Avis de recrutement : UNICEF recrute des Consultants en nutrition basé en Ouganda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justification

Despite high stunting rate, the Toro region has gap in both human resource and nutrition structures across districts. With a relatively low development partners footprint, recent COVID-19 and Ebola Virus Disease on the health system further weakened the nutrition capacity of districts within the Toro region to adequately address stunting. Thus, an accelerated effort is required to prevent and avert further worsening of stunting among children in the region. One of the strategies is to bridge the human resource gap in the priority areas, including strengthening the capacity across the region to accelerate implementation of flagship government nutrition activities identified as highlighted below;

1. Strengthen district capacity: There is a need to drive and accelerate the delivery of evidence-based nutrition interventions. Whiles advocacy and technical support to address the human resource gap in the long term; there is aneed to position human resource to drive the nutrition agenda in the region as a short-term measure in 2022.

2. Community mobilization and engagement for stunt structraling prevention through concerted efforts using community action as driven by the Uganda Nutrition Advocacy and Communication Strategy II and locally available evidence on social norms, practices and behaviors.

3. Implementation of evidence-based and community tailored package of interventions: There are multiple intertwined causes of stunting and other forms of undernutrition among children under 5 years. These causes are often not linear which implies the solutions to addressing them should also be varied. Therefore, based on the literature and desk reviews, a package of interventions focused on addressing the immediate and underlying causes of stunting as outlined in UNICEF GLOBAL guidelines and tailored based on the outcome of the research will be rolled out, including food systems approaches, enriching complementary foods, multiple micronutrients supplements for pregnant women (MMS) and strengthening PHCs with a strong community driven activities in the geographic area of focus and they should be interlinked:

4. Integrated nutrition service delivery at health facility level, which will enhance the capacities of districts and health facility teams to deliver quality nutrition services.

 Objective of the assignment

The consultants will strengthen the capacity of DLGs, health facilities and the community to accelerate implementation of a package of interventions in the nine districts across Tooro region.

The consultants will contribute to improved programme scale up, visibility, documentation and reporting of the nutrition programme activities through support to the health facilities, district health teams and community volunteers. See the TOR here

Tasks

Governance

  • Provide technical support for the functionality of District Nutrition Coordination Committees (including support to capacity building, quarterly supportive supervisions etc.)
  • Provide technical support and guidance to DLGs for nutrition partner mapping and coordination
  • Provide technical guidance and support for mapping and establishment of strategic partnerships with tea estates and commercial farms that employ women to promote breastfeeding (establishment of baby friendly corners for continued breastfeeding support)
  • Provide technical support and guidance to DLGs for integration and alignment of multi-sectoral nutrition actions into district planning and budgeting processes
  • Provide technical support and guidance for advocacy efforts for stunting reduction o Including regional and district based social behavior change on dietary diversity including co-designing with the community for appropriate nutrition campaigns (linking to the national NACS)

Integrated nutrition service delivery for regular programming and emergency response at health facility level

    • Provide technical support and guidance to DHT and health facilities to improve Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding by improving breastfeeding practices and children’s diets in the first years of life
  • Scale up BFHI for improved quality of care for mothers and newborns,
  • Nutrition assessment and weight gain monitoring
  • micronutrient interventions like IFA, Vitamin A, DW
  • counselling on age-appropriate complementary feeding
  • Counselling and responsive feeding education
  • Including nutrition supplies management (forecasting, quantification, ordering storage and reporting etc.)
  • Provide technical support and guidance to the DHT and health facilities on the management of children with severe acute malnutrition
    • Including nutrition supplies management (forecasting, quantification, ordering storage and reporting etc.)
  • Provide technical guidance and support for improved data management
  • Including reporting timeliness, completeness, quality and use of HMIS/DHIS2 data
  • Provide technical support and guidance to DHT to plan for on-job mentorship and support supervision, community mass screening and integrated outreaches including ICHDs.

Community mobilization and engagement for stunting reduction

  • Provide technical support and guidance to the DLGs for formation and/or scale up of community MIYCAN using the care group approach.
  • Provide technical support and guidance to the DLGs to support implementation of community-based interventions, coordination and reporting of care groups
  • Care groups will support the delivery of actions below
  • Interpersonal communication among mothers to promote and support breastfeeding, counselling on age appropriate nutritionally diverse complementary foods,
  • Linkages with nutrition-sensitive agricultural activities, farmer field schools
  • community mobilization and mass media.
  • Provision of one egg per day for 6 months to young children
  • Food demonstrations and recipe formulations for appropriate complementary foods using local foods
  • Integrated health and agricultural SBCC
  • Monthly community Growth monitoring and promotion
  • Community mass screening
  • Integrated child health days

Evidence generation and documentation

  • Document and report on nutrition response activities and case studies for stunting reduction in Toro region
  • Participate in implementation research in the region
  • Organize regional nutrition symposium to share knowledge and best practices on stunting reduction initiatives

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

The selected national consultant should have:

Education:

  • University Degree in Nutrition, Public Health or other related disciplines.

Work Experience:

  • At least 5-year professional experience in nutrition, public health, nutrition planning and management, nutrition research, policy development and knowledge management.
  • Experience working with Government entities in national programming for health, nutrition, public health, and other child survival and development areas.
  • Experience in undertaking work or projects that improve maternal infant young child and adolescent nutrition at national and subnational levels, and engaging communities to reduce malnutrition Experience in project management
  • Experience of working with leadership and management spheres in public health and nutrition programmes
  • Experience in facilitating dialogue among different stakeholders

Desirable:

  • Working experience with UN agencies, donors, CSOs, their implementing partners at national, regional, district and community level.
  • Working experience with the Ministry of Health, Regional Referral Hospitals, District Local Governments, and/ or other governmental entities.

Language: Fluency in English.

Apply here

Deadline: E. Africa Standard Time