REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a global humanitarian organization with a mission to work with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive change. ADRA Somalia belongs to the worldwide network, comprised of more than 130 supporting and implementing country offices. ADRA Somalia is seeking to recruit a consultant to conduct a training on social and emotional learning (SEL) and Psychosocial support (PSS).
Purpose and Objective of the Consultancy
Schools are more than just places for academic instruction—they are vital centers of social interaction, emotional growth, and human connection. They provide structure, stability, and daily routines that are critical for a child’s holistic development. When schools are disrupted or closed, as frequently occurs in fragile and crisis-affected contexts like Somalia, the impact extends far beyond missed lessons. Learners are deprived of critical opportunities for social engagement, emotional growth, and personal development that are essential to learning and life skills.
The consequences of prolonged school closures carry deep and far-reaching social and economic costs, affecting not only students but families and entire communities. However, these impacts are particularly devastating for vulnerable and marginalized learners—including displaced children, children with disabilities, and those living in extreme poverty—who often have no alternative access to learning outside of school. For these children, education is not just a pathway to knowledge but a lifeline to protection, empowerment, and a better future.
When schools close, the burden of learning shifts to the home environment. Parents and guardians are frequently expected to support home-based or distance learning, yet many face significant challenges in doing so. Limited educational backgrounds, lack of digital literacy, and inadequate access to learning materials all compound the difficulty, especially in low-resource settings. For children and youth already living under the strain of poverty, conflict, or displacement, the absence of formal education services heightens their vulnerability to exploitation, early marriage, child labor, and other risks.
Even when schools reopen after long periods of disruption, re-enrolment and retention become pressing concerns. Many children—especially girls and children from internally displaced populations (IDPs)—may never return to the classroom due to social, economic, or psychological barriers. Rebuilding trust in the education system and re-establishing a sense of safety and belonging for returning learners requires targeted support and well-designed interventions.
In response to these challenges, ADRA Somalia is seeking to implement a Psychosocial Support (PSS) training program with the aim of addressing the emotional and psychological needs of learners while strengthening the social fabric of schools and communities. This initiative is not only timely but essential in restoring and safeguarding the educational journey of Somalia’s most vulnerable children.
Objectives of the Psychosocial Support Training
The PSS training program is designed with four key objectives:
1. Foster Core Social and Emotional Competencies: Equip students with the tools to develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—essential life skills that support academic success, positive behavior, and long-term resilience.
2. Improve Learners’ Attitudes and Beliefs: Enhance students’ perceptions of themselves, others, school, and community, fostering a sense of belonging, confidence, and hope for the future. This is critical for learners recovering from displacement, trauma, or social marginalization.
3. Create Protective and Supportive School Environments: Promote a safe, inclusive, and nurturing social environment in schools that shields children from harmful experiences and psychological distress. Such environments support healthy peer relationships, respectful teacher-student interactions, and early identification of mental health concerns.
4. Support the Recovery and Reintegration of Affected Learners: Facilitate the psychosocial recovery and reintegration of children exposed to trauma, displacement, and other adverse experiences. Special attention will be given to IDP children and those from marginalized groups who face higher risks and require targeted interventions to rebuild their sense of normalcy and safety.
Through this training, schools will be empowered not only to support learning but to serve as protective spaces that foster resilience, healing, and long-term well-being. As Somalia continues to navigate complex crises, building the social and emotional capacities of learners is essential for both individual recovery and national stability.
In the medium-term, the social and emotional skills should benefit learners in terms of:
• More positive attitudes toward oneself, others, and tasks including enhanced self-efficacy, confidence, persistence, empathy, connection and commitment to school, and a sense of purpose;
• More positive social behaviours and relationships with peers and adults;
• Reduced conduct problems and risk-taking behaviours;
• Decreased emotional distress;
• Improved test scores, grades, and school attendance;
Scope of Work and Timeline of Activities
The consultancy is expected to officially commence on 5th April 2025. Prior to the start of activities, the selected consultant will be required to submit a comprehensive technical proposal detailing the proposed number of consultancy days, daily professional rate, and a realistic, results-oriented action plan. This proposal will serve as the foundation for discussion and final agreement between the consultant and ADRA Somalia.
The proposal should clearly outline a structured work plan with specific deliverables and timelines, which will be reviewed and agreed upon during the inception phase. As a guideline, the consultancy is expected to include the following key phases:
• Inception Phase – including initial engagement with ADRA, review of objectives, and finalization of methodology and timeline.
