Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Ethiopia and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Consistently, Save the Children International Gambella area office operates in Gambella to provide humanitarian refugee assistance for South Sudanese refugee children and communities in child protection and education services in Teirkidi, Pugnido and Jewi refugee camps and in camp surrounding host community districts.
As a result of the protracted crises in South Sudan, over 401,594 refugees are currently residing in 7 (Seven) refugee camps and one transit centre in Gambella region Ethiopia, and 273,084 (68%) refugees out of the total population are children and 89% refugees are children and women. The new arrival trends post December 2013 shows 191,698 new arrivals in 2014, 28,509 in 2015, 54,739 in 2016, 67,759 in 2017, 21,971 in 2018 and 2,568 new arrivals in 2019. Likewise, a total of 145,139-refugee arrival registered since the beginning of September 2016-refugee influx. Majority (94%) of the new arrival are through Pagak entry point while the remaining arrive through Akobo(4%) and Raad (2%) entry point crossing border in to Ethiopia. The population of the refugees in Save the Children operational camps are Pugnido 68,176, Jewi 62,641 and Terkidi 72,876 i.e. total of 203,693. In fact, the refugee camps of Jewi, Teirkidi and Pugndio 1 are serving with their maximum capacity and they are not accepting new arrivals leading to a stability in the number of refugee population residing in these camps. Moreover, as UNHCR works to enhance registration data, the monthly population of concern figures have been frozen as of 31 August 2018, to facilitate the completion of the ongoing Level 3 Registration. New figures will be released on June 1st, 2019.
The Government of Ethiopia continues to grant access to social services to refugees, and permission to UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies to implement mandated activities. Ethiopia adopted and enacted its Refugee Proclamation in 2004, which is the main national legislation governing refugee issues. On top of this, the Government pledged to support refugees in a number of ways, including increasing access to education for refugee children. The Government developed the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), based on the declaration endorsed in September 2016 in New York. With the CRRF, the integration of refugee and host community education systems has been given due emphasis enabling the creation of stronger cohesion and understanding between the two communities. However, the overall condition of the host communities in Gambela region, as one of the least developed regions, is characterized by poor learning environments, limited capacity to plan and deliver education services to host community children and low community awareness on the value of education. These, coupled with the refugee influx, have heavily strained and burdened the provision of education services.
In Gambela, there are four woredas that serve as entry points (Lare, Wantawo, Akobo and Jikawo) for refugees from South Sudan as well as other four (Itang, Gambela zuria/Abol Woreda [Jewi], Gog and Dima) hosting the refugees. The population in most of these woredas are already affected by conflicts that contributed to internal displacement. A reason behind this is to be found in the recurrent cross-border raids by the Murle tribes from South Sudan that resulted in abduction of hundreds of children, killing of families as well as looting of properties. 57% of the displaced were children under 18 years old.
The average pre-primary enrolment rate for refugee children in Ethiopia is estimated at 39% while the national average for host community children stands at 48.1%. Gambela’s pre-school coverage for refugee children stands at 35.2% (of the total 72,031- age 3-6 population), slightly lower compared to the national refugee children enrolment rate. Each year, there are efforts to enrol more children to ECCE centres and support their development. However, due to the increasing influx and lack of resources, it is impossible to provide quality education services to all children. Besides, due to these limitations, even those already enrolled face shortage of trained teachers, learning spaces and learning materials as well as basic needs and facilities like water, latrines and WASH facilities. Classrooms are often overcrowded with 120 or more children per class. The inadequate learning environment affects children’s learning outcomes and increases their drop out and the repetition rates.
Save the Children (SC) has been leading the child protection and education interventions in three of the seven refugee camps in Gambela region (Tierkidi, Jewi, and Pugnido). The organization delivers program interventions that enhance children’s access to early childhood and primary education as well as protection to the most vulnerable children. SC is retained to continue as a partner, as endorsed by the accountability matrix, with UNHCR and ARRA on Emergency Education in Gambela for 2018 &19 (Project Partnership Agreement). The accountability matrix gives the legal mandate for SC to operate with education and protection in Gambela.
