliers@girleffect.org).

Equal Opportunities

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.