NGO JOBS

Organization: Action Against Hunger-USA
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 07 Feb 2014

DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM

Basic project information

Program Title: DRC WASH Consortium

Location: 11 Provinces of DRC (Bandundu and Kasai Occidental for ACF)

Project Starting Date: 01/07/2013

Project Ending Date: 06/30/2017

Background of the project

The DRC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH) Consortium comprises five experienced international NGOs who, by drawing on global experience of quality WASH programmes and experience of working in consortia, aim to increase the coverage of sustainable water and sanitation provision in the DRC.

The Consortium members are: Action Against Hunger (ACF), Agence d'aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement (ACTED), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Concern Worldwide and Solidarités International.

Vision

The vision of the DRC WASH Consortium is healthy, productive and self-reliant communities living in clean environments who, by participating in sustainable solutions to water, sanitation and hygiene services and leading this process, are catalysts for human development in DRC.

Mission

The mission of the DRC WASH Consortium is to assist rural communities in the DRC to achieve sustainable improvements in their lives thereby building resilience of communities faced with high morbidity and mortality due to problems linked to barriers of access to potable water, poor sanitation and improved hygiene.

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

User of the research’s results

ACF

Country Director and Deputy Country Director for Programs
Wash Coordinator
Field Coordinator and Programme Managers in the fieldHQ

Desk Officer
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene technical advisor, NY
Other

CCU, Consortium members and all sector buy-in organisation

Context

ACF proposes to develop an innovative Communication and Community Mobilization strategy and tools through conducting an Initial Rapid Socio Cultural Assessment (RSCA) and the developing a Methodology of Behaviour Change Communication inspired by COMBI and/or Social Community Based Marketing as part of the information gathering for the development of and adapting community mobilization programming among DRC WaSH Consortium organizations.

Literature Review

Evidence for using marketing techniques, to improve behaviour-change outcomes in WASH programming, is discussed in a 2009 UNICEF WASH Literature Review. This interest in social marketing techniques is attributed to “failures of conventional education, top-down, and supply-driven hygiene and sanitation interventions to bring about large-scale behavioural change in the past 25 years”. There is a need to bridge the gap between communities and actors in designing programmes to effectively impact WASH related decision-making. This notion is furthered with the recent 2012 State of the Humanitarian System report, which lists relevance and appropriateness as one of five proposed areas of action. In this report, findings reveal a “need to deepen investments in contextual analysis and to engage aid recipients and local organizations more meaningfully in determining needs and programme design”.

ACF proposes to develop an innovative Behaviour Change Communication and Community Mobilization strategy and tools into the consortium’s common 12-step approach for 30 ACF target villages in Popokabaka Zone de Santé in Bandundu Province and produce a final report which will be shared with consortium members and all sector buy-in organisations.

This strategy shall be developed considering but not being limited to the following two methodologies.

Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) and elements of social marketing have been pre-identified as interesting starting points which could be adapted to the WASH context.

COMBI is an integrated marketing and communication approach produced by the World Health Organization. The approach uses a variety of community-based formative research and social marketing analysis techniques for planning intervention programmes which are centred on communication strategies. It has been used primarily for outbreak responses, information campaigns and immunization initiatives.

Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM)

Community-based social marketing is an attractive alternative that has been shown to be very effective at bringing about behaviour change. Its effectiveness is due to its pragmatic approach. This approach involves the following 5 steps.

Step 1: Selecting behaviours: whatever the purpose of campaign is there are nearly always a wide array of behaviours that may be promoted.

Step 2: Identifying Barriers and Benefits: if any form of sustainable behaviour is to be widely adopted, barriers that impede people from engaging in the activity must first be identified along with what would motivate them to act. The identified barriers may be internal to the individual, such as lack of knowledge regarding how to carry out an activity, or external, as in structural changes that need to be made in order for the behaviour to be more convenient or social and cultural norms.

Step 3: Developing strategies: A variety of “tools” that are effective in changing behaviour have been identified. These tools include approaches such as gaining a commitment from an individual that they will try a new activity, or developing community norms that encourage people to behave more sustainably. The techniques that are used by community-based social marketers are carried out at the community level and frequently involve direct personal contact. Personal contact is emphasized because social science research indicates that we are most likely to change our behaviour in response to direct appeals from others.

Step 4: Piloting: Prior to implementing a community-based social marketing strategy, it is piloted in a small portion of a community. Given the high cost of implementing many programs, it is essential to know that a strategy will work before it is implemented on a large scale. Conducting a pilot allows a program to be refined until it is effective. Conducting a pilot can be a crucial step in demonstrating to funders the worthiness of implementing a program on a broad scale.

Step 5: Broad-scale implementation and Evaluation: The final step of community-based social marketing involves on-going evaluation of a program once it has been implemented in a community.

With its emphasis on identifying and targeting barriers and benefits in relation to core behaviours, these types of approach, adapted to the consortium programme, would allow for the development and implementation of a cohesive WASH behaviour change communication strategy. The approach and resulting communication strategy can easily be integrated into the common 12-step approach of the Consortium which would impact all aspects of the programme from infrastructure provision and support to management committees to individual behaviour change and household health decision making. Furthermore, this approach opens up possibilities for new feedback and collaboration mechanisms valuable for continuous WASH programmes in rapidly changing contexts.

Rationale

Community mobilization and promoting behaviour change for WaSH, also known as the software component, includes activities such as hygiene promotion; community sensitization campaigns; WaSH committee trainings; and participatory household latrine initiatives. These activities typically do not receive a lot of focus during the programming phases resulting in a generalized approach to communities irrespective of the real diversities found within and among them.

With growing consensus of the importance of community mobilization and behaviour change promotion activities towards overall impact (including in terms of equal access to infrastructures) and sustainability of WaSH projects there is strong rationale for an RSCA. The RSCA will be used to facilitate the definition of a comprehensive Behaviour Change Communication and Community Mobilisation Strategy, specific to each of the consortium’s areas of operation, as a first step to WaSH programming.

This document is a brief Terms of Reference proposing a 6 month post to support the conduction of a RSCA and facilitate the definition of a Behaviour Change Communication and Community Mobilisation Strategy in consultation with the consortium.

The research will be done under the direction of a Steering Committee what terms of references are available upon request.

Aims of the Rapid Socio-Cultural Assessment & Behaviour Change Communication and Community Mobilization Strategy Definition

General objective: To collect and compile information about communities across the selected coverage area for the development of a comprehensive Behaviour Change Community Mobilization and Communication Strategy.

