Background:
A stable and prosperous Pakistan is a top priority in international development efforts of the UK Government. Empowerment and voice of women, girls and marginalized social groups is vital for these efforts to succeed. Therefore, enabling them to articulate their needs and influence legislation, policies and practices which affect them is at the heart of the UK’s development assistance. Better access to reproductive, maternal, new-born and child health and nutrition is an important entry point to achieve this objective.
Pakistan is off-track to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). DFID Pakistan (DFIDP) therefore is focusing on reproductive, maternal, new-born and child health (RMNCH) including nutrition to support effective implementation of health sector strategies that will lead to achievement of the health MDGs. DFIDP has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Pakistan on Provincial Health and Nutrition Programme (PHNP) to achieve RMNCH and nutrition results in KPK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces over four years (2013 to 2017).
These TORs relate to the Project Officer CE KP role on one component of the PHNP programme - Empowerment, Voice and Accountability for Better Health and Nutrition (EVA-BHN).
The objective of the programme is to increase the demand for better RMNCH services and nutrition and empower citizens to hold the service providers to account. Women, girls and children with the greatest needs and from underserved backgrounds will be prioritized. The sub-programme will complement the supply-side interventions by increasing demand and strengthening mechanisms for greater and effective citizen participation and monitoring of health services. This includes:
- Influence health legislation, policy, practices, and service delivery through greater pressure and demand from the citizens. The supplier will work through a combination of empowerment, voice and accountability approaches including, but not limited to, awareness raising and mobilization, advocacy and lobbying, capacity building, coalitions and partnerships.
- Pilot innovative solutions for increasing access of the poor and women and girls to RMNCH and nutrition – with priority to increasing immunisation coverage, skilled birth attendance, modern contraceptive usage, child and mother nutrition, management of common child ailments and usage of primary healthcare facilities, community workers, etc.
Outline of Position:
The Project Officer CE KP will support the implementation of Community Empowerment activities at the community and district level in EVA target districts. This includes building engaging community groups at the Union council level and ensuring their monthly meeting at UC level and at district level, building the capacity of the citizen to identify their health demand hold duty bearers into account for responsive service delivery. He/She will also be responsible for the implementation of the interpersonal level of social behavior change communication activities in their target district.
Key Responsibilities, Duties and Tasks
- Engage community groups at union council level following CG formation/engagement guidelines.
- Support the CG members to implement Community Based Monitoring (CBM) activities in target districts.
- Supervise recording and reporting of quality CBM data, and ensure its timely submission
- Regularly analyse CBM findings and provide the feedback to the CGs.
- Ensure implementation of M&E systems and tools, and collect success and achievements
- Performing any other tasks as agreed with the Community Empowerment Manager Punjab.
- Conduct the on the job mentoring and coaching visit to the CGs every month
- Organize CG coordinators monthly Check in meeting in the target district.
- Regularly measures the quality of the Community groups meetings and take measures to improve it.
- Organise and facilitate formal trainings followed by practical hands on coaching sessions for CG coordinator and Core group members when required
- Facilitate the CG coordinator to escalate their voices at different opportunity platforms.
- Prepare and submit budgets for Community group monthly meetings, Community Group Coordinators monthly check-in meetings, trainings and any other planned activity in target districts.
- Prepare and submit budgets for Community group monthly meetings, trainings and any other planned activity.
- Oversee the implementation of interpersonal level SBCC activities in the target districts.
- Facilitate the Community health promoters in dissemination of the key health messages in target districts
Coordination
- Maintain close liaison with the Advocacy &Accountability, Capacity building, ME teams and Operations team to ensure the smooth implementation of activities
- Coordinate with community elders, notables and local civil society organisations in the area.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s Degree in Public Health, social sciences or a related field.
- At least 05 years of professional experience in Public Health particularly RMNCH, nutrition, and community mobilization/engagement
- Ability to develop training packages, tools and manuals and facilitate trainings on technical areas for staff and general communities
- Experience working with local civil society and community-based organizations, as well as with governmental organizations
- Computer competency with spreadsheets, databases and word processing suites;
- Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility and patience;
- Fluent in Pushto