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, Health

Background and Purpose

2022 UNICEF ESAR Community Health Learning Symposium

Over the past decade across the 21 countries that make up the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR), there has been an increase in the support and investment in community-based primary health care (CBPHC). One component of this work revolves around the strengthening of community health systems, which further supports and enables timely, effective, and accessible quality service delivery by community health workers (CHWs)/frontline health workers.

 

With four years since the Global Primary Health Care (PHC) conference in Alma Ata in Kazakhstan in 2018, where government, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders met to reaffirm a global commitment to PHC, the time is right to share and capitalize on all the regional experiences and learnings in community health systems strengthening – a critical pillar needed to operationalize PHC, and ultimately achieving UHC.

 

To facilitate this learning exchange, UNICEF Eastern Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) together with UNICEF Uganda Country Office (UCO), will conduct a five-day Community Health Learning Symposium (CHLS) in Kampala, Uganda from 14 to 18 November 2022. The symposium will focus on sharing success stories, exchange lessons learned, discuss how COVID-19 has impacted community health systems strengthening (CHSS), share experiences with implementing innovative technologies and approaches, and discuss emerging areas in CHSS.

 

The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) through its partnership with UNICEF on intelligent Community Health Systems (iCoHS), has over the past three years provided catalytic investments aimed to strengthen community health systems for integrated service delivery, with a specific focus on enhancing visualization and use of community-level data in 12 countries in the ESAR and in India. One of the pillars of the iCoHS work is the promotion of cross-country learning and generating evidence to accelerate work in this space, and from which the idea and financial support for the CHLS is sourced.

 

Purpose of Assignment and Scope:

In close collaboration with UCO and ESARO, the consultant will plan for and facilitate a dynamic and participatory five-day learning symposium, ensuring participant views are heard and discussions are open and engaging.

How can you make a difference? 

Justification:

Expert external facilitation is required to maximise engagement for the 2022 UNICEF ESAR CHLS.  This event is currently planned to be conducted in-person, although COVID-19 travel restrictions could force the event to be held virtually, expertise in remote facilitation is required to ensure active participation throughout both event options.

The objective of the consultancy is to:

The aim of the CHLS is to come together as a region to celebrate collective achievements, build on our CHSS knowledge base, provide an opportunity for internal capacity building and amongst partners, and further strengthen our regional collaboration and support. The learning symposium will facilitate this exchange amongst countries who have benefited from the iCoHS investments funded by RF, as well as others who continue their CHSS journeys.

The overall objective of the CHLS is to strengthen our regional community health capacity around our common vision of championing CBPHC as the vehicle to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and ultimately, universal health care (UHC). By building our network, the symposium’s specific objectives are:

• To update and build capacity on global and regional guidance, tools, and latest innovations.
• To provide a forum for community health experts and decision makers to share their experiences on strengthening the various components of the community health system, presenting accomplishments, challenges, lessons learned and opportunities while strengthening and building networks.
• To have countries that have participated in the iCoHS partnership showcase how the RF investments have been catalytic in furthering CHSS.

Activities and Tasks

Pre-symposium (5 days)

 

• Meet with ESARO and UCO to verify roles, responsibilities, and overall vision for learning symposium.
• Review all learning symposium documents and agenda and provide feedback.
• Fully understand the learning symposium agenda and related documents and prepare a detailed facilitation plan, which is shared with and run through together with ESARO and UCO prior to event.
• Work with ESARO and UCO on the physical design and set-up of the event venue.
• Compile and organize electronic copies of all presentations to be given and work with ESAR staff to transfer symposium-related documents to the online knowledge hub.
• Design online post-symposium survey, to be administered to all symposium attendees at the end of the five-day event.

During the symposium (5 days)

 

• Serve as the overall conference facilitator, including keeping time and transition between all speakers/sessions.
• Support presenters and session leads, as needed.
• Conduct energizers/icebreakers that engage the audience, make daily announcements, introduce sessions, moderate all sessions (with the assistance of pre-designated session leads), and facilitate discussion as needed (with the help of a pre-developed ‘Run of show’- document)
• Take complete notes throughout each session.
• At the end of each day, meet with the symposium organization team to assess the day, act on any improvements required for subsequent days, and ensure all is set for the following day.
• Conduct online post-symposium survey on the final afternoon of the learning symposium.

Post-symposium (10 days)

 

• Participate in a debriefing activity with ESARO and UCO.
• Develop a detailed report analyzing and summarizing the post-event survey, as well as key next steps and takeaways from each of the sessions during the CHLS. Once a draft has been reviewed by ESARO and UCO and is considered to be final, this document will serve as the overall CHLS final report.

Outputs/Deliverables:

• Detailed plan of facilitation in line with the CHLS agenda and the Run of Show document which will be made available to the Consultant.
• Conduct and deliver report from online post-symposium survey.
• Proper labelling and filling of all survey-related documents to be uploaded within the online knowledge hub.
• CHLS draft and final report, including survey results and suggestions for future events.

