International consultant to support Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Implementation in Sao Tome and Principe (STP)

Contract

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Breastfeeding is fundamental to the health and development of children, and important for the health of their mothers. WHO and UNICEF recommend that breastfeeding should begin within one hour of birth, continue exclusively for the first six months of life, and continue, along with healthy and satisfying complementary foods, until the age of two years or beyond, to reduce child morbidity and mortality. Workers concerned with nutrition, with maternal, newborn and child health, also recognize the importance of improved infant feeding practices.

In 1991, UNICEF and WHO jointly launched the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, which the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding was updated and superseded in a Guideline published in 2018. This guideline, Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding will be used in facilities providing maternity and newborn services in Sao Tome and Principe striving to achieve "Baby Friendly" status.

Nutrition plays a vital role in laying a strong foundation for a child’s brain and body and it is critical to support mother to exclusively breastfeed alongside with complementary foods for two years and beyond.

The implementation of this initiative is also supported by the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, as a tool promoting breast-feeding and regulating inappropriate sales promotion of infant foods, was recently approved by the Parliament.

In São Tomé e Príncipe breastfeeding is a widespread practice and has demonstrated remarkable advances thanks to the great effort of its promotion. According to the data from the MICS-2014, approximately three-quarters (74 percent) of children age less than six months are exclusively breastfed. However, only 38 percent of babies are breastfed for the first time within one hour of birth, while 86 percent of new-borns start breastfeeding within one day of birth. At age 12-15 months, 86 percent of children are still being breastfed. There are no clear correlations with the mother's level of wealth or education, but the reports collected from the families reveal the existence of ancestral breastfeeding practices by the Santomeans families.

In the 1990s, an attempt was made to establish a Child Friendly Hospital programme at the main maternity Hospital facility, but unsuccessfully and therefore, there is no health unit with BFHI status. In the national nutrition policy, the goals related to breastfeeding are not clearly defined however, the Integrated Strategy for Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition 2019-2023 establishes an intermediate target in 60%, by 2021.

The National Health System (SNS) is organized on two levels: the central one, of national scope which competence is essentially political-administrative and the district level, next to the populations, which ensures primary and secondary cares. All 7 Health Districts are constituted by Health Centers, more differentiated structures for the provision of basic health care and the Health Posts, smallest units closer to the population, which provide predominantly preventive care. Each health District has a maternity hospital, except for the Districts of Me Zochi and Cantagalo. The country has 6 maternity hospitals, one of which is central in the District of Agua Grande, where severe cases are referred to, one in the District of Lobata, in the District of Lembá, one in the island of Príncipe and two in the District of Caué.

Finally, the Baby Friendly Initiative is a complementary initiative to the National Programme for parental education which aims at strengthening caregivers’ practices for young children survival, wellbeing and development.

How can you make a difference?

Main objective Support the implementation of BFHI in all 6 maternity facilities.

Specific Objectives:

• Support the development of national BFHI tools based on the 2018 BFHI guidance
• Conduct the training of a group of health professionals as future trainers.
• Assist the Ministry of Health to prepare 6 maternity hospitals to achieve "Baby Friendly" status.

Deliverables and timeline:

• National BFHI tools based on the 2018 BFHI guidance approved, 9 – 13 November.
• 3 TOT training sessions of two days duration conducted with pre-& post test results, and report available, 16 – 21 November.
• A core group of 30 health providers, trained on BFHI.
• Reports of the Supervision visits to the maternities
• Final report with recommendations on immediate next steps and to ensure the sustainability of the initiative in Sao Tome and Principe, available, 23 November – 7 December 2020

Specific tasks of the consultant

The consultant will be in-charge of the following tasks:

• Review of available national documentation on breastfeeding.
• Develop the national BFHI tools based on the 2018 BFHI guidance.
• Conduct 3 TOT training sessions with pre-& post test results.
• Undertake supervision visits to the targeted maternities and produce reports and recommendations on the steps to ensure the sustainability of the BFHI in Sao Tome and Principe;
• Support the validation workshop of national BFHI tools based on the 2018 BFHI guidelines.

Working methodology to meet objectives and deliverables

The consultant will work closely with the coordinator of the National Nutrition Programme, the coordinator of Health Reproductive Programme, a technical team of the districts and Principe region at the Ministry of Health and in coordination with the UNICEF Country Office Health Specialist and WHO Country Office PF Family Health Programme.

• Meeting with UNICEF and WHO Officers, and the Ministry of Health for discussion on working method and agree on a detailed workplan with a timeline.
• Organization and preparation of the field visits with the director of health care and district team, to the targeted maternities to assess the current situation.
• Preparation of the TOT in collaboration with the coordinator of the National Nutrition Programme, the coordinator of Health Reproductive Programme and the director of health care.
• Stakeholder consultation: under the leadership of MOH, presentation of the draft report with recommendations on the steps to ensure the sustainability of the BFHI in Sao Tome and Principe.
• Finalize and submit the report

Duration of the contract and working arrangement:

• The duration of the consultancy is fixed at 29 days.
• The consultant will not work in the UNICEF office, but in a remote location and on a daily basis and have to travel extensively within the country.
• UNICEF STP Country Office will assist in the displacement to the Districts targeted by the interventions.
• The consultant must have his own materials, i.e. computer, office supplies, etc.

Salaries and other allowances

• The remuneration of this consultancy will be negotiated following the United Nations Salary scale for the international SSA staff
• taking into account the qualifications and experience of the suitable candidate.
• The consultant is entitled to Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), while traveling in Sao Tome and Principe.
• Payment will be administered by UNICEF as follows:
  • Refund of ticket (s) on arrival at São Tome;
  • 100% DSA on arrival in Sao Tome, in local currency;
  • 15% of fees after presentation of the work plan and related;
  • 35% of fees after group of health professionals trained on BFHI;
  • 50% of fees at the end of the consultancy.

Files to submit:

• Cover letter
• Detailed curriculum vitae including a description of main achievements
• Training of trainers’ s certificate issued by IBFAN
• A detailed Technical Proposal
• A detailed Financial Proposal quoted in United States dollars (USD) which must outline the overall fees including DSA for the period
• Submission of a writing sample of a report of previous research;
• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information

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

Qualifications and specialization/experience required:

• Have a training of trainers’ s certificate on BFHI issued by the IBFAN.
• To be part of a roster of qualified trainers on BFHI.
• Over 5 years of experience in supporting health facilities to achieve "Baby Friendly" status.
• Proficiency in Portuguese. English or French are an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.