Specifics objectives

To do a review of all available methodologies/tools/documents in RDC and to meet key WaSH actors in order to analyse other approaches, share information and experiences. The researcher will participate, if possible, in the WaSH cluster meeting set by UNICEF on the first 2014 quarter to present its community communication and mobilization strategy.To conduct a rapid socio-cultural assessment (RSCA), including at least the following parameters:Identify main stakeholders in the community and their relationship within the socio-political, spiritual, religious, economic and WaSH sectors;Identify key persons within the community in terms of enabling change;Identify community organisation and groups and their dynamics (including a short analysis of vulnerable groups, exclusion, position of women in society/family, tensions, etc.);Identify formal and informal channels of communication;Identify water, hygiene and sanitation attitude;Identify water, hygiene and sanitation seeking behaviour related to sanitation, water handling and storage and hygiene;Identify success and “proud factors” identified by communities during the last decade (what success (es) the community is most proud of? Which factors led to this success? What positive projection can the community make for the next decade?);Identify barriers (including in terms of resources) that impede people from adopting appropriate behaviors related to sanitation, water handling and hygiene , including social and cultural norms and practices and the extent to which they’re entrenched;Identify key features of the community that directly or indirectly could affect the planning and implementation of WaSH programming;Look at social organisation;Identify social solidarity mechanisms.To identify contextual barriers to water, sanitation and hygiene access.To develop a strategy based on a RSCA findings report and facilitate programming and tools for trainings, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of the new approaches. The strategy shall take into consideration the vision and values of the wash consortium as a component. It shall include practical recommandations to other Consortium members on how to integrate this kind of approach into the Consortium 12-step approach for the remaining implementation period. It may also include recommandations necessitating a budget and/or a timeframe that are not planned in the current project.

To train staff and key stakeholders in order to test and adjust the methodology.

To report to the steering committee in order to initiate a reflexion on a change in depth on how to tackle the software component of wash projects.

Scope of Work

ACF proposes to adapt innovative tools such as COMBI or CBSM into the consortium’s common 12-step approach for 30 ACF target villages in Popokabaka Zone de Santé in Bandundu Province and produce a final report which will be shared with consortium members.

Adapting the proposed tools in the consortium approach will comprise of the following 6 key activities:

Collect and document brief summaries of folklore from songs, stories, beliefs, traditions and customs in targeted communities;Modify and adapt COMBI/CBSM planning tools[1] to WASH programmes and introduce other formative research and social marketing tools as appropriate;Develop and conduct training with mentorship on tools for relevant ACF field staff;Implement these planning tools across 30 villages and analyse the appropriation possibilities of micro level government actors (theoretically and practically);Elaborate on a community behaviour change communication and mobilisation strategy;Produce a final report (English and French) and present the findings of the study at Technical Working Group review meeting.The work should result in 3 main outputs:

Training of ACF field staff and Zone de Santé staff on formative research techniques;Development and implementation of an integrated behaviour change communication and community mobilisation strategy and tools (the tools tested and the related results should be included, as well as methodology and proposals for adapting the tools with a scaling-up objective);Final report on research project (English and French) with presentation workshop to be presented to the Consortium members during the technical review meeting.The report should answer the following questions:

What are the identified non-divisible, end-state behaviours of the communities in the target locations related to adoption and retention of safe water use, hygiene, and sanitation practices?Which of the main identified positive or negative behaviours are recommended to be targeted to promote behaviour change in communities according to the combined impact, probability, and penetration analysis?What are the associated barriers to and opportunities for adoption of positive hygiene and sanitation practices?Do people have access to sufficient resources to implement the sought behaviour? Do they have access to clean water?What are the preliminary outcomes of the approach in relation to the DRC WASH Consortium members use of IEC material and data collection M&E tools?What are the potential public private partnerships and income generating activities linked with this approach in the DRC?What are the main recommendations for replicating and scaling-up this approach in the DRC?In addition, the report should include the following:

A set of the research and marketing analysis tools developed for this research ranked according to their appropriateness to the context in the DRC;A draft community mobilization and behaviour change communication strategy considering all elements of the WASH project: adoption of safe water use, hygiene and sanitation practices.As talking about behaviours, beliefs and tradition can be sensitive, the researcher must take ethic issues into consideration.

DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY

This will be a 6 months research with about 4 month field research.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES

The research will be realised under the direction of a steering committee composed of several wash sector buy-in actors, especially the consortium’s members.It is envisaged this research will be carried out by the same ACF field team structure defined for the DRC WASH Consortium Programme. It will be necessary, however, to introduce the methodologies, facilitate tool adaptation and development, and build capacity on the team. It is expected that WASH actors will be consulted.The researcher will present the strategy as tested in Popokabaka to the Steering Committee, with recommendations for how to adapt the strategy into the Consortium approach based on the results of the pilot in Popakabaka. The reviewed and finalised strategy will be proposed to the Consortium members.The researcher will also be responsible to produce the final report on the research and present this prior to finalisation to ACF. ACF will provide Consortium members with the opportunity to comment on the report prior to finalisation and presentation at the Technical Working Group 6-monthly Review meeting to be held in Kinshasa in June of July 2014.The final report must include an executive summary of key recommendations and photos.The research will be used as the basis for refinement of the community mobilisation, hygiene promotion and behaviour change processes used by consortium members. This refinement will be led by the Consortium WASH M&E Coordinator.

LINES OF COMMUNICATION

The successful candidate will report to the WASH Coordinator and liaise with the Program Manager of ACF. She or he will be based in the Popokabaka with frequent travel to target villages. ACF will communicate with the steering committee and the WASH M&E Coordinator through the ACF WASH Coordinator.

SPECIFICATION OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

Master degree in anthropology / socio-anthropology or equivalent specialised profile with an emphasis in Community Mobilization and Communication strategy;Experience of community level social research;Experience leading and mentoring a team;Experience developing and facilitating trainings;Knowledge of community based social marketing;Knowledge and understanding of the WASH sector;Fluent French and a good working knowledge of English;Report writing skills;Familiar with field work and travel in difficult environments;Experience in DRC is a plus.

How to apply:

Please submit an updated curriculum vitae (containing two references) and a cover letter through our website at:

http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/about/employment/job-opportunities

Organization: FHI 360
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 28 Feb 2014

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in Health, Education, Nutrition, Environment, Economic Development, Civil Society, Gender, Youth, Research and Technology--creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries, all 50 U.S. states and all U.S. territories. We are currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Manager, Strategy & Development, Department of Nutrition & Food Security in Washington, DC.

Position Description:The Manager, Strategy & Development coordinates and supports the pursuit of new business for the Global Health, Population, and Nutrition's (GHPN) Department of Nutrition and Food Security (NFS) by working with individuals, teams, and departments within GHPN and, as appropriate, across FHI 360, with the goal of expanding the technical breadth and geographic reach of FHI 360’s work in this field.

Business Development PlanningTracks new business opportunities in the areas of nutrition and food security.Manages and supports partnerships with donors and strategic partners by conducting research and analyses on trends in these areas with an emphasis on where new work is likely to be supported by donors.Assists country offices with business strategies, planning, and other business development concerns or needs.Serves as a relationship manager to develop organization-wide strategies for a portfolio of key funders.Works with GHPN leaders to coordinate business development planning.Coordinates development of the NFS Department’s annual business plan.Develops systems for collecting, assessing, and organizing business development intelligence.Coordinates and tracks requests for, and spending of, development funds.Liaises with Business Planning and Proposals (BPP) on new business pursuits.Maintains electronic filing system for systematic support of business development.Develops systems to support pursuit of new business.

