Early Years Education Consultant at Sightsavers

Consultancy length: Up to 10 days

Disability Inclusive Development

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:

• 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.
• 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 below and attach them to your application along with your CV.

EOI form

Budget Template

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.