WASH and Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Officer – Cholera Treatment Centers

Volunteering Medical & Health

Overview

Manage WASH and IPC activities in cholera treatment centers to minimize infection risk.

You have:

• Experience in water management and chlorination methods.
• Experience with hygiene promotion and community engagement activities.
• Experience in sanitation and waste management practices.
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate with health teams.
• Proficiency in MS Office and database management.
• Commitment to WHO mission and community volunteerism.
• Ability to report and analyze water quality data.

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

A cholera outbreak is currently affecting multiple provinces in Angola. In support of the Ministry of Health's response efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up its activities and is advertising an expression of interest for Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) officers to join the response team.

Purpose of the Assignment: The incumbent will be responsible for managing the Water, hygiene and Sanitation activities within the cholera treatment center. This includes ensuring the availability of safe water, adequate sanitation facilities, and promoting proper hygiene practices to minimize the risk of cholera transmission and other infections.

This assignment is reserved for candidates between the age of 27 years old - 80 years old.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of IPC/WASH coordinator or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Water Hygiene & Sanitation (WASH) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Cholera Treatment Centers (CTC) Officer will be responsible for the following:

• Managing the Water, hygiene and Sanitation activities within the cholera treatment center. This includes ensuring the availability of safe water, adequate sanitation facilities, and promoting proper hygiene practices to minimize the risk of cholera transmission and other infections. • Travel to cholera affected provinces • Support technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and provincial health teams for effective cholera case management. • Support the establishment and management of cholera treatment sites. • Collaborate with WASH, IPC, logistics, surveillance and risk community teams to strengthen the overall response, mitigating transmission, ensuring adequate supplies in treatment sites and effective communication to the communities. • Support training of staff for clinical management in inpatient cholera treatment facilities (Cholera Treatment Units and Cholera Treatment Centres). • Support quality of care through direct clinical supervision in CTUs/CTCs. • Support training of staff for community treatment of cholera in Oral Rehydration Points. • Support quality of care in community treatment centres (Oral Rehydration Points). • Support case identification in communities and referrals to appropriate treatment facilities within the communities. • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs:

As an active WHO team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to WHO and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

• To ensure safe and effective WASH and IPC practices within the Cholera Treatment Center to prevent the spread of cholera and other infections, and to support patient care and recovery. • Coordination Meetings: The incumbent will participate in regular coordination meetings. • Collaboration with Medical Team: The incumbent will collaborate the medical team on specific IPC practices related to patient care and procedures. • Training and Capacity Building: provide technical capacity building of hygienist and chlorination team supporting the cholera response on WASH/IPC • Supply Chain Management: Coordinate with logistics and medical case management teams ensuring availability of supplies is mentioned for the procurement and management of WASH and IPC supplies • Final mission report summarizing key activities, impact, gaps, and recommendations for the provinces

Water Management: • Ensure access to safe drinking water within the cholera treatment center with adequate Free Residual Chlorine (FRC). • Implement water treatment methods (e.g., chlorination) to ensure water is safe for drinking and hygiene purposes. • Establish and maintain safe water distribution within the CTC (e.g., taps, water points). • Conduct regular water quality checking for Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) • Ensure sufficient water storage capacity is available 60liters /person/day with a capacity for an extra two days Sanitation Facilities: • Plan, construct, and maintain adequate and accessible latrines for the cholera treatment center. • Ensure separate latrine facilities are available for staff, suspect/confirmed cases, to prevent cross-contamination. • Ensure proper handwashing facilities with 0.05% chlorine solution are available at all latrines, entrances, and exits.

Waste Management: • Implement a systematic and safe waste management system, including collection, segregation (medical and non-medical waste), and safe disposal. • Manage wastewater and drainage to prevent stagnant water, contamination, and the creation of breeding grounds for vectors.

Hygiene Promotion: • Develop and implement targeted hygiene promotion messages for patients, caregivers, and staff. • Focus on key hygiene behaviors, including the importance of handwashing with soap/chlorine solution, safe handling of food and water, and proper use of latrines. • Provide technical guidance and support to the IPC team on proper cleaning and disinfection procedures within the cholera treatment facilities. • Ensure the availability of necessary cleaning supplies and equipment for effective environmental cleaning.

Personal Protective equipment within Cholera treatment Center. • Training staff on standard precautions (hand hygiene, use of PPE). • Monitoring and ensuring proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). • Supporting the development and implementation of IPC protocols. • Monitoring and reporting on IPC compliance.

Reporting: • Monitor and report on key WASH indicators in the CTC regularly. • Collect data on indicators such as liters of water per patient per day and Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) levels. • Report on WASH activities, challenges, and achievements to the Incident Manager and relevant stakeholders.

• Professionalism • Integrity • Teamwork and respect for diversity • Commitment to continuous learning • Planning and organizing • Communication • Flexibility • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards WHO mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• Drinking water treatment methods and Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) monitoring. • Latrine construction, maintenance, waste management, and drainage. • Designing and implementing hygiene education and behavior change activities within a health facility setting. • Communication: Establish clear communication channels between the WASH and IPC teams and Case Management, recognizing the high interdependence of their activities. • Other desired/mandatory required technical knowledge. • Proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

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Potential interview questions

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