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Early Years Education Consultant

Employer
Sightsavers
Location
Kenya (KE)
Salary
Consultancy
Closing date
11 Apr 2021

Job Details

Call for Expression of Interest

Early Years Education Consultant

Location: Kenya

Consultancy length: Up to 10 days

The Disability Inclusive Development (DID) programme is a £29,247,583 programme that will run for six years. It is a UK Aid funded programme of Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance, implemented with a Consortium of 11 organisations: ADD International, BBC Media Action, BRAC, International Disability Alliance, Institute of Development Studies, Humanity and Inclusion, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Light for the World, Sense International, Social Development Direct and Sightsavers. The programme aims to make an impact on the long-term well-being and inclusion of people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries.

Promoting inclusive ECDE in Kenya

Working with government structures and with civil society, we will identify affordable, contextually appropriate, inclusive Early Childhood Development Education (IECDE) approaches for children with disabilities in selected pre-primary schools in Homa Bay and Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. This will include investigating strategies for improving home-based care for children with multiple and complex disabilities, building the capacity of school managers and classroom teachers to provide IECDE and establishing parent support groups to enable primary caregivers to support their children with disabilities more effectively. Advocacy activities will be incorporated to encourage communities and relevant government and non-government organisations to develop their understanding of IECDE.

The project will last for two years and six months, starting with a three-month inception period from January 2021. Sightsavers is leading the project working with Humanity and Inclusion, the Institute for Development Studies, UK, Leonard Cheshire International and Sense International in implementation. The partnership with Organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) will also be central to the development and implementation of this project as will working with relevant government ministries and officials.

A consultant is required to complete a desk review of current international best practice in inclusive ECDE. Whilst the focus of our work will be in Kenya, we are seeking to identify international good practice in other low and middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Consultancy Objectives

The consultant will: 

a)       Complete a desk review of existing literature about inclusive approaches to early childhood development in low and middle income countries analysing:

  • Relevant international literature, including teaching and learning manuals and tools and articles in peer-reviewed academic journals with a focus on contextually-based literature in East, Central and Southern Africa
  • Documentation from within Kenya including documents that cover disability and inclusive education, the early years curriculum and how early years education is placed and functions within the Kenyan education system
  • Documentation developed by consortium partners – Humanity and Inclusion, Leonard Cheshire International, Sense International, Sightsavers
  • Other relevant documentation.

b)      Areas to be addressed in the review:

  • The current education system in Kenya and how inclusive EDCE is placed within this.
  • The identification and assessment of children with disabilities
  • Effective pedagogies in inclusive ECDE in low and middle income settings
  • Practices and tools used in measuring academic progress and the well-being of children in early years settings
  • The training of early year practitioners
  • Raising community awareness about disability and inclusion
  • Relevant teaching and learning materials.
  • Impact of parental/caregiver involvement in early years education
  • Good practices in including children with disabilities in early years Education settings

As the successful Consultant you will possess report-writing expertise, be committed to person-centred and context-sensitive, have excellent IT skills and be fluent in English (written and oral). A background of working in developing countries, with experience of working with children with disabilities and an understanding of international best practice in inclusive ECDE is desirable.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties, deliverables or required professional skills, please read the complete Terms of Reference (ToR) for further details.

Please ensure that you complete the Expression of Interest form (EOI) and the Budget Template and attach them to your application along with your CV.

Closing date: 11 April 2021

Sightsavers works to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities participate equally in society.

We are truly committed to creating an inclusive culture which values and recognises diversity as something that will only ever make an organisation better. We encourage anyone to apply who possesses the qualities and behaviours outlined or who believes they have the propensity to learn them fast. You will be joining an inclusive and supportive team who welcome people from all backgrounds.

Sightsavers does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Company

Sightsavers Head Office

35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex RH16 3BW

Postal Address

Bumpers Way,
Bumpers Farm,
Chippenham SN14 6NG

Sightsavers is an international charity that works in more than 30 countries around the world to eliminate avoidable blindness and support people with visual impairments to live independently. Sightsavers is headquartered in the UK and has over 400 employees. It also has branches in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, India, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Sightsavers works with partners in order to provide a comprehensive range of eye care services. In 2013, Sightsavers' projects provided eye health examinations for nearly 14 million people, performed 300,000 eye operations, and treated over 100 million people for neglected tropical diseases.

People are also referred for treatment to prevent blindness or restore sight. Through community volunteers in developing countries, Sightsavers distributes medication to prevent blinding diseases. The charity also trains eye care workers and surgeons and funds operations.

Of the 30 countries Sightsavers works in, 23 are in Africa. These include Mozambique, Mali, Liberia and Kenya. Sightsavers is also present in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.

In addition to its medical work, Sightsavers works with partners in order to train specialist teaching staff and supply glasses, Braille kits and other learning tools. The charity aims to educate communities and reduce stigma around visual impairment and blindness. Through its work, people with visual impairments and other disabilities are supported to live independently, get an education and earn an income.

Sightsavers is also a campaigning organisation, working with national governments to tackle the root causes of avoidable blindness, such as lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The charity’s ‘Put us in the Picture campaign calls on the international community to make global development inclusive of the world’s 800m people with disabilities. The campaign’s vision is for all people to have equal access to employment, education, healthcare and participation in society.

Backing up Sightsavers’ work around the world is a strong research capability. Research and policy work revolves around three priorities – health, education and social inclusion. Gathering and disseminating sound research evidence helps to ensure the charity’s programmes meet the needs of the people they are designed to serve. Research evidence is also a strong tool when advocating for policy changes with governments.

Sightsavers has many partners that assist with its aim of eliminating avoidable blindness and may also provide funding. Partners include the UK government’s Department for International Development, the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Read our latest article on Third Sector: Sightsavers: Work for an award-winning charity tackling blindness worldwide

Company info
Website
Telephone
01444 446600
Location
35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex
RH16 3BW
GB

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