Sierra Leone: M&E consultant
Country: Sierra Leone
Closing date: 16 Sep 2013
BACKGROUND
About Health Poverty Action (HPA)Health Poverty Action’s vision is a world in which the poorest and most marginalised enjoy their right to health.
Health Poverty Action started working in Sierra Leone in 2005. In keeping with our mission of reaching the most marginalised, we have delivered a number of successful maternal heath and gender equality projects in Northern Bombali covering areas such as Tambaka chiefdom, one of most remote and marginalised communities in the country.
Our interventions have included provision of ambulances, training of health staff and a large component on community education. Our work in Sierra Leone is innovative using our understanding of local culture and norms to adapt tried and tested models to the Sierra Leone context.Our work in Northern Bombali complements that of the Government of Sierra Leone and other partners and has had huge proven impact; knowledge of maternal and child health has sky rocketed and Northern Bombali stands out as one area in the country where SGBV survivors are able to access justice.
We specialise in the fundamental connection between health and poverty. These two are inseparable. Yet so often they are addressed in isolation, as if health was the responsibility only of the health sector. An unhealthy population has little chance of working its way of poverty, and families struggling to survive in extreme poverty have almost no chance of sustaining good health. But if the two are tackled together, in an integrated way, this fundamental link becomes a powerful positive. Improving health works to eradicate poverty, and vice versa. The multiple determinants of health and poverty such as gender equality, education, nutrition, safe water and proper sanitation and shelter must be tackled holistically to bring sustainable change.
Prioritising the poorest and most marginalisedMuch of Health Poverty Action’s distinctiveness derives from the priority we give to those whose health rights have been most neglected. Development efforts often tend to cluster in particular areas, leaving others almost untouched. Prioritising the poorest and most marginalised means we have become particularly skilled at working in hard to reach areas, and with marginalised populations such as ethnic minorities. We attach great value to the precious relationships we have developed with communities who have learnt through bitter experience to trust few others. While working with those most neglected frequently leads us to rural areas, we also work in large cities and urban areas. We know there are marginalised people there too.
Action – what we doHealth Poverty Action conducts a wide range of activities each year to strengthen poor and marginalised people in their struggle for health. These are in four broad categories:• Development Programmes in 13 countriesWe work with communities in 13 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to identify and address the primary factors limiting their right to health. These areas include, but are not limited to, health system strengthening, disease control, health education, harmful traditional practices and gender issues, income generation, food security and nutrition, and water and sanitation. Each year, through these programmes, we are able to help tens of millions of the poorest people in the world improve their health.
• Influencing the policy and practice of othersWe steadfastly refuse to accept that because there are so many poor and marginalised people in the world that some must be expendable, and that the right to health can therefore not be for all. We will never accept that. At the same time, we know the scale is so great that we will never be able to meet the need through the size of our own programmes alone. We therefore believe addressing the policies and practices of others is vitally important – analysing what needs to change, devising creative alternatives, and using our influence to bring those changes about.
• Responding to emergenciesThose with few resources and little support are extremely vulnerable at times of particular hardship – maybe an ongoing problem that has reached crisis proportions, or maybe a sudden disaster of some kind. At such times we work with those affected to respond to these emergencies. We always remember that emergencies are not identified by what is given profile in the global media, but by the experience of those affected by particular crises (most of which are never reported). We also know that for the poor and marginalised, emergencies are not discreet events, but one additional factor they face in an ongoing struggle for health and well-being. We help them mobilise all possible resources for urgent response – and do this as an integrated contribution to their ongoing development work.
• Providing consultancy and other contracted services The expertise, resources and relationships of Health Poverty Action mean we are in a position to provide a wide variety of valuable services to others in exchange for a fee. These services can provide important benefits for the poor as well as generating income, and all profits are ploughed back into developing our work.
UNFPA-funded obstetric fistula prevention projectA Fistula is a permanent abnormal passageway between two organs in the body or between an organ and the exterior of the body.
Obstetric fistula is the most devastating and serious of all childbirth injuries. It happens when a woman gives birth without appropriate medical help. Usually after enduring days of agonizing, obstructed labour, a woman's body is literally broken by childbirth. During labour contractions, the baby's head is constantly pushing against the mother’s pelvic bone - causing tissue to die due to lack of blood flow to this area. All of that pushing creates a hole, or in medical terms a "fistula", between the birth passage and an internal organ such as the bladder or rectum. Because of this hole the woman cannot hold her urine, and sometimes her bowel content as well and so becomes incontinent. Many fistula sufferers are young girls.
A woman with fistula is likely to be rejected by her husband because of her foul smell and her inability to bear more children. She is usually shunned by her community and forced to live in isolation. These women suffer profound psychological trauma resulting from their utter loss of status and dignity, in addition to suffering constantly from their physical internal injury. To compound it all the woman usually loses her baby in birth process.Building upon HPA’s previous work addressing maternal health through community based training and sensitisation, this project extends HPAs work to two new districts- Koinadugu and Kambia. Through intense sensitisation and active search, HPA trained volunteers find women with Fistula in the remote villages and refer them to Aberdeen Women’s Centre (AWC), and West Africa Fistula Foundation (WAAF) where FREE operations are provided for the women
PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCYThe objective of the consultancy is to work with Health Poverty Action and its partner organisations to analyse data from fistula surgery centres and search partners to provide up to date information, robust of fistula incidence trends by location, age, ethnicity etc.
The consultant will also set up an M&E system that will allow continued data collection from partners and consolidation and analysis of data.
SPECIFIC TASKS TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE M AND E CONSULTANT
Main tasks
Work with the M&E officer and M&E intern in Health Poverty Action supporting and building the team capacity to:- consult with partners (Aberdeen Women Centre (AWC), West African Fistula Foundation (WAAF), Haikal, UNFPA and Reproductive Health unit of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) )to identify the full extent of data available and information that they believe will be useful for the intended audience.
review data collected from fistula surgical centres (AWC and WAAF) andcommunity search organizations (Haikal and Health Poverty Action) over the past 10 years.
request additional data or information to complete data sets orcontextualise data from organisations above and other sources
Organise and prepare data for analysis
Analyse and present information from data analysis
Present possible for explanations for trends and patterns observed
Develop a clear method for the integration of information from the DHSsurvey into the framework of information provided by the DHS survey
Prepare a technical report for ministry health, Donor and implementingpartners showing fistula prevalence, hotspots, and key factors affectingfistula incidence.
make recommendations on information that can be added to NationalObstetric Fistula Strategy.
Create and M&E System for continued data collection and analysis
The successful consultant will be full-time at Health Poverty Action over the 3-month period.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
-Masters or PhD in epidemiology or related field
-Advanced excel or SPSS skills
-Excellent data presentation skills
-Experience and enthusiasm to train others
- Experience of delivering similar projects
DELIVERABLES 1. A working M and E system2. M&E report 3. Improved the capacity of the HPA M and E team
RENUMERATION 10,875,000SLL per month less 5% withholding tax
PROPOSED TIME-FRAME3 months full-time (October and December 2013)
How to apply:
APPLICATION PROCEDURETo undertake this role, the consultant should have: • All proposals must include the following:1. CVs of lead consultant and any team members where applicable
- A proposal showing
- How the consultant meets the specifications
- Proposed methodology and work plan
- Added value that the consultant can bring to the project
Proposals must be received by Monday 16th September 2013.Anticipated start date 1st October 2013.Please send all proposals to: atdeen@healthpovertyactionsl.org.uk or Health Poverty Action, 25 Barracks Road, Murray Town, Freetown
