3 Positions at at UNICEF Rwanda: (Deadline7, 8, 13 December 2020)

Title of Assignment: Senior Individual Consultant for conduction Immunization coverage and equity assessment

Proposed level of Consultancy: Senior

Location :Kigali

Duration :3months

Start date From:10/01/ 2021 To: 10/03/ 2021

Background and Purpose

Rwanda has one of the most successful Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Africa and has maintained high vaccination coverage above 90% for several decades (DHS 2015). With its goals to maintain high coverage and achieve universal coverage some questions remain not answered especially where the 10% children are not fully immunized to ensure better equity and higher effective coverage of immunization in all the districts and further in all facilities.

From the results of DHS 2014-15, the gap between households with mothers who had no education and those with secondary education and above increased from 10% in 2010 to 12% in 2017. A similar trend is observed between the wealth quintile with the highest coverage and that with the lowest coverage. Immunisation Coverage Survey (2017) found similar variation by education and wealth status.

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct an Immunization Coverage Equity Assessment (CEA) to identify strategies for Rwanda to reach community with zero dose children with immunization services.

Justification

The 2019 Joint Appraisal identified among technical assistance the need to conduct equity assessment (develop TORs, Hiring Consultant, organize workshops, report dissemination) and the related technical assistance (TA) by UNICEF was included in the Targeted Country Assistance in 2020.

MOH in partnership with UNICEF and GAVI is willing to conduct a Coverage and Equity Assessment to better identify how many under-vaccinated and unvaccinated children there are, where they are, who they are, what is their gender and religions, what is the distance to access a health facility, what is their wealth category, verify reasons of vaccine hesitancy or refuser reasons so to understand why they have not been vaccinated. The evidence will be used to develop a strategy to improve coverage and equity in vaccination outcomes and 100% fully vaccinated Rwandan children.

Objectives

The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct a Coverage and Equity Assessment (CEA) of immunization services of high technical quality in Rwanda.

The specific objectives include:

• Describe the current situation and trends in vaccination coverage and equity in Rwanda;
• Identify major factors and determinants of low coverage and inequities in EPI performance;
• Recommend immunization programme specific strategies and interventions aimed at reaching the 10% of zero dose rwandan children and eliminating inequities.

Scope of Work and Methodology

Under direct supervision of the UNICEF Health Section and in close collaboration with the EPI manager in RBC/ Ministry of Health and key immunization stakeholders in the country, the consultant will provide technical guidance and ensure that the following activities are conducted with high technical quality:

• Comprehensive desk review of all available published or approved by stakeholders including national immunization review, survey and study reports, national strategies and guiding documents, international publications on CEA, WHO-UNICEF-Gavi policies and strategies among others
• Qualitative key informant interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with service providers, caregivers, key community figures, religious leaders, elders gender focused NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to validate the desk review findings at various implementation levels.
• A concise descriptive report along the lines of the CEA Report Template and a power point presentation of the findings from the desk review including trends, geographic disparities in coverage, important determinants of under-vaccination ‘including but not limited to gender, socio-economic status, education, religion, disability, geographical locationand effective social change, communication and interpersonal approaches aimed at addressing identified vaccination equity challenges.
• A stakeholder’s consultation to review the findings and enrich the interpretation of the desk review data: The proposed methodology for conducting the immunization CEA should involve participatory and consultative exercises, ensuring the full engagement and ownership of the EPI stakeholders and all other interested parties.

ACTIVITIES AND TASKS

The activities listed below are to be carried out in collaboration with the national EPI manager and the WHO/UNICEF and other stakeholders including civil society organizations, professional associations, the consultant will use the UNICEF CEA tool to perform this work.
1. Desk review and data collection
a) Desk review
b) Develop qualitative protocols and conduct KIIs and FGDs with vaccination service providers, caregivers and immunization programme staff at various implementation levels to validate the desk review findings.
c) Define population groups and communities with lower vaccination coverage and determinants associated with inequities in immunization (e.g. geography, education, poverty, gender-related, religion, hard to reach, disabled, vulnerable groups, single parents etc.) and categorize against available data;.
2. Compilation of available data and conduct preliminary analysis
a. Prepare a repository of all identified data sources
b. Construct an index of performance and determinates by district/province (league table)
3. Stakeholder consultation, formal and informal to gather data and contribute to interpretation of data
a. Bilateral consultation with key stakeholders and donors (RBC,MOH, WHO, UNICEF, GAVI, etc.);
b. Field visits to provinces in low performing districts and high performing districts, to be considered in the methodology based on the CEA tools
c. Comprehensive field visit reports as part of data validation.
4. Report on data, findings and recommendations to include:
a. Summary of data and major findings
b. Develop tables classifying pro-equity strategies, interventions and outcomes.
c. Tables classifying social change, communication and interpersonal approaches for immunization equity.
d. Conclusion and Key Recommendations detailing targeted interventions that reach identified equity groups
5. Facilitate national consultative workshop with national participation of UNICEF,WHO, ICC, NITAG, RBC and Ministry of Health and
a) Incorporate feedback from consultative members in report.
b) Facilitate development of costed implementation plan for national, provincial and district evidence-based action plans to improve immunization equity.
c) Facilitate development of recommendations on how to monitor the implementation and impact on disparities of the proposed pro-equity and coverage strategies.
6. Develop final report with executive summary of the key findings and recommendations, improvement plan, PPP and sharing the dataset.

