Sierra Leone CHW Training Package Development Consultancy

This position was posted on March 15, 2021. While we review all applications on a rolling basis, please note that we will prioritize applications received within the first week of the posting. Thank you.

The Role

Sierra Leone’s National Community Health Workers (CHW) program of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) has transformed since the first policy was developed in 2012. A change in the national CHW program's trajectory became eminent during the Ebola epidemic in 2014 when the activities of CHWs and the role they played in ending the outbreak demonstrated that they can contribute to health systems strengthening. A revision of the 2012 policy ensued, and a new national CHW policy (2016-2020) was developed and launched in February 2017. Implementation of the revised policy has been an integral component in the Directorate of Primary Health Care (DPHC) and has facilitated the CHW program's institutionalization. The MoHS has undertaken the revision of the national CHW policy as the last cycle came to an end in 2020. The new national CHW policy (2021-2026) is set to be finalized which will inform the development of a revised, comprehensive and integrated CHW training package. 

In partnership with the MoHS, Last Mile Health (LMH), is looking for a consultant to support the development of the national curriculum and training package for CHWs and their supervisors. The consultant will work under the Community Health Worker hub within the DPHC.

LMH and the MoHS are seeking an individual with exceptional content development, program design and implementation experience, strong organizational and facilitation skills, with a wide experience in developing community health workforce cadres in Sierra Leone. The consultant will work collaboratively with various expert teams in the development and launch of the full national CHW package.

The primary focus of the consultancy will be to review and develop an integrated national curriculum for the training of CHWs and their supervisors. The curriculum development is essential in continuing to institutionalize the CHW program, contributing to comprehensive healthcare delivery at the community level. This project is an essential requirement to ensure the sustainability of the National CHW program. Outputs from this consultancy will provide the foundation for sustainable community health interventions with an integrated approach. Additionally, the result will be a more comprehensive and coordinated national CHW program.

Project Details

• Commitment – 3 months (ideally April 1 - June 30, 2021) 
• Location – Freetown, Sierra Leone 
• Remuneration – Maximum estimated fees upon completion are expected to total $12,000. The consultant will be paid upon completion of each deliverable or according to a mutually agreed-upon timeline.

What You'll Do

• Support the MoHS in the development of a comprehensive and integrated national Community Health Worker curriculum  
• Lead in the development of the CHW competency framework informed by the integrated approach of the National CHW Program.
• Identify subject matter experts to lead training content consolidation and development of each module 
• Establish detailed plan and timeline for curriculum finalization and National CHW Program initial training schedule 
• Collaborate with DPHC/CHW Hub and partners to facilitate pre-service training of CHWs i.e. develop training plan, rollout master and cascaded trainings using the approved curriculum
• Coordinate activities relating to curriculum development and training under the guidance of LMH
• Facilitate complex multi-stakeholder conversations at both subnational and national levels, build consensus around decisions relating to the CHW program, and translate these decisions at multiple levels
• Coordinate with MoSH, partners, and internal LMH team to spearhead development, finalization, review, and assembly of facilitator guides, job aids, community based information system tools, supervision toolkit, and other curriculum materials to ensure consistency with CHW curriculum, national policy and MoSH requirements while meeting MoSH deadlines and in response to MoSH needs 
• Support external relationship management in partnership with practice area lead, including regular communications, presentations, and thought partnership

About Last Mile Health 

Last Mile Health partners with governments to design, scale, strengthen, and sustain high-quality community health systems, which empower teams of community and frontline health workers to bring life-saving primary healthcare to the world’s most remote communities. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with offices in Boston, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, New York, and Uganda. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.