Proposal Development/CoordinationAnalyzes RFP/RFAs for proposal requirements.Recruits, organizes, and manages proposal teams.Develops proposal calendars, outlines, and templates.Working with BPP, coordinates relationships and teaming agreements with external partners for joint business development pursuits.Works with internal proposal team, as well as with external partners, to ensure smooth proposal development.Coordinates in particular the technical aspects of proposals.Occasionally writes technical and/or non-technical proposal sections.Reviews proposals at various stages.Provides final edits and quality checks for proposals.Oversees final proposal assembly, production, and packaging.

Additional FunctionsCoordinates with other groups/departments on business development.Supports GHPN group-wide planning and communications, as needed.

Minimum Requirements:Bachelor’s degree required; Masters preferred. MA in related field, MBA, or MPH desirable.Minimum of 5-8 years of relevant professional experience required, including a minimum of five years working directly in business development and proposal management. Experience in planning international health, nutrition and population programs; familiarity with health communications highly desirable.Successful track record in proposal development, including experience in managing and writing winning proposals.Broad experience in a range of U.S. and international donor organizations preferred; USAID experience essential.Knowledge of business development.Knowledge of proposal management.Knowledge of competitive intelligence.Knowledge of other players (partners and competitors) in the field.Knowledge of U.S. Government, Foundations, and other potential clients of FHI 360’s/GHPN’s services.Knowledge of public health issues in developing world.Skilled in business development and proposal development/management.Ability to work in teams, build consensus, and gain cooperation with/from individuals at all levels.Ability to recruit and build teams and unite team members in pursuit of a common goal.Strong leadership skills.Outstanding interpersonal skills.Excellent analytical abilities.Excellent writer and editor.Ability to work effectively and know how to project calm and confidence in the face of multiple deadlines.Ability to handle multiple proposal teams at one time.Articulate, professional, and able to communicate in a clear, positive manner.Keen attention to detail.Ability to read, write, and speak fluent English.

Interested candidates may register online through FHI 360's Career Center at http://www.fhi360.org/careers or through the Employment section at www.fhi360.org. Please submit CV/resume and cover letter including salary requirements. Please specify source in your application.

AA/EOE/M/F/V/D

How to apply:

https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH12/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=FHI&cws=1&...

Organization: UN Population Fund
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 17 Jan 2014

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy:

JOB ID NO.: 2386

CLOSING DATE: 17 January 2014 (5:00 p.m. New York time)

POST TITLE: Strategic Planning Specialist

CATEGORY: ICS- 11 (P-4)

POST NUMBER: 26798

POST TYPE: Non-Rotational

DUTY STATION: New York

DURATION: One year (renewable)

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Strategy, Policy and Standards Branch (SPSB), Programme Division

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

The Strategic Planning Specialist post is located in the Programme Division (PD), Strategy, Policy and Standards Branch (SPSB). The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of Branch.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the Chief of Branch, the incumbent performs tasks in the following areas:

A. Strategic planning

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of UNFPA’s strategic plan, including resource allocation mechanisms and results frameworks.
• Provide substantive input in the design and implementation of the UNFPA environmental scanning architecture, which includes monitoring and analysis of political, socio-cultural and economic trends/issues, to help the organization timely react to the changes in the environment and strategically position itself internally and externally.
• Contribute to the setting of annual organizational priorities for the Fund.
• Review, provide inputs to and advise on donor frameworks and assessments.
• Coordinate planning processes

B. Development of policy, guidance and tools

• Identify policy needs and lead the development and review of policies and guidance related to strategic planning, including results frameworks and funding arrangements.
• Develop, implement and maintain corporate strategic planning tools and mechanisms, including as related to results frameworks and funding arrangements.
• Develop, deploy and maintain training modules related to strategic planning.

C. Advisory, knowledge sharing and capacity development

• Provide strategic planning advice across the organization.
• Provide training to staff on the appli¬cation of policies and tools related to strategic planning, including results frameworks and funding arrangements, as required, especially to field staff.
• Establish and maintain knowledge sharing mechanisms for dissemi¬nation of results and lessons learned for strategic planning.
• Prepare and conduct presentations and briefings to internal and external audiences, such as the Executive Committee, Executive Board, Audit Advisory Committee and parliamentarians.

D. Representation

• Participate on UNFPA’s behalf in interagency meetings on strategic planning related issues.
• Provide substantive inputs to shape UN sister agency strategic plans.

E. Management

• Coach and manage junior staff, support staff and consultants, as applicable.
• Coordination of planning processes

F. Perform other duties as required by the Chief of the Branch or the Director of the Division

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced university degree, preferably in international relations, international development, public administration, business, management or other related field.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible relevant experience, particularly in strategic planning, of which at least three years at the international level.
• Demonstrated success in developing and/or implementing corporate strategic plans required.
• Experience with results-based management and/or coordination of planning processes, with funding arrangements/development finance, and management experience highly desirable.
• Developing country programming and/or international development experience desirable.
• Excellent analytical and communications skills required.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Core Competencies

• Values/Guiding Principles;
• Performance Management;
• Developing People/Coaching and Mentoring & Fostering Innovation and Empowerment;
• Working in Teams;
• Self-Management/Emotional Intelligence;
• Communication;
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making;
• Analytical and Strategic Thinking and Results Orientation/Commitment to Excellence;
• Knowledge Sharing/Continuous Learning

Functional Competencies

• Results-based programme development and management.
• Innovation and marketing of new approaches.
• Job knowledge/technical.
• Advocacy / advancing a policy oriented.
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/building strategic alliances and partnerships.

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.

We offer an attractive remuneration package commensurate with the level of the position.

Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

Notice to applicants: In accordance with the rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, are required to renounce such status upon their appointment. Exceptions to this rule are very limited and can be made only for: (a) stateless persons; (b) newly appointed staff members who have applied for citizenship by naturalization, when such citizenship will be granted imminently; (c) acting staff members in the General Service and related categories with permanent residency status, on promotion to the Professional category; (d) staff members appointed under a temporary appointment. Please understand that UNFPA is not in a position to provide advice on or assistance in applying for any citizenship.

How to apply:

UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy. Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA at http://www.unfpa.org/employment

Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process.

Organization: UN Development Programme
Country: Bangladesh
Closing date: 19 Oct 2013

Agriculture and Food Security Project (AFSP) II in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) started in July 2013 for a period of 5 years following successful implementation of AFSP I and demonstrated results in increasing production and income of farmers and it is one of the components of Danida-funded programme called Agricultural Growth and Employment Programme (AGEP). Other components are (i) Integrated Farm Management Component (IFMC) and (ii) Agro Business Development Component (ABDC). The AFSP II is implemented by UNDP-CHTDF (Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility) and it focuses on Integrated Farm Management through Farmer Field School (FFS) approach across the CHT where, marketing for agro-products is one of the areas.

CHT, located in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh, comprises of three districts. The rough terrain, remoteness and various socio-political issues associated with a protracted conflict have seriously impeded the economic development of the region. The area of CHT is about 13,000 square miles with a total population of 1.5 million. It is the home of 11 ethnic indigenous groups - and the mainstream Bengalees. CHT is a post conflict area with a history of over 2 decades arm conflict that ended through signing of peace accord (commonly known as ‘’CHT Peace Accord”) in 1997.

