RE-ADVERTISMENT – TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) EVALUATION OF THE AKELIUS LANGUAGE PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES

Job Description

Tender description

Background

SOS Children’s Villages Sweden has carried out a long partnership with Akelius Foundation for program support internationally. Since 2024, SOS Children’s Villages Sweden (SOS Barnbyar) has supported SOS partner associations in implementing the Akelius digital learning platform, developed by Akelius Foundation, to enhance the language acquisition and digital skills development of children and youth, particularly in fragile, low-resource, and crisis-affected settings. These partnerships strengthen SOS Children’s Villages Sweden’s positioning in humanitarian programming, particularly within Education in Emergencies (EiE).

SOS Barnbyar currently partners with a total of 10 national associations for implementation of Akelius Language projects. These national associations are those of Colombia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Lebanon. In eight of these associations, the programmatic framework is Education in Emergencies, as the projects seek to address critical gaps in language and digital literacy as a result of crises, mostly related to conflict and forced migration. The duration of the projects varies between 1 and 5 years, with an average length of two years. Funding is provided mainly for the purchase of ICT equipment, refurbishment of ICT rooms, classrooms or child-friendly spaces, solar panels and supporting equipment, training and incentives for teachers, sensitization or enrolling sessions in communities, and SOS project staff. Although Akelius Learning also includes a math component, projects in humanitarian settings have so far implemented uniquely the language learning programme.

The Akelius Language projects seek to improve inclusive and equitable language learning outcomes for children and youth (6 to 18 years) in vulnerable and crisis-affected contexts through the effective integration of digital learning technologies using a self-paced learning approach. The project’s main outcomes can be summarized as:

1. Improved access to quality digital learning environments: Children and youth have increased access to safe, inclusive, and well-equipped ICT-enabled learning spaces that support self-based language acquisition.
2. Strengthened capacity of teachers and education systems: Teachers, facilitators, and education stakeholders enhance their digital, pedagogical, and blended learning competencies to effectively deliver language education.
3. Enhanced language proficiency and engagement among learners: Children and youth demonstrate improved language skills, digital literacy, and sustained engagement in learning supported by family, community and institutional uptake of digital education approaches.

The projects use different Result Frameworks as well as a consolidated monitoring tool which gathers the following anonymized data on a monthly basis:

1. Students: new students, active students, students who discontinued, and number of students who pass to the next level (between A1 and B2). Students are disaggregated per gender (female/male), age (<12 years/ > 12 years) and students with a disability.
2. Teachers: teachers trained in Akelius Language Course (ALC), new teachers teaching ALC, number of teachers using ALC, average teaching hours/week, lesson’s duration
3. Hardware purchased
4. Type of analogue material received
5. Classrooms built or renovated
6. PV panels

In 2025, 6 893 students were enrolled in SOS-supported Akelius Language projects in six countries (four countries had not begun implementing).

The objective of this evaluation is to assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the Akelius Programme in crises settings, in line with the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria. The evaluation will generate evidence for accountability and learning, supporting the strategic progression of SOS Children’s Villages Sweden as an enabler of education in emergency projects within the SOS Children’s Villages Federation.

The evaluation aims to inform:

Objectives of the Evaluation

• Akelius Foundation’s understanding of the projects’ impact on equitable, inclusive and safe access to education and digital literacy for children and youth in crises settings.
• SOS Children’s Villages Sweden’s alignment with, and further support of, education in emergency initiatives across the Federation.
• SOS national association’s assessment of their capacity, limitations and impact in ensuring measurable outcomes in challenging operational contexts.

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