Deliverables:

1.Inception report and desk review report
2. Draft report including Summary of data and major findings, tables classifying social change, communication and interpersonal approaches for immunization equity. Key groups associated with inequities in immunization (e.g. geography, education, poverty, gender-related, religion, hard to reach, disabled, vulnerable, uninformed/ unempowered adolescent mothers, single parents etc.) and categorized against available data.
3. Final report: summary of findings, district league table of coverage/inequities, key recommendations and finalisation of data repository for CEA

Deliverable Timeframe and Payment Schedule (%)

• 1st Payment of 15%
  • Inception report and Desk review
• 2nd Payment of 35%
  • Draft report: Summary of data and major findings.
    • Tables classifying social change, communication and interpersonal approaches for immunization equity.
    • Key groups associated with inequities in immunization (e.g. geography, education, poverty, gender-related, religion, hard to reach, disabled, vulnerable, uninformed/ unempowered adolescent mothers, single parents etc.) and categorized against available data.
• 3rd Payment of 50%
  • Final report / analysis including: summary of findings, district league table of coverage/inequities and key recommendations.
  • Finalization of data repository for CEA

Evaluation Criteria 

The Technical proposal is weighted at 70% and 30% for the Financial proposal.

Please note that the final remuneration will be negotiated by HR. 

Payment Schedule 

Payment is linked to agreed deliverables upon satisfactory completion and certification of deliverables by the supervisor.

General Conditions: Procedures & Logistics

Logistics
• Travel arrangements (airfare ticket by the most direct flights in economy class):
• On-field (in-country) transport will provided by UNICEF on Supervisor’s request
• Payment conditions and currency: Payments will be linked to deliverables. National consultant will be paid in Rwandan Francs and International consultant will be paid in US Dollar
• UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines
• All materials developed by the consultant will remain the copyright of UNICEF and that UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in future.

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

Academic qualifications.
At least a master’s degree in Medicine, Public Health or other related field of Social Sciences.

Work experience.
o Minimum of eight years of professional experience in the management of public health programs;
o Research experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods
o Knowledge of national immunization programs and health systems;
o In-depth knowledge and experience with Reaching Every Community (REC) approach and Immunization Equity Assessment;
o Previous experience in the countries or regions with similar context to Rwanda is an asset.

Specific knowledge, competencies and skills required.
o High capacity for data analysis meta-analysis and data triangulation and produce data repository;
o Excellent communication skills.

Language skills.
Fluency in English.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

How to Apply

UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly females are strongly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates should send their complete a CV/resume or Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded form (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), as well as a cover letter explaining what makes them suitable for this consultancy. The application package should be submitted to UNICEF’s online recruitment system.

Qualified and experienced candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest. In their letter of interest, candidates should highlight their previous work experience relevant to the assignment and the attributes that make them suitable for the assignment.

Only successful candidates from the technical evaluation exercise will be contacted and requested to submit their most competitive Financial Proposal.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.

Title of Assignment: Individual Contractor for Infection Prevention and Control Specialist (IPC)

Type of the Consultancy: Individual Contractor

Category of the Consultancy: National

Proposed level of Consultancy: Middle Level

Section: WASH Section

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Duration: 6 months

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has been global since early 2020.  While a vaccine is anticipated in 2021, the global pandemic will continue for the foreseeable future.  UNICEF has been providing WASH support to the government’s infection prevention and control (IPC) efforts for EVD preparedness starting in 2018 and quickly adapted to support COVID response and prep in 2020. To continue WASH/IPC technical support in 2021, in line with the National COVID-19 Response and Preparedness Plan, UNICEF will support the Ministry of Health (MOH) by providing an expert WASH/IPC consultant.

Justification

The Ministry of Health leads the IPC Pillar of the Rwanda COVID response and preparedness efforts.  From September 2018 to October 2020, UNICEF provided a full time WASH/IPC expert to the Ministry to bolster capacity to manage the efforts. This consultancy will continue to augment MOH capacity on WASH/IPC to enable successful efforts to continue.