The economy of CHT is very much centred on traditional agriculture and forest resources. The agricultural practices in CHT are dominated by topography of hilly terrain and traditional practices. The jhum (shifting cultivation) cultivation has been a pre-dominant agricultural practice – particularly among the indigenous communities. However, due to low return currently the jhum farmers are looking for other agricultural practices – particularly horticulture and different cash crops. In the valleys (along the main rivers e.g. Feni, Chengi, Mayeni, Kasalong, Matmuhuri, Sangu etc.) pady and vegetables are the main agricultural products. Usually, the major crops grown in the CHT are rice, banana, sesame, pulses, till, gourds, mustard, sweet potato, potato, turmeric, ginger, cucumber, sweet potato, ladies fingers, brinjal, tobacco, chilly, jack fruit, guava, papaya, cashew-nut, cotton, maize, pineapple, lemon and orange etc. Apart from the crops livestock (cattle, goat, local chicken and pig) rearing is also widely practiced in CHT and it is found one of popular options for the farmers for its good economic return and relatively easier management. Bangladesh Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics shows that 90% of all oranges, 63% of maize, 28% of till, 23% of ginger and 16% of turmeric marketed in Bangladesh originates from CHT. However, the bulk of other agricultural production is for subsistence and relatively small quantities enter the marketing channels.

Background:The experience of AFSP I demonstrated that the FFS approach is effective to increase agricultural production. However, marketing of the products remained challenging and as a result the farmers received relatively low return and ultimately they are not interested for higher volume of production – particularly in remote places. Remoteness and poor accessibility hampers perishable product marketing and therefore, farmers concentrate mainly on subsistence production. On the other, lack of entrepreneurial skills of the farmers and middle men domination in the market contributes to lower market price for the farmers. Apart from above mentioned marketing challenges small holdings and insecure land tenure also discourage big market actors or private investors to invest in CHT. As a result, the middle-man has a strong control in the market system and usually CHT agricultural products follow a long marketing-chain between the producer and consumer.

Given the challenges remain for marketing growth the CHT agriculture is potential for economic growth. The land is still fertile and proven for diversifying agricultural products. While a good quantity of plain land goes under water during summer the CHT summer vegetable has the strategic advantage. On the other, horticulture – particularly fruits production is growing up very quickly and many of the cases, the market direction has been reversed towards plains – while, the fruits used to come to CHT from outside. The road construction connecting the remote places and different infrastructure is growing up gradually which also helping for marketing growth in CHT.

Considering above situation, UNDP-CHTDF, through AFSP II project that aims to establish 1800 farmer field schools (FFS) in CHT and increasing agricultural production, has planned to work on agro product marketing which is expected to give more income to the rural farmers.

Objective of the Assignment/Service:
The objective of the consultancy is to develop a marketing strategy and identifying intervention areas for agriculture products – with a priority focus on FFS results/products. Specific objectives are:
•to identify marketing challenges for agriculture products in CHT and suggesting possible solutions or intervention areas;
•to explore the possibility or strategy of grouping the farmers for marketing and suggesting possible strategies for farmer groups;
•to develop a marketing intervention strategies with a detailed work plan and budget for the implementation of the agreed strategy.
Scope of Work:
Under the direct supervision of the Chief of CEP and with close collaboration with the Cluster Leader of CEP and AFSP II Officers the international consultant (where a national consultant will act as a mission member) will lead the mission and will develop strategy and key interventions for CHT agro product marketing. The Consultant will be based in Rangamati with required travels to Bandarban, Khagrachari and if necessary to Chittagong and Dhaka. The International Consultant will bring international expertise and in collaboration with the national consultant s/he will work on the designing of the study, conduct field works, different consultations, report writing etc. to accomplish the assignment.
Deliverables/Outputs of the Assignment:
•Submission of work plan (after document review and inception meeting with project staffs)
•Finalize the mission design and methodology with a detailed plan
•Develop different questionnaire for FGD, secondary data collection, group discussions, guide consultative meetings , Preparing the draft strategy based on inputs from team member derived from different level consultations and presentation to CHTDF-UNDP
•Finalization and submission of the strategy/report to CHTDF incorporating feedback from CHTDFTentative Payment Schedule:
•Submission of work plan (after document review and inception meetingTimeline-3 working days
Payment-20 % of total contract value
•Develop different questionnaire for FGD, secondary data collection, group discussions, guide consultative meetings , Preparing the draft strategy based on inputs from team member derived from different level consultations and presentation to CHTDF-UNDP
Timeline-15 working days
Payment-40 % of total contract value
•Finalization and submission of the strategy/report to CHTDF incorporating feedback from CHTDF
Timeline-7 working days
Payment-40 % of total contract value
Period of assignment/service:
Total 25 working days (excluding weekends and UN holidays) during a period of 2 months from signing the contract.
Inputs:
CHTDF will assist with financial support based on the financial proposal. All the required budget line will be submitted to the CHTDF accordingly.
•CHTDF will provide working space in its office.
•CHTDF will arrange security briefing for the consultants prior to field movement, arrange necessary security clearance and necessary logistics.
•Any travel related to works assigned will be arranged by CHTDF.
•Workshops/meetings/ FGDs etc. will be organized according to work plan submitted but CHTDF will borne this cost from the agreed budget with consultants.
•All inputs to carry out the survey will have to be financed by the contracted consultants.
•All other inputs including the laptop with necessary software packages to carry out the service will have to be borne by the consultant.
Requirements of the International Consultant:
The assignment will be carried out by the two member team – one national and one international consultants. The International Consultant will be the team leader and the National Consultant will act as a team member.

How to apply:

Proposal should be submitted at ebidbox-chtdf.bd@undp.org no later than 19th October, 2013.Proposal submitted to any other email address or location or submitted in hard copy shall not be considered.Email subject line should contain the reference number "IC-IN/2013-CHTDF04"Please refer to the attached IC Notice(including TOR), General Terms & Conditions(Annex ll) and the submission template (Annex lll). For detail evaluation criteria and proposal submission procedure please refer to the IC Notice.Incomplete proposals shall not be considered for evaluation.

Organization: World Health Organization
Country: Somalia
Closing date: 09 Oct 2013

BackgroundThe Government of Somalia desires to have the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all its citizens, attained through the combined efforts of individuals, communities, organizations, civil society and the government, which will allow them to participate fully in the socioeconomic development of the country.

According to the World Health Report 2008, People- centered care focus and organize around the health needs and expectations of people and communities rather than on diseases. People- centered care extends the concept of patient centered care to individuals, families, communities, and society. Whereas patient- centered care is commonly understood as focusing on the individual seeking care - the patient – people- centered care encompasses these clinical encounters and also includes attention to the health of people in their communities and their crucial role in shaping health policy and health services .

