Health & WASH Consultants for training municipal health agents (2 positions), Boa Vista, Brazil

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Background & Rationale

While important progress has been made in Brazil and throughout the world over the last years regarding the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), much remains to be done to guarantee an integral protection of children and to ensure that all children have their fundamental rights fulfilled and respected in an equal manner and without discrimination. The urgent need for authorities at all levels to further address the rights of children in their legislations, programmes, policy frameworks, services and budgets has become even more evident in the light of the current pandemic, given the multiple impacts that COVID-19 has on children, including indirect impacts such as increased threats to their wellbeing, safety, and health.

The constancy of the daily migratory flow on the border between Brazil and Venezuela keeps the humanitarian emergency busy with the allocation of entire families, unaccompanied children and adolescents, including people with diverse health demands.

The estimated global vaccination coverage rates identified by UNICEF teams were cause for concern: below 70%, even in sheltered populations. Municipalities have inputs, immunologists, plans, proposals for active vaccine search, but do not have enough vaccinators for mobile teams, with transport support to reach areas of difficult access, especially in the interior. In May 2022, Boa Vista Health Department had to control outbreaks of chickenpox, in addition to taking on the task of complying with the yellow fever vaccination target issued by the Ministry of Health to cities of border, as well as the measles vaccination target. In Pacaraima, the situation is worse: vaccination teams are even smaller with a large coverage area, because the municipality supports vaccination in indigenous communities.

The situation and demands of the Roraima municipalities are specific to this border context and requires additional support and resources from the Ministry of Health (UNICEF has also alerted the National Immunization Programme about this situation). However there is a need for a transition in phases that still requires humanitarian action.

Regarding the provision of sanitation services in Brazil, despite the advances in the percentages of coverage in recent years, the country still has important challenges to universalization. According to data from the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS), the North and Northeast regions of the country have the lowest percentages of attendance, considering water, sanitary sewage and solid urban waste management, respectively. The migratory context evidences the lack of access to safe water and sanitation increasing the likelihood of acute diarrheal disease outbreaks, as occurred in Pacaraima in late 2021. In this context, UNICEF has supported local health and sanitation services, with an emphasis on maintaining essential primary health care services, fostering actions relevant to prevent COVID-19, waterborne diseases, malnutrition and acute diarrheal. In this sense, basic actions in health and sanitation are determining and conditioning factors for the welfare of the migrants and host communities population it covers four services.

In this way, we propose to coordinate the training of 450 community health agents in the themes of health and WASH and other areas relevant to UNICEF in order to qualify the offer of public services in this context.

To take action, UNICEF Boa Vista/RR office is promoting the strengthening of public services with special attention to the diversities of indigenous populations in urban areas through capacitation and build capacity of health and endemic agents (Agente Comunitário de Saúde e Endemias – ACS and ACE) in the thematic areas of Health and WASH strengthening emergency preparedness and response.

To achieve this goal, two consultants will work together and will be responsible for implementing and executing the work plan that underpins the demand described in this ToR and which will be developed together with the municipal health department.

The two consultants will work closely together and with the UNICEF Boa Vista team, especially with the Health and WASH teams, with the support of other areas such as Child Protection and Education.

Purpose

UNICEF Brazil Country Office is looking for two Health and WASH consultants to be accountable for identifying, systemize and conduct classes considering UNICEF’s CCCs (Core Commitments for Children) and good practices on those areas for municipal heath agents in Boa Vista and Pacaraima.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief field office and with the support of Health and WASH officers, the selected consultants will contribute to UNICEF’s work by:

1. Developing a Training Application Plan for health Agente Comunitário de Saúde e Endemias (ACS and ACE), presented and approved by the health care facilities and Regional Health Managers, aiming support the reflection how the professionals relate with migrant population and presenting good practices in health, WASH and other relevant areas.
2. Enhance the training proposition for around 450 health agents (ACS and ACE), centered on the recognition of complexity and interdependence of migration issues, promoting reflections between the actors involved, for the resolution of concrete problems and, in this way, to have a critical mass that, in possession of renewed instruments, acts to articulate health and wash actions with those of other social areas, promoting intersectionality, as well as enhancing participation and social control for the democratization of health services, with discussions on work processes and the care model in the migration flow context, considering:
   1. The trainings will be conducted in groups of 30 people. Around 450 people will be trained in Boa Vista and Pacaraima (15 sessions that should take place throughout the month)
   2. Each training session for each group will last 4 hours
   3. Each professional should participate in 6 trainings (one per month)
3. Promote contents to reflect the set of Community Health Agents and Epidemic Agents` actions based on the objectives of valuing the social and intercultural dimensions of migrant people and the production of autonomy of the subjects, such as user embracement, ambience, construction and articulation in the continuity of care, democratization of care spaces and facilitating access. and use of the services.

