Consultancy to provide technical support to countries to scale up WASH services in HCFs through WASHFIT training

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

New York, NY, USA 🇺🇸

Home-based/Remote

Job no: 559001
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: New York
Level: Consultancy
Location: United States
Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

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. 

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, hope

Consultancy Title: Consultancy to provide technical support to countries to scale up WASH services in HCFs through WASHFIT training

Section/Division/Duty Station: WASH/ Programme Group/ NYHQ

Duration: 108 Billable days – February to June 2023

Home/ office Based: Remote

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The socio- economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 have left devastating consequences for millions of people worldwide. While vaccination efforts are being ramped up globally, COVID-19 remains a major health threat. Health care facilities (HCFs) continue to struggle to accommodate patients seeking health care. Pre-existing conditions such as epidemics like Ebola as well as cholera and the recent monkey pox (which require adequate water, sanitation and hygiene- WASH services), the prevalence of malaria, the fast- growing population, high poverty levels, lack of WASH services HCF’s, poor health, protracted conflicts, malnutrition, weak governance, all exacerbate the poor conditions in health care facilities and makes it difficult for health workers to provide safe care to patients.

The provision of WASH services is essential to protecting human health during all infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19 whose numbers are reported to be increasing in some countries with the emergence of the new variant – XBB.1.5. In HCFs with limited WASH services, the burden of COVID-19 means that these services are further strained and are insufficient to meet the needs of patients and health care workers, leaving them at risk of infection and sometimes death, including from COVID-19. In some communities, the lack of WASH services inhibits people from attending HCFs, including expectant mothers who are unable or afraid to go to health centers to give birth without WASH services.

Ensuring good and consistently applied WASH and waste management practices in HCF’s, communities, homes, schools, marketplaces, will help prevent human-to-human transmission of infectious diseases. Hand hygiene, long known to be one of the most effective measures to stop transmission of infections, is more important than ever, in curbing infections. Critical supplies such as soap, hand-sanitizers, disinfectants, masks and personal protection equipment (PPE) are all essential in the containing the spread of COVID-19. But this is not possible where WASH services are poor. A 2021 report on WASH in HCFs released by the WHO/ UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme shows that  half of health care facilities worldwide lack basic hygiene services with water and soap or alcohol-based hand- rub where patients receive care and at toilets in these facilities  Though 68% of health care facilities had hygiene facilities at points of care, and 65% had handwashing facilities with water and soap at toilets, only 51% had both and therefore met the criteria for basic hygiene services. Furthermore, 1 in 11 (9%) of health care facilities globally have neither. The report also shows that in the Least Developed Countries, only 53% of health care facilities have access on-

premises to a protected water source and of the countries with available data, 1 in 10 health care facilities globally had no sanitation service.  Many health care facilities lack basic environmental cleaning and safe segregation and disposal of health care waste.

These data mean that greater investments must be made to improve WASH services in HCFs to mitigate impacts of pandemics and epidemics. For this to happen, capacities must be created within responsible government institutions.  There are already existing tools and resources to help strengthen capacities of governments and other partners, and amongst UNICEF staff. For instance, UNICEF in collaboration with Emory University developed a course based on the Eight Practical Steps for WASH in HCFs. The course has been taught three times now since it was launched in 2020 and UNICEF and Emory will continue to run the course over the coming years. UNICEF works across sectors such as health, C4D and communications within the organization to support governments and build their capacities to better respond to the pandemic in areas such as assessments, planning and budgeting and financing, coordination, training in technical areas, risk communication, supply provision and monitoring and reporting of progress on WASH in HCFs services.   

In addition, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF developed the WASHFIT tool (now version 2) to help government and partners make incremental improvements and scale up WASH in HCFs. For the past few years, UNICEF has been supporting countries to build capacities of staff and governments to undertake WASHFIT implementation reaching over 30 countries. There has been unprecedented increase in demand for WASHFIT implementation and so UNICEF will continue to build capacities of governments, partners and UNICEF staff on WASHFIT and the Eight Practical Steps to scale up WASH services in HCFs.

UNICEF now seeks a consultant to continue to support the WASH section at HQ to provide technical support on WASHFIT training and implementation in countries. The consultant is expected to provide support to all regions- based on demand and needs. The consultant will also collate learning and experiences on WASHFIT implementation and in coordination with WHO and support countries to report implementation of the Eight Practical Steps to universal WASH access in HCFs in all regions.

Scope of Work (and objectives):The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:Liaise with UNICEF WASH HQ colleagues on regular basis, and where necessary and as agreed with UNICEF regional offices on WASH in HCF’s priorities to scale up WASH services in HCF’s as part of the global response to COVID-19.In consultation with the WASH Specialist, review and adapt the WASHFIT training materials, making them succinct and fit for purpose and for online training.Conduct 7 training sessions for government partners and other stakeholders as well as UNICEF staff on WASHFIT implementation.
  • Conduct 5 coaching and mentoring sessions on WASHFIT implementation for Ministry of Health (MoH) officials, UNICEF staff and other stakeholders all of the regions where UNICEF works, through the Helpdesk function, to improve and scale up WASH services in HCFs. The consultant will also provide technical support to countries on the Eight practical Steps through the Helpdesk.
  • Maintain the monitoring platform to monitor and disseminate information on implementation of WASHFIT by participating countries on UNICEF’s SharePoint. 
  • Develop a summary/ synthesis of lessons, learnings, best practices or experiences on WASHFIT implementation from priority countries engaged in this initiative.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

  • Adapted WASHFIT materials
  • WASHFIT training conducted for MoH staff from selected countries
  • A report on coaching and mentoring on WASHFIT implementation in selected countries
  • A monitoring platform for tracking progress on WASHFIT implementation and scale up in selected countries operationalized and functional
  • A summary synthesis report on WASHFIT implementation from countries that received training
  • Consultancy report on support provided to HQ as per TOR’s

Qualifications

Education:

  • Advanced university degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Social Sciences or related field.

Language Proficiency:

  • Must be fluent in English. Knowledge of French or Spanish is considered an asset

Work experience:

  • Advanced university degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Social Sciences or related field.
  • At least five years’ experience in implementing WASH and or WASH in health care facilities programmes essential.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of WASHFIT and Covid-19 responses in healthcare facilities
  • At least seven years of experience in public health issues in developing countries, at middle- level management
  • Must be fluent in English. Knowledge of French or Spanish is considered an asset
  • Prior experience working for the United Nations an added advantage
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills required
  • Demonstrated analytical skills a key requirement
  • Strong inter-personal skills and team spirit
  • Demonstrated capacity to work in a dynamic environment coordinating across different teams and sectors.

Requirements:

  • Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
  • Financial proposal that will include:
  • your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
    • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
    • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
    • Indicate your availability
  • Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
  • At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
  • Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

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. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, appearance, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, 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.

Advertised: 27 Jan 2023 Eastern Standard Time
Deadline: 03 Feb 2023 Eastern Standard Time


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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