DCO Extender

• Deploying district communication officers to support demand generation for polio vaccine and reduce missed children in immunization campaigns through coordination and engagement of communities and district authorities, and capacity building of frontline workers. 

• Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the world’s only polio-endemic countries. In 2024, Afghanistan reported 25 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) and 106 environmental isolates, primarily from the eastern and southern regions. As of May 2025, two WPV1 cases and 25 environmental isolations have been reported. The eastern and southern regions continue to be classified as high-risk and remain priority areas for the polio eradication program.

• Given the ongoing risk of virus circulation and the shift in campaign modality from house-to-house to site-to-site, there is an increased need for community engagement between campaign rounds. This also necessitates adapting campaign-based social mobilization strategies to align with the site-to-site modality to ensure optimal coverage.

• To address these needs, the PULL strategy has been developed, focusing specifically on high-risk areas. As part of the strategy’s implementation, the realignment of frontline workers (FLWs) has been undertaken to concentrate efforts in high-risk zones while maintaining a minimal footprint in low-risk areas.

• Given the ongoing risk of virus circulation and the shift in campaign modality from house-to-house to site-to-site, there is an increased need for community engagement between campaign rounds. This also necessitates adapting campaign-based social mobilization strategies to align with the site-to-site modality to ensure optimal coverage.

• To address these needs, the PULL strategy has been developed, focusing specifically on high-risk areas. As part of the strategy’s implementation, the realignment of frontline workers (FLWs) has been undertaken to concentrate efforts in high-risk zones while maintaining a minimal footprint in low-risk areas.

• To further support the implementation of the PULL strategy, our client is planning to recruit District Communication Officers (DCOs). They will work under the direct supervision of PCO/SBC Extender and overall oversight of regional SBC Specialist/Officer. DCOs will supervise FMVs/Cluster Communication Supervisor (CCS)/ Campaign-based Social Mobilizers (CB-SM) and collaborate closely with other FLWs, partners, district authorities, stakeholders, community-based structures, and caregivers.

• The polio eradication programme is operating in polio high risk areas. Access to communities at risk is essential for the program to contain the polio virus transmission through increasing the community collective immunity. Polio outreach workers recruited from the local communities are deployed to address vaccine uptake issues and mobilise their communities. Due to the need to cover all the polio high-risk areas, including the most remote ones, our client staff members are unable to carry out such tasks. Under this contract, supervision and facilitation of community engagement activities, field/district level coordination and capacity building of FLWs is conducted through district communication officers. 

Specific Tasks/Activities – District Communication Officer:

Planning and Coordination:

• Develop and regularly update integrated SBC and operational microplans at district and cluster levels.

• Design and implement quarterly evidence-based communication plans with a focus on missed children and refusals.

• Coordinate pre-, intra-, and post-campaign communication activities at district level.

• Lead planning and coordination of immunization campaign inaugurations at district, cluster and site levels.

• Ensure alignment of all key messages with national guidelines and community-specific needs.

Community Engagement and Influencer Mobilization:

• Map and engage local influencers (religious leaders, elders, women leaders, etc.) to support social mobilization and refusal reduction.

• Implement community-led initiatives and interface dialogues with various refusal groups.

• Conduct and monitor regular engagement activities to PULL children toward vaccination sites, reduce missed children  and maintain zero refusal status.

Support to FMVs and Social Mobilizers:

• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and deployment of campaign-based SMs in collaboration with PCO and district selection committees.

• Supervise FMVs and SMs, conduct on-the-job training, and ensure quality implementation of health education sessions.

• Plan and implement training sessions for social mobilizers, FMVs, and community influencers based on identified needs.

Monitoring, Supervision, and Data Collection:

• Conduct field visits to monitor RI, community engagement, and social mobilization activities.

• Collect and analyze social and immunization data of districts (e.g., BCG, OPV1/3, HepB) to inform targeted interventions.

• Retrieve and review lists of missed children after each campaign and facilitate revisits.

• Participate in and report from evening meetings during campaigns; follow up on corrective actions.

Vaccine and Cold Chain Management:

• Work with supply committees to ensure timely delivery and inventory of vaccines and supplies.

• Monitor cold chain capacity and vaccine management in pre, intra, and post campaigns at the cluster level.

• Fill and submit all required forms (Daily Summary Sheets, Vaccine Vials Tracking Forms, Forms on ODK and paper-based systems).

Campaign-Specific Responsibilities:

Pre-Campaign:

• Train CCS and CB-SM on social mobilization, child registration book, tally sheets, use of area map and reporting.

• Conduct cold chain inventory and readiness checks.

• Supervise pre-campaign awareness and engagement activities by SMs and FMVs.

• Plan and coordinate SBC interventions in low performance clusters

Intra Campaign:

• Monitor high-refusal clusters, ensure swift action, and report to PCO and regional coordination teams.

• Conduct intra-campaign monitoring using the ICM checklist and ensure daily updates on vaccine use.

• Monitor vaccine availability and address stock-outs promptly.

Post Campaign:

• Analyze PCA and administrative data for quality improvement.

• Ensure timely return of usable vials and proper destruction of unusable ones.

• Complete all reporting forms and submit within designated timelines.

Operations and Financial Management:

• Facilitate payments to performing SMs and FMVs.

• Prepare and verify district-level financial documents.

• Maintain documentation on campaign activities, payment records, and training expenses.

Reporting and Documentation:

• Prepare and submit weekly and monthly reports covering key SBC/communication activities, challenges, and solutions.

• Share collected social and communication data with the PCO in a timely manner.

• Document lessons learned, success stories, and best practices for district-level activities

DELIVERABLE(s)

• Integrated SBC and operational microplans developed and regularly updated for all clusters of the district.

• Monthly evidence-based communication plans implemented with focus on refusal reduction and missed children.

• Community engagement and influencer-led activities conducted and documented.

• FMVs and campaign-based social mobilizers recruited, trained, deployed, and supervised across all high-risk and convergence districts. 

• Monthly training sessions completed for social mobilizers, FMVs, and community groups based on assessed needs.

• Join RI session monitoring visits conducted monthly, with feedback reports submitted to REMT/PEMT/DoPH.

• Cold chain inventories completed and shared. 

• Pre-campaign; vaccine stock monitored and managed during campaign.

• Pre-, intra-, and post-campaign reports completed, including Daily Summary Sheets, Vaccine Vial Tracking Forms, online Form (ODK and paper-based).

• All social and immunization data (e.g., OPV dropout, missed children, refusal clusters) collected, analyzed, and reported.

• District, cluster and team level inauguration conducted. 

• Payments to eligible frontline workers processed and verified; financial utilization reports submitted monthly.

This role reports to the line manager.

Minimum qualifications and experience required: 

• University degree in social science, political science, Sharia and law,  medical science, public health, . 

• Experience in the polio programme is given a priority. 

• At least three years’ experience in relevant fields. 

• Experience in health promotion is a plus.

• Ability to travel to the health facilities in the districts and villages for monitoring and support as required.

• Fluent in local languages of the area.

• Fluency in English language is desirable. 

• Good computer skills including MS. Office. 

 This role has no team management responsibility.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.