International Consultancy : Emergency WASH Specialist - Cholera Response

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UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Monday 21 Nov 2022 at 21:55 UTC

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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, Safety...

The current cholera outbreak in Malawi started in March 2022. This followed flooding that occurred as a result of Tropical Storms Ana and Gombe which induced heavy rains affecting many districts in southern Malawi, leaving devastation and destruction of WASH infrastructure with over 1 million people affected, among which 990,000 urgently required lifesaving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance. An estimated 131,144 boys and girls under five, and 39,083 pregnant and lactating women (PLWs) were affected across the affected districts by Tropical Storms Ana and Gombe. The floods caused a rapid deterioration of the already fragile hygienic and sanitary conditions in many communities, with more than 40 drinking water sources contaminated. Malawi is one of the climate change "hotspots", with over half of its districts being affected by natural disasters yearly.

Following water source contamination due to the flooding, the cholera outbreak that started in March 2022, mostly in the southern part of the country, has recently spread to many other districts across Malawi. As of 6 November 2022, cumulatively, 6,868 cholera cases have been registered, with 203 deaths, representing a high case-fatality ratio of 3 per cent. From these cases, 1631 children were infected, with 28 deaths. The factors contributing to the spread of cholera include limited human and financial resources, low safe water coverage, and low latrine coverage aggravated by poor hygiene and open defecation.

The Joint WHO/UNICEF Monitoring Programme (JMP 2021) report indicates that 70 per cent of the population has basic water services. However, effective access to safe water is reduced by 30 per cent due to non-functionality. Access to safely managed sanitation services at the community level is estimated at 27 per cent, basic sanitation services at three per cent and access to basic hygiene services at 8 per cent (JMP, 2021).

Improving access to WASH infrastructures by rehabilitating and upgrading WASH infrastructure destroyed by the two tropical storms can significantly help reduce pathogen load in the environment and overcome the causes of infectious, preventable diseases. It is against this background that UNICEF is proposing an integrated approach and response covering WASH and Social Behavior Change (SBC) sectors across prioritized districts with the highest number of cases.

How can you make a difference?

The Emergency WASH Specialist - Cholera Response consultant will be based in the Ministry of Water and Sanitation (based in Lilongwe) with frequent monitoring visits to cholera-affected districts in Malawi. Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Implementation of the cholera case-area targeted intervention (CATI) and cluster case targeted intervention (CLUSTI) supporting district health authorities to deploy the rapid response teams or cholera outbreak response teams (CORT) and support to implementing partners’ WASH training needs and orientation to field response teams, including reviewing of monitoring tools for cholera response.
  2. Conduct site assessments and regular updates on the cholera situation to identify the needs for the response, including updates for the 5W matrix (the matrix plots Who is working Where on What activities; When and with What resources) and partner coverage maps.
  3. Safeguard and improve the public health of the affected population by ensuring access to safe drinking water and excreta disposal and promoting safe hygiene practices, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness and delivery of results following UNICEF's Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies (CCCs) and national and international humanitarian standards.
  4. Dissemination of cholera behaviour change activities through various media in consultation with the Social and Bevahiour Change (SBC) manager; and the health education unit of the Ministry of Health (MoH).
  5. Ensure cholera supplies are identified, procured, distributed and used effectively.
  6. Coordinate the response with local WASH authorities, as well as sub-national and national including attending coordination meetings on cholera response
  7. Support the WASH cluster coordination and provide periodic updates (including daily/weekly updates), situation reports (Sitreps) and final reports on the cholera response.

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

Education and training:

  • Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in Environmental Public Health, Civil Engineering, Programme Communication, Sanitation Engineering, or other field related to or other field related to behaviour change communication.
  • Additional training in health education, project management and emergency response or Social and behavioural change communication is considered as an asset.

Work Experience :

  • A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the UN or other international development organization, national government or the private sector is required.

  • Solid experience in cholera response programmes is required.

  • Background/familiarity with emergency (preparedness and response) is required and and familiarity with the IASC cluster approach is an asset.

  • Experience on case-area targeted intervention (CATI) and cluster case targeted intervention (CLUSTI) is an asset
  • Experience working with government agencies, local authorities, international organizations, NGOs, and communities in the field of water, sanitation and participatory approaches in health and hygiene promotion is required.

Skills required:

  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Excellent analytical, planning and organizational skills.
  • Ability to work in a team with limited supervision.
  • Ability to work under pressure.

Language :

  • Fluency in spoken and written English is essential.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference TOR - International Consultant - WASH Specialist - Cholera Response.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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 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.

HOW TO APPLY...

Interested Individual Consultant should provide the following:

  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Academic certificates
  3. Application letter
  4. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the Individual Consultant's understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
  5. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, stationery, communication, and other miscellaneous costs). Financial Proposal for Consultancy.xlsx Complete the attached form.
  6. References details

Remarks:

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.

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