This vision will be attained through guaranteeing every citizen access to comprehensive, quality, affordable and effective health care services. Extending from this vision, the mission of the Ministry of Health is to provide, administer, coordinate, promote and advocate for the provision of equitable, appropriate, accessible, affordable and acceptable quality health care services to its people while maximizing the use of available resources, in line with the Basic Package of Primary Health Care services. As part of its mandate to give strategic direction in health sector development, the MoH has developed Health System Strategy plans whose major thrust was to improve the quality of life of Somalis and set the agenda for launching the health sector into the new millennium. Recognizing that improvement in the health status of the population would not depend on health sectorial actions alone. This concept note address community engagement in needs assessment, priority setting, local and community based planning, implementation of activities that can result in improving access and utilization of the people of Somalia to PHC services. Community engagement as part of the follow- up processes of defaulters, delivery of simple health care services by the trained members of the community, community empowerment in local health related decision making processes and build linkages between community based health related actions with other levels of the health care system are issues that should be considered in achieving people-centered health services.In order to come out with this strategy a consultant will be hired for four months to assess ongoing activities, opportunities and challenges related to community engagement in health care delivery and propose a national strategy for moving towards people-centered health services in consultation with Government, civil society, UN agencies and key stakeholders.

Objectives of the consultancyThe purpose of this consultancy is to develop a people centered community based health services strategy for Somalia. People centered health strategy is to provide guidance and direction on how community development approaches are to be taken forward within the health care system. The strategy defines what to expect at every health and social care and incorporate in community development approach into programs. Currently Somalia does not have a strategy on People centered health and if developed should address the following areas:

The strategy when developed will guide and support stakeholders to:• Understand the Concepts in Health and development.• Develop Strategies to address the vicious cycle of ill Health and poverty.• Be able to address the elements that define Health of a community.• Ensure community Participation and bottom up approach in planning and implementing Health and development projects.• Empower communities to be able to take control of their own health issues.• Take stock of their approaches, attitudes, aspirations, and practice in relation to community development• Define the type of community based health workers needed and guide on the expected scope of work for each category of worker.• Systematically develop needs based community development approaches • Ensure a realistic progress route for community development and measure progress• Incorporate community development into overall performance management arrangements.

Community Development is about strengthening and bringing about change in communities. It consists of a set of methods which are broad in vision and capacity for social change a way of working, informed by certain principles which seek to encourage communities who live in the same areas or who have something in common to tackle for themselves. The aim is to empower them to change things by developing their own skills, knowledge and experience, and by working in partnerships with other groups and statutory agencies. Community dialogues and community conversations as a means of empowering the communities to come up with their problems, prioritize them and propose solutions to them. This could lead to positive behavior change and lead to the use of health facilities for deliveries, treatment of common ailments and healthy behavior including the abandonment of risky behavior and practices. Emphasis to include but not limited to prevention and promotion of activities at the community level that do not need referral and can have a big impact to health outcomes.

The principles of community development should pay special attention to the following areas:• Social justice, equality and human rights• Empowerment of individuals, families and communities from the bottom up• Maximizing the participation of service users and communities• Partnership approaches between the community and the voluntary sector, health and social care, and other agencies• Bringing about a sense of local ownership and control, through groups and communities taking action together• Strengthening the social fabric and support systems within disadvantaged communities and groups.

This requires skilled health workers who typically work on the ground facilitating and enabling community and group leadership. The journey from powerlessness to empowerment can go from blame and protest to confidence and partnership working. Health and Social Care agencies must understand and commit themselves to this process, and community development staff must be able to deal with tensions and dilemmas while keeping focused on the wider picture and maintaining a sense of optimism.

Successful partnerships are win-win mechanisms. With better health and well-being comes better ability for children to learn, with better community interaction come safer communities, and front-line staff of all agencies find their jobs easier when communities take greater ownership of their issues, conditions and greater care of themselves and each other. This will eventually translate to improved health within the community.

Brief Description of TasksReview of existing relevant policies and strategies developed for Somalia (WASH, Nutrition, FCHWs, HSSP, JHNP, JPLG) and develop a community people centered strategy to address community based health care delivery system. This will involve interaction with stakeholders at different levels to gain understanding of the Somalia health delivery system that will be incorporated into the strategy. Develop practical work plans to address the strategy and cost implication.

DurationThe timeframe to develop the strategy will be approximately 4 months.

Deliverables/ReportingThe consultant will submit the following documentation and reports;

1. Stakeholders meeting report
2. Prepare and submit final community based health strategy incorporating stakeholder’s feedback.
3. The strategy should cover training, governance, tasks and monitoring and endorsed by the three MOH.
4. Costed work plans for the strategy

CompetenciesThe selected candidates should have: • Substantive knowledge of public health issues in transitional and fragile environments and knowledge on community health strategies.• Experience in the design of community health strategy at country level• Ability to work under pressure• Initiative and independence? Adaptability ? Excellent communication and proven leadership skills as a team leader

Corporate Competencies:• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards• Promotes vision, mission and strategic goals of UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.• Treats all people without favouritism

Minimum qualifications and experience? Advanced university degree in Public Health , Community Health development, social sciences, Medicine or other related field? Ability to provided sound methodological technical skills and guidance? Excellent writing and presentation skills? Excellent inclusive facilitation and coordination skills? Excellent communication and negotiation skills, capable of developing and maintain effective working relations across fragmented teams and different organizations – ability to maintain high level buy-in.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are kindly requested and strongly encouraged to apply in writing sending their CVs and motivational letters to:

Administrative OfficerWHO Somaliarecruitment@nbo.emro.who.int

Organization: Habitat for Humanity International
Country: Philippines
Closing date: 31 Oct 2013

Job Description:

As a key member of our Asia/Pacific (AP) Area Office (AO), you will shape the direction of Habitat in the region by working directly with the leadership of National Organizations (NOs), Boards, and the AP AO staff to provide leadership, coordination and facilitation to the area through formulating and developing the NO strategic plans, monitoring the strategic alignment, and partnering with the NOs to provide business planning and organizational performance monitoring. You will work with a dedicated and excited regional staff that recognize not only the great needs in the region for adequate housing but also the enormous opportunity Habitat has to affect real change in the region.

As the Associate Director of Strategy and Business Planning, you will manage and lead various cross department task force groups focused on AO and NO strategy development, business planning, and organizational performance monitoring. You are a ‘wordsmith’, able to effectively communicate with individuals, carefully exacting the intended combination of actions and words to elicit the desired effect on individuals and groups alike. You are a natural at team building and understand the subtleties of persuasion and influence to achieve an intended outcome.

Habitat for Humanity International is in a growth pattern, continuing to expand our programs and families served annually. We need someone with the unique ability to think globally/regionally and look at the large-scale, strategic issues to effectively communicate strategy choices and management processes. You will report to the Sr. Director, AP Operations and will be based out of our Manila, Philippines office.

Responsibilities

1. Support the Area Management Team (AMT) in developing and strengthening the strategic growth plan and priorities for the Asia-Pacific area

2. Work closely with the Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) HQ’s and the AO departments to design and coordinate an Area Implementation Plan (AIP) and annual business planning process and framework that enables clear and measurable area and departmental objectives that support HFHI area and global strategic priorities and initiatives.

3. Develop processes, frameworks and tools that support NO’s in business modeling and planning; develop annual operating plans that demonstrate alignment with and achieve implementation of national level strategic plans.