Objectives

The WASH/IPC Consultant will represent the MOH Environmental Health Specialist, who leads IPC for the Ministry, in the COVID-19 Command Center. The consultant will work closely with MOH Environmental Health and UNICEF WASH colleagues to provide technical knowledge in ensuring adequate WASH services and practices to enable COVID-19 IPC including assessment, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and quality assurance. As feasible, all efforts in health facilities will be to strengthen overall WASH/IPC and Standard Precautions – which serves as the foundation of public health outbreak management. The consultant will also contribute to design and implementation of the RCCE interventions with focus on hygiene and sanitation promotion, Under the overall coordination of the Risk Communication and Community pillar of the national COVID-19 response.

Work Assignment

Under the direct supervision of the Environmental Health Specialist, the contractor will be contributing to project assessment, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and quality assurance of WASH/IPC activities in health facilities, schools and communities as well as contributing to reporting, including teamwork and capacity building of national and district counterparts.

Expected Deliverables:     

•Provide technical support to the MOH Rwanda at the National, Provincial and District levels in the planning, development and implementation stages of the WASH / IPC projects.

•Develop WASH / IPC guidance and SOPs related to COVID-19 and any other infectious virus including healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs)

•Develop and review of IPC training materials for identified target group.

•Support the MOH and RBC in decontamination activities of any COVID-19 contaminated objects and places (public and private) such as health facilities, schools, markets, worship places, households, … communities.

•Provide technical inputs and quality assurance to the rehabilitation/installation of water supply systems and permanent hand washing infrastructures in selected healthcare facilities and educational establishments countrywide.

•Represent the Environmental Health Specialist and participate with UNICEF and other partners in the development of WASH / IPC methodologies and identification of new approaches for improving IPC delivery measures, with emphasis on advocacy and social mobilization;

•Plan, organize and conduct WASH/IPC training and orientation activities for public and private health and no-health care staff, for the purpose of capacity building at the central, provincial and district levels, on IPC practices;

•Participate in establishing effective information and reporting systems;

•Under coordination of the COVID-19 response RCCE pillar contribute to the development of communication strategies and materials to support advocacy and community engagement interventions with focus on hygiene promotion. s.

•Contribute to WASH / IPC programme related M&E activities to track progress and evaluate results as well as working on methodology for baseline studies, monitoring tools, technical assessments for WASH infrastructures and hygiene practices at health facilities, schools and community levels;

•Undertakes field visits, and surveys in order to monitor and evaluate WASH / IPC activities, identifying problems and proposes remedial actions as well as alternative courses of action, to accelerate/improve project delivery.

•Coordinates with Operations / Supply staff on supply and non- supply assistance activities.

•Support IPC related policy and strategies development and review;

•Report on IPC interventions progress on monthly basis and a consolidated one each quarter.

General Conditions: Procedures & Logistics:

The contractor will work in primarily in the National COVID-19 Command Center and also other locations in Rwanda requested by MOH. If MOH or UNICEF request the contractor to travel outside of Kigali City, UNICEF will provide transportation and per diem at government rates.

The contractor will be supervised by the Environmental Health Specialist on a daily basis and in close coordination and overall supervision by the UNICEF WASH Specialist.

The contractor will use her/his own computer. The contractor will be paid an agreed monthly fee including communication costs. The monthly payment will be subject to approval of a monthly report by the MoH authorized person and UNICEF.

Evaluation Criteria:

The Technical proposal is weighted at 70% and 30% for the Financial proposal. Only candidates passing the technical evaluation will be invited to submit a financial proposal.

Applicants will be assessed on the following areas of experience:
– Providing IPC/WASH technical expertise during public health outbreaks;
– Supporting government to strengthen systems and service delivery (especially monitoring through government systems);
– Developing strategies, guidelines and training materials; and delivering training;
– Communication skills (oral and written);
– Working in Rwanda on public health outbreaks

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

Education: 

• Advanced university degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Environmental health, Public health, Infection Prevention and Control or a discipline relevant to public health emergency IPC. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 5 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Additional training in Health Education or Communication for Development (Programme Communication) is an asset.

Work Experience:

• 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience of in the area of IPC/WASH including programme planning, management, monitoring and evaluation.
• Field work experience
• Experience with public health emergencies (preparedness and response)
• Development and delivery of training, guidance, protocols on IPC/WASH
• A good understanding of communication for social and behaviour change with focus on hygiene and sanitation promotion is an asset
• Experience within the UN, Rwanda government institutions or other international development organizations is a strong asset.
• Advanced Technical Knowledge (theories, principles and methods) of IPC and Standard Precautions activities; WASH in Health Facilities, Schools and communities, Monitoring and evaluation;

 Language Proficiency

• Native in Kinyarwanda
• Fluency in English or French required.

