Vaccine Intervention, Support and Delivery Officer- hard-to-reach populations

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This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Gaps in COVID-19 vaccine delivery to hard-to-reach populations, specifically migrant and mobile populations, remain a challenge in achieving Zambia’s 2022 mid targets (70% vaccine coverage). To support Zambia to progressively include migrants and mobile populations in prioritization plans for COVID-19 vaccination, triangulation, and utilization of accurate data on migrant typology and trends is required. The use of a well-organized and deliberate migration health data information system would not only support COVID-19 vaccines administration and coverage, but immunization efforts in a whole, in order to reach hard to reach populations.

Further, several challenges exist for migrants and other mobile populations in accessing timely, and linguistically and culturally appropriate information on how and where to vaccinate or receive health services, and that careful planning around the needs of such populations are required to ensure Zambia reaches it targets for Covid-19 vaccination coverage by the end of 2022, leaving no one behind. This includes the need to ensure migrant health workers, stranded migrants, older migrants, migrants with serious health conditions, migrants in detention, migrants who find themselves in irregular situations or who are undocumented, refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, and other vulnerable people on the move, are considered when quantifying needs and operational planning for vaccine distribution. Zambia is currently lagging behind the global vaccination targets although there have been massive campaigns around COVID-19 vaccinations. More community engagement activities are required to ensure vaccines get to the target populations such as migrants, mobile and the general population.

It is against this background that a UN Volunteer is required to leverage support for vaccine acquisition and delivery to migrants and mobile populations.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission and direct supervision of the Migration Health Project Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support Government with the generation of evidence for micro planning that includes all the target populations, including migrants and other vulnerable populations; • Participate in all national consultations/meetings/workshops for COVID-19 vaccination and advocate for adequate access to vaccination for migrants and other vulnerable populations; • Assist and liaise with Government through the Ministry of Health to have a deliberate policy that secures migrant health as a critical component of public health planning and delivery to ensure health for all; • Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health, advocate and provide guidance on strategies to ensure adequate access to vaccination of target populations and explore ways to monitor access and delivery of vaccines to migrants, mobile populations, and advocate for inclusion in national vaccination planning and implementation; • Support the Ministry of Health to develop an information management system that captures migrant’s health profiles within the COVID-19 response and other public health concerns; • Support capacity building initiatives for frontline health workers on migrant sensitive health service provision, including for COVID-19 vaccinations; • Support advocacy for migrant inclusion in the COVID 19 vaccination rollout.

• Commitment and Motivation • Commitment to Continuous Learning • Communication • Creativity • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Knowledge Sharing • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Self-Management • Working in Teams

Public health and migration programming in a development context; data preparation, data management; migration health and migration governance; Project development, implementation, and management; Public health informatics and field epidemiology is an added advantage

Zambia is a landlocked, middle-income country with a population estimated at 18 million. Lusaka became the capital city of Zambia in May 1935. Lusaka’s central position in Zambia and its pleasant climate were two of the main reasons for its selection as the capital. It is a metropolis, which provides a home to about two and half million (2.5M) inhabitants of different nationalities. It has grown to become the seat of the Government of the Republic of Zambia and as such all diplomatic missions, international organizations, industrial and commercial entities are based there. Its political, social, economic, and cultural significance has also increased through the years. Public transport is provided by private operators using minibuses and taxis. The bus routes are not mapped, and roads are often congested. Good modern housing for rent is available on the open market. The official language is English, which is widely spoken. The country is generally food secure, with sufficient local fresh fruits and vegetables available in the markets, as well as various dairy, poultry, and meat products. There are several international schools using the Cambridge GCSE or IGCSE syllabi, from key stage one through to A levels. Health conditions are generally good, although malaria is endemic.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org