Social & Behaviour Change (SBC) Field Consultant – Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response, Francistown/Serowe/Ghanzi, Botswana (Opened to Botswana Nationals Only)

UNICEF Botswana is looking to engage a national consultant to support Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response communication and nOPV2 introduction in Botswana.

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. 

For every child, Health

How can you make a difference? 

Background
Social and Behaviour Change plays a crucial role in improving child immunization, by fostering understanding of childhood diseases, creating demand for services and acceptance of the vaccines. In recognition of this important role, UNICEF Botswana is supporting the Ministry of Health to strengthen SBC to support national immunization programmes and disease outbreak campaigns.

The recent detection of circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus (cVDPV) raises concerns, especially because of current low routine immunization coverage of OPV3 (46.9%) and IPV (51.4%), also because Botswana the last indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) case was reported about 18 years ago, and the country may not have immediate capacity to respond effectively while catching up with developments with Polio response. In addition, the introduction of a novel vaccine, nOPV2, requires technical capacity that can facilitate initial advocacy, communication and social mobilization response.

As a key partner of the GPEI, UNICEF has the mandate of providing assistance to ensure evidence-based, fast track and effective SBC response whenever a polio outbreak is confirmed, as well as the support to strengthen routine immunization. The organization relies on highly trained and experienced personnel of staff and consultants to meet this obligation.

Justification
It is against the above premise, that UNICEF Botswana needs to recruit an Immunization/Polio SBC individual consultant, who is willing and will be available for immediate deployment to support the Botswana SBC team and the Ministry of Health’s EPI and Health Promotion unit on Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response (OPR) and nOPV2 introduction.

Scope of Assignment
In close co-ordination with the UNICEF SBC and the Health section and MoH EPI and HPE departments, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
a) Work with district Polio response teams to design, implement, monitor and evaluate an evidence-based SBC strategy;
b) Support community engagement, social mobilization and specific behavior change interventions;
c) Facilitate communication assessments and rapid social-behavioral research and evidence building, especially in high risk and hard-to-reach communities;
d) Develop/adapt and tailor health messages and information products for various target populations/audiences, based on community knowledge, practices, and behaviors;
e) Facilitate the designing and implementation of specific plans of actions for immunization and/ or Polio eradication to reach special groups;
f) Organize training of health workers, especially in inter-personal communication (IPC) for social and behavioral change in underserved and hard-to-reach communities who are at high risk of vaccine preventable diseases;
g) Work closely with district Polio response teams to support mapping of rumors and misinformation for effective response and management;
h) Support advocacy activities to engage political, religious, and community leaders and other stakeholders;
i) Submit final consultancy report with best practices, recommendations, gaps & challenges.

Expected deliverables
The consultant will provide the following deliverables:
a) Work plan/inception report
b) Updated Polio response plan for the region supported
c) Conduct communication assessments and rapid social-behavioral research and evidence building, especially in high risk and hard-to-reach communities and produce report.
d) Facilitate community engagement
e) Support production of communication materials to support immunization and/or Polio SIA campaigns; facilitate dissemination of the produced materials.
f) Train health workers on IPC
g) Develop/ adapt communication monitoring tools, train community volunteers/ health workers and facilitate monitoring of activities.
h) Support advocacy activities to engage political, religious, and community leaders and other stakeholders.
i) Work closely with district response teams on developing and implementing a social media plan including addressing misinformation, disinformation and vaccine hesitancy
j) Working closely with district response teams to document and share lessons learned and best practices in child immunization interventions and polio campaigns.
k) Monthly progress reports
l) Final consultancy report with best practices, recommendations, gaps and challenges

Tasks

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in  
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. 
• A minimum of [insert years] of relevant professional experience in 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English 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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.