Individual consultant: Strengthening of HIV vulnerability targeting amongst AGYW in Mozambique

Consultant Medical & Health Programme & Policy

Overview

Lead the development and piloting of a national risk assessment tool for HIV targeting.

You have:

• Master's degree in public health, paediatric/adolescent health, social sciences, epidemiology or related field.
• At least 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels, including field experience and expertise in HIV programming, adolescent programming or related field in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills and a good understanding of translating research into policy and programmatic implementation.
• Strong knowledge and experience in the development and piloting of tools/materials.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships, including with national-level stakeholders.
• Excellent English and Portuguese/Spanish oral and written communication skills.

Contract

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to, in collaboration with the National AIDS council, UNAIDS, and FDC, to lead the development and piloting of a national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and other targeting approaches, for use within the project Viva+ that can potentially be rolled out across multiple projects seeking similar outcomes in terms of reduced exposure to high risks of HIV infection, through tackling risk factors.

Background:

In sub-Saharan Africa, six in seven new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15–19 years are among adolescent girls, with similar rates in Mozambique itself. Mozambique has the eighth highest HIV prevalence in the world: 11.5% in 15-49 year-olds. The HIV epidemic is highest in the Southern and Central provinces of the country (INSIDA) and is 70% higher in urban areas as compared to rural areas throughout the country. HIV prevalence among pregnant women is estimated that 15.8%. HIV Prevalence was estimated at 7.9% among young people ages (15 - 24 years), (11.1% women and 3.7% men), with a higher prevalence among 20-24 year-olds (10.9%) than 15-18 year-olds (5.0%).

Around 4,200 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years were infected with HIV every week in 2020 and with multiple factors many of them exacerbating other factors creating multiple risks: Limited knowledge about HIV/SRHR, limited access to SAAJ services, poor quality of many of those SAAJ services, social exclusion, economic disadvantage, discriminatory and harmful cultural norms, various forms of sexual and gender-based violence, including forced marriage, high school drop-out rates, drug and substance abuse.

To achieve the needed scale up of well-designed and effective programs that meet the HIV prevention needs of AGYW, we need to look cross-sectorally beyond the health sector and address the remaining structural, cultural, and behavioural challenges and barriers to reduce HIV incidence among this group. A combination of proven high-impact HIV prevention interventions have been shown to be the best way to fast-track reductions in new HIV infections . To ensure appropriate targeting of those AYP with significant risk for the national AYP HIV prevention programme, there is a need to strengthen screening across sectors and programs.

To enhance the quality and efficiency of AYP programming, the Global Fund has operationalized an Adolescent Girls and Young Women Strategic Initiative (AYP-SI). As a trusted partner on adolescent and HIV policy, data and programming, UNICEF is working with the Global Fund to provide technical assistance (TA) and strengthen Global Fund AYP grant implementation for the current and next phases of the New Funding Model (NMF3 & NMF4), in priority countries. The requirement for TA is to improve the identification of AGYW at most risk to ensure their access to a comprehensive prevention package has been highlighted in Mozambique. UNICEF is therefore looking for a technical consultant to provide TA to support the National AIDS council, UNAIDS, and FDC, to support the development and piloting of a national risk and vulnerability assessment tool.

There is a need to continue and redouble efforts to reduce the incidence rates through a combination of approaches including improvement of targeting and identification of the most at-risk girls and young women.

Scope of Work:

Goal: to lead the development and piloting of a national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and other targeting approaches, for use within the project Viva+ that can potentially be rolled out across multiple projects seeking similar outcomes in terms of reduced exposure to high risks of HIV infection, through tackling risk factors.

Objectives:

• To understand the key HIV risk factors for AGYW and the inter-relation between them

• To review the current risk and vulnerability assessment tool used in Viva+, to determine its effectiveness in targeting AGYW at most risk

• Source and analyze relevant data in relation to vulnerability of girls to ascertain whether and how data can be used to better target interventions at a geographical as well as through criteria and attributes of individuals

• Use data to inform and support targeting of Viva+ and other related or similar programmes, ensuring alignment with UNAIDS subnational estimates

• Provide recommendations for the development of a standardised national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and its implementation

• Support PRs/SRs in the development and analysis of a pilot phase

• Secure validation of a final national risk and vulnerability tool

• Capture the learning from the implementation process and those share lessons learnt

