Akelius Language Programme’s Evaluation Consultancy Calls

External Evaluation Consultancy – Akelius Language Projects (Lead Evaluator)

About SOS Children’s Villages

SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest non-governmental organization focused on supporting children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it. Operating in over 130 countries and territories, SOS Children’s Villages works to ensure that every child grows up with the care, relationships, and support they need to thrive.

SOS Children’s Villages Sweden supports humanitarian and development programmes globally, including education in emergencies initiatives implemented in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages national associations.

Background

Since 2024, SOS Children’s Villages Sweden has partnered with Akelius Foundation and SOS national associations to implement the Akelius digital language learning platform in crisis-affected and low-resource settings. The programme aims to strengthen language acquisition and digital literacy among children and youth through self-paced digital learning.

The programme is currently implemented in Colombia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Lebanon. Most interventions are implemented within Education in Emergencies contexts and include support for ICT equipment, refurbishment of learning spaces, solar panels, teacher training, and community sensitization.

The evaluation will focus on understanding whether the Akelius approach contributes to improved language learning outcomes, strengthened teaching capacity, and improved access to safe and inclusive digital learning environments.

Purpose of the Consultancy

SOS Children’s Villages Sweden is seeking a Lead Evaluator to conduct a multi-country evaluation of the Akelius Language projects implemented in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Colombia.

The evaluation will assess the programme according to the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. The findings will contribute to organizational learning, accountability, and future strategic programming within Education in Emergencies.

Scope of the Evaluation

The assignment will assess:

• The programme’s impact on children and youth’s language learning and digital literacy
• Teacher and facilitator’s pedagogical and digital skills strengthening
• Community engagement and safe learning environments
• The project’s relevance and contribution within humanitarian and education in emergencies responses
• Sustainability of digital learning interventions in low-resource settings

Evaluation Team Set-up

The evaluation team will consist of:

• One Lead Evaluator (Somali national or resident, with possibility to travel to Ethiopia), responsible for the evaluation in Somalia and Ethiopia and for leading all deliverables
• One Associate Evaluator (Colombian national or resident), responsible for data collection and country-level inputs from Colombia

The evaluators will work collaboratively to ensure methodological consistency and strong comparative analysis across contexts. Previous collaboration between evaluators is not required; however, strong coordination and communication throughout the assignment are expected.

Methodology

The evaluation is expected to apply a mixed-methods and participatory approach, combining:

• Desk review of programme documentation and monitoring data
• Key informant interviews
• Focus group discussions
• Participatory methods involving children and youth
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis

The methodology should be rights-based, ethically grounded, and aligned with child safeguarding standards.

Deliverables

The Lead Evaluator will be responsible for:

• Inception report including methodology and data collection tools
• Coordination of fieldwork and analysis
• Draft evaluation report
• Final evaluation report and summary brief
• Presentation of findings

Required Expertise – Lead Evaluator

The Lead Evaluator should demonstrate:

• Project management experience, preferably in the humanitarian or development sector
• Proven experience conducting multi-country evaluations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Strong expertise in rights-based and humanitarian programming evaluations
• Advanced academic background in social sciences, child rights, international development, or related fields
• Experience applying qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Demonstrated experience conducting participatory and ethical research involving children and vulnerable populations
• Strong understanding of child rights and humanitarian contexts
• Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is considered an asset
• Excellent analytical, writing, and facilitation skills

Timeline

The consultancy is expected to take place between July and October 2026.

Phase

Deliverable

Timeframe

Inception

Inception Report (methodology, tools, work plan)

Early July 2026

Preparation

Minimum data standards, translated tools, logistics

Late July 2026

Fieldwork

Data collection in Ethiopia and Somalia

August-September 2026

Initial Analysis

Early findings and debrief with stakeholders

Late September 2026

Drafting

Draft Evaluation Report

Early October 2026

Finalization

Final Report and Summary Brief

Mid-October 2026

Dissemination

Presentation of findings

By 29 October 2026

Application Requirements

Interested consultants or firms are invited to submit:

• A technical proposal outlining the methodology, work plan, and understanding of the assignment (max 5 pages).
• CVs of all proposed team members.
• Financial proposal in EUR, inclusive of all costs.
• Two references from recent, relevant evaluations.
• A sample of a similar evaluation report (if available).

Proposals must be submitted electronically to [email protected] by 25th June 2026 at 4:00 PM. Please use the subject line: “Evaluation Proposal – Akelius Language”.