Job Description
The Position:
UNFPA Afghanistan is seeking a consultant to develop a Family Health Houses Strategy Document.
About UNFPA
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realising the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the various natural and men-made disasters on women’s, girls’ and young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recovering lost gains, and realizing our goals.
About the Family Health Houses
The UNFPA’s Family Health House (FHH), or in the local language called Ashiana-e-Sehi, is a community-based health facility established in areas that lie at least 10 kilometers or at least 3 hours walk from the nearest BPHS facility. It serves a population of 1,500–3,000 people and is staffed by a community midwife. The UNFPA’s FHH Initiative that was started in 2009, aims to:
- To increase access (economic, physical and social) to essential RMNCAH services and their utilization by communities living in targeted remote areas.
- To improve quality of health services through training and building the capacity of community midwives, community health workers (CHWs) at health posts, community groups (Community Health Shuras), Family Health Action Groups (FHAGs), and through capacity-building and management of project staff; and
- To establish a functional referral system by establishing linkages between community based FHH and higher-level health facilities.
The UNFPA’s FHHs are critical in providing primary care level access to the community in the so-called “white areas” or areas that do not have health facilities available at less than three hours walking distance.
Since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, followed by the collapse of the country’s health system, the UNFPA’s FHHs became prominent as a center for the community to access essential RMNCAH services. Since then, the FHHs have been increased from 172 to 326 by March 2023.
You be responsible for:
The consultant will develop a FHH Strategy Document that entails the future direction of the FHH initiative so that it transforms, inspires and delivers high-impact and sustained results covering the period of June 2023 to May 2025
The Strategy Document will answer the following aspects [with scenarios]:
- How to sustain and maintain the existing FHHs so that the quality as well as the services are being ensured?
- How to integrate other essential services, including activities for adolescents and youth, into the existing FHH concept.
- How to expand the FHH facilities so that they are able to reach more hard-to reach/white areas?
The consultant is expected to work remotely to develop the FHH Strategy document.
All work will be submitted electronically as it is produced, with revisions made based on feedback prior to final acceptance.
Expected deliverables include:
- Situation analysis (incl desk review), workplan, methodology and table of contents
- Draft FHH Strategy document and a PPT presentation
- Presentation of the strategy to UNFPA for vetting
- Revise the Strategy based on feedback.
- Submit the Final FHH Strategy document and a PPT presentation.
All deliverables will be written in English and submitted in electronic format.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
- Advanced University degree (Minimum Master’s degree master’s degree in public health, midwifery or medicine).
Knowledge and experience:
- At least 5 years of documentation and development of key strategic documents in midwifery, maternal reproductive health, particularly in developing countries and humanitarian contexts is preferable.
- Technical expertise in Family Health Houses or similar innovation programme is an advantage.
- Good understanding of UNFPA mandate with familiarity of UNFPA policies and processes will be an advantage
- Excellent analytical skills, process management skills, data management and facilitation
- Excellent communication skills (written, spoken) in English
- Good communication skills (written, spoken) in languages spoken in the countries covered is desirable
- Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with persons of different backgrounds in a multicultural environment
- Experience working remotely across program sites to achieve stakeholder participation and consensus
- Experience working in Afghanistan is an advantage
Core Competencies:
- Integrity, commitment, cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity
- Developing people, coaching and mentoring
- Building and managing relationships
- Personal leadership and effectiveness
Functional Competencies:
Business acumen
- Implementing management systems
- Innovation and marketing of new approaches
- Client orientation
- Organizational awareness
- Strategic alignment of human resource practices
- Promoting organizational change and development
- Impact and influence
- Job knowledge/technical expertise
The consultant is expected to provide all necessary equipment to complete the assignment (computer, software, phone, access to internet, etc.).
UNFPA will provide all relevant background information and documentation regarding the regional and country contexts, as well as play a coordinating role to facilitate meetings and interviews for the consultant.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
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