General knowledge of:

• Methodology of programme/project management;
• Programmatic goals, visions, positions, policies and strategies for sectoral programmes;
• Knowledge of global environmental issues that pertain to sustainable development and specifically relating to children and women, and the current Government of Rwanda and UNICEF position and approaches;
• Knowledge of global human rights and gender issues, specifically relating to children and women;
• MOH and UNICEF’ financial, supply and administrative rules and regulations;
• Rights-based and results-based management approaches to UNICEF programming;

How to Apply:

UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly females are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should send their complete a CV/resume or Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded form (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), as well as a cover letter explaining what makes them suitable for this consultancy. The application package should be submitted to UNICEF’s online recruitment system.

Qualified and experienced candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest. In their letter of interest, candidates should highlight their previous work experience relevant to the assignment and the attributes that make them suitable for the assignment.

Only successful candidates from the technical evaluation exercise will be contacted and requested to submit their most competitive Financial Proposal.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.

Effective use of digital channels for communication of UNICEF’s key messages, through relevant content, experience and dialogue, allow individuals to connect directly with other individuals or groups, as well as brands and organizations, thus creating valuable relationships with both online and offline supporters.

In order to more effectively use digital communication platforms that will increase effectiveness of digital brand engagement, UNICEF Rwanda needs the services of a Social Media and Content Development Officer.

Rwanda Country office is a small/medium sized office with a P4 Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships reporting to P5 Representative. This post reports to the Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships who oversees four areas of communication functions: (a) Communication for development, (b) External communication/media relations, (c) Public Advocacy and (d) Partnerships including Private Sector Engagement.

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance and supervision of the Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, the Social Media and Content Development officer is responsible for coordinating UNICEF Rwanda’s presence on digital platforms (websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and produce high quality A/V content that will support messaging on Social media and Online platforms. The Officer will design, manage, maintain, implement and continuously improve UNICEF’s digital plan and digital communication in order to maximize its online presence, and engage followers in a dynamic, interactive and meaningful way.

1. Support implementation of UNICEF Rwanda’s Communication 360 Strategy and update as necessary, with specific emphasis on content, to gather online supporters and stimulate engagement with issues affecting children and women in Rwanda.
2. Proactively writes and gathers editorial content (text, images/photos, audio, video, infographics, etc.) from UNICEF programme officers and adapts for web and social media.
3. Maintains a web and social media calendar of content themes and all upcoming coverage schedules according to the calendar.
4. Prepares monthly thematic social media content plans.
5. Prepares social media packs for flagship events, initiatives, campaigns.
6. Prepares and publishes content to website, and to social media accounts (publishing on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. through Hootsuite.) on a daily basis.
7. Seeks opportunities for UNICEF Rwanda presence on new and emerging social media and other digital platforms (e.g. Internet of Good Things; TikTok; podcasts).
8. Actively engages with online audiences through social media channels.
9. Manages Country Office website (Drupal) and website translations (POEditor) on a daily basis and works to continuously improve the design of the website; ensures key deadlines are met for the dissemination of time-sensitive content.
10. Generates and analyses reports on web traffic and KPIs using Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and other social media focused analytics channels.
11. Manages small budgets for multimedia production and social media advertising, including invoice payments to Facebook for paid promotion.
12. Conducts trainings and provides support to other sections in need of understanding better how digital and social media plays a role in the context of the office.
13. In coordination with Chief of CAP, maintains and continuously updates LTAs with photographers, videographers, graphic designers, translators, copy editors, and writers.
14. Support the Representative with his/her official social media accounts, drafting of key messages, copy editing and quality assurance.
15. Liaises with national and international media partners and journalists, working alongside the Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships to pitch stories.
16. Ensures sufficient and appropriate visibility of the UNICEF brand through proper use of logos, brand colours, and tagline across all communication assets.
17. Manages photo and video databases (WeShare), ensuring all assets maintain proper metadata and consent forms as necessary.

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

• Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, journalism, international affairs or communication, masters is preferred.
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in either website design, social media and/or social media management.
• Expertise in graphic design for digital media purposes.
• Good knowledge of photography.
• Experience developing compelling content to generate response from new online audiences.
• 2 years’ journalism experience, and or of writing features for the web will be considered an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining social media accounts (as user, manager and/or contributor), especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as experience with new media executions; knowledge and understanding of local and global digital landscape and trends.
• Previous UNICEF, UN and/or INGO experience in a similar role is desirable.
• Fluency in English.
• Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station is a strong asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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