4. Coordinate a quarterly business review process to review progress of regional AIPs and business plan implementations.

5. Assess and advise the AMT on the strategic priority of initiatives originating from HFHI as they affect AO and NO planning, human and budgetary resources and operations.

Minimum qualifications

BA/BS degree (economics, business administration, public administration, international development or related field helpful)

5+ years’ experience in international development, management, and cross functional management experience within the international humanitarian industry

Excellent communication ability in both written/spoken English, ability to effectively express ideas, thoughts, and concepts clearly and effectively in writing

Excellent project management skills

Preferred qualifications

MBA or graduate degree in a management, technical or development a plus Demonstrated experience in Asia Strong knowledge and understanding of humanitarian industry (relief, development, and advocacy), including how INGOs operate in the global, regional and local contexts

How to apply:

Candidates should express interest via our applicant tracking system at:http://www.habitatjobs.org/JobDetail.asp?jid=57724

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: Kenya, Somalia
Closing date: 12 Sep 2013

The consultancy entails the development of a Resource Mobilisation Strategy (RMS) for the JHNP. Resource mobilisation is understood as specific to the objectives of the JHNP, taking into consideration the priorities of the SHAs and the Somalia Health Sector Strategic Plans (HSSPs), as well as the three participating UN agencies’ distinct roles in supporting the six building blocks of an efficient health system in Somalia through the JHNP

How to apply:

Sealed Proposals should be sent to

UNICEF Supply & Logistics Section
Somalia Support Centre,
PO Box 44145, Nairobi, 00100
Attn: UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE

The Proposal MUST be hand delivered or sent via Courier and received at the above address by latest 10:30 a.m (East Africa Time) on 12th September 2013 and will be opened at 11:00 a.m. (East Africa Time) same day. Due to the nature of this RFP, there shall be no public opening.

Organization: Africa Progress Panel
Country: Switzerland
Closing date: 13 Sep 2013

The Africa Progress Panel (APP) consists of a group of distinguished individuals, chaired by Kofi Annan, whose objective is to track and encourage progress in Africa and assess opportunities and threats to Africa’s development. The Panel underscores the shared responsibility between African leaders and their international partners for sustaining progress.

The APP Foundation, a not-for-profit Foundation under Swiss law, consists of a Board and a Geneva-based Secretariat. The Secretariat supports the activities of the Chair and Panel members in their interactions with Heads of State, policy makers, African organizations including the AU, NEPAD, key global bodies including the G8/20, and global leaders to influence high-level policy decisions.

The Secretariat is looking for a Head of Strategy and Planning who will report to the APP Executive Director; guide and assist the Policy and Communications Teams. S/he will work closely with the Senior Advisor (based in Nairobi), APP Head of Communications and other APP staff and consultants, and liaise with colleagues in other relevant African and global organizations.

Core tasks and responsibilities

• Develop, adjust and execute a strategy for policy-change and advocacy based on the ambitions and directions set by the Panel and its Chair.
• Guide and assist the Head of Communications and the communication team in setting and executing communications plans that support the advocacy strategy and the work of the Panel.
• Provide concrete options for action, and propose events and other activities to achieve the stated advocacy goals, and assist in organizing such events/activities.
• Manage and support the drafting of articles, speeches and talking points for the Panel Chair, the other Panel members, and the Executive Director.
• Lead APP’s monitoring and evaluation program.
• Perform other duties as may be required.

Competencies required

• Advanced degree in international relations, economics, development, or a related discipline.
• At least 15 years professional experience in positions of responsibility and good track record of managing staff.
• Deep understanding of communication strategies, an ability to build effective global communication structures, and a network of communication contacts globally.
• Acute political understanding of policy processes and policy change.
• Excellent knowledge of Africa, the development challenges faced by the continent, and global geopolitics affecting Africa.
• Ability to analyse complex political landscapes and assess change opportunities.
• Extensive knowledge of the international finance and aid system.
• Diplomatic skills and experience of working with very senior figures in government and the private sector.
• Ability to take initiative while working within a team.
• Attention to detail and to planning ahead.
• Ability to drive projects from inception to completion.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Excellent networking ability and willingness to travel.
• Fluent English and a good knowledge of French.

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with skills and experience. Remuneration is subject to Swiss social charges and taxable under Swiss/Geneva law.

How to apply:

All applicants must submit:- a one page cover letter- a CV- the names and contact details of three referees

Organization: International Rescue Committee
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 09 Oct 2013

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, we offer lifesaving relief and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. With a budget of more than $300 million and at work today in over 40 countries and in 22 US cities, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.The IRC’s External Relations Department furthers the IRC’s work around the world by raising the IRC’s profile and raising $57 million in annual support from individuals and institutions from the private sector. The department’s efforts are carried out by Leadership Gifts, Strategic Marketing, and Communications & Public Information units, all supported by an Operations & Information unit, which is responsible for gift processing; reporting on revenue and donors; administering and managing the IRC’s constituent databases; conducting donor and prospect research; and providing strategic reports and analysis.

SCOPE OF WORK:The Associate Director of Prospect Research and Strategy is responsible for managing the department’s research and prospect management function and is a key partner in developing strategies for high-level donors and prospects. A senior member of the Operations & Information unit, he/she directs all research staff and workflow, ensures that senior staff, trustees and front-line fundraisers are provided with the highest-quality donor and prospect research, proactively plans and executes special research projects, and handles a variety of related duties. The Associate Director of Prospect Research and Strategy reports to the Sr. Director of Information and Operations, and works closely with colleagues throughout the External Relations department, in the President’s Office, and in other departments.

Essential Job Functions:

Direct departmental prospect research, managing staff and workflow, planning and conducting proactive research projects, analyzing effectiveness and impact of work, and developing goals and strategic plans for research;Conduct advanced biographical and financial research; correlate donor interests and funding opportunities; identify and track key connections; interpret, analyze and synthesize data; and compile confidential research profiles on both individual and institutional donors, including board members and potential board nominees;Formulate major gift cultivation and solicitation strategies in concert with colleagues as part of the prospect review process; rate and prioritize donors and prospects in terms of inclination and capacity in order to guide departmental fundraising efforts and to increase productivity;Direct the work of a full-time researcher, manage interns and oversee outsourcing of research (including hiring, training and evaluating staff, prioritizing projects and tasks, and ensuring consistent high quality and timely delivery of all research products);Develop and implement high-level prospect management strategies to proactively identify and qualify new prospective donors capable of significant financial support utilizing in-house records and a variety of electronic and printed sources;Manage and implement periodic electronic screenings and other data appends; select vendors, determine screening populations, and interpret results;Develop and implement research policies, procedures, standards, templates, methods, and rating formulas;Raise visibility and profile of research team and promote research services to colleagues in External Relations through presentations and reports;Train other IRC staff in basic research skills, including colleagues within the Operations unit as well as front-line fundraisers in External Relations and other IRC offices;Identify and evaluate new research tools and techniques to keep up to date on trends and developments in the research industry; plan and recommend expenditures for research subscriptions or other resources; and manage all associated vendor relationships.Assist the Sr. Director of External Relations Information and Operations in the general management of the unit;Lead and/or participate in special projects as appropriate.Requirements:

