RFAs: Integrated Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH Support (India)

Deadline: 13-Sep-2026

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is seeking qualified organizations to provide technical support for scaling up and sustaining integrated Food, Nutrition, Health, and WASH (FNHW) interventions in Assam, India. The initiative will operationalize FNHW Immersion Sites across 10 districts to strengthen system convergence, community leadership, maternal and child nutrition, dietary diversity, and household hygiene practices. What Is the UNICEF FNHW Immersion Sites Initiative? The initiative is designed to strengthen the integrated delivery of food, nutrition, health, and WASH interventions across Assam. UNICEF seeks an organization with relevant technical and implementation expertise to support the establishment and functioning of FNHW Immersion Sites across 10 districts. The approach focuses on bringing different services, government systems, community institutions, and local stakeholders together to improve nutrition and hygiene outcomes. The initiative aims to move beyond individual interventions by strengthening coordination between food, nutrition, health, and WASH services. What Are FNHW Immersion Sites? FNHW Immersion Sites are intended to provide a practical platform for demonstrating and strengthening integrated approaches to food, nutrition, health, and WASH.

The sites will help stakeholders:

- Strengthen coordination between sectors. - Improve delivery of nutrition-related services. - Promote healthier household practices. - Increase community participation. - Strengthen local leadership. - Demonstrate effective approaches that can be sustained and scaled. - Generate evidence and learning for improved service delivery. What Are the Main Objectives? The technical support assignment has several interconnected objectives. Establish and Strengthen FNHW Immersion Sites The selected organization will provide technical support for establishing and ensuring the effective functioning of FNHW Immersion Sites across the identified districts. This includes supporting local systems, stakeholders, and community institutions to operationalize the sites effectively. Develop District-Level Action Plans The initiative will support the development of district-level action plans for integrated nutrition service delivery. These plans are expected to help districts coordinate priorities, interventions, stakeholders, and resources more effectively. Strengthen Community Platforms Community institutions and platforms will be equipped with knowledge, tools, and resources to promote improved household practices. The focus will include nutrition, dietary diversity, maternal and child health, and hygiene-related behaviors. Improve Service Convergence The program aims to improve coordination among state and district agencies involved in nutrition, health, food, and WASH services.

This may include coordination around:

- Essential nutrition actions - Nutrition-related entitlements - Supplementation - Health services - WASH services - Community-level interventions Promote Social and Behaviour Change The initiative will support Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) approaches to encourage improved nutrition and hygiene practices at household and community levels. Communication and resource materials will be adapted to the Assam context to ensure that messages are relevant and practical for local communities. What Technical Support Will Be Required? The selected organization will provide technical assistance across several areas.

Key areas include:

- FNHW system strengthening - Capacity building - Community engagement - Strengthening community-level federations - District-level planning - Nutrition service coordination - WASH integration - Social and behaviour change communication - Development of contextualized resource materials - Monitoring and evidence generation - Documentation and learning The technical support should help create systems and capacities that can continue beyond the immediate assignment. Who Can Apply? Organizations with relevant expertise and implementation experience are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have demonstrated capabilities in areas such as: - Nutrition - Maternal and child health - Public health - WASH - Community engagement - Capacity building - Social and behaviour change - System strengthening - Monitoring and evidence generation Experience working in Assam is particularly relevant. Organizations with experience in similar geographical, social, or programmatic contexts may also be considered. What Experience Should Applicants Demonstrate? A strong applicant should be able to demonstrate experience in implementing or supporting integrated community-based programs.

Relevant experience may include:

- Working with government systems at state or district level. - Supporting nutrition programs. - Strengthening community institutions. - Building the capacity of local organizations or federations. - Developing district action plans. - Implementing WASH interventions. - Designing behavior change communication. - Developing training and resource materials. - Establishing monitoring systems. - Generating evidence and documenting program learning. Organizations should demonstrate not only technical knowledge but also the ability to translate that knowledge into practical systems and community-level action. How Will the Initiative Strengthen Communities? Community participation is a central component of the FNHW approach. The program aims to empower community institutions and local leadership so that communities can play a stronger role in improving nutrition and hygiene outcomes. Potential areas of community-level impact include: - Improved household dietary practices - Greater dietary diversity - Better maternal and child nutrition - Improved hygiene practices - Increased awareness of available entitlements - Better access to nutrition services - Stronger community participation - Increased local ownership of health a