Developing Life Skills for Success (LS4S) Curriculum in Somalia 109 views0 applications

Consultancy Terms of Reference for Developing Life Skills for Success (LS4S) Curriculum in Somalia **

Background

Save the Children has worked in Somalia since 1951 when we set up a vocational school for orphaned boys in Somaliland. From the early 1970s, we have provided emergency assistance when the needs demand. Each year, about 650,000 people benefit from our longer-term development work in Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Education, Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Child Protection and Child Rights Governance. Youth unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges toward peace and stabilization in Somalia. Somalia has one of the largest proportional youth populations in the world. It is estimated that 73 percent of the Somali population is aged under 30. Within this group, internally displaced youth and young returning refugees and girls are considered among the most marginalized and at-risk groups. Young people from the poorest and most deprived families, especially girls and IDP in Somalia find it challenging to transition to working as they lack the required life skills. Without work, girls are more at risk of poverty, early pregnancy, early marriage, inability to access health care, and unable to invest in their own families, among other factors preventing the realization of their rights.

in order to respond to these needs of young people, Save the Children in Somalia is currently implementing a three-year BMZ funded project aiming at the Economic and Social Empowerment of Youth (EASEY) in Somalia. The project will support the economic empowerment of a significant number of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET) who live in Mogadishu, Garowe, and Baidoa towns. Employers greatly value life skills, becoming even more critical with the rapidly changing nature of work.

Life Skills for Success (LS4S) is Save the Children’s common approach to nd developing foundational skills, competencies, behaviors, attitudes and unique qualities that enable young people to be useful navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well and achieve their goals. The adolescent boys and girls young men and women (A&Y or young people 10 -24 years old) equitable acquire five core sets of transferable life skills (TLS) to support their transition into work and, in turn, support their ability to invest in their children’s wellbeing. Therefore, Save the Children is looking for a qualified consultant to develop a curriculum for training A&Y on LS4S. The syllabus and training materials will cover five core transferrable skills: 1) social skills, 2) higher-order thinking skills, 3) self-control, 4) positive self-concept; and, 5) communication. The life skills curriculum is expected to be adaptive, depending on social background and gender. Other sub-skills to be covered includes SRH issues, attitudes and behaviours on gender equality, self-protection and safety, and peace

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY.

This consultancy aims to develop a curriculum for LS4S training for Mogadishu, Biodoa and Garowe in Somalia, covering the above mentioned five core transferrable skills. The curriculum should contain at least two documents; training manual (main text) and facilitator’s guide.

Methodology

· Develop a detailed action plan and agreed with Save the Children

· Desk review of Save the Children’s global LS4S toolkit and Life skills curriculum from other Save the Children country offices.

· Scan and available local needs assessments and publications, including reports of labor market surveys and gender analyses to understand A&Y’s motivations, interests, needs, and skills-gaps related to TLS.

· Analyze how TLS is framed and understood at the country level.

· Undertake two focus group discussions (FGDs) for maximum 8 youth (50% females); one group should be unemployed and the other group to be selected from university/former TVET graduates. This helps to understand their situation and motivation in attending the LS4S program. These consultations explore potential risks to boys and girls (including SEA risks and family conflict) participating in the LS4S program and modify the design to prevent and mitigate the identified risks to be incorporated into the curriculum. Consultations should be carried in gender-separated gender groups to give a safe space to share gender-sensitive concerns and needs.

· Undertake key informant interviews with youth civil society organizations/umbrella and TVET instructors to get a feel for how A&Y learn. It will also inform development of facilitator’s guidance.

· Based on the consultations and reviews above, establish context-specific learning objectives for each of the five core transferrable skills and sub-skills for each domain.

· Conduct curriculum adaptation workshop with key implementing staff from Save the Children, partners, youth representatives, employers, community leaders, ministries of labor, and TVET centers to

· Review and confirm findings from the analysis above;

· Review selected SCI curriculum resources and identify areas to add, change, or eliminate related to context, methodologies, and learning outcomes.

· Draft the curriculum following Save the Children’s LS4S quality benchmarks to ensure high impact and quality curriculum. Include sessions on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and GBV into the curriculum.

· Arrange debriefing sessions with key stakeholders on the curriculum design to provide their feedback and validation, including identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

· Gender review of the curriculum draft to ensure integration of:

· Gender issues as content and exercises;

· Learning experiences supportive of gender‐sensitive perspectives, attitudes, and skills;

· Gender-sensitive language, images, writings, and processes within the curriculum (e.g., female and male pronouns, photos of females and males, female and male stories, female and male perspectives, etc.).

· Ensure girls and boys are participating and providing inputs at all stages of the curriculum development processes.

· Pilot testing of the developed materials with selected adolescents and youths (boys and girls) to gauge their interest in the curriculum and measure their skills acquisition. Pilot testing may also be conducted as part of the facilitation training workshop.

· Share final curriculum materials to Save the Children in both hard and soft copies.

· Develop a comprehensive narrative report with concrete suggestions on implementing the curriculum, including recommendations and tips on gender aspects to consider during the implementation/ facilitation process.

General Objectives:

This consultancy aims to develop a curriculum for LS4S training for A&Y in Somalia, covering the above mentioned five core transferrable skills. The curriculum should contain at least two documents; training manual (main text) and facilitator’s guide..

Consultant role and expecting deliverables

· The deliverables/outputs of this assignment are:

· Curriculum adaptation workshop

· LS4S curriculum containing a training manual (main text) and facilitator’s guide.

· A narrative report detailing the experiences and challenges encountered in carrying out the assignment and recommendations for the way forward.**

Reporting

The consultant will be expected to maintain daily contact with the SCI team assigned to manage the Surveys. On daily basis data collected will be analyzed by the consultant and feedback given to the teams. The consultant will be expected to share the daily feedback details to the SCI survey Lead teams.

Time Frame

The duration of the assignment will be 30 working days, excluding Fridays. This consultancy is taking place in Somalia.

Terms and Conditions

Consultancy fee: The consultant will come up with his/her own rate which will be subject to negotiation within the bounds of donor requirements and set standards of SC in Somalia the consultant is expected to estimate all relevant costs for the exercise, including costs for data collectors, vehicle rent, venue, stationary, standardization test and accommodation while undertaking activities related to this assignment.

Code of conduct

Save the Children’s work is based on deeply held values and principles of child safeguarding, and it is essential that our commitment to children’s rights and humanitarian principles is supported and demonstrated by all members of staff and other people working for and with Save the Children. Save the Children’s Code of Conduct sets out the standards which all staff members must adhere to and the consultant is bound to sign and abide to the Save the Children’s Code of Conduct.

A contract will be signed by the consultant before commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects on inputs and deliverables. The Consultant will be expected to treat as private and confidential any information disclosed to her/him or with which she/he may come into contact during her/his service. The Consultant will not therefore disclose the same or any particulars thereof to any third party or publish it in any paper without the prior written consent of Save the Children. Any sensitive information (particularly concerning individual children) should be treated as confidential.

An agreement with a consultant will be rendered void if Save the Children discovers any corrupt activities have taken place either during the sourcing, preparation and implementation of the consultancy agreement.

Expertise required

The following attributes are requirements for the selection of the evaluation consultant:

· Master’s degree in Curriculum development or Education with 8 years of experience.

· University degree in education, business with at least 10 years of teaching experience years instead of Master’s Degree.

· At least 5 years of proven track record of developing training guidelines, training manuals, strategies, or policies related to youth or community development.

· Knowledge of TVET and entrepreneurship

· Have strong interpersonal skills and communication skills.

· Have the ability to deliver quality products

· Computer literate **