Community Health Specialist, P-3, Temporary Appointment, Bamako, Mali #110037 364 days ( 521565)

The purpose of this assignment is to provide a quality technical support to the key ministries and other partners to revitalizing of the National Community Health System. In this support, the functional interoperability and accountability mechanisms will be established both at national and decentralized levels to facilitate the delivery of an integrated community based package of promotive, preventive and basic curative health, nutrition, WASH, HIV, communication for behaviour change and ECD services to the communities focusing on the hard to reach and vulnerable communities.

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.

Mali has a total population 18.9 million in 2017 of which 21.6% (4.1 million) are children under five years. According to the last multiple indicators cluster survey (MICS 2015) under five mortality rate was 108% with some large disparities among regions. Newborn mortality is also unacceptably high, 36%, contributing to one-third of  under- five (U5) and half of under-one (U1) mortality. Although not yet published, the preliminary results of the 2018 demographic health survey (DHS) show no significant improvement among U5 and U1 mortalities. Six of the 11 regions (Tombouctou, Gao, Kidal, Taoudenit, Menaka and Mopti) are hard to reach and heavily affected by insecurity which hampered the delivery of essential basic services to children and mothers since 2012.  Common disease burden for children include waterborne diseases, malaria which is endemic with a high and stable transmission all year around, and malnutrition are the major causes of mortality and morbidity in the regions.

In 2008, the Government, partners and the civil society implemented the “Soins Essentiels dans la Communauté (SEC)”, an integrated community-based strategy to deliver essential health, nutrition, water and sanitation and hygiene promotion services to the most vulnerable, hard-to-reach and communities located beyond 5 km from a health facility. The package of services delivered includes newborn screening and referral to health facilities in case of danger signs, prevention of newborn’s cord sepsis, treatment of simple cases of malaria, diarrhea, acute respiratory tract infections (ARI), moderate acute malnutrition and non-complicated cases of severe acute malnutrition. It includes also service provision for family planning, social behavior changes communication, birth registration, promotion of clean drinking water, modern latrine utilization and handwashing and community level data collection and reporting. SEC is delivered by community health workers, agents de santé communautaires (ASCs) and is currently implemented in 5 regions (Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Segou and Mopti). These five regions are home to 78% of the country under five population, including newborns. As of September 2018, a total of 2,859 ASCs (58%) were deployed out of 4,928 planned in the national strategic plan.  

For every child, Good Health 

The purpose of this assignment is to provide a quality technical support to   key ministries and other partners for revitalizing the National Community Health System. In this support, the functional interoperability and accountability mechanisms will be established both at national and decentralized levels to facilitate the delivery of an integrated community-based package of promotive, preventive and basic curative health, nutrition, WASH, HIV, communication for behaviour change and ECD services to the communities focusing on the hard to reach and vulnerable communities.

How can you make a difference?

1. Specific objectives

• To provide quality technical support to MoH and other stakeholders for the development of relevant and required strategy documents and plans and relevant normative documents, including tools to revitalize the national community health system
• To build the case for the full integration of community health workers in the national health and administrative system through a provision of sustainable mechanism for the remuneration of community health workers in the national budget  
• To establish a solid intersectoral collaboration and coordination platform and mechanism within UNICEF Office, and among relevant partners to deliver an integrated and harmonized community package of high impact interventions - health, nutrition, WASH, HIV, social policy, gender, communication for behaviour change and ECD
• To set up the basis for the community based treatment of sick newborn through the community health system
• To support the implementation of child friendly community approach with high impact interventions in selected districts. The best practices of immunization and/or nutrition will be used as an entry point.

