National Social and Behavior Change Consultant to support GAVI-funded activities on immunization, 11. 5 months, Dushanbe, Tajikistan (for Tajik nationals only)

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Saturday 8 Oct 2022 at 18:55 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,

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nation.

UNICEF works to make sure that all children have access to immunizations. Although it has been its work for over three decades, permanent action is needed. In recent years, new challenges have been faced by governments and societies, such as the dangerous trend in routine immunization backsliding and the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Also, the hesitancy against COVID-19 has affected individual decisions and public health policies on vaccines, including vaccines to protect children.

Approaching families, health professionals, school communities, and diverse stakeholders is crucial given the quick spread of misinformation because people have used social media and instantaneous message platforms to spread non-evidence-based information on health, particularly vaccines and immunization public policy. In Tajikistan, the Ministry of Health (MoH) calls for collective support from partners coming from UN agencies, International Non-Government Organizations, Civil Society Groups, and other networks to help amplify the importance of getting every child protected by vaccines.

However, it needs more than providing access to correct and trustful information to engage caregivers in immunization campaigns. The Ministry of Health, with the support of UNICEF, need to know their contexts and understand the barriers and motivations that let them adhere or not to the national program of immunization. Caregivers could also contribute to designing and developing communication materials, as they could improve the quality and efficacy of the materials by indicating key messages and approaches that could work better from their perspective.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health (MoH) needs a feedback loop to “hear” public concerns and questions regarding the immunization of children in the different stages of their lives and as teenagers. Health authorities can learn from rumors or misinformation to rapidly correct them and consider adapting communication materials. These measures also have to be accessible to socially excluded population groups, which become more vulnerable as the coverage in the remote areas faces even more challenging situations. These groups include persons with disabilities, urban and rural poor, elderly, pre-existing medical conditions, women (pregnant, lactating, sickly, and solo parent), children, migrants, and faith-based communities, to mention some. With the technical support of UNICEF, the Ministry of Health can explore the social and behavior change approach to tackle these new challenges and strengthen the response to reminiscent ones.

For over 30 years, UNICEF has been leading the work at the community level within the UN system. The Communication for Development (C4D) program and strategy implemented by UNICEF around the world is a reference of multiple-ways path communication for sharing ideas, understanding people, their beliefs and values, and the social and cultural norms that shape their lives. Through different channels, strategies, and approaches, humanitarian workers from UNICEF have been in the fields and the offices, involving local communities in identifying the problems that need to be addressed and coming up together with solutions, advocating for the right of participation, and assuring people’s right to be part of the decisions that affect their lives, most of them living in vulnerable contexts.

As part of this continuing journey, UNICEF has been discussing new approaches for the work done at the community level by reviewing the methodologies adopted and the results collected globally through the years. The world is constantly changing, as well as our values, social, and cultural norms, and behaviors. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and all challenges brought by it on the work at the community level have inspired and guided this discussion in the theoretical and practical aspects. As an outcome of this process, in January 2022, UNICEF announced that the Communication for Development units would shift to Social and Behavior Change (SBC) units.

The Social and Behavior Change approach is based on processes, tools, and tactics that promote positive and measurable changes in people’s environments, societies, and behaviors. SBC uses social and behavioral evidence and inclusive, participatory approaches to co-design solutions to development and humanitarian challenges by working with communities, individuals, and partners. It prioritizes the fulfillment of human rights through systematically analyzing the cognitive, social, and structural drivers of change and works with communities, partners, and governments to address them. The shift strengthens the human rights focus of UNICEF. The solid legacy from C4D approaches and the experience of humanitarian workers over three decades will be improved by new skills, methods, and more tools to strengthen the historical human rights focus of UNICEF, collaborating with both duty bearers and rights holders.

How can you make a difference?

To provide technical and secretariat support to the Ministry of Health and its partners to design, develop, and implement, under a social and behavior change approach, communication materials and communication strategies for immunization of children focused on target groups, such as caregivers, health professionals, pregnant women, and community-faith based groups.

DUTY STATION/DURATION:

Estimated duration: 11. 5 months

Duty station: Dushanbe

On-site working days: 242 days

Supervisor: Communication for Development Specialist

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

Under direct supervision of the SBC Unit Team (SBC National Officer):

• Coordinate, liaise, and monitor collective activities on communication and community engagement in immunization campaigns;

• Support design and development of communication materials;

• Support in the conduct of training/capacity-building activities;

• Support in the conduct of community activities to guide the implementation of immunization activities such as focus groups, in-depth interview, human-center design groups.

KEY DELIVERABLES/TIMEFRAME/PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

#

Tasks/Milestone

Deliverables/Outputs

Number of days

Timeline

Payment schedule

1

Coordinate, liaise, and monitor collective activities on communication and community engagement in guiding the implementation of immunization activities

  • Number of important meetings attended on a weekly or monthly basis (including submission or sharing of meeting minutes, other relevant notes, or reports);
  • Highlights of essential action points for immediate implementation to follow-up;
  • Sustain/maintain the shared google drive for the repository of all documents, reports, etc.

11.05 months

The first week of October

2022

The last week of September

2023

Monthly basis

2

Support design and development of communication materials;

  • Number of meetings to discuss, design, and develop communication materials
  • Number of communication materials developed by the consultant support
  • Presentation (as needed and required) of the materials developed
  • Sustain/maintain the shared google drive for the repository of all documents, reports, etc.

3

Support in the conduct of training/capacity-building activities,

  • Translation, documentation, liaison, other admin and logistic works, etc. days/weeks before the actual training;
  • Monitoring, as needed and required.
  • Co-collaborate in training, eventually performing them

4

Support in the conduct of community activities to guide the immunization campaigns, such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and human-center design implementation

  • Translation, documentation, liaison, other admin and logistic works, etc.
  • Monitoring, as needed and required.
  • Co-collaborate in focus groups, in-depth interview, and human center design activities, eventually leading the process

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

1) Education

- Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in Communications, Community Engagement, AAP, Media/Journalism, Sociology, Data Science, and/or Knowledge management.

- A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with two additional years of professional experience may be accepted instead of an Advanced University Degree.

2) Work experience

- At least two years of proven experience in communications, community engagement, social and behavior change, RCCE, media monitoring, and analysis and digital listening in preparedness and response, including experience with capacity building, facilitating, social media management, trend monitoring, and influencing as well as experience in the design and implementation of interventions, including communication materials, and rumor management/misinformation

- Excellent writing, planning, and coordination skills, with proven ability to work independently.

3) Competencies

- Coordination, partnership, and understanding of collective action and standard service platform

- Relating & Networking: Excellent team player, able to work on own initiative and as part of a team

- Persuading & Influencing: Ability to facilitate mutual understanding among partners

- Applying Technical Expertise in communication, community engagement, and AAP

- Promoting, practicing, and helping others value and respect diversity of gender, culture, opinions, values, perspectives, ideas, skills, expertise, knowledge, and experiences.

- Capable of working effectively under stress, on multiple assignments simultaneously, and adapting to changing demands.

4) Language

- Excellent written and verbal communication in Tajik, Russian, and English.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. A technical proposal with the proposed methodology/approach to managing the project, showing an understanding of tasks.

2. Financial quote for the consultancy in TJS per month (as well as travel and subsistence costs, as applicable).

3. Examples of previous, relevant work related to the deliverables.

4. At least two references

5. Applications without a financial quote will not be considered.

Queries can be sent to dushanbe@unicef.org with the subject line “Consultancy to support in COVID-19 response and recovery; likely influx of refugees”.

Applications must be received through electronic application form on our website by 8 October 2022.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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.

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