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees OR Bachelor’s degree and comparable work experience;Minimum 8-10 years professional work experience, including at least 6-8 years in prospect research for a non-profit or institution of higher education (background in legal/financial research or library science may be a suitable substitute for some experience); experience at international organizations a plus;In-depth knowledge of prospect research techniques and tools (e.g. LexisNexis, Hoovers); demonstrated aptitude for analyzing and interpreting complex data (e.g. SEC filings, business reports, property records);An inquisitive and sharp mind; ability to solve complex and technical problems with creativity;Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to successfully manage external relationships and liaise with senior staff, board members, donors and colleagues at all levels;Exceptional writing skills: the ability to successfully write and edit professional fundraising documents;Effective people management skills and significant supervisory experience: ability to lead staff and to promote productivity and a pleasant work environment;Proven organizational skills: the ability to work productively in a fast-paced environment, willingness to meet unexpected demands, and the ability to plan for and direct a variety of projects and to manage a multi-faceted workload under strict deadlines;Ability to use sound judgment and discretion while working with highly confidential information;Excellent computer skills: internet search engines, fundraising software (e.g. Raiser’s Edge), and MS Office software (including Word, Excel, Outlook).

How to apply:

Please apply online:http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRC&cws=1&r...

Organization: Government of Sierra Leone
Country: Sierra Leone
Closing date: 12 Aug 2013

TERMS OF REFERENCE
COMMUNICATION EXPERT
Consultancy to Develop a National Communication Strategy
For the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy

Background

In Sierra Leone, teenage pregnancy is one of the more pervasive problems affecting the health, social, economic and political progress and empowerment of women and girls. The issue to address is alarming and is reflected in the following national statistics: 34% of all pregnancies occur amongst teenage girls (SLDHS 2008), 26% of women age 15-19 have already had a birth (MICS 2010), 40% of maternal death occur as a result of teenage pregnancy (MICS 2010) and the untimely pregnancy of young girls is ranked as the third most common reason for them dropping out of school (UNICEF 2008).

Adolescent pregnancy is dangerous, with serious long-term health consequences for the young mother and the baby. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for adolescent girls and the youngest girls are particularly at risk and babies born to adolescent mothers are also at greater risk. But the impacts of adolescent pregnancy are felt far beyond the walls of the family home. It also has a demonstrable impact on the social and economic development of communities and countries.

In the multiplicity of interacting influences or causes of teenage pregnancy, strong emphasis must be put on social norms, which are key drivers of this problem (on this topic, see Wessell’s M. (2011). A rapid ethnographic study: Interagency Learning Initiative on Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms and Child Protection Systems). Often, girls view it as normal – even expected and desirable – that they become pregnant at an early age. The fact that many girls decide at an early age that they want to have a baby is itself an indication of a social norm. The importance of social norms is also visible in regard to contraceptives — in Sierra Leone, it is not a social norm to use them and there is peer pressure against using them. Peer-pressure in general plays a central role. Bullying, teasing and name-calling are worldwide problems, which especially happen in schools.

The National Strategy

Under the leadership of H.E. the President, a multi-sectoral committee was set up in 2012, involving key Ministries as well as key stakeholders (UN-Agencies, NGOs, civil society), to develop a comprehensive strategy. The strategy’s expected outcome is to reduce teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone by 2015, through integrated and coordinated interventions of all partners. By 2015, the strategy intends to have reduced the adolescent fertility rate from 122/1000 (MICS4-2010) to 110/1000.

At the Launching ceremony of the National Strategy, on 13 May 2013, His Excellency the President indicated that: “The Government of Sierra Leone will make all efforts necessary to achieve the ambitious objectives that the National Strategy is setting. (…) This strategy presents a multisectoral approach to empowering adolescents and young people, particularly girls. It involves all key stakeholders and present simple but ambitious solution to Teenage Pregnancy. But more than that, it is a commitment that we make for the younger generations.”

Purpose and rationale

To contribute to the efforts on promoting social change, there is a need to develop a national strategy that will guide activities aimed at creating behavior change in all sectors covered by the National Strategy (Health, Social Protection, Education, Gender, Youth Empowerement and Employment, etc.); strengthen technical expertise among government staff, community workers and implementing partners; and support the development of a monitoring framework for social and behavior change.

Existing strategies have focused mostly on top-down sensitization and awareness raising through workshops, meetings, radio discussions, drama, jingles and IEC using messages developed by the organizations with little coordination, minimal consultation with their target audience and limited feedback.

Sensitization messages have been varied and to some extent have conflicted from organization to organization. Sensitizations messages have been mostly general and have neglected the heterogeneity of the stakeholders. Moreover, they have often stressed information with little regard for cultural appropriateness and delivered in a didactic and top-down manner.

The national communication strategy for behavior and social change is needed to harmonize disparate communication strategies; approaches and messages. Such a strategy also needs to understand and appreciate local contexts and build on them for sustainable behavior and social change. Therefore the strategy would identify ways to work with communities that is not only participatory but appreciative of enabling customs and norms. The objective is to empower communities, promote meaningful engagement and lead to the adoption of sustainable positive social behaviors for adolescents, young people and other community members.

Objectives
There are two specific objectives of this consultancy:
1. To develop a national communication strategy for the reduction of Teenage Pregnancy
2. Develop an implementation and M&E plan for the strategy

Expected Deliverables
1. Development of first draft strategy – shared internally with the National Secretariat
2. Second draft – to be shared with all partners and presented at a meeting of the Multisectoral Technical Committee
3. Final draft communication strategy
4. Validated strategy by MCC
5. Implementation and M&E plan

Methodology
The consultant will implement this process using the following methodology:
1. Desk review of existing literature, including research studies, communication plans and strategies.
2. Consultations with partners of the National Strategy (concerned Ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, regional and district level actors) – the consultant will hold meetings/consultations with the partners and the wider forums and with community representatives to brainstorm on culturally appropriate methods of communication.
3. Focus group discussions – the consultant will hold focus discussions with community people including women, adolescents and young people, teachers, health and social workers, traditional and religious leaders to discuss the main issues related to Teenage Pregnancy and better understand community perceptions around existing behaviors and as a guide to the strategy development.
4. Engage different media groups to assess existing work and arrangement and identify possible forums for collaboration or adaptation of existing materials. Pretest materials with community /NGO workers on the strategy to be developed.
5. Finalize the communication strategy.
6. Develop an implementation and M&E plan for the strategy
7. Develop ToR for TP strategy Communication sub-commitee
8. Develop and operationalize planning and coordination tools for use by TP Strategy Communication sub-commitee

Geographical scope
The consultancy will be national in scope with the consultant dividing his/her time in Freetown and the provinces.

Supervision
Under the supervision of the National Secretariat for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy, in consultation with the Multisectoral Technical Committee, the international consultant is expected to produce the above-mentioned deliverables.

Responsibilities of the consultant
• Ensure that all deliverables outlined in these ToRs are carried out
• Give the property rights of documents produced to the National Secretariat for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy
• Secure own laptop

Time frame
The contract will be for a period of 50 days (with 40 days in country).

