National Individual Consultant to provide documentation of the case finding of children missing from services using the community-based outreach program

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, vaccines

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights.

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

For more information about UNICEF Zimbabwe please click here

You can also access and explore all new UNICEF vacancies and create job alerts via the UNICEF Zimbabwe website link below:

https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/work-us

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an innovative and self-motivated individual consultant to provide documentation of the case finding of children missing from services using the community-based outreach program.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

To document the process and experiences and outcomes of the implementation approach for locating, linking, and retaining children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women on HIV treatment in Shamva and Bindura

BACKGROUND:

: Zimbabwe has made tremendous progress in HIV treatment and prevention efforts, to ensure universal access to health care and improve the health and wellness of the population. In 2023 the country surpassed the global “95-95-95” targets, with 96 per cent of the people who are living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 99 per cent of the people who know that they are living with HIV being on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and 96 per cent of people who are on treatment being virally suppressed.

Glaring disparities still exist as the country strives to end HIV as a public health threat. The country still has a high HIV vertical transmission rate of 7.5 per cent, translating to an estimated 4000 new HIV infections annually, and among the estimated 70,000 children aged 0 – 14 years living with HIV an estimated 80 per cent know their status, 78 per cent of these are on treatment and 88 percent of those on ART are virally suppressed.

Concerned by the stalling of progress for children, and the gaps between children and adults, in August 2022 Zimbabwe signed to the global alliance to ensure that no child or adolescent living with HIV is denied treatment and to prevent new infant HIV infections by the end of the decade. This called for signatories to implement interventions to close the gaps and attain universal access to services among children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women living with HIV.

UNICEF Zimbabwe’s approach to increasing access to treatment for children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women:

- UNICEF contributes to national capacity strengthening by developing national guidance for HIV testing and treatment of children, adolescents, and women; capacity building of health workers and introducing new service delivery models and technologies.

- For the children living HIV, interventions are required that locate them, and link them to HIV services and give access to treatment, and provide support and care in adherence, battling stigma and psycho-social support.

To support the country efforts to close the paediatric HIV gap and generate evidence UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care to implement an integrated approach for locating, linking, and retaining children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women on HIV treatment and in care with a focus at sub-national level. This is a community-based model utilizing the outreach platform and is being implemented in selected facilities in Bindura and Shamva districts of Mashonaland Central province. This approach leverages on efforts to reinvigorate the primary health care (PHC) approach, finding zero dose children using immunization platform, community-based monitoring of nutrition, and seeks to improve delivery of services, and capacity building at local level to deliver quality public services.

UNICEF, thus seeks a consultant to review the process of planning and implementation of the approach to increase case finding and treatment of children living with HIV being implemented in Shamva and Bindura districts, in Mashonaland Central province.

ASSIGNMENTS:

To document the process and experiences and outcomes of the implementation approach for locating, linking, and retaining children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women on HIV treatment

Specific objectives

• To document the planning processes, and the implementation approach
• To review the reporting processes and the results
• To draw lessons learnt, good practices and a set of possible local level implementation strengthening options for different contexts
• To develop key recommendations for further implementation and scale up including post documentation support to the country office

Major tasks and deliverables:

Tasks/Milestones Deliverables /Outputs:****Timeline (days)& payment scheduleConduct inception meeting with MOHCC and UNICEFInception report including detailed workplan, timelines and data collection tools3 days (15%)Conduct desk reviews, interviews with KIs and discussionsDesk review report with key interview findings and recommendations5 days (15%)Field mission, interviews, and discussions Power point presentation of key findings and recommendations5 Days (25%)Facilitate review meeting with key stakeholdersMeeting report2 days (15%)Draft final report with key recommendationsFinal report: no more than 20-25 pages document and a power point presentation5 Days (30%)To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

Advanced University Degree in Public Health/Social Sciences/Development/Communication for Development .

At least five years of relevant experience in clinical management of HIV and AIDS and in working in public health, preferably Paediatric HIV-related programming in developing countries

A university first degree in the same field plus at least 8 years relevant experience can be considered in lieu of a Masters degree

Languages:

Required: English

Desirable: Shona and Ndebele

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Excellent technical knowledge and experience in documentation process, including writing and editing in child survival and adolescent programming.
• Excellent people and interpersonal skills

If interested and available to undertake the individual consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical proposal and an all-inclusive financial proposal incorporating an approximate number of travel days for field (local) travel.

Technical proposal: The Technical Proposal should articulate an understanding of the TOR and include the proposed Tasks/Milestones, Deliverables/Outputs, Timeline and level of effort by deliverable. The similar table provided in the TOR is indicative. Applicants may use the indicative table as a guide or deviate as per the proposed approach. The proposal should also cost-effectively propose the local travel proposed by the applicant to undertake the assignment.

Financial proposal: The Financial Proposal should include the costs (providing a daily rate as justification) for each task, including consultant fee, proposed travel costs and perdiem, communications costs and any other proposed cost.

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.

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.