Terms of Reference (ToR): For RAIN Mapping Sprint 2026

1. About the organization

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a not-for-profit civic tech company that works at the intersection of emerging cutting-edge technological tools and their applications by equipping young professionals to solve emerging challenges in our community. YI-Lab’s mission statement is, ‘to engage young people to bridge science to people and policy through innovation’. YI-Lab harnesses indigenous knowledge, citizen science approach, develops low-cost technological solutions, promotes open data, promotes entrepreneurship, and conducts evidence-based advocacy campaigns. YI-Lab provides a conducive environment for young people to co-create solutions for inclusive development. 

2. About the RAIN Programme

RAIN has been designed to support and contribute to the overarching early action and climate resilience aims of the British Embassy Kathmandu’s (BEK) Resilience, Adaptation and Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) program. RAIN, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is led by People in Need (PIN), co-led by DanChurchAid (DCA), and implemented by a consortium of partners, including Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC), Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab), and Prerana, with technical support from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC) and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UK Met Office).

The RAIN project aims to bring significant value and sustainable scale-up to the RAIN program, particularly by reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized communities at risk of multiple hazards. To achieve this, RAIN employs evidence-based approaches tailored to local contexts, promoting systemic resilience building through localization, inclusion, and strategic mobilisation of government fiscal resources for climate adaptation. Its two core outcomes focus on 1) enhancing community resilience, and 2) strengthening sub-national government systems for early warning (EW), early action (EA), and adaptation, in line with NDRRMA’s strategic goals and key national frameworks including the National Disaster Risk Financing Strategy (2020), the DRR Policy (2018), and the National Strategic Plan for Action (2018–2030).

RAIN is grounded in long-term, equitable partnerships between international, national, and local organizations, combining technical expertise with deep contextual knowledge. The project will work directly with 35 +grassroots Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) representing marginalized populations in 11 local governments across two provinces in year 1. These CBOs will receive training and sub-grants to actively co-design and implement EW, EA, and adaptation actions in their communities. Together with thematic leads, RAIN Technical Assistance (TA), and other stakeholders, they will also work to hold local and provincial governments accountable while helping unlock public funding for inclusive climate resilience measures. Central to RAIN is the use of science, technology, innovation, and proven best practices to strengthen multi-hazard EWS at the sub-national level, enhance access to risk information for the most at-risk groups, and improve data-driven, inclusive planning and coordination. The insights generated will directly inform DRR and anticipatory action policy frameworks, ensuring that localized, inclusive, and gender-responsive strategies are embedded into government systems and sustained through national fiscal mechanisms.

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a technical partner of RAIN, leading the integration of digital innovation, youth engagement, and risk communication. YI-Lab is responsible for the localization and expansion of the Bipad, enabling local governments and communities to access and use real-time, multi-hazard risk data for timely decision-making. It also leads inclusive communication strategies, such as the use of art, and storytelling, to ensure early warning information is understandable and accessible to all, including youth, women, and marginalized communities. By engaging youth networks and CBOs, YI-Lab empowers young people to actively participate in the design and implementation of early warning, early action, and climate adaptation activities, fostering a generation of climate-resilient leaders and bridging the gap between data, technology, and community action.

 3. Introduction

As part of the RAIN programme’s efforts to improve data-driven resilience, there is a critical need to enhance the quality and completeness of geospatial datasets in OpenStreetMap for RAIN core and connecting municipalities. The existing spatial data in these municipalities show significant gaps, especially in LULC mapping, which limits effective planning and risk reduction efforts.

Access to accurate, up-to-date spatial data is critical to achieving these goals. OpenStreetMap (OSM), a collaborative open-source mapping platform, provides a powerful tool to support local planning, disaster response, and inclusive development.

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is seeking partnerships with university - based student organization, responsible for facilitating mapping activities for cluster of municipalities in Madhesh Province prioritized under the RAIN programme. This initiative aims to mobilize skilled student mappers to improve and complete OSM mapping and validation, focusing on comprehensive LULC, buildings, highways, waterways, POIs and infrastructural features to support local resilience and adaptation planning. 

4. Municipalities to be Mapped and Validated
The RAIN Mapping Sprint will focus on eight municipalities in Madhesh Province, grouped into two clusters.

11. Implementation Timeline

12. Budget

Selected student organization will receive fixed financial support to facilitate the Mapathon event and coordination of mapping activities.

13. Reporting

The selected organizations will work closely with Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) throughout the mapping sprint. All progress updates, documentation, and final reports will be submitted according to the agreed timeline.

14.Proposal Submission and Contact Information

Interested student organizations are invited to submit a brief proposal expressing their interest in facilitating the RAIN Mapping Sprint 2026.

The proposal should include:

            1. A short overview of the student organization, including its affiliation with a university or college.

            2. Relevant experience in OpenStreetMap, digital mapping, geospatial activities, or community engagement (if any).

            3. Proposed approach to organizing the Mapathon event and mobilizing student volunteers.

            4. Estimated number of student participants who will be engaged during the mapping sprint.

            5. Contact details of the focal person (name, designation, phone number, and email address).