National Individual Consultant at UNICEF March 2024

National Individual Consultant at UNICEF March 2024, Jobs, National Individual Consultant: Development of the National Strategy and Social and Behavioral Change Package for Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV for adolescent, in Tanzania. 180 Days.

Job no: 570130
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Dar-es-Salaam
Level: Consultancy
Location: United Republic of Tanzania
Categories: HIV/AIDS, Social and Behavior Change

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. National Individual Consultant at UNICEF March 2024

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Support.  

Teenage pregnancy rates are high with the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey indicating 22.7% in mainland and 4.1% in Zanzibar. Teenage pregnancies are among the leading cause of maternal complications and early childhood morbidity and mortality. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15- 24 years are three times more likely to acquire HIV compared to adolescent boys and young men of the same age. Of all people living with HIV in the country, 11.2% are young people aged 10 – 24, the majority of whom are AGYW. 3 out of 10 girls and young women have experienced sexual violence before turning 18. This is compounded by low knowledge and skills levels to reduce risk and vulnerabilities among young people. Malnutrition is still a challenge and affects adolescents more than adults. Notably, micronutrient deficiency especially among adolescent girls is high and has implications on pregnancy outcome and child health.

Obesity has emerged as a nutrition challenge especially among adolescents in urban settings. As part of the UNICEF multisector HIV Programme of its Country Programme Strategy (2022-2027), UNICEF remains committed to supporting those adolescent girls and boys to have access to evidence-based information to make informed decisions about their lives, prevent HIV infections and to seek care and treatment for HIV, if required. This includes to support the government of Tanzania to develop strategies and support interventions that will reduce stigma, promote gender equality, and change negative social norms which drive new HIV infections, other STI infections, teenage pregnancy, and use opportunities for improving knowledge on nutrition, promoting the importance of education and prevention of violence.

Several social and behavioral change interventions are being implemented to address challenges among adolescents, however there is no national generic strategy that could provide guidance on the key behavioral/social change objectives that different sectors can synergize efforts to address challenges faced by adolescents. Currently SBC programs are implemented in silos per individual organizations or sectors rendering it difficult to have significant and sustained impact. A clear vision and framework premised on adequate understating of the issues to be addressed guided by proper coordination and complementarity of approaches, is warranted. National Individual Consultant at UNICEF March 2024

Specifically, a more comprehensive approach to SRH/HIV SBC is required given overarching similarities in vulnerabilities and risks associated with behavior, social norms and structural issues pertaining to teenage pregnancies and new HIV infections. Furthermore, the National Health Sector HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (HSHSP V) has noted several gaps in the Social and Behavior Change, among them is lack of the National SBC strategy and at least the one that focuses on young people as it’s a group that has multiple health challenges that can be reduced by positive behavioral practices and social norms. 

The Tanzania National Social and Behavioral Change Strategy SRH and HIV for adolescents will enable all sectors to be more focused and synergistic in consolidating prevention efforts to achieve long term sustainability of prevention of teen pregnancies and HIV Prevention, treatment, care, and support. This strategy also suggests the priority areas for effective and innovative ways of utilizing available resources to reach all communities across the country.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Tanzania is seeking for a qualified national individual consultant to Development of the National Strategy and Social and Behavioral Change Package for Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV for adolescent, in Tanzania. The Consultant will support the Ministry of Health: Health Promotion Unit (HPU) to develop a national SBC strategy that will provide guidance across all sectors to address risks behavior and harmful social norms for the reduction of SRH challenges including HIV infections among adolescents and young adults in Tanzania.

Scope of Work:

The objective of the assignment is to support the Ministry of Health: Health Promotion Unit (HPU) to develop a national Social and Behavioral Change strategy that will provide guidance across all sectors to address risks behavior and harmful social norms for the reduction of SRH challenges including HIV infections among adolescents and young adults in Tanzania.

Expected outputs/Deliverables.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE.
UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

ASSESSMENT / SELECTION PROCESS AND METHODS
Evaluations: The applicant should submit both technical and financial proposals which clearly stipulate how the work will be conducted. The Financial Proposal should include all costs of this assignment including fee, travel costs, accommodation as UNICEF will not pay any DSA.

Proposals will be both technically and financially evaluated. The technical part will carry a weight of 75%, in which the consultant will put clear his/her technical approach to ensure quality attainment of each deliverable and the consultancy in totality. The financial part will take 25% showing the proposed budget breakdown of consultancy cost for each deliverable (fees, travel and accommodation) and eventual total consultancy cost.

LOCATION, DURATION & LOGISTIC
The consultant will be based in Dar es Salaam with scheduled travel to Dodoma, Mbeya/ Songwe and other regions in Tanzania mainland as appropriate. The validity of the contract will be for 180 days.

METHODOLOGY:

The review will adopt a mixed-method approach which may include the following components:

1. Desk review: Conduct an extensive review of documents related to the strategy, implementation plans, progress reports, relevant literature, existing reports, progress documents, data sets, and other relevant sources to gather data on the strategy’s implementation.
2. Stakeholder consultations: Engage with key stakeholders both public and private stakeholders through meetings, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs).

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant field, including Public Health, Social Science, Anthropology, Community Engagement and the related.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in SBC and public health interventions in the context of HIV prevention among adolescents and young adults in Tanzania or sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in designing/implementing/monitoring behavioral and social change communication strategies and/ or interventions inclusive of application of human-centered approaches.
• Strong experience and skills in workshop facilitation and fostering collaborations.
• Experience in social norms mapping, analysis and diagnostics.
•  Strong verbal and written communication capabilities both in English and Swahili
• Experience working with MoH and other government entities in the development of guidelines, frameworks, strategies, and other key documents.
• Results-oriented and able to work under tight deadlines.
• Strong knowledge of the Tanzanian context
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

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

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

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

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

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

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

Advertised: 05 Mar 2024 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 19 Mar 2024 E. Africa Standard Time

CLICK HERE TO APPLY