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Programs and initiatives
Nine focus areas translated into standing programmes: professional standards, capacity building, advocacy, knowledge, partnerships, youth, quality assurance, inclusion and institutional strengthening.
Standard setting and professionalization
SOMES develops national evaluation standards, ethical codes and certification systems to ensure professionalism and quality assurance. This is central to our mandate: without an agreed benchmark, commissioners cannot judge quality and evaluators cannot demonstrate it.
- Somali National Evaluation StandardsAdapted from African Evaluation Guidelines and OECD-DAC criteria, contextualised for Somalia's federal structure and humanitarian-development nexus.
- Code of conductBinding on all members; enforced through the Quality Assurance and Ethics committee.
- Certification pathwayThree levels — Associate, Practitioner, Senior Evaluator — assessed on portfolio, examination and peer review.
Associate Evaluator
Entry level. Completion of the SOMES foundation course plus two supervised assignments.
Practitioner Evaluator
Five evaluations led or co-led, portfolio review, ethics examination.
Senior Evaluator
Ten years of practice, published work, peer-review contribution and mentorship record.
Certificates carry a unique verification code checkable from the member portal.
Capacity building and mentorship
Structured training, mentorship and academic integration to strengthen evaluation capacity across Somalia and sustain a skilled workforce.
Foundations of evaluation
Five days. Theory of change, evaluation questions, design choices, OECD-DAC criteria, ethics. Delivered in Mogadishu and online.
Next cohort: 12 August 2026
Mixed-methods data collection
Sampling in insecure settings, remote data collection, enumerator supervision, data quality assurance and triangulation.
Next cohort: October 2026
Evaluation in humanitarian settings
Real-time evaluation, after-action review, IPC and needs-assessment evidence, protection and do-no-harm considerations.
Next cohort: November 2026
Gender-responsive evaluation
Designing evaluations that surface the experience of women, youth and marginalized groups; gender-sensitive indicators and analysis.
Next cohort: December 2026
Writing for use
Turning findings into decisions: recommendation framing, policy briefs, management response tracking and utilisation-focused reporting.
Next cohort: January 2027
University partnership track
Curriculum support and guest-lecture programme with Somali universities offering M&E modules, plus supervised student placements.
Open to institutional members
Matching mentors and mentees
SOMES operates a structured mentorship scheme pairing senior evaluators with young and emerging evaluators. Matching is done on sector, method, language and region, with a six-month cycle and a light-touch reporting requirement.
- Step 1 — ProfileMentees state their goals, sector and preferred methods in the member portal.
- Step 2 — MatchThe matching tool proposes three mentors; both parties confirm.
- Step 3 — AgreementA one-page compact sets meeting frequency and objectives.
- Step 4 — CycleSix months, minimum six sessions, one joint output.
- Step 5 — ReviewBoth parties review; completion counts towards certification.
Youth engagement and inclusion
Somalia has no established pathway for youth and emerging evaluators to contribute meaningfully to the field or advance professionally within it. The SOMES YEE programme exists to close that gap.
What YEE members get
- Reduced membership dues and free access to two courses a year
- A reserved seat on the Executive Board
- Priority in the mentorship matching cycle
- Paid junior roles on SOMES evaluation assignments
- Sponsored places at the national conference
- Nomination to EvalYouth global activities
Open to evaluators aged 35 and under, and to those with under five years of practice.
Advocacy, policy influence, knowledge and learning
Institutionalising evaluation
We promote evidence-based policymaking and advocate for institutionalized evaluation practices within government structures — including a national evaluation policy, evaluation clauses in public investment appraisal, and management response requirements.
Current work: technical input to MoPIED on a draft national evaluation policy; guidance note on embedding evaluation in federal budget planning.
Parliamentary and ministerial engagement
Briefings for parliamentary committees and planning directorates on how to commission, read and act on evaluations, so that evidence reaches the point of decision rather than the archive.
Current work: a short course for government commissioners of evaluation, piloting in 2027.
Knowledge and learning
We generate, share and disseminate evaluation findings and best practices through research, publications and national forums — documenting lessons, innovations and what has actually worked in the Somali context.
Outputs: the Somali Journal of Evaluation, the SOMES Insights newsletter, and the resources library.
Quality assurance and ethics
Peer-review mechanisms, upheld ethical standards and integrity in all evaluation processes. Members may submit reports for confidential peer review against the national standards before publication.
Mechanism: two-reviewer blind assessment, ten working days, structured against eight quality dimensions.
Gender and social inclusion
Gender-responsive and inclusive evaluations that amplify the voices of women, youth and marginalized groups, integrated across every SOMES activity rather than treated as a separate stream.
Commitment: minimum 40 per cent women in all cohorts, panels and boards.
Institutional strengthening and sustainability
Strengthening SOMES governance, financial sustainability and organizational credibility for long-term impact — governed by the Financial Management and Accounting Policy Manual.
Target: a reserve fund equal to three months of core operating expenses.
Jobs and consultancies
Evaluation roles and calls for consultants posted by SOMES, member institutions and partners. Members see postings 48 hours before they are made public.
Team Leader — endline evaluation, WASH programme
International NGO · Mogadishu, with field travel · Closes 28 July 2026
Qualitative researcher — post-distribution monitoring
UN agency · Baidoa · Closes 5 August 2026
Evaluation adviser — secondment to state planning ministry
Government · Garowe · Closes 15 August 2026
Member institutions can post opportunities free of charge from the portal. Non-members are charged a listing fee that contributes to the cost recovery framework.
Find partners for a bid or a study
Evaluation work in Somalia often requires teams that combine methodological depth, sectoral knowledge and access to specific regions. The marketplace lets members post what they need and what they offer.
- Post a callDescribe the assignment, the skills missing from your team, and the deadline.
- Offer a skillPublish your availability, languages, regions of access and methods.
- Form a consortiumInstitutional members can register a joint bidding entity.
Networking and partnerships
We build local, regional and global partnerships with institutions, academia and evaluation networks. Somalia's absence from these networks has cost Somali evaluators peer learning, collaboration and visibility — closing that gap is a founding purpose of SOMES.
Interested in partnering? Write to info@somes.so or use the contact form.