Documentation Consultant: Immunization and Healthcare System Strengthening, Beirut, 100 days

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.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, A Good Health!

Background

Lebanon is currently going through one of the world’s worst known economic crisis since mid-nineteenth century . Ten years into the Syrian conflict, 2020 brought many challenges, both foreseen and unforeseen, for children and their families in Lebanon. A situation of compounding emergencies ranging from refugee crisis to Beirut blast, COVID-19 pandemic coupled with economic meltdown, the fuel and medicine crisis, a fragile political environment and broad-based civil unrest has impacted every aspect of life for people living in Lebanon. The situation of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees and 200,000 Palestine refugees in Lebanon remains precarious. According to the 2020 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (VASyR), 89 per cent of Syrian refugee families (nine out of ten) live in extreme poverty, increasing from 55 per cent only a year before, with even worse conditions for female-headed households. Similarly, within the Lebanese population, it is estimated that in March 2021, 78 per cent of the Lebanese population (3 million people) is living in poverty while extreme poverty has reached an estimated 36 per cent of the Lebanese population (1.38 million). The deep social and economic crisis that emerged in October 2019 has worsened. Lebanon's Pound hit new lows and is moving on constant freefall as the country's financial and economic collapse accelerated, heralding more misery for the millions of Lebanese who have seen the value of their savings and salaries wiped out as the currency remains highly unstable. These changes have impacted all aspect of life for people in Lebanon including access to basic preventive health services like immunization of children. The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) is currently at a turning point in its history; the context in which it has usually operated, has changed so much, that making business as usual is no longer an option.

While the road of economic recovery for Lebanon is unpredictable as of now, it is time to shift gears and make the immunization of children part of the ‘Common Goods’ agenda and to ensure uninterrupted vaccination of children with no Out-of-Pocket Payments for getting vaccinated. This change entails strengthening the Public Health System to deliver health and immunization services both during emergency as well as during stable period. While envisaging a long-term plan, it is also critical to assess the current needs to ensure that children remain vaccinated and protected from Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) during the ongoing crisis as any VPD outbreak will be catastrophic for children and families already facing the hardship.

UNICEF is supporting Ministry of Public Health to reach missed children through an integrated outreach strategy, use of data for decision making and make cold chain system in accordance with global standards using clean and green energy.

The overall purpose of Assignment: With reference to the above background, UNICEF Lebanon would like to engage an individual technical consultant to document the full journey of three major activities related to immunization as part of efforts to Strengthen the Health system in Lebanon.

Objectives To support in the process documentation of entire journey and project documentation in relation to the following 3 activities while linking the activities to the overall Primary Health Care Agenda: - Routine vaccination enhancement in 9 Qadaas - Improving cold chain network in accordance with global standards and using clean and green energy system - Using data for decision making

Methodology

1.Desk review: The desk review component will include review of published and unpublished literature, global guidance and available data, review of project proposals, funding, and other relevant material related to the topic.

2. Regular sharing of relevant information: The project implementing team and regularly share updates with the consultant including progress made, bottlenecks and challenges and strategies implemented to support process documentation.This will be done primarily through scheduled calls, sharing of documents, relevant emails, photos, videos, media articles or any other form of information sharing. The consultant must adopt a proactive approach and attitude in seeking information from the team.

Please note: Data and products will be the sole proprietorship and ownership of UNICEF. The consultant will not have the rights on either the content or the publication. However, the consultant is free to quote this work as part of their work profile.

How can you make a difference?

Task 1/ Milestone 1: Documentation of the overall process for the below activities in the form of summaries, detailed documents and power points:

a) Routine vaccination enhancement in 9 Qadaas

b) Improving cold chain network in accordance with global standards and using clean and green energy system

c) Using data for decision making

Deliverables:

1-Development of framework/structure of report, including title page

2-Bordering chapters and table of content

3-Drafting background and introduction

12 days

4-Conscripting country specific unique challenges on routine immunization and cold chain

5-Detailing out the interventions undertaken to improve routine immunization services

6-Delineating the first section of PPT including introduction, challenges and interventions

16 days

7-Scripting chapters on partner coordination, best practices as well as data driven strategies opted

8-Converting above parts into PPT

8 days

9-Section on communication and demand generation interventions to achieve the desired objectives

10-Updating PPT with the prepared draft

10 days

11-Preparing a roadmap/ framework to draft an SOPs on routine immunization implementation/ Training Module

12-Compiling the efforts of team towards the solarization and clean energy

13-Updating PPT with infographic presentation on above prepared draft

10 days

14-Preparing the chapters on Outcomes, results, conclusion and way forward

15-Writing executive summary

16-Drafting the roadmap/skeleton for training module for cold chain handlers, along with the bordering chapters and timeline

10 days

17-Conducting proof reading of report

18-Preparing the final set of PPT

19-Submission of report and PPT

10 days

Tasks / Milestones 2: Create at least three draft manuscript as per the proposed journal’s guidelines.

Deliverables: 1- Identifying the relevant topics and journals for manuscript (2 days) 2-Structuring first manuscript as per identified Journal guidelines (4 days) 3-Preparing structure for 2nd and 3rd manuscripts (4 days) 4-Preparing the first manuscript (5 days) 5-Completing the 2nd and 3rd Manuscript (5 days) 6- submission of final draft (4 days)

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Health domain
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in public health.
• Experience in Immunization and supply chain/cold chain work experience on immunization will be an asset;
• The consultant should be well versed with global principles and practices of public healthcare and primary healthcare, knowledge about the Lebanese Healthcare System will be an added asset;
• Excellent writing skills in English
• The consultant should have at least 2 publications in peer reviewed journal (primary authorship is preferred); or authorship/contribution in National Documents/UN published SOPs/Guidelines/Study report
• The consultant must submit 1 document with their major contributions.

For every Child, you demonstrate integrity:

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Candidates are requested to submit the daily fees and the all-inclusive fees with their application.

The pointing system is divided as follow:

70% on the technical.

30% on the financial.

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, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.