Organizational Background

Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people affected by war or disaster to survive and rebuild their lives. We commit to stay as long as we are needed, helping survivors to heal, recover and rebuild their communities to be stronger, more stable and more democratic.At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. Building local capacity and self-sufficiency—and promoting human rights, participation and accountability—are at the core of all of our innovative programs. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Project Background

Ahlan Simsim

Children and their families living in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria have been exposed to levels of adversity that threaten their development and jeopardize the future prosperity and stability of the societies in which they live. Research shows that the development of basic skills can help promote resiliency and, for the most vulnerable children, help mitigate the negative effects of conflict and crisis.But such care and education are unavailable to many children. Ahlan Simsim’s theory of change is based on the idea that Sesame Workshop’s signature culturally relevant, localized production approach, with its engaging Muppets and other elements, coupled with the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC’s) expertise in delivering services to people affected by conflict and crisis, will enable the creation of a scalable, replicable intervention for early childhood programming to help a generation of conflict-affected children achieve their developmental potential.

Ahlan Simsim Vision and Goals

Vision: Restore hope and opportunity to a generation of children affected by conflict and crisis.

Goals:

•Develop and implement cost-effective, scalable, and adaptable models that improve cognitive & social-emotional skills of young children in conflict settings

•Spark significant and sustained investment in ECD in humanitarian crises by national and international stakeholders and policy-makers

Project Aim

The Airbel Impact Lab Middle East is working with the Ahlan Simsim project to design and prototype scalable solutions to integrate early childhood development interventions within health centers/clinics in Jordan and in Northwest and Northeast Syria. One of the solutions is designing Play to Learn exhibits to be installed inside health centers waiting areas. The exhibits learning themes will follow the Ahlan Simsim overall arching theme: social-emotional and cognitive development for children up to 8-years old.

Given the context of health centers and COVID 19, the exhibits design constraints are:

-Low-cost production

-Does not need facilitation – completely led by the child with minimal touching to control infections and allow for parallel or multiple play

-Can be produced locally

-Can be easily cleaned – washed by water

-Does not have loose parts

-Does not require consumable materials

-Durable – can withstand wear and rough play by children

-Modular – can be adapted based on the health center spaces

-Wall mounted or takes up vertical space

Deliverables:

·Design development of three to five exhibits

·Prototyping protocol of three to five exhibits

·Final design of three to five exhibits

·An exhibit catalogue that includes: technical drawings, exhibit brief, bill of materials, estimated budget to build, graphic work, panels.

Note: all deliverables should be produced in documents to be shared with Ahlan Simsim team members

Level of Effort

It is estimated that the consultant will need up to 15 working days to deliver the tasks.

Length of Work

Starting September, 15^th and to be concluded no later than November, 15^th, 2021.

Final Deliverable

Four exhibit catalogues that includes: technical drawings to build the exhibit, exhibit educational brief, bill of materials, estimated budget to build, graphic design work, and panels text in Arabic (reviewed).

Payment Schedule

100% upon completion of the project

Location

Amman- Jordan.

Travel Involved:

Might include one travel to south of Jordan.