Request for Proposal (RFP)

External Evaluation: “Climate Justice for Women Cotton Workers in Sindh Province of Pakistan”
Reference No.: SCF/CJWCW/EVAL/2025-01

1. Background

Sindh Community Foundation (SCF), with support from the Commonwealth Foundation, has implemented a 12-month project titled “Climate Justice for Women Cotton Workers in Sindh Province of Pakistan” (1st August 2024 – 31st July 2025). The project aims to empower women cotton pickers through rights awareness, literacy, trade union strengthening, and climate adaptation education.

About the Project

Title: Climate Justice for Women Cotton Workers in Sindh Province of Pakistan (District Matiari Sindh)

Background & Rationale:

In Sindh province, an estimated 500,000 women work as cotton pickers under extremely harsh and exploitative conditions. Despite the existence of legal protections such as the Sindh Women’s Agricultural Workers’ Act (2019), these women continue to face barriers to fair wages, occupational safety, and social protection. Climate change further compounds these vulnerabilities through extreme heat (up to 48°C), erratic rainfall, and flooding—causing health risks like heatstroke, pesticide-related illnesses, and economic disruption.

Project Goal:

The project aims to advance climate justice and labor rights for women cotton workers by equipping them with knowledge, organizing power, and advocacy capacity to demand safe working conditions and fair treatment.

Key Objectives:

• Increase awareness of labor and climate rights among women cotton workers
• Strengthen trade unions as platforms for collective bargaining and advocacy
• Facilitate constructive engagement with policymakers and industry actors
• Enhance adaptation to climate risks through health and safety education

Core Activities:

1. Rights Awareness Workshops for 600 women trade union members
2. Six-month Literacy and Numeracy Training for 350 women
3. Leadership and Management Training for 20 trade unions led by women
4. Climate and Occupational Health Training for 40 trade union leaders
5. Two Women’s Assemblies on climate justice, decent work, and health
6. Multi-stakeholder Engagement with labor, social protection, climate, and industry departments

Expected Outcomes:

• Women cotton workers empowered to negotiate fairer wages and safer working conditions
• Strengthened union leadership and institutional capacity for rights-based advocacy
• Improved dialogue between women workers and public/private sector actors
• Enhanced understanding of the climate–health–labor nexus in rural agricultural work
• Progress toward the Implementation of the Sindh Women’s Agricultural Workers’ Act

By combining rights education, climate resilience, and institutional advocacy, the project promotes a model of climate justice rooted in gender equality and decent work.

SCF now invites qualified individual consultants or evaluation firms to submit proposals for conducting an external evaluation of the project to assess its achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

2. Purpose of the Evaluation:

To assess the project’s performance in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability, and to provide recommendations for future interventions and organizational learning.

3. Objectives:

• Measure the degree to which project objectives were achieved
• Evaluate improvements in awareness and agency among women cotton workers
• Examine the role of trade unions in promoting labor rights and climate resilience
• Identify strengths, gaps, and recommendations for future program design

4. Scope of Work:

The evaluation will cover the entire project period and activities in the target areas of Sindh province. It will include:

• Document review
• Field visits and data collection
• Interviews with project staff, trade union leaders, beneficiaries, and relevant stakeholders
• Data analysis and report preparation
• Presentation of key findings to SCF
• Inception Report
• Draft Evaluation Report
• Final Evaluation Report (max 30 pages)
• Summary presentation (virtual or in-person)

5. Key Deliverables:

6. Assignment Duration:

10 working days, tentatively between 12 August to 25 August 2025, including fieldwork, analysis, and report preparation.

7. Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must demonstrate:

• A minimum of 7 years' experience in project evaluation
• Proven experience in labor rights, gender equality, or climate adaptation
• Understanding of the Sindh context
• Fluency in English and Urdu/Sindhi
• Prior experience with NGO or donor-funded projects

8. Proposal Submission Instructions:

Applicants must submit two separate documents:

Annex A – Technical Proposal Format

A. Cover Letter

• Name, contact details, and confirmation of availability

B. Technical Proposal

1. Understanding of the assignment
2. Methodology and tools
3. Work plan and timeline
4. Evaluation team and roles
5. Ethical considerations

C. CVs of Key Personnel
D. Work Samples and References
E. Signed Declaration (No Conflict of Interest)

Annex B – Financial Proposal Format

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further discussion.