National Consultancy: To conduct training for Health Care Providers including Community Health Workers on Gender, SEA/SH/GBV risk mitigation and Response, for 150 working days ( for Afghan Nationals Only)

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to support the UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office and its implementing partners by conducting training on Gender, GBV and PSEA/SH for health workers, including community health workers. The support is part of initiatives to strengthen the capacity of health care workers to provide gender responsive services and support with the GBV referral pathways

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 

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How can you make a difference? 

Back ground:

Since 15 August 2021, women and girls have been facing reinforced restrictions in exercising their rights and freedoms and access to essential services. Despite these challenges, Afghan women and girls continue to play a pivotal role in the functioning of their country. UNICEF stands firmly with the women and girls of Afghanistan, and is committed to supporting their safety, full access to rights and services.

A key sector supported by UNICEF is the health sector which continues to provide critical services to Afghan women and children in coordination with service providers. Under a World Bank supported programme, UNICEF is among other things, supporting a range of health interventions across nine selected provinces with poor health indicators to provide additional value-added high-impact maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition (MNCH+N) services covering a target population of around 5.3 million people BPHS and EPHS health facilities and working through a range of health workers.

Considering the contextual challenges and in order to strengthen the success of the programme health sector stakeholders are increasingly focused on strengthening their capacity to provide gender responsive health services. A key aspect of this drive is to provide training for health service providers. Based on the findings of the Gender Gap Analysis, the training will focus on strengthening stakeholders’ understanding of gender concepts and the gender barriers in accessing health services for women and girls, men and boys and also the gender barriers in providing gender responsive health services at institution level/ with service providers.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) is one of UNICEF’s programming priorities, as defined in the Strategic Plan (2022-2025)1 and Gender Action Plan (2022-2025) and is a prerequisite for achieving all Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goals 5 (gender equality) and 16 (peace, justice/ end violence). In line with this corporate accountability towards GBV, the UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office has committed to integrate GBV risk mitigation measures into all UNICEF-supported programmes targeting girls, boys, women and men.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:  

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to support the UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office and its implementing partners by conducting training on Gender, GBV and PSEA/SH for health workers, including community health workers. The support is part of initiatives to strengthen the capacity of health care workers to provide gender responsive services and support with the GBV referral pathways.

The training will focus on strengthening the capacity of health care workers to better understand the role of gender in health focusing  identify GBV, increase knowledge of referral pathways for GBV disclosures and how to comply with the disclosure procedures for non GBV actors. Training for midwives, CHWs , will include psychological First Aid (PFA) to enable them offer support to the survivors of GBV and SEA.

The training components will include:

1. Gender Concepts: Training of participants on gender and how this impacts on the health outcomes for men and boys, women and girls at individual, community and at institutional/facility level including orientation on COC on PSEAH .
2. Case management: Training for at least 2 health workers per health facility for support to survivors that meets the minimum standards of care
3. Safe referrals: Safe and confidential handling of disclosures of GBV and SEA and support and referral to survivors.
4. Psychological First Aid (PFA): PFA equips the health staff with the skills to provide survivors of traumatic events with humane, supportive and practical assistance for people who are distressed, in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities. identify/ recognize a survivor’s body language while requesting for support without spelling out the problem and offer Psychological first Aid (PFA) (Midwives, Nutrition counsellors and CHWs), as required by nature of their job that bring them in contact with the community on daily basis.
5. PSEA/SH: Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment. This training is in line with humanitarian principles, to ensure the protection of beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance and to ensure a safe working environment is safe for all staff, particularly female staff. 

Training of community health cadres ( including midwives , nutrition counsellors and CHWs) will include:

1. Gender concepts and gender analysis
2. Psychological first Aid (first line response)
3. Managing disclosure of GBV and how to facilitate safe referrals of reported cases 
4. PSEA/SH including key principles of humanitarian assistance, PSEAH concepts and reporting channels and GBV

Scope of Work:

1.Selection of master trainers

• Support in setting criteria for master trainers and identify participants for ToT

2.Delivery:

• Support in the orientation of COC on PSEAH to head of organizations and health facility head along with the focal points selected from Health facilities.
• Support the TOT for PSEA/ Gender focal points from the implementing partners.
• Cascading the training for selected BPHS/EPHS (health workers, with more representation of Midwives,  and CHS to cover community team) on Gender GBV/ SEA/SH, health facility check list, Youth health services and prevention and response guidelines/protocols/SOPs, including Codes of Conduct, systems protecting those reporting the instances, and GRM.
• Design a workplan for cascading training up to the level of Community health workers (CHWs) NC, and midwife’s cadre.
• Monitor the training in community level PSA
• Prepare the training report
• Conduct the pre and post training assessment.

3. Evaluation:

• Conduct pre and post training tests to assess the effectiveness of the training and change in GBV/SEA, gender equality knowledge and awareness among participants. The tests will also be used to identify persisting gaps and additional training needs pertaining to knowledge, attitude, and behaviour on gender equality, protection and GBV (PSEA/ SH).

• Document feedbacks from the training and report of the proceedings and submit to UNICEF

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

• Academic qualification: Bachelor degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Medical, Law or its equivalent
• 2  years’ experience in conducting training, including Training of Trainers (ToT) 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English and local language is required. 

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.