Activities

1. Initial call / meeting with UNICEF
2. Facilitate and help convene a full inception meeting with NAC, FDC, UNAIDS, ESARO, UNICEF Moz, GF PRs/SRs, to review and validate overall aims of the Scope of Work.
3. Work with UNAIDS and other stakeholders in AGYW through one or more technical meeting to ensure that the key guiding questions and issues for the work align with the perceptions of key stakeholders in HIV prevention and work with AGYW. Ascertain avenues to explore for relevant HIV data.
4. Develop an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, workplan and tools and present to partners.
5. Desk review of the latest literature, policy and evidence on HIV risk factors and pathways for AGYW, including UNAIDS subnational estimates work. Incorporate evidence-based proposals relating to the use of quantitative data to complement or substitute person-focused assessments.
6. Review the current risk and vulnerability assessment tools in use by Viva+ and, where possible, by other similar AGYW focused programmes. Include review and assessment of current best practice approaches to use of quantitative (including geographical) HIV data for targeting most at-risk to HIV infection.
7. Undertake consultations/key informant interviews, including with users of the current risk and vulnerability assessment tools, to understand their implementation, including bottlenecks, challenges and lessons learned with regards to effectiveness and outcomes to secure further improvements.
8. Draft key recommendations on the design of a national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and key implementation considerations.
9. Develop a PowerPoint presentation (PPT) of key findings from the desk review, data, consultations and recommendations on how to secure better improvements of the risk and vulnerability and its implementation to share with partners for feedback.
10. Draft a national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and implementation guide with partner feedback incorporated.
11. Develop a draft test phase pilot concept, plan, including monitoring and data collection tools, to determine the effectiveness of the draft national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and its implementation, to be carried out by NACC and other partners of the existing Global Fund programme and share for partner feedback.
12. Finalize the test phase pilot plan, including monitoring and data collection tools.
13. Orient PRs/SRs in preparation for a one-month test piloting the tools, in select areas.
14. Prepare an analysis report and PPT of key findings and make recommendations of how to secure better improvements on the risk and vulnerability tool + implementation guide and share with partners for feedback.
15. Develop a final risk and vulnerability assessment tool and final implementation guide and updated PPT, for implementation according to outcomes of test pilot for validation.
16. Develop a learning report and PPT of process, outcomes and lessons for country and regional dissemination.

Deliverable and payments

Deliverable: 1

Summary minutes of meetings with NACC, NASCOP, UNICEF, Global Fund PRs/SRs and key stakeholders.

Duration (estimated # days): 2 day

Timeline/Deadline: 10 July 2023

Schedule of payment:

Deliverable: 2

Inception report detailing the proposed methodology for meeting deliverables of this consultancy, including workplan and relevant data gathering and reporting tools e.g. interview/ consultation guide and list of interviews with key stakeholders.

Duration (estimated # days): 4 days

Timeline/Deadline: 20 July 2023

Schedule of payment: 10%

Deliverable: 3

Desk Review, including PowerPoint (PPT) summary version. to include county-level data and consultations, with recommendation on the design and implementation of national risk and vulnerability assessment tool(s), for feedback at the national partner meeting

Duration (estimated # days): 18 days

Timeline/Deadline: 15 Aug 2023

Schedule of payment:

Deliverable: 4

Draft national risk and vulnerability assessment tool(s) and implementation guide, with inclusion of feedback from partners

Duration (estimated # days): 10 days

Timeline/Deadline: 1 Sept 2023

Schedule of payment: 40%

Deliverable: 5

Draft test phase pilot plan, including monitoring and data collection tools and share with partners Duration (estimated # days): 5 days

Deliverable: 6

Finalize test phase pilot plan with partner feedback incorporated and orientate/train staff for month of piloting.

Duration (estimated # days): 5 days

Deliverable: 7

Test phase data analysis report, with recommendations, shared

with partners for feedback before finalizing.

Duration (estimated # days): 11 days

Timeline/Deadline: 1 Oct 2023

Deliverable: 8

Final national risk and vulnerability assessment tool and implementation guide based on outcomes of test phase pilot with accompanying PPT for presentation at validation meeting

Duration (estimated # days): 5 days

Deliverable: 9

Short learning report and PPT from the TA implementation process, outcomes and lesson learned for country and regional dissemination

Duration (estimated # days): 5 days

Timeline/Deadline: 31 Oct 2023

Schedule of payment: 50%

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

Minimum Qualifications required:

Master

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Education: Advanced university degree in public health, paediatric/adolescent health, social sciences, epidemiology or related field

Work experience: At least 8 years of professional experience at national and international levels, including field experience and expertise in HIV programming, adolescent programming or related field in Eastern and Southern Africa, is desirable

Skills:

a) A set of strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills and a good understanding of translating research into policy and programmatic implementation

b) Strong knowledge and experience in the development and piloting of tools/materials

c) Demonstrated ability to work across a range of partners, including national, sub-national and community-level stakeholders and partners to secure buy-in and ownership

d) Technical field experience with data collection and pathway analytics would be an asset

e) Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships, including with national-level stakeholders

f) Experience working in Mozambique will be an asset

Language: Excellent English and Portuguese/Spanish oral and written communication skills.

Annex 3 - TOR Strengthening of HIV vulnerability targeting amongst AGYW a.docx

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

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 include 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 reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards 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:

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

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.

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 met prior to 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.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org