Introduction/Background

Ghana faces significant challenges in achieving improved sanitation and better hygiene. This has a significant impact on child survival, health, and wellbeing. UNICEF reports that more than 4,000 Ghanaian children die each year from diarrhoea, a disease that would have otherwise been easily preventable with better sanitation condition and hygiene practices. Additionally, in northern parts of Ghana, open defecation remains rampant. In 2015, UNICEF reported that 89% of the population in the Upper East region and 72% of the population in the Northern region practice open defecation.

Through the Integrated Community Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project (ICOWASH), CRS will be working to scale up promising practices from the recently concluded Integrated Sanitation, Hygiene and Nutrition for Education (I-SHINE) project (implemented from January 2014 to June 2017 in various communities and schools), while incorporating new activities based on community feedback, industry best practices, and lessons learned from implementing I-SHINE. The goal of the ICOWASH project is to ‘improve health and wellbeing of 152,334 rural adults and children in West Mamprusi and Talensi districts in Northern Ghana’.

The ICOWASH project will address WASH needs on the household, school, and healthcare facility (HCF) level to improve the health of project beneficiaries in the two of the six districts previously served by the I-SHINE project – West Mamprusi and Talensi. More specifically, ICOWASH will provide special attention to the needs of girls in managing their menstruation. In a previous study conducted under I-SHINE, girls indicated that provision of sanitary pads and water in pad changing rooms attached to latrines would encourage the use of these facilities. Provision of disposable pads, however, pose environmental and sustainability issues. While this is the case, most of the girls surveyed had a positive response towards the idea of reusable sanitary pads as an alternative.

In line with this, CRS is looking for a consultant to conduct an operations research on market development for locally-sourced sanitary pads that are affordable and appropriate for girls in the communities of ICOWASH Project in northern Ghana.

Objectives of the Assignment

The objective of this research is to provide the insights needed to create a market for reusable sanitary pads in the Northern Ghana. Specifically, the research should provide insight on the following:

1. Appropriateness/Acceptability: What type of reusable sanitary pad do girls or women want? What product design would best suit the cultural, economic, religious, and social context of the northern regions of Ghana? What behaviour change or promotion strategies should be implemented to increase acceptability and adoption of the reusable sanitary pads?
2. Affordability: How much should a reusable sanitary pads cost? What is the willingness to pay for the girls/women in the region? What strategies can be employed to drive down cost of the sanitary pads?
3. Availability: How can we make the reusable sanitary pads available to girls and women in the northern regions? Are there existing reusable sanitary pads locally available? Are these being used by girls/women? What is the acceptance rate of existing reusable sanitary pads? What are the costs of the existing reusable sanitary pads in the market? What supply chain structures are there or should be there to ensure continued availability of reusable sanitary pads? What local materials are available to produce the sanitary pads? Who are the potential market players?

The report of the operations research should provide adequate information to create a business model and guide the market development strategy for locally-sourced reusable sanitary pads in northern Ghana. The strategy should include:

1. Identification of market barriers (policy, financial, cultural, information, etc.) in developing the market for reusable sanitary pads and strategies to address them.
2. Identification of a business model including key product specifications or design(s) that are appropriate, acceptable, and affordable by the market.
3. Identification of a supply chain components for the market including, but not limited to, sourcing of materials for production and identifying local entrepreneurs and dressmakers for piloting the business model.
4. Design of a detailed implementation plan for the market development strategy. The detailed design will specify the approaches, methodologies, and activities needed to create the market for reusable sanitary pads.

 Methodology of the assignment

The selected consultant will be responsible for coming up with the methodology and research questions for conducting the operations research. The proposed methodology should satisfactorily meet the objectives of the research in this regard, the consultant is expected to produce and share with CRS, an inception report, detailing their understanding of the assignment, time schedule, planned activities, suggested methods and potential participants in their interviews and focus groups, as well as how they intend to present the preliminary and final results to be approved by CRS.

1. Expected Outputs/Deliverables

Reporting requirements

Reporting: Please note that the contents of the report will be analyzed and final payment will only be made upon approval of the evaluation and comparative analysis report by CRS.

The final report is expected to be organized as follows:

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Study Description
4. Methodology
5. Summary of key findings including key indicators
6. Conclusions and Recommendations for future directions
7. Annexes:
   1. data set
   2. The Study Team Members
   3. List of Interviewers
   4. Methodology
   5. Questionnaire, Guides/ tools
   6. Evaluation plan
   7. Terms of Reference

Timeframe

The operations research on market development locally-sourced sanitary pads that are affordable and appropriate for girls in the communities of ICOWASH Project in northern Ghana is expected to be completed within 30 working days between 21^st May 2018 and 29^th June 2018.

Place of assignment:

The operations research will require conducting field surveys in the Talensi district (Upper East region) and West Mamprusi district (Northern region).