Location and duration:

The Consultant will work remotely pre/post symposium and in-person during the symposium.

 

The contract will be for 20 days: 5 days for symposium preparation, 5 days for the learning symposium facilitation, and 10 days for post-symposium report write-up.

Line of reporting:

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of UNICEF UCO PHC Systems Strengthening Manager (Chimwemwe) in close collaboration with UNICEF ESARO.

Reporting requirements:

Develop draft and final report, including:

• • Overview of sessions and main points of discussion and agreed upon action points during each of the CHLS sessions.
  • Post symposium survey finding analysis.
  • Key recommendations and action points for future events.

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

Education:

1. Advanced university degree or 5-7 years work experience in facilitating and coordinating events, including regional/global meetings/workshops, preferably in public health. Demonstrated ability to include all participants and ensure all views are heard.
2. Demonstrated analytical and concise writing and editing skills, including the ability to convey detailed information in a clear manner to a diverse audience.
3. Flexible and able to respond to and accommodate change easily.
4. Administrative skills and self-motivated with the ability to set priorities and manage multiple tasks under minimal supervision in an effective and efficient manner.
5. Ability to work under pressure and respond to deadlines without sacrificing quality.
6. Languages – Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
7. Software – Good knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
8. Planning and Organizing:  Sets clearly defined objectives; plans activities and projects well in advance and takes account of possible changing circumstances; identifies and organizes resources needed to accomplish tasks; manages time effectively; monitors performance against deadlines and milestones.
9. Knowledge of the Eastern and Southern Africa regional context is preferred.
10. Understanding of regional institutional, policy and legal frameworks is preferred.

Core competencies:

• Communication: expresses opinions, speaks clearly, has a sense of diplomacy while interacting with external stakeholders.
• Drive for results: passionate about action and helping to get things moving.
• Team Spirit: enjoys working as part of a group with members of different backgrounds.
• Learning and Researching: rapidly learns new tasks and demonstrates an understanding of newly acquired information.
• Independence: can take initiative and work with limited supervision to deliver results.
• Coping with pressure: maintains a positive outlook at work and works productively in a pressurized environment and in a crisis while keeping emotions under control.

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.

Evaluation Criteria:

The Technical proposal is weighted at 75% and 25% for the Financial proposal.

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

Payment Schedule:

100% payment with submission and approval of deliverables.

Payment will be made to the consultant upon submission to and approval of accomplished deliverables by the supervisor. Flexibility in consideration of deliverables for payment may be made given the nature and context of the assignment (technical and complex) and the government institution and sector (bureaucratic and complex) that the Consultant will support.

Risks associated with the contract:

All reasonable and likely risks should be identified, and relevant risk response and possible mitigating action defined.

Learning symposium not well coordinated – this will be mitigated through thorough preparation, especially in the five-day preparation phase, together with the consultant, and through face-to-face meetings ahead of the event.

In the event of COVID-19-related travel/in-person meeting restrictions, the CHLS will be held online. This would require a different planning/preparation process/schedule, with the resulting transition to an online event ideally being known well in advance of the learning symposium dates.

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• The consultancy will commence only when the contract has been signed.
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities nor authority on UNICEF budget and other resources.
• Consultants will be required to sign the Health statement for consultants/Individual contractors prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that they have appropriate health insurance, if applicable.
• The Form ‘Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary’ must be completed by the consultant upon arrival, at the HR Section.
• No contract may commence unless the consultant provides a certificate of completion of a mandatory course on “Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”.  A certificate to be submitted with the signed contract should have been obtained in the last three months.
• Under the consultancy agreements, a month is defined as 21 working days, and fees are prorated accordingly. Consultants are not paid for weekends or public holidays
• Consultants are not entitled to payment of overtime. All remuneration must be within the contract agreement and are paid according to satisfactory completion of deliverables
• No contract may commence unless the consultant provides a certificate of completion of a mandatory course on “Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”. A certificate to be submitted with the signed contract should have been obtained in the last three months.
• Clearance from DHR will be required for former UNICEF staff
• Clearance from the Government required for civil servants
• COVID19 Vaccination for this position is mandatory.

How to Apply

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 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.

Qualified and experienced candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest including a Technical Proposal outlining a road map for review and implementation timeline. In their letter of interest, candidates should highlight their previous work experience relevant to the assignment, the attributes that make them suitable, and their proposed approach to the assignment.

The applicant should also submit a Financial Proposal outlining the total costs for this consultancy with payment linked to the main deliverables outlined above. The financial proposal should indicate an all-inclusive lumpsum fee composed of consultancy fees, travel costs and subsistence/living allowances (where applicable).

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.

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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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.