Career

Consultant for Media Fellowship

Terms of Reference

Expression of Interest for Media Fellowship

Position title: Media Fellowship

Number of Fellowship: 2 (Province and National level)

  1. Background:

The Women's Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) is a prominent national non-governmental organization established in 1991 dedicated to preventing violence against women and girls, addressing its root causes, and ensuring the economic, social, and cultural well-being of women and marginalized groups. WOREC aims to promote women's human rights, eradicate structural discrimination, and achieve feminist aspirations through collective action. The organization's vision is a society where feminist goals are achieved, with the principles of decent work, bodily integrity, and identity.

Initiatives concerning reproductive rights, which span topics like birth control, abortion, maternal well-being, and addressing sexual violence, have typically neglected the realm of infertility treatment and care. Nevertheless, it is imperative to acknowledge that reproductive rights also encompass the issue of infertility, as emphasized in the ICPD Program of Action. This emphasizes aiding couples and individuals in fulfilling their reproductive aspirations. Despite this, infertility and its therapeutic avenues have received less attention in global activism and research compared to other facets of reproductive concerns.

WOREC has been actively working from a rights-based perspective so, emphasized one of the emerging and neglected issue, infertility, assisted reproduction (AR) including surrogacy within the context of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). WOREC understands Surrogacy as a woman's right to make decisions about her own body and reproductive choices. A woman possesses the right to self-determination over her own reproductive body. A significant aspect of reproductive rights is the ability to make independent choices regarding one's reproductive life and body without facing violence and coercion. This pertains to the right to choose whether or not to have children, when, how, and with whom, as well as access to contraception which are guaranteed by different national and international laws. The act of making one's body available for another person's reproductive needs may raise the same concerns from the viewpoint of reproductive rights. Hence, if surrogacy is a woman's voluntary decision, it can be seen as the exercise of her sexual and reproductive health rights. This study will cover the issues of surrogacy: situation at community and community voice, the understanding of stakeholders, policy gap and impact of policy gap to the women as SRHR violation at Koshi province.

  1. Scope of work:

The selected journalist will be responsible for:

  • Collaborating with WOREC to ensure the news aligns with project objectives and messaging.
  • Conducting meeting and interviews with SRH service providers, community WHRD and concerned stakeholders.
  • Analyzing the SRHR policy gap specially Surrogacy and government practices and trends and policy obstacles in assisted reproduction to address women's specific issues.
  • Sharing initial draft for review with WOREC and final script of the news in Nepali language.
  • Incorporating feedback and revisions as necessary to meet quality standards and project objectives
  • After ensuring feedback from WOREC, finalize, share and disseminate it through national and local newspapers after approval from WOREC.
  1. Required expertise:

The ideal consultant should possess the following qualifications:

  • Proficiency in creating feature news: Demonstrated experience and training in national newspaper/television focusing on the issues of surrogacy as SRHR through human/women’s right perspective.
  • Strong storytelling abilities to capture the complexities of the issue.
  • Capacity to work collaboratively with researchers, activists, and community members.
  • Understanding the concept of infertility and surrogacy as one of the components of SRHR
  • Ability to work respectfully and sensitively within diverse cultural contexts
  1. Duration of work:

The contract shall commence from 1st September 2024 to 30th September 2024 unless it is terminated earlier per the terms of this contract.

  1. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

  • A draft version of the news for review and feedback.
  • Final script of the news
  • Published news in the national newspaper and Television.
  1. Payment schedule:

Payment to the consultant will be made after the publication of the news at national media.

Note: A 15% tax will be deducted from each installment after the completion of each service and submission of appropriate invoices.

  1. Entire Contract

This contract is the final, exclusive, and complete expression of the consultant agreement related to this service, and it supersedes all tasks, oral or written, and all other representations, statements, negotiations, and undertakings relating to the service unless expressly incorporated herein.  No modification of any term, provision, or condition in this contract shall be effective unless it shall be in writing and signed by the consultant

  1. Relationship of the Parties

In performing the services, the consultant shall act as an independent and shall not be deemed to be an employee or agent of WOREC.  The consultant shall be solely responsible for and shall be liable for, indemnify, defend, and hold WOREC harmless against all wages, fees, contributions, charges, and taxes required by legislation. All appropriate deductions are made in respect of income tax and other contributions.

WOREC shall not be liable for providing any benefits of any kind except as provision of payment mentioned above in subheading 6 to the consultant.

This contract shall not be deemed to create any kind of partnership, joint venture, agency, or franchise agreement with the Consultant.

  1. Assignments and Sub-Contracting

The consultant shall not assign this contract its rights or obligations under this MOU, in whole or in part. Nor enter into any sub-contracting to perform any portion of this MOU, without the written consent of the organization.

The consultant shall not sublet the whole or part of their obligations without the prior written consent of WOREC, which consent, if given, will not relieve the consultant from any liability or obligation under this contract.  The consultant shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of any sub-contractor as if they were the acts or omissions of the consultant.

  1. Termination

Without prejudice to the rights of the other consultant under this contract, the consultant shall have the right to terminate this contract for any reason at any time in writing to the other Consultant.

If the consultant exercises its rights to terminate this contract, the consultant shall immediately cease all services and shall return to WOREC any resources loaned by WOREC.  All material prepared in advance shall be given to WOREC and may be invoiced for under the terms of this agreement.

In case the consultant does not follow the code of conduct of PSEA, the contract shall be terminated.

  1. Confidentiality

The consultant agrees not to discuss its performance of services or any confidential information to which the consultant may have access, as a result of this MOU with any third party without obtaining written consent from the organization.

  1. Risks and Challenges

The hired consultant must take all reasonable measures to mitigate any potential risk to the delivery of the required outputs for this consultancy.

  1. Data Protection

The Consultant shall not disclose or allow access to any other personal data provided by WOREC or acquired by the consultant during the course of performing the service other than to a person employed by the consultant or an approved sub-contractor with the prior consent of WOREC.

Any disclosure of or access to personal data allowed under the above clause shall be made in confidence and shall extend only so far as that which is specifically necessary for this contract.

If the Consultant fails to comply with any provision of this condition, then WOREC may summarily determine the contract by notice in writing provided always that such determination shall not prejudice or affect any right of action or remedy which shall have accrued or shall accrue thereafter to WOREC.

  1. Law

This contract and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and construed under Nepalese law and the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Nepal.

  1. Application requirement:
  • Updated
  • Portfolio of previous work
  • Short narrative and financial proposal
  • Copy of PAN
  1. Application submission

Please email the submissions no later than 28th August, 2024 at  procurement@worecnepal.org