Advertisement Terms of Reference (TOR)

Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Advocacy Materials Development on Disability Awareness

Adolescent Girls’ Education in Somalia *(AGES and AGES Expansion)***

Background to the Project

The UkAid-funded Leave No Girls’ Behind (LNGB)-Adolescent Girls’ Education in Somalia (AGES) and with additional USAID funding the AGES-Expansion aim to promote education access through tailored, sustainable solutions to develop literacy, numeracy and key life skills for the most marginalized adolescent girls in South Central Somalia. It is a consortium comprising of CARE (lead agency), ADRA (international NGO), GREDO (national NGO) WARDI (national NGO) and KAASHIF (national NGO) responsible for project implementation, and FORCIER Consulting (international research and technology partner). LNGB-AGES will target the hardest to reach among out-of-school girls, specifically girls engaged in child labour, married and divorced girls, internally displaced persons (IDPs), girls with disability (GwD) and girls from minority clans, excluded groups and pastoralist families. The project aims to improve access to education, learning outcomes and retention of 80,475 girls from some of the poorest, most vulnerable and conflict affected regions of Jubaland, Banaadir/Mogadishu and South West Administration, and to improve the overall quality of education by building local capacity.

The Overall Goal

To provide tailored, sustainable solutions to develop literacy, numeracy and key life skills (financial literacy and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health) for 80,475 (AGES 42,000, AGES Expansion 38,475) of the most marginalized girls in South Somalia. It aims to target the hardest to reach among out-of-school girls, specifically girls with disabilities, engaged in child labour, married and divorced girls, internally displaced girls (IDGs), girls from minority clans and excluded groups and girls from pastoralist communities.

Project Outputs

1. Output 1: Strengthened economic situation of communities: VSL and scholarships will enhance family capacity to support education costs and reduce the likelihood of child labour.
2. Output 2: Availability of quality learning opportunities tailored to the needs of ultra-marginalised girls
3. Output 3: Social change movement towards broader life opportunities for adolescent girls and boys
4. Output 4: Build institutional capacity for quality assurance in inclusive education
5. Output 5: Enhanced access to education for 2,000 additional girls with disabilities

Two thousand (2,000) of the overall girls being targeted by the project are girls with disabilities (GwDs) and are being reached through all three learning pathways: Formal Education, Accelerated Basic Education (ABE) and Non-Formal Education. Specifically, the project supports girls who live with disabilities ranging from cognitive/learning disabilities (such as dyslexia) to physical disabilities (girls with severe and moderate mobility disorders), to hearing and visual impairments (both mild and severe), neuro-behavioural conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder), mental illness (including depression and severe anxiety) and those with multiple disabilities. Wherever possible, girls with disabilities are mainstreamed into regular schools and ABE/NFE centers as part of the Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) ‘Inclusive Education Strategy.’ Those children whose needs are too complex to be met in mainstream schools are enrolled in special needs schools in coordination with the local disabled persons organizations (DPOs). Girls enrolled in special needs schools will be provided with scholarships, and those with physical and hidden forms of disabilities (mental health issues such as depression and severe anxiety) have received transportation assistance to enhance their access to medical/social services as well as access to education.

The project offers different educational pathways to suit every girl’s different needs depending on her abilities, availability, and age: Formal Education for girls between the ages of 10-13, Alternative Basic Education (ABE) for girls between the ages of 13-16 (which is provided with a view to mainstreaming them into Formal Education), and Non-Formal Education for 17–19 year olds who are less likely to integrate into formal schooling. Girls with mobility difficulties have been identified and enrolled in centers/schools near their homes to improve education accessibility. Where accessibility issues have been identified within schools, minor rehabilitation works have been undertaken (e.g., installing ramps and rails).

Additionally, under the AGES Expansion, this activity will target 38,475 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-25 who have never enrolled in school, have dropped out in grade 1 or had only access to short term courses without acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Many of the ABE/NFE centers are being held in the same formal schools, either by running in the afternoon, or through a double shift approach. This creates an opportunity for girls enrolled in ABE to familiarise themselves with the formal education setting and to facilitate their transition into formal education, should this be their next step after they complete their ABE classes.

Through its disability partner organization Disability Aid Foundation (DAF), the project established three Disability Advisory Groups, or ‘DAGs’ (one group per region). The ‘Disability Advisory Groups’ bring together experts, decision-makers, and other key stakeholders to champion the issues of children with disabilities and coordinate efforts to provide guidance and support to the project about the approaches used to respond to the needs of girls with disabilities. This includes the validation of various training materials, the review and improvement of the relevant referral mechanisms, and engagement with relevant service providers during decision making processes.

