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Health Coordinator Handicap International Sierra Leone

Détails de l'annonce

Organisation : Handicap International Belgium
Site web : http://www.handicapinternational.be
Adresse email : jobs@handicap.be
Lieu de l'emploi : Freetown / Sierra Leone
Type d'emploi : Contrat à durée déterminée
Type de contrat : Temps plein
Fonction : Coordination
Date de publication : 21/06/2015
Date limite : 30/12/2015

Profil

PROFILE REQUIRED  You have a public health master degree. A nurse degree and/or Ebola training would be an asset.  You’re experienced at least in 3 years health projects management, with necessarily MCH project. Your previous experience with Handicap International and in emergency context would be an advantage.  You have proven and strong skills in writing proposals.  You have also a good knowledge in epidemiology  For this position, it is required to have an excellent written and spoken level in English.  You are a flexible person, able to work under pressure. You also able to work in team, analyse and synthetize, and to delegate and control. Please apply directly on French Handicap International website : http://hi.profilsearch.com/recrute/fr/fo_annonce_voir.php?id=876&idpartenaire=142 This advertisement is permanently open allowing continuous recruitment for this position.

Description

PRESENTATION OF HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights. Handicap International is a not-for-profit organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission. For more details on the association: http://www.handicap-international.org MISSION CONTEXT The Ebola epidemic was confirmed in Guinea on March 2014. The Ebola virus appeared in the forest area very close to the border with Sierra Leone and Liberia and, starting from March 2014, quickly spread to neighbouring districts in the two countries. According to the latest World Health Organization update on March 1st, 2015, a total of 23,969 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola and 9,807 deaths had been reported from the three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) where transmission has been widespread and intense . Total case counts include all suspected, probable, and confirmed cases, which are defined similarly by each country. Because of improvements in laboratory diagnostics and surveillance in recent weeks, totals may overestimate the actual number of cases in some areas. The highest reported confirmed case counts were from Sierra Leone and Liberia, followed by Guinea. Various factors are still contributing to the spread of the epidemic such as (among others):  Health Factors: the symptoms of this haemorrhagic fever are very similar to those of other types of endemic fevers in the affected countries (confirming the presence of the virus is possible only through biological tests that cannot be carried out on all suspected patients). Additionally, health centres, which are already poorly equipped or little operational, are being deserted; the 3 countries are facing lack of health personnel and the death of many frontline health workers is a significant obstacle to increase the capacity to care for patients.  Cultural, social or political factors: some very important traditional practices increase the risk of transmission (burial practices...); communities are highly mobile, namely for economic reasons (border markets...); the population lacks information and has very little or even incorrect knowledge on health issues; the population have little trust in authorities and sometimes turn to unreliable sources of information (spiritual leaders...); many cases are hidden by families because they fear not only the disease, but also stigmatisation; there are popular 'revolts' (demonstrations, violent movements) in Guinea and Liberia as a protest against actions of the government or international organizations.  Economic factors: poverty is widespread; the prices of commodities are increasing because of the crisis; the restrictions on freight and imports limit the availability of goods. Current situation: The overall response to the EVD epidemic has now moved to a second phase, as the focus shifts from slowing transmission to ending the epidemic. To achieve this goal as quickly as possible, efforts have moved from rapidly building infrastructure to ensuring that capacity for case finding, case management, safe burials, and community engagement is functioning as effectively as possible. For the first time since the week ending 29 June, 2014, there have been fewer than 100 new confirmed cases reported in a week in the 3 most-affected countries in January. Nevertheless, case incidence increased again in Guinea and Sierra Leone the following weeks. It is worth mentioning that the health system is currently unable to meet the non-Ebola health needs of the population (primary health care, immunization, maternal and child health, surgery), food insecurity is striking in some areas, the livelihoods of people are affected (economic activity has considerably slowed down), and all schools are still closed even about to be reopened. If the general population is directly or indirectly affected by the epidemics, all vulnerable groups, such as elders, pregnant women, children or persons with disabilities (due to their lower capacity to access services) are even more impacted. The consequences of the Ebola outbreak are turning this health crisis into a major humanitarian crisis. The indirect consequences of the epidemic are significant even if response plans have taken into account the impact of the outbreak on other sectors. However, major information gaps still prevent a clear picture of the situation in the three countries. HI RESPONSE The Handicap International "Mano River" programme that covers Liberia and Sierra Leone (based in SL) was implementing the following projects until the outbreak of the epidemic in these two countries early in the summer of 2014: - Inclusive Education projects (1 in Liberia and 1 in Sierra Leone); - Mother and Child Health Project (SL), - Civil society support project (disability movement) in Liberia. These projects have been stopped last year and their human resources devoted to the Ebola response. They are currently resuming. The HI response to Ebola focuses in Sierra Leone on: - Ebola Ambulance fleet management in Western Area (Freetown and rural area): transportation of suspected and affected persons and home decontamination. - Ebola awareness raising of people with disabilities, either through direct awareness actions with this vulnerable group or through sensitisation of stakeholders in the field (authorities, NGOs in order to include the disability dimension in their awareness campaigns. Awareness campaigns were accompanied by a distribution of hygiene products. Today, in Sierra Leone, HI is leader of the “special needs” sub-committee of the cluster “Social Mobilisation” (lead by UNICEF). HI is also developing in this country several projects such as: - Consortium with several INGOs, to ensure protection of vulnerable groups (including Ebola affected persons) through the