American Refugee Committee International Careers in South Sudan

American Refugee Committee International BCC Consultant (TTC adaptation) Careers in South Sudan

BCC Consultant (TTC adaptation)

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Position title: BCC Consultant (TTC adaptation)

Project name: Health Pooled Fund

Location: Kapoeta East and Kapoeta North Counties, South Sudan

Length of assignment: 2 months

Start date: March 6, 2017

End date: May 5, 2017

Background and main objective

The South Sudan Ministry of Health (MoH) has drafted the Health Sector Development Plan (HSDP), a national strategy which focuses on maternal and child health, with the overall objectives to increase utilization and quality of health services, scale up on health promotion and protection, and strengthen the institutional functioning of the health system.

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is the primary recipient of funding from the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) to support the implementation of a county-based health service delivery model in Kapoeta East and Kapoeta North counties in Namorunyang State.

ARC South Sudan is looking for a consultant to adapt the Timed and Targeted Counselling (TTC) approach to the South Sudan context. TTC—originally developed by World Vision International—delivers maternal, newborn, and child health messages to a woman and her family during a woman’s pregnancy and the first 1000 days of her child’s life, starting at conception.

TTC messages are carefully timed so a woman has sufficient time to act on the given messages, but not so early that the messages seem irrelevant or are forgotten. Understanding that women often have little agency to make health decisions for themselves, TTC intentionally engages key decision-makers in the family, including male partners, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers.

By focusing on the critical period of pregnancy through a child’s second birthday, by delivering messages specific to the developmental time period a woman/her child is in, and by discussing specific barriers to implementing the recommended behaviors, TTC has proven to significantly reduce maternal and infant/young child morbidity and mortality.

Introducing TTC is intended to extend the reach, scope, and effectiveness of current community health worker (called Home Health Promoters, or HHPs, in South Sudan) efforts by providing an organizing framework for conducting community outreach and health education.

It is a more effective alternative to mass community health education sessions. The carefully timed messages are communicated through storytelling, followed by a dialogue with the family about which positive behaviors they already engage in and which are new to them.

HHPs trained in TTC are trained to work with the family to negotiate a feasible shift in the family’s behaviors towards the preferred practices based on their individual circumstances.

ARC will pilot TTC in three of the most remote payams in Kapoeta East (Lotimor, Jie, and Newsite) and in two in Kapoeta North (Chumakori and Paringa).

Specific Activities

Adapt the TTC curriculum to the South Sudan context

o Extract sessions related to epidemiology not present in South Sudan

o Review every “contextual change” prompt in the curriculum and make the necessary changes based on local context. Examples include the use of local foods for food-related exercises, the descriptions of available health services per the context, etc.

o Adapt the story narratives to the local context. Examples include the choice of names for the story characters, foods they are eating, etc. Also review and add or remove photo food cards for the South Sudan context.

o Add one or more sessions not included in the TTC curriculum, as relevant. An example might be a highly prevalent neglected tropical disease.

o Coordinate revisions to storybook illustrations, as necessary, to be contextually appropriate.

o Adapt data collection and monitoring tools, and harmonize with existing MOH tools

o Ensure all changes are made throughout all components of the TTC package, including Facilitator’s Manual, Participants’ Manual, Storybooks, Household Handbook, and data collection and monitoring tools.

o Field test all adapted tools and materials.

Conduct TOT training in revised TTC curriculum

o Train relevant MOH and ARC staff, as well as select HHP trainers in the TTC curriculum to enable them to carry out trainings

Deliverables

· TTC curriculum package adapted to the South Sudan context (TOT package, Facilitator’s Manual, Participants’ Manual, Storybooks, Household Handbook, and data collection and monitoring tools)

· Training report(s)

Qualifications

Expertise in behavior change communication and development of IEC materials

Expertise in maternal and child health, particularly the first 1,000 days

Familiarity working on maternal and child health issues in South Sudan

Proven ability to work cooperatively with others in a team environment

Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office, email, etc)
Professional fluency in spoken and written English; familiarity with Juba Arabic a plus

Highly motivated self-starter, ability to work independently and has ability to incorporate constructive feedback

Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, effectively managing multiple priorities

Flexibility and willingness to adjust to changing responsibilities or needs as they arise

Additional qualities: ability to multitask, ability to handle pressure well, ability to improvise, flexibility, cultural and environmental sensitivity.

Cultural and gender sensitivity essential

Willingness to be based in field sites for the period of the consultancy

How to apply:
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