The Disability Advisory Groups (DAG) help the project to widen its scope around broader efforts to improve inclusion and to support to children with various disabilities beyond the project’s intervention locations by contributing to discussions and raising awareness at the regional and national levels around necessary policy changes and needs for improvement in education service provision.

Objective of the Terms Of Reference

The purpose of this assignment is to:

• Develop effective behavior change IEC materials to raise awareness on the different types of disabilities and their severity and how to promote access to education for children with disabilities.
• Develop IEC messages that address the negative attitudes towards disability/disabilities in Somalia using simple phrasing in local languages (Af-Mahatiri and Af-Maay) with clear and positive illustrations of persons/children with disabilities for easy understanding and relevant to the project’s operational regions of Banaadir, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West State of Somalia.
• Provide standardized materials which reflect the needs of the ultra-marginalized girls with disabilities (GwDs), including those from language minorities.

Rationale for the Development of IEC Advocacy Materials

Girls with disabilities have the right to access all information relating to girls’ education on an equal basis with others. IEC materials to raise awareness on different types of disabilities and their severity among children with disabilities and to promote positive behavior change within the project’s target communities should be communicated in multiple formats, developed for community members with different levels of literacy, and delivered using different dissemination methods. Depending on the context, examples may include producing posters and simplified messaging, such as using pictograms and illustrations, which are then disseminated through workshops, dialogues, home visits and community awareness-raising activities. It can be extremely useful to work with children with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual, vision and hearing disabilities, to identify how they access information and what formats are the most appropriate and engaging for them. The IEC advocacy materials developed are meant to be used by the Disability Advisory Groups (DAG) for their awareness creation efforts within communities through their frontline promotion of disability inclusion through targeted and coordinated multi-modality public awareness campaigns and through community meetings and religious gatherings.

IEC advocacy around disability inclusion is part of the AGES’s/AGES-Expansion mechanisms to support girls with disabilities within target communities. User-friendly IEC advocacy materials will be developed to help create awareness and build the capacities of community members, parents, teachers, women mentors, and CEC members to influence their perceptions in positive ways around the rights of and positive contributions by girls with disabilities. The advocacy materials developed should be accessible to all people with different types of disabilities. IEC materials should be made available in print and in digital formats; IEC materials should include short messages/phrases, illustrations/pictures in short leaflets, and posters. All illustrations and pictures should be objective and accurately reflect real situations, subjects, or physical locations. Materials in digital formats should include a short video and an audio message in both Af-Mahatiri and Af-Maay. For the short video and audio messages, whenever possible a native speaker (if these are presented for community members whose first language is a minority language) should narrate.

Deliverables

• Comprehensive final report that has been reviewed for quality assurance and signed off on by C-Somalia
• Approved final IEC advocacy print materials and digital copies (English and Somali)
• Instructional guide for using the advocacy materials that has been reviewed for quality assurance and signed off on by C-Somalia. This should include guidance on how to access, use, view and/or listen to content (including multi-media content such as the video and audio messages).
• Validation and approval process by MOECHE, state MoEs, and CARE.

Time Frame

The assignment will be for a maximum of 21 days for the entire process effective from the date of signing of the contract until validation and approval of IEC materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Special Needs Education or Social Sciences, Psychology, and/or Social Work
• Master’s degree in Special Needs Education is highly desired and an added advantage
• Strong understanding of gender and disability responsive education programming
• Experience in developing and delivering training/education content for adult audiences with INGOs
• Understanding of Somalia’s diverse contexts and federal states dynamics
• Previous experience in developing communication/advocacy Information IEC materials for Persons with Disabilities with INGOs
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Proficiency in Somali language is highly desired
• Ability to manage a demanding workload and to adhere to fixed timelines
• Familiarity with major donor-funded projects including UkAid/USAID will be an added advantage
• Adherence to CARE PSHEA policy, code of conduct and safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable children and adults which apply to all contractors.

Submission of Application

The technical proposal should include the following information:

• A brief discussion of your recent experience in carrying out assignments of a similar nature.
• Provide any other information that will facilitate evaluation of your competencies to execute this assignment.
• Provide samples of the most recent work that you have done in line with this assignment.
• The financial proposal must contain overall quotation in U. S. dollars (USD) for all the services to be provided.

Remuneration and Payment Procedures

The consultant(s)’/consultancy firm’s payment shall be made upon 100% completion of work that has undergone a quality assurance review and sign-off from CARE Somalia. (More Information on payment procedures shall be provided in the service contract.)

Please send your complete application by email. The subject of the email should read: IEC disability advocacy materials development: Som.consultant@care.org not late 20/July-2022