development of a protection desk mechanism in Sierra Leone. - Maternal and Child Health project: participate in rebuilding mutual confidence between community and health facilities, advocate for the inclusion of vulnerable people in community planning and response meetings, support and maintain comprehensive Infection Prevention and Control practices in the context of MCH at PHU level and psycho-social support (PSS) for EVD-affected families, with a special focus on vulnerable groups (women, children, disabled persons, survivors) discharged from holding/treatment canters. - In few districts in SL, HI is also realizing an assessment of the other impacts of the Ebola outbreak: on health system, food security (including a market analysis) and WASH. POSITION OBJECTIVES The Health Coordinator, who will report to the Program Director, will be in charge of coordinating and developing all health projects (current and future) for the Mano River program (Sierra Leone and Liberia) and provide technical support to the PM under his/her management. He will also be responsible for developing the next health (particularly Maternal and Child Health) strategy in Sierra Leone and Liberia linked with the recovery phase (including proposal writing). The Health Coordinator is expected to work in collaboration with the other coordinators of the program and to ensure linkages are done between emergency, recovery and development projects/phases. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS Your main responsibilities will be : - Monitor, in coordination with the Program Director, the evolution of the health and epidemiological situation in Sierra Leone and Liberia, particularly through information gathering, participating in meetings with emergency health stakeholders, and representing HI in relevant clusters (health, PSS etc.); - Support the needs assessments on-going (health part of the assessment) in Sierra Leone and coming assessments of needs in Sierra Leone; - Support the development of the intervention and positioning strategy of the program; - Identify resources to be mobilized for new interventions and write project proposals for donors; - Oversee the implementation and ensure relevancy and quality of the health response projects; - Ensure the follow up of donor contracts and reporting for health projects and guarantee the quality and timely submission of reports; - Ensure capitalization and analysis of internal reporting for the projects under his/her responsibility; - Participate in the management committees of the program; - Be the Safety focal point of the mission MAIN SPECIFIC TASKS REPRESENTATION - You participate actively to coordination and information meetings linked with the health and recovery response (health clusters, PSS, etc.); - Under request of the Program Director, you represent the organization, its health activities and programs during delegation visits; - Participate in the management committees of the program; HEALTH STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT - Monitor the evolution of the health and epidemiological situation in Sierra Leone and Liberia - In close collaboration with the Emergency Coordinator, you regularly follow up health humanitarian needs, donors strategies, financing opportunities in Sierra Leone linked with the health recovery phase - Ensuring health strategic programs development in accordance with humanitarian needs identified in the frame of Handicap International’s mandate and expertise - Support the development of the intervention and positioning strategy of the program; - Identify resources to be mobilized for new interventions - Write project proposals for donors according to the defined strategy; SUPERVISION /MONITORING - Oversee the implementation and quality of the current MCH project; - Ensure the coherence and the homogeneity of the MCH project under your responsibility (methodologies, indicators and results follow up); - You support the preparation of the final evaluation of the current MCH project; - Support the health part of the needs assessments on-going (Revision of data analysis, revision of preliminary report); TEAM MANAGEMENT - You define, with the staff under your responsibility (1 project manager), his action plan and delay for reaching defined goals (IAP); - You support and advise your team in the implementation of their IAP; - You ensure feed back towards your team about issues potentially raised by them; - You ensure a good communication – coordination – information level of each member of your team through regular coordination meetings (or other if needed); - You are concerned and aware on the personal and professional evolution of each expatriate under your management, and its development within the mission : individual interviews, oral and written evaluations; - You ensure conflict resolution (personal and professional) within your team and inform your manager; REPORTING - You receive and take acknowledgment of technical Sitreps sent by your team - You write the health department monthly sitreps, and send them monthly to the Program Director - You regularly update partners on the organization activities (especially in relevant coordination meetings) and send activities reports when accurate; - You regularly update donors on projects follow up (through contractual demanded or ad hoc reports and final reports); - You provide a mission report and/or handover document at the end of your contract; - Debriefing at HQ at the end of your mission (and during Home-Break if needed). SAFETY FOCAL POINT FOR THE MISSION - Support the DP concerning the safety/health of expat in Sierra Leone: - Ensure safety briefing for all expat arriving on the mission - Monitor the implementation of the RT Safety recommendations on specific measures linked with the Ebola context and suggestions for improvement if necessary - Technical support to the Program Director in maintaining the network related to safety and medevac in Sierra Leone - Participation in the development/revision of internal safety procedures, especially technical support to the Program Director for the update/inclusion of new information related to the expat health package in Freetown and the districts where HI works (new medevac process, contact list..) - Is the first focal point for any related health issues for all expat on the mission - Support to the Program Director for the response for any expat health problem (EVD or non EVD related) at mission level - Is the technical counter part of the safety RT at HQ level (concerning safety in the mission and project) - Support the DP in managing Ebola-related health issue of national staff JOB CONDITIONS - Based in Liberia(Monrovia) or Sierra Leone (Freetown), with frequent travel to the other country.  Status: salaried French contract - Salary : from 2200€ to 2400€ depending on the experience of the candidate) + 457€ expatriate allowance  Start: June 2015  Duration: 6 months (until December 2015) - Living conditions: guesthouse shared with other expatriates (no charges) - Social insurance: 100% covered - There is no contact at all with Ebola patient for any expatriate position