UNICEF recrute 01 Consultancy

Consultancy: to develop the framework for the design and dissemination of a booklet on frequently asked questions on infant and young child feeding, Kenya

Job Number: 520106 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Kenya

Work Type : Consultancy

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Terms of Reference

Consultancy to develop the framework for the design and dissemination of a booklet on frequently asked questions on infant and young child feeding

Background and Justification

The appropriate knowledge and practice of infant and young child feeding are critical because of their impact on child survival. The overall goal of the infant and young child feeding guidance is to mitigate the effects of common child mortality causes such as diarrheal disease, pneumonia and under nutrition that continue to be the largest contributors to infant mortality in the country. In Kenya, the 2018 infant feeding guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for at least two years and beyond if possible with the introduction of appropriate, adequate and safe complementary foods. These recommnedations apply regardless of the mother’s HIV status.  It is also recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women who test positive for HIV begin ART immediately following the diagnosis and continue to take the medication for the remainder of their lives. The HIV test and treat strategy significantly reduces the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV.

The 2018 guidance on infant feeding is the latest in a series of rapidly evolving directives on the topic in Kenya. As guidelines change, there is often miscommunication and misunderstanding among health care providers and the community, reducing the uptake of optimum infant feeding practices. Additionally, other health and social circumstances such as poverty, low maternal literacy levels, teenage and adolescent pregnancies and TB/HIV co-infection pose operational uncertainty in implementation.  As a result, infant feeding practices are often inappropriate, and infants are put at high risk of mortality and HIV transmission.

In response to the uncertainty brought on by the new guidance and in an attempt to help clarify, the National AIDS and STI

Control Programme (NASCOP) together with the Nutrition and Dietetics Unit (NDU) of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and with support from UNICEF would like to develop appropriate evidence-based communication messages on frequently asked operational questions regarding infant and young child nutrition, especially at the community level.

Scope of Work

1.     Goal and Objective:  Under the supervision of the UNICEF Chief HIV section and Chief Nutrition Section the consultant will: –

Develop a framework for the design and dissemination of a booklet on frequently asked questions on infant and young child feeding, inclusive of the context of HIV and other related circumstances. The report should contain 1) A compendium of the frequently asked questions on infant and young child feeding and 2) a conceptual plan for the development of the booklet and its dissemination plan.

2.     UNICEF CP Outcome:  1

Increased proportions of vulnerable children, pregnant and lactating women, including adolescent girls, have equitable access to and use quality WASH, Nutrition, Health and HIV/AIDS services, to reduce their risk of mortality, preventable diseases, stunting and other forms of malnutrition, and improve their birth outcomes.

3.     Methodology

This will require both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to conduct:

§  A desk review of the current evidence-based guidance and policy supporting optimal infant and young child feeding. The purpose of the review is to identify the expected actions for communities and health care workers, potential operational gaps, questions and challenges in the implementations of the infant and young child feeding guidance.

§  Stakeholder consultation including at national, county and community level, health care workers, mothers and significant community influencers e.g. husbands, mother in-laws, media, religious leaders etc. The key people for consultation will include HIV/TB nutrition programmers (national and county), service providers- (nutritionist, PMTCT nurses, CCC/ TB providers), pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescents, young people, the media, networks of people living with HIV, private sector providers, mentor mothers, TB community nurses, community health volunteers (CHVs) and religious leaders. Travel to selected counties and within Nairobi for stakeholder consultation is expected. This process will identify key areas for focused responsive answers based on experienced challenges in implementing infant and young child feeding guidance in Kenya.

§  Compilation, analysis and collation of the questions for final report

4. Deliverables

§  Desk review.

Draft and final qualitative report. The report will contain 1) A compendium of the frequently asked questions on infant and young child feeding and 2) a conceptual plan for the development of the booklet and its dissemination plan. The report is to be shared with UNICEF HIV and Nutrition Team and MOH (for fact checking). (Max 10 pages).

Presentation of the draft and final report to UNICEF and MOH by Consultant. (Max 10 slides).

5. Proposed Timeframe

It is expected that the duration of this consultancy will last 20 working days

     6. Skill and experience

It is expected that the individual consultant will have the following skills and experience:

Relevant academic background and training in public health, nutrition, anthropology, sociology, epidemiology, psychology or other, as appropriate.

Strong technical knowledge in maternal infant and young child feeding and HIV and AIDS within the context of Kenya.

Expertise in conducting community and stakeholder dialogues including targeting marginal groups including adolescents and young peoples, the poor, rural populations.

Experience in qualitative research methods

Experience in strategic communication skills and applications of behaviour change process will be an added advantage

Previous experience working with UNICEF and other UN agencies an asset.

Cultural and gender sensitivity is must

Technical proposal evaluation criteria will be based on the following:

·       Overall response, completeness, overall concord between requirements and proposal (15 points)

·       Experience, overall experience of candidate (20 points)

·       Technical skills, relevance to requirements of analysis (15 points)

·       Proposed methodology/time frame (20 points)

·       Financial proposal (30 points)

Conditions

The consultant will conduct his/her work using his/her own computer equipment and office space

The consultant is expected to commit fully to this task as per the TOR and adhere to the timeline, subject to changes and revisions by UNICEF KCO team.

The consultant will not have supervisory responsibilities nor authority on UNICEF budget and other resources.

The consultant will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. The only advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary

Closing Date Fri Mar 08 2019 21:55:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)