Consultant - Regional Landscape Analysis of Management of Small and Nutritionally at-risk Infants under 6 months (MAMI), Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, Nairobi, 90 days (over

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

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For every child, a chance

Survive and thrive | UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is pursuing a paradigm shift that places emphasis on prevention of all forms of malnutrition and when prevention fails, treatment is provided. Management of small and nutritionally at-risk infants under six months of age (MAMI) is one of the pathways that countries can use to ensure at-risk infants do not become severely wasted or die. Early and proactive treatment of nutrition-related issues in infants under 6 months should result in fewer infants needing referral for malnutrition treatment at older ages (i.e., reduced numbers with low weight-for-length and low MUAC at age 6 months and beyond) (Bhutta et al., 2017). Core contents of the MAMI Care Pathway Package (Version 3, 2021) are based on and are intended to help operationalize World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for the management of infants under six months (u6m) with severe acute malnutrition (WHO,2013).

ESARO is proposing to support 7 countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, Malawi, Madagascar, and South Sudan) in implementing action plans for the prevention of waste either under the Global Action Plan for wasting)1 or under UNICEF’s No Time to Waste Acceleration Plan 2022–20232. These countries contribute to about 70% of the burden of waste in the region. Support will be provided in two phases through a short-term consultancy to conduct landscape analyses of MAMI. The first phase will be a landscape analysis which seeks to detail existing services and the referral pathways and availability of trained staff at each level of the health care system. The landscape analysis will also map out any pilots and innovation actions that are underway to adopt MAMI in the region. The second phase will be informed by findings of the landscape analysis. This phase is about providing technical support to countries to develop or update policies and strategies for scaling up nutrition services for u6m infants and address gaps in the delivery of current nutrition services for children u6m.

The purpose of this consultancy is to support countries in the ESA region to strengthen nutrition services for u6m infants by incorporating elements of the MAMI framework where they are weak or missing. The landscape analysis seeks to detail the nutrition services for children u6m in terms of screening, assessment, management, and exit. An outline of what happens at each stage, who is involved, and where it takes place will be conducted. The scope and scale of any MAMI pilot or related intervention in the region will also be mapped. Depending on the availability of resources at the country level, phase two will be conducted being informed by the findings of the 1st phase. Details of the scope of work for phase two and the related costs will be incorporated by way of amendment of the phase one contract.

Under the supervision of the Nutrition Specialist, the consultant will provide technical support in conducting a landscape analysis of nutrition services for small and nutritionally at-risk children under 6 months in the region.

Scope of Work

Phase 1. Activities and Tasks: The following are the tasks to be delivered under phase one of the contract:

1. 1. To examine the extent to which country policies and programme guidance are in-line with (WHO) Guidelines for the management of infants u6m with severe acute malnutrition (2013) and other existing guidelines (MAMI pathway/framework).
   2. To examine existing services (quality, availability of tools, compliance with recommended standards), the referral pathways, and availability of trained staff including health worker support materials at each level of the health care system (community, primary health care, and tertiary) for management of small and nutritionally at-risk infants under six months of age.
   3. To examine the coverage of screening, assessment, and management of small and nutritionally at-risk infants u6m across the health system delivery platforms (community, primary health care, and tertiary) and to identify key barriers and facilitators for uptake of services.
   4. To map any existing pilot or initiative to implement the MAMI care pathway, and the scope of the pilot.

Phase 2. Activities and Tasks: The following are the tasks to be delivered under phase two of the contract (under an amendment to be made upon completion of phase 1)

5. 5. Support development or updating of policy or guidelines for the prevention of wasting in at-risk children u6m.
   6. Support country adaptation of the MAMI user guides in the 5 targeted countries as required based on the findings of the landscape analysis: MAMI Rapid Screening guide, MAMI Assessment guide, and MAMI Outpatient guide, integrating these in existing national tools.
   7. Support training for the rollout of MAMI in the targeted countries

Work relationships: The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Regional Nutrition Specialist, MIYCN, ESARO, supported by the Regional Nutrition Advisor and Nutrition Manager;

1. The Regional Nutrition Specialist will facilitate communication between the consultant and the country offices.
2. The consultant will complete all activities and deliverables listed within the allotted timeframe.

Deliverables

Duration

(Estimated # of days

Timeline/Deadline

Schedule of payment

1. Inception paper and data collection tools.

10 days

By 30th May 2023

10% of the total amount of the contract will be paid on submission

2. Completed data sheets for at least 5 countries visited in person and 2 done virtually

30 days

By August 2023

30% of the total amount of the contract will be paid on submission

3. At least 5 finalized country briefs (Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, Malawi, Madagascar, and South Sudan).

35 days

By December 2023

40% of the total amount of the contract will be paid on submission

4. 1 Regional (multi-country) synthesis report

15 days

By December 2023

20% of the total amount of the contract will be paid on submission

The final report regional synthesis report will detail the support provided to countries, clearly detailing experiences in implementation including the methods used, challenges, and lessons learned. This report will be used for developing publish articles for information sharing.

Payment Schedule

Payment shall be made on satisfactory completion of the deliverables for phase one, as detailed above, in four payments. Payment for phase two activities will be done after the contract is amended and the country teams confirm the technical support required.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in nutrition, public health, pediatric health, child health, or health-related science. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted instead of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience in nutrition programming, including child survival, infant and young child nutrition, and/or maternal, neonatal, and child health and nutrition programs including experience in developing countries.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to including everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions, or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need a reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterward in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV, or P11 form and their technical proposals to the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System) or email provided.

Interested candidates are to indicate their ability, availability and rate (daily/monthly) expressed in US$ for international or KES for national consultancy to undertake the terms of reference. The fees should be inclusive of other costs incurred such as travel or subsistence allowances for international consultants who will be based in Nairobi. Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties by local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be me before taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.