Temporary Appointment, Communication for Development Officer NOA (Health) 364 days Post #104434

Under the general guidance of the Head of Health and the C4D Specialist and working closely with EPI Specialist in the zone, health team and partners in immunization activities, Ministry of health and WHO, the C4D officer will be responsible for implementing C4D interventions for the EPI and EPHS programme.

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

UNICEF Somalia Communication for Development (C4D) leads efforts to coordinate evidence-based, intensive social mobilization and communication activities, tailoring them to reach the target population with a focus on under-served and mobile populations in Somalia. Following the polio outbreak in South Central Somalia in May 2013, UNICEF spearheaded the Polio response in the community-level mobilization and behavior change in order to raise awareness of Polio, improve the knowledge of Polio prevention and to raise vaccine uptake. 

The Polio campaign in Somalia has been largely successful. As a result of the joint partnership of UNICEF, Ministry of Health (MoH) and World Health Organization (WHO), Wild Polio Virus (WPV) was last seen in Somalia in August 2014. Current Polio vaccination coverage is 94% and the awareness of the Polio campaign reaches 91%[1] on average. If Somalia reaches August 2017 without an additional WPV case, Somalia will be declared Polio-free and the Polio network will be expected to extend its effort into the expanded programme in immunization (EPI), which includes the routine immunization of BCG, Penta, Measles, Polio for children, and Tetanus for pregnant women.

However, the threat of Polio still persists as pockets of inaccessible districts in Somalia maintain a large reservoir of unimmunized children, and a country in the route of Polio transmission, Nigeria, has reported on the Wild Polio Virus cases recently.

In order to support both the EPI programme and Polio response in C4D, UNICEF Somalia seeks to recruit one (1) national C4D officer for 364 days to strengthen C4D interventions to effectively mobilize community to improve immunization programme. This post will also support wider health interventions, namely the Essential Public Health Services, in its behavior change and awareness raising.

For every Child, Health
 www.unicef.org/somalia

How can you make a difference?

Under the general guidance of the Head of Health and the C4D Specialist and working closely with EPI Specialist in the zone, health team and partners in immunization activities, Ministry of health and WHO, the C4D officer will be responsible for implementing C4D interventions for the EPI and EPHS programme.

Summary of key accountabilities:

The C4D officer will plan, implement and monitor the C4D activities, focusing on the positive change on the health-seeking behavior, increase in the vaccine uptake and improved awareness of the correct information on the vaccines and health services. Activities include, but not limited to, the following:

• Participate in the development and implementation of the C4D strategy for Health, routine immunization and supplementary immunization campaigns.
• Support micro planning, training, implementation and monitoring of the routine immunization and supplementary immunization campaign activities including measles, focusing on the increase of vaccine uptake among the nomads and reduction in the refusal and missed children.
• Support the Government and implementing partners to collect, analyse and report C4D specific data.
• Support the development of partnerships with religious groups, traditional leaders, teachers, artists and other organized groups in the community, to conduct meetings, community dialogues promoting immunization and uptake of health services.
• Support coordination of C4D interventions among the stakeholders for exchange of information and ideas supportive of the routine immunization improvement.
• In liaison with Government, conduct monitoring and support supervision of C4D activities implemented by partners through field visits by using the defined communication activity indicators.
• Conduct in-depth data analysis and develop C4D comprehensive report for each round of SIAs and for routine immunization.
• Provide C4D support to emergency health interventions for strategy development, media outreach, vaccination campaigns and monitoring.
• Support Malaria programme in its distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) and raising community awareness of the correct use of the nets.
• Support HIV/AIDS programme in increasing the number of persons tested for HIV/AIDS, and its behavior change components (use of condom, HIV patients’ intake of ARV, and stigma reduction in the society).
• Document lessons learned/ best practices from C4D.

As a champion for every child you will have:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in social/behavioral sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Health Education)
• Experience or expertise in the following would be an added advantage

• participatory communication,
• communication planning,
• community mobilization,
• participatory research,
• training
• impact evaluation of communication interventions

• At least one year progressive at professional level, responsible work experience in the planning and management of social development programme  planning, communications and public advocacy and/or related areas at the international and/or large organization is an asset.
• Knowledge of current developments in relevant fields such as media and community mobilization
• Skills in communication, networking, advocacy and negotiation
• Ability to organize and implement training, including development of curricula and methodologies.
• Ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
• Fluency in English.
• Fluency of written and spoken Somali

• Computer skills and various office applications.

   

  For every Child, you demonstrate…

  Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

  UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.