• Pre-Training Preparation – covering training needs assessment, contextual analysis, and the development or adaptation of training materials/manuals.
• Training Workshop Implementation – delivery of both Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions and school-based face-to-face trainings.
• Reporting Phase – submission of a comprehensive training report along with the finalized training manual for continued use and reference.
This phased structure will ensure clarity, accountability, and effective implementation throughout the duration of the assignment.
Methodology
Active participation will be a cornerstone of the methodology selected for this consultancy. The consultant is expected to adopt a participatory and inclusive approach that ensures meaningful engagement of all key stakeholders—particularly school staff, community representatives, and local education authorities—throughout both the assessment and training phases.
In developing the methodology, the consultant is expected to propose a cost-effective yet high-impact approach that balances efficiency with effectiveness. The proposed strategy should reflect an understanding of the local context and prioritize approaches that are practical, sustainable, and aligned with ADRA Somalia’s programmatic goals.
All proposed tools, processes, and delivery methods will be thoroughly reviewed by the project team to assess their viability, relevance, and adaptability before any implementation begins. Emphasis will be placed on approaches that can generate meaningful outcomes within available resources while ensuring inclusivity, quality, and measurable results.
Expected Deliverables
All deliverables under this consultancy will be developed in close coordination with, and under the guidance of, the Project Manager or a designated representative from ADRA Somalia. Regular communication and feedback will be essential to ensure alignment with project objectives, contextual relevance, and quality assurance throughout the assignment.
The consultant will be expected to produce the following key outputs:
1. A Detailed Work Plan: A comprehensive and time-bound work plan outlining the methodology, activities, tools, and timelines for conducting the school safety assessment and delivering the associated training sessions. This plan will be finalized in consultation with ADRA prior to implementation.
2. Debriefing Session with ADRA Programme Team: A formal debrief session to present and discuss preliminary findings from the assessment and training. This session will provide an opportunity for shared reflection, clarification of key insights, and agreement on recommendations or next steps.
3. Draft and Final Training Report: A well-structured report documenting the process, outcomes, lessons learned, and participant feedback from the training sessions. The report will include a finalized version of the training manual(s), refined based on input from ADRA staff and training participants, for future use and reference.
Further Information:
– Logistics: The consultant’s travel from base to the field and back after the end of the contract will be covered by ADRA.
– Professional fee: The consultant will propose the professional fee as part of their financial proposal. (Daily rate X number of days = Total professional fee).
– Tax and insurance: The consultants shall be responsible for their income tax and/or insurance during the assignment.
– Code of conduct: The consultant is bound by the principles and conditions of ADRA’s Code of Conduct.
A contract will be signed by the consultant upon commencement of the assignment which will detail additional terms and conditions of service, aspects on inputs and deliverables.
Qualifications of the Consultant
i. Professional or graduate studies in either Clinical Psychology, Education or Social Sciences
ii. Good technical knowledge on child protection and child rights issues.
iii. At least 3 years of experience in psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions, specifically working on SEL or MHPSS system development.
iv. At least 3 years of previous experience in providing services to displaced populations, migrants, refugees, or conflict affected populations in a protracted context.
v. Demonstrated experience in the development of training curricula and solid understanding of adult learning principles.
vi. Fluency in Somali language is a mandatory requirement for this assignment.
Application Requirements:
All expressions of interest should include:
– Cover letter, maximum three pages.
– Detailed curriculum vitae.
– Technical Proposal: maximum 5 pages interpreting the understanding of the TOR, detailed methodology of executing the task, as well as draft work plan.
Financial Proposal: should provide cost estimates for services rendered including daily consultancy fees but to exclude accommodation and living costs; transport cost; stationeries, and supplies needed for the training as well as costs to be incurred by trainees
For Terms of Reference (TOR ) visit www.adrasom.org . Applications for this consultancy should be emailed to the Human Resource Manager using the email hr@adrasom.org not later than 2nd April 2025, with “Expression of Interest for SEL-PSS Training” in the subject line.
‘’ADRA Somalia is committed to upholding the rights of all children and vulnerable adults that we serve and those we interact with in the course of our work. We endevour to protect all from all forms of abuse and exploitation as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) six core principles on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). ADRA Somalia has zero tolerance to abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries and staff.’’