Qualifications sought for the contractor/consultant
• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences or any relevant fields
• Over ten years of experience in C4D strategy development
• Over eight years of experience in toolkit development and participatory learning
• Experience in facilitating participatory processes and consensus building with stakeholders
• Good communication and writing skills in English
• Substantial experience of having worked in West Africa would be desirable.

How to apply:

Candidates will be selected further to a written test and interview. If interested, please send a CV to Philippe Lust-Bianchi at lustbianchi@nationalsecretariat.org . The closing date for the receipt of application is 12 Aug 2013

Organization: Government of Sierra Leone
Country: Sierra Leone
Closing date: 12 Aug 2013

TERMS OF REFERENCE
MONITORING & EVALUATION EXPERT
Consultancy to Establish an M&E System –
National Strategy for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy

Background

In Sierra Leone, teenage pregnancy is one of the more pervasive problems affecting the health, social, economic and political progress and empowerment of women and girls. The issue to address is alarming and is reflected in the following national statistics: 34% of all pregnancies occur amongst teenage girls (SLDHS 2008), 26% of women age 15-19 have already had a birth (MICS 2010), 40% of maternal death occur as a result of teenage pregnancy (MICS 2010) and the untimely pregnancy of young girls is ranked as the third most common reason for them dropping out of school (UNICEF 2008). To address this issue, H.E. the President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma launched in May 2013 the National Strategy for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy.

Adolescent pregnancy is dangerous, with serious long-term health consequences for the young mother and the baby. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for adolescent girls and the youngest girls are particularly at risk and babies born to adolescent mothers are also at greater risk. But the impacts of adolescent pregnancy are felt far beyond the walls of the family home. It also has a demonstrable impact on the social and economic development of communities and countries.

In light of the large spectrum and heterogeneity of partners involved, the implementation of the National Strategy requires close coordination of all the stakeholders, internal communication as well as a detailed Monitoring and Evaluation system in place. To guarantee daily coordination of the implementation of the Strategy’s activities, the Government of Sierra Leone has approved the creation of the National Secretariat for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy.

The role of the National Secretariat is to promote and facilitate the collection and dissemination of information to enhance the partners’ decision-making and planning capacity within the framework of the National Strategy. The Secretariat bears the responsibility to support the design and implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation System.

Objectives

The overall objective is to develop a Performance Management System for measuring the achievements of the National Strategy for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy, which includes both a strategic and operational framework for results-based management.

The immediate objective is to design a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system that will enable the National Secretariat to effectively manage and measure the achievement of the Strategy’s activities, assess challenges and the lessons gained and make recommendations for the replication and/or expansion of activities.

Scope of Work

The National Secretariat is currently seeking to procure the services of a suitably qualified M&E Expert to act as Consultant for the establishment of an M&E system for the National Strategy for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy.

Specifically, the Consultant will focus on developing a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system that aims at providing accurate and reliable data to ensure the effectiveness of the intervention management as well as the achievement of the objectives and targets of the National Strategy for the Reduction Teenage Pregnancy.

The M&E system should be aligned with the objectives of the Strategy and customized to the needs of the beneficiaries (specifically, but not limited to, Adolescents and Young People). To ensure the objectives are achieved, programme management need to track results at the output and outcome level consistently. This will enable appropriate results-based management allowing adjustments to program components. Effectiveness and efficiency of programme benefits need to be monitored closely. Ownership from the programme stakeholders (Government at national and district level, partner organizations, civil society but also beneficiaries themselves) will ensure both that activities are effectively delivered, and contribute to the overall objective of the Strategy.

The M&E system for activities undertaken through the Strategy for the reduction of Teenage Pregnancy follows several principles corresponding to the following approaches:

(i) A results-based management approach: The M&E system should aim at enhancing results-based management. Therefore, management at all levels needs to keep abreast of M&E tools and use them in planning and improve programming.
(ii) A system focused on people and beneficiaries: Results and “change measured” should be consistently communicated as feedback to the beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
(iii) A targeted M&E system: The M&E tools and data should pay special attention to gender and youth. Gender and youth issues must be highlighted and, when possible, data will also be disaggregated accordingly.
(iv) An M&E strategy aligned with “Sector Specific Management Frameworks”: the M&E system, and related indicators, should be directly aligned with existing national management systems. The approach should also be compatible with systems developed by partners of the Programme.

Deliverables

1. An M&E Assessment of already existing and complimentary systems that involve indicators selected for this strategy, particularly partners’ M&E frameworks and data collection mechanisms.
2. A minimum of 6 years of professional work experience in the design, development and operational application of Monitoring and Evaluation systems.
3. An overall M&E system for applying performance management successfully completed (including an M&E plan, a budget, a data collection framework, reporting formats as well as review and accountability mechanisms) developed through a participatory process involving representatives of all partners of the National Strategy (Government, UN Agencies, NGOs, Civil Society Organization) as well as Adolescents and Young People and others stakeholders.
4. A finalized baseline study from best available data covering all sectors.
5. Brief presentations on the proposed overall M&E system for the National Strategy to key stakeholders for feedbacks and comments.
6. Trained partners on the RBM approach, indicator relevance, monitoring flows and reporting accuracy for the National Strategy M&E system (including, but not limited to, the member of the National Secretariat, particularly the M&E Officer and Ministry Focal Points).
7. The following reports will be required:
   • An M&E Plan which sets out the action plan and the major components of the M&E system.
   • A Final Report summarizing the ‘learning outcomes” at the end of the assignment, collate the methodological approach and the lessons gained as well as make recommendations on how to implement the M&E plan.

Desirable Qualifications and Experiences
1. The candidate must have obtained at least a master’s degree in Economics, Social Affairs or Public Administration or related subjects.
2. Practical experience with monitoring and evaluations, Results-Based Management (RBM) and Logic Model planning and reporting frameworks; inclusive of designing and delivery of training sessions.
3. Experience with establishing baselines, targets and indicators within a results- based performance measurement frameworks
4. Experience in providing monitoring and evaluation services for national, regional or international agencies.
5. Experience in analyzing data from a variety of sources.
6. Experience in developing accurate, timely and reliable data-gathering tools.
7. Experience in working in regional and international contexts gathering and analyzing data from a wide range of sources and agencies will be an asset.
8. Knowledge of the Adolescent focused programmes and/or of Sierra Leone will be an advantage.

Duration and Timing
The consultancy is expected to be undertaken over 5 weeks (with 4 weeks in country).

Reporting

The Consultant will report to the Multisectoral Coordinating Committee (MCC) of the National Strategy. S/He will be under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the National Secretariat for the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy. The Consultant will also work closely the members of the Multisectoral Technical Committee. The Consultant is expected to work with a high degree of independence coupled with proactive planning and a collaborative approach for the involvement of all key stakeholders.

How to apply:

Candidates will be selected further to a written test and interview. If interested, please send a CV to Philippe Lust-Bianchi at lustbianchi@nationalsecretariat.orgThe closing date for the receipt of applications is 12 August, 2013.