Background:
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations Agency for Human Settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
Introduction
Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) envisages ensuring access to inclusive, quality, and equitable education, and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030. Access to adequate and water and sanitation, coupled with good hygiene practices creates a healthy school environment fundamental for ensuring regular school attendance by children and access to quality education. The outbreak of COVID-19 has aggravated the challenges to the education sector especially in schools located in the urban low-income areas characterized by lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities. This calls for a robust programme to minimize the impact of poor WASH facilities in schools, control the spread of COVID-19 and water-borne diseases and guarantee continuous and regular school attendance by learners.
UN-Habitat is planning to provide safe drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing facilities to approximately 2,200 pupils in 2 schools located in the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. The Project aims to increase access to safe and sustainable water supply, improve sanitation facilities and as well hygiene practices in schools. The project is part of the UN-Habitat’s integrated contribution to Nairobi River basin management through improvement of sustainable water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in schools in settlements bordering the Nairobi River and its tributaries with the aim of improving the learning environment of the pupils while also reducing pollution into the river. The selected schools will be within the profiled public primary schools of need with the Nairobi River Corridor. According to the draft Nairobi River Profile (draft), there are over 100 academic institutions within the 500m buffer of the Nairobi River Corridor which includes ECD institutions, primary schools, high schools, training centres and higher learning institutions such as universities, both privately owned and those run by the government. Most of these institutions are located within the settlements or accessible within at least 500m of the nearest settlement.
Scope of Works
Construct rooftop rainwater collection system or connection to county government water supply system
- Installation of collection gutters, screens, filters, and downspouts incorporating first-flush system, or connect the schools close to County Government water supply system or implement other innovative technologies such as atmospheric water generators for schools without proper roofing systems.
Procure and install water storage tanks
- Procure 5,000 litres capacity water storage tanks to provide enough capacity to provide 5 litres of water per pupil per day.
- Install the water storage tanks in the selected schools
- Connect the installed water storage tanks to the water supply system.
Construct 2 separate single-sex toilets (Gender Friendly WASH facilities)
- Design separate gender friendly single-sex toilet facilities for the selected schools together with UN-Habitat and School management.
- Construction of the designed gender friendly single-sex toilet facilities for the selected schools.
- Construction of improved and innovative solid waste management in the selected schools.
Conduct hygiene promotion activities
- Installation of innovative handwashing facilities in school to promote hand hygiene and control the spread of COVID-19.
- establishment of health clubs to create awareness among learners on water conservation and good hygiene practices.
Undertake capacity building and training
- Capacity building and training on good hygiene practices for pupils, schoolteachers, and management teams.
- Capacity building for the maintenance of rainwater harvesting systems for the school management.
Overall Timeframe
The work outlined in this EOI is scheduled to commence by 15 April 2023 and completed within 6 months. UN-Habitat is therefore seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) from interested partners, NGOs, with strong presence and WASH experience in Nairobi urban low-income areas (slums) for undertaking this project.
The EOI should contain, but not be limited to the following:
- Overall background of the institution particularly its experience in undertaking similar school WASH projects.
- Overall methodology of undertaking the project detailing activities to be undertaken, time framework, innovations, and budget.
- The support/ contribution the organization is willing to make including, cash and in kind.
- Governance and organizational structure, experience and qualifications of key professional staff and infrastructure facilities of the organization; and
- Certified true copy of original Audited Account Statement for the last two years; and the latest annual report.
Implementing partners who can demonstrate the strongest presence in the project areas, innovations around construction of school sanitation facilities, and experience in implementing similar projects will be given highest consideration possible.
UN-Habitat Contribution
UN-Habitat will contribute financial resources to the tune of about USD 80,000 towards the implementation of the project which will be executed through an Agreement of Cooperation.
Submission Requirements and Guidelines
Expression of Interest must be delivered in electronic format no later than 24 March 2023 to rose.mureithi@un.org, and simon.okoth@un.org copying to pireh.otieno@un.org.
Contact Information
Hezekiah Pireh
Urban Basic Services Section
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
(UN-Habitat)
P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-7625288; 7623668
Other
Please note that this EOI notice does not constitute a solicitation. UN-Habitat reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement at any time in the Expressions of Interest/or solicitation process.
Submitting a reply to an EOI does not guarantee that a Cooperation Partner will be considered for receipt of the solicitation when issued and only Cooperation Partners who are deemed qualified by UN-Habitat upon completion of evaluation of submission, will receive the final solicitation document.