2. Scope of work

• Coordinate the updating of existing package of high-impact interventions at the community level and support partners and MoH to develop and revised the essential community health system strategies, plans and job-aids as required
• Support MoH and key partners in organizing a strategic reflection on the community Health in Mali
• Support MOH and stakeholders in developing/updating any missing core normative and process documents, including interoperability mechanisms between various government and community groups/structures  
• Put in place a functional and self-sustained accountability mechanisms at all levels (central, decentralized level) and including social accountability mechanism at community level- community dialogue groups, including young people and women groups
• Establish a coordination platform and lead UNICEF internal, government and donors for community level interventions for better harmonization, leverage, synergy and complementarity of MNCH, Nutrition, HIV, and hygiene promotion, communication for social norm change at community level
• Develop innovative approach (es) for an active and sustained registration mechanism for all infants, children, mothers and adolescents including the use of Mobile technology for reporting, for an increased demand for high-impact integrated services, acting on harmful cultural beliefs and negative social norms and engaging communities to produce their own health
• Ensure capacity building of community actors:

-promote and invest in practical and in-service skills training through mentorship and coaching skills in the workplace;

-production of easy community health worker tools/job-aids; iii) training on formative supervision at all levels.

-Ensure community newborn care, particularly the curative newborn care is initiated and integrated in the community health system

-Support quarterly reviews of Programme Performance at village and cercle levels in selected districts

-Develop concept notes and funding proposals for community health programmes and manage any related programme performance indicators

-Develop annual and mid-year reports for community health programmes

-Document best practices on community programmes as relevant

-Support Child Survival Programme for any other needs as required.

3. Methodology and place of work

• Based in Bamako with field visits to zonal offices, the TA will work in close collaboration with different units of Child Survival Programme and with others programme sections supporting the service delivery at community level - Health, Nutrition, WASH, C4D, Social policy, ECD/Education, Gender and others as required.
• S/He will also work with UNICEF Field Offices with direct implementation of community programmes.  
• The incumbent will be based in the Health Section in Bamako, under the direct supervision of the Health Manager.  

4. Expected deliverables

• Provided high level inputs and direction in the revitalization of the community health system strategy documents and plans, including tools/job-aids
• Supported in the mapping of the existing package of high-impact interventions at the community level and supporting partners and MOH to develop a revised package of interventions at community level
• Established a functional coordination platform for community health stakeholders
• Advocated and supported the development of a functional interoperability and accountability mechanisms for community health system at national and decentralized level (regional, district and village level)
• At least one innovative approach initiated in selected districts – child friendly community approach, community level registration of target groups, reporting, demand generation.
• Case made for the community based sick newborn care including the use of antibiotic by community health workers to treat neonatal sepsis where referral is not possible   
• National roadmap anticipating government progressive engagement and  donor’s progressive disengagement for the payment of community health workers (ASC) motivation/remuneration
• National and decentralized core team skilled in mentoring, coaching and formative supervision
• Funding concept notes, proposals, and related donors’ reports, and annual report developed
• Progress reports and coordination meeting reports regularly submitted

5.Key competencies, technical background and required experience 

• Good understanding of health system and community health and community system, MNCH, knowledge of primary health care and health in developing countries 
• Good knowledge of the application of the equity lens and human rights perspectives to programming;
• Good ability to support translation of analytical findings and evidence into a cohesive programming;
• Excellent communication (writing and oral), negotiation, and other human relation skills;
• Excellent ability to collect, aggregate, analyse and use data for decision making . Advanced computer literacy expected in Word, Excel and Power Point.
• Excellent oral and written communication and report & proposal writing skills 

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

• Advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, MNCH, pediatric health, family health, health policy and/or management, epidemiology or another relevant technical field.
• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with a total of [7] seven years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of [5]  five years of professional work experience in public health planning and management and/or in relevant areas at national and international levels is required.
• Relevant experience in Primary Health Care, Community Health and System is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in producing documents, proposals and reports for a resource partners, including UN agency.
• Experience working in the UN system agency or UN organization is an asset.
• Experience implementing Community Health programmes will be a considerable asset.
• Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

* Please note that this is a non-family duty station.

* Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service