As for host community children in the Gambela region, the net enrolment rate for preschool education for 4-6 year old children is 41.6% (40.6% girls), including the one-year “O” class, which caters to 6-year olds mainly (Source: Ministry of Education, Education Abstract, 2015/16). The presence of large numbers of refugees in Gambela, now greater in number than the host community, in an area with few resources of its own, produces stress in host communities service provision as well as negative social and economic challenges. Extending support to these refugee-hosting communities will positively affect the education services and the integration between the two communities and help to meet the needs of both refugee and local populations.
In general, the UBS Optimus funded Early Childhood Education (ECE) project developed and implemented by Save the Children is to improve access and quality of early childhood education for South Sudan’s refugee camps (Jewi, Pugnido and Teirkidi) and camp surrounding host community districts in Gambella. Accordingly, Save the Children has been implementing planned ECCE project activities to effectively support the regular teaching and learning activities in the existing ECCE centres and O’ classes around the camps. The UBS Optimus ECCE project is directly supporting the ECCE /education services in the existing six ECCE centres and camps surrounding ‘’O’’ classes by constructing/rehabilitating ECCE facilities, providing essential ECCE supplies (classroom furniture, learning, teaching recreational and high biscuits), delivering basic contemporary ECCE related trainings for parents, teachers , supervisors and project officers periodically with direct and close technical supports. Thus, this term of reference (TOR) is prepared to outline the purpose/objective, scope, and methodology
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess and learn from the process; achievements and challenges encountered during the project implementation, so as to advise on future Early Childhood Education programming.
The specific objective of evaluation are to:
- evaluate changes made against the established targets of the project objectives
- Review appropriateness of project implementation process and based on findings from the final evaluation to give recommendations for future programming.
3. Scope of evaluation
The assignment focus on the following main undertakings:
- Develop an evaluation tool
- Determine sample size
- Prepare an Inception report
- Collect data from the field
- Analyse the data and write evaluation report
- Validate the findings /Presentation of the findings/
Job Requirements
- Consultant Profile
The project evaluation will be conducted by an external, and independent consultancy firm
This evaluation will be open for all legally registered consultancy firms or consultants in Ethiopia. The firm shall consist of professionals with the following relevant background.
The Evaluator(s) shall have the following expertise and qualifications:
- A minimum of post-graduate degree in Education or Social work, with sound knowledge in early childhood care and education.
- Excellent understanding and experience in EiE mainly on ECCE or pre-primary education
- Renewed License
- Proven experience in conducting quality evaluations and assessing emergency programme
- High quality writing and reporting skills, using computer software
- Has relevant team members with working experience in evaluation and in the thematic area;
- Have experience on quantitative and qualitative research methods.
- Child rights programming skills
- English language essential; local language skills would be a plus
How to Apply
- Application Procedure
Expression of interest: a cover letter with a maximum of one page introducing the consulting firm/consultant with an expression of interest to carry out the work as described in this ToR.
- Technical proposal:This should include, but not limited to, understanding of the ToR with critical reflection on the consultancy assignment (a consulting firm has to clearly show its understanding of the work), methodology (with extremely strong emphasis, should be detailed with clear presentation against each of the objectives, layout choices, pictorial; presentations, etc.), tentative work plan, proposed team qualification and experience, others. NB. Once the consultancy firm has been selected to undertake the task, SCI will not accept changes on the team composition.
- Financial proposal:This should outline the detail financial breakdown per each of the proposed activities.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the CONSULTANCY SHOULD BE COLLECTED in hard copy from Save the Children Ethiopia Country Office in Addis Ababa, situated around Bisrate Gabriel Church from July 4,2019 up to July 17,2019
Save the Children Ethiopia Office
At the Supply Chain Department
Dire Complex, Behind Bisrate Gabriel Church
P.O Box 387
Tel 011 3 72 84 55-61 or 011 6 53 51 74
Addis Ababa
Applications with non-returnable at least 2 samples of previous work (electronic format) related to this assignment together with the expression of interest, two copies of technical and financial proposal should be submitted via the following address physically. Interested applicants should submit two separate sealed documents in which one document should include the technical proposal including of the proposed professional(s) with supporting document that shows previous work experience. The second document should include professional fee stated work along with copy of renewed CONSULTANCY License to the above mentioned address of Save the Children, Ethiopia Country Office before or on July 18, 2019 at 4:00 P.M in person.
Bid shall be submitted in the box ready at Procurement unit for this purpose
Save the Children reserves the right to choose any one of those applying or reject all bids received
More Information
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