Expected results:

The overall expected results are as follow:

1. Conduct classes to 450 community health agents of Boa Vista and Pacaraima cities.
2. Produce lesson plans with meaningful health-wash themed content
3. Propose participatory methodologies of evaluation throughout the course
4. Propose content retention assessment strategies in moments of concentration and dispersion.
5. Set the thematic content for each class and contact with graphic designers companies to diagram and produce samples that will be distributed among the class participants throughout the classes

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Presentation of Training Application Plan and Course Program to enhance the formation actions in thematic areas of Health, WASH and other relevant areas, containing the following issues: lesson plans with meaningful health-wash-general areas-themed content, including indigenous in urban areas methodologies, of evaluation throughout the course and content retention assessment strategies in moments of concentration and dispersion.

Duration (in calendar days): 30 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 15% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 2. Plan and give 2 presential classes for around 450 health agents (ACS and ACE) of Boa Vista e Pacaraima presenting the UNICEF core purpose and its Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in humanitarian action and basic themes of health, nutrition and WASH in emergencies (general approach)

Duration: 60 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 3: Plan and give classes of the Course Program and produce graphic content, for around 450 health agents, with aspects of the migration issues and sensitivity towards migrants:

• Monitoring of epidemic-prone diseases in humanitarian emergency situations
• Active vaccination search
• Water, sanitation and hygiene in humanitarian emergencies, including water quality monitoring
• Environmental health education with a focus on disease prevention
• Child Protection and the Rights Guarantee System
• Reception of the indigenous population in health care units, indigenous peoples' rights, with a focus on public policies and traditional knowledge.

Duration: 90 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 15% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 4: Plan and give classes of the Course Program and produce graphic content, for around 450 health agents, with aspects of the migration issues and sensitivity towards migrants

• Monitoring of epidemic-prone diseases in humanitarian emergency situations
• Active vaccination search
• Water, sanitation and hygiene in humanitarian emergencies, including water quality monitoring
• Environmental health education with a focus on disease prevention
• Child Protection and the Rights Guarantee System
• Reception of the indigenous population in health care units, indigenous peoples' rights, with a focus on public policies and traditional knowledge.

Duration: 120 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 15% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 5: Plan and give classes of the Course Program and produce graphic content, for around 450 health agents, with aspects of the migration issues and sensitivity towards migrants

• Monitoring of epidemic-prone diseases in humanitarian emergency situations
• Active vaccination search
• Water, sanitation and hygiene in humanitarian emergencies, including water quality monitoring
• Environmental health education with a focus on disease prevention
• Child Protection and the Rights Guarantee System
• Reception of the indigenous population in health care units, indigenous peoples' rights, with a focus on public policies and traditional knowledge.

Duration: 150 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 15% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 6: Plan and give classes of the Course Program and produce graphic content, for around 450 health agents, with aspects of the migration issues and sensitivity towards migrants:

• Monitoring of epidemic-prone diseases in humanitarian emergency situations
• Active vaccination search
• Water, sanitation and hygiene in humanitarian emergencies, including water quality monitoring
• Environmental health education with a focus on disease prevention
• Child Protection and the Rights Guarantee System
• Reception of the indigenous population in health care units, indigenous peoples' rights, with a focus on public policies and traditional knowledge.

Duration: 180 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Quality of deliverables, in terms of accuracy of technical content, relevance to the given assignment and responsiveness to provided technical feedback.
• Respect for given deadlines (i.e. timely deliverables).

Technical background and experience required

• Bachelor's Degree in health science, nursing, Public Policy, Social Sciences, biology, sanitary engineer or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of experience in the fields of public health, child rights, WASH sector, and/or public policy analysis.
• Prior experience in conducting classes and proven writing skills.
• Prior work experience in the field of international cooperation will be an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Strong communication skills.
• Fluency in Portuguese. Spanish would be considered as an asset.

Key competences

Builds and maintains partnerships; Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness; Drive to achieve results for impact; Innovates and embraces change; Manages ambiguity and complexity; Thinks and acts strategically; Works collaboratively with UNICEF field team

Core Values

1. Care
2. Respect
3. Integrity
4. Trust
5. Accountability

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• The selected consultant will be presential and must provide necessary equipment and stationery to carry out the work presented in this Term of Reference.
• For Consultant’s, travel costs should be included in the consultant’s fee.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the Consultant or individual Contractor
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• The consultant will work remotely under a full-time basis and prior authorization and/or clearance from UNICEF to engage in external activities is required.

Financial Proposal

• Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow "best value for money" principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted.
• The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Restrictions

• Consultants and individual contractors may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF. Notwithstanding, consultants and individual contracts must complete the applicable mandatory trainings.
• In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

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.

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.

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.