Somali Medical Forums
Finance & Aid => Medical Jobs & Trainings => Topic started by: Admin on August 19, 2011, 04:34:04 PM
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Background
Somalia has been suffering from conflict and lack of a functioning government since past 20 years. Currently this chronically highly precarious country has been severely hit by an enormous scale of drought. Across Somalia, 3.7 million of its total 9 million Somali populations have been affected by the drought and are living in humanitarian crisis. On 20th July 2011, UN has declared famine in parts of Southern Somalia. The drought situation has deteriorated to famine in Bakool agro-pastoral livelihood zones and all areas of Lower Shabelle. Other southern areas are expected to worsen in August-September as food insecurity deteriorates. 2.8 million of the drought affected populations are concentrated in eight southern regions and as many as 1.85 million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. This represents 85 per cent increase since mid-2010, and an increase of over 85 per cent, or 1 million people, since January 2011. The recent estimate shows that over 29,000 under five children have died in past 90 days in the drought affected population. The following malnutrition and mortality findings released recently by FSNAU FEWSNET on 4th August from the surveys it conducted illustrate the exceptionally high levels of acute malnutrition and mortality. The surveys conducted in Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions and the IDP settlements in Afgoye and Mogadishu showed: • 35.3 percent GAM and 17.1 percent SAM in Middle Shabelle Agropastoral, • 39.4 percent GAM and 15.3 percent SAM in Mogadishu (IDPs), • 40.4 percent GAM and 17.2 percent SAM in Afgoye (IDPs) • 42.2 percent GAM and 15.8 percent SAM in Hiran Agropastoral. These results all indicate deterioration from previous analysis (6 months earlier) when GAM was estimated at ~25 percent. Similarly, the mortality results from the same surveys indicate that under five death rates in all 7 surveys were >4 deaths/10,000/day, reaching as high as 15/10,000/day among Mogadishu IDPS. The crude deaths rates have exceeded the threshold for a famine declaration in 3 of the 7 surveys: • 2.3/10,000/day in Middle Shabelle Agropastoral, • 4.33/10,000/day among Afgoye IDPs and • 4.37/10,000/day among Mogadishu IDPs. In the remaining four surveys, crude mortality was above the alert level of 1/10,000/day. This clearly indicates a very urgent need for nutrition interventions for saving children’s lives.
Current and Future Save the Children Nutrition Programming: Save the Children established its emergency nutrition programme in Hiran in May 2009 and currently runs 45 Outpatient Treatment Programme (OTP) in the five districts of Hiran. Each district is served by a mobile team comprised of one nurse, three nutrition workers and one community mobiliser visiting each site on a weekly basis. Previously therem was targeted supplementary feeding but this ceased approximately 1 year ago due to pressure from the Al Shebaab.
The ECHO funding for the nutrition activities in Hiran will end on the 31st August 2011. A subsequent proposal for E4.3 million has recently been submitted. This proposal aims to increase the number of OTP sites to 50, restart TSFP activities and integrate some infant and young child feeding activities, as well as provide cash as part of the FSL programming in Central South Somalia: Galgadud , Hiran and Lower Juba Regions and Northern Somalia: Puntland – Nugal and Bari Regions. In addition UNICEF, WFP and ERF funding are currently in place to undertake OTP, TSFP in Galgadud (Abduwaq, Balan Bale, and Hirale) until at least November 2011 (when the ERF expires). OTP teams have been recruited and trained but activities need to begin.
In Central South Somalia Hiran and Galgadud (Abduwaq, Balan Bale, and Hirale) regions the scale up is large increasing from a current caseload of 8,033 to a projected caseload of 93,098 in OTP and TSFP in the next XXX.
However, as well as the scale up there is also a need to address recent criticism from ECHO about Save the Children’s implementation and reporting in the region, including that of Somalia. Questions have also been raised by UNICEF and WFP as to the reliability and quality of the data and information being provided. As the Hiran programme has ECHO funding and the Galgadud programmes has UNICEF/WFP funding it is therefore essential that a quality programme is undertaken in order to both ensure that the beneficiaries receive the programming that they require but also to ensure that these donors support Save the Children in scaling up of other emergency programmes as well as provide funding in the future.
Consequently in view of both the requirements of ECHO, UNICEF and WFP, as well as the expansion a dedicated nutritionist for the Hiran and Galagadud area (Abduwaq, Balan Bale, and Hirale) is required so that the programme can deliver on all contractual agreements whilst also ensuring programme quality and further development.
Job Purpose
To ensure that the OTP/TSFP is functioning properly, providing care of quality to all the beneficiaries, respecting protocols and principles of good practice.
Key Account abilities
• Plan and organise OTP/TSFP at designated distribution sites in liaison with the field nutrition programme managers • Provide technical expertise and support to rollout the Emergency Drought Response Strategy in Hiran and Galgadud. • Capacity support and capacity development for nutrition staff. • Ensure orders for the logistics team of material, medicine and food requirements for each site are provided in advance and provide partners (UNICEF and WFP) with stock updates and beneificary numbers. • Develop and revise PCAs as necessary. • Develop concept notes and funding proposals as required, input into the emergency sector strategies. • Work with the staff to ensure all aspects of the programme are understood and agreed and appropriate referrals take place to and from stabilisation centre and the OTP/SFP including ensuring that standard protocols are met in the field. • Ensure all OTP/SFP team members are familiar with their posts and are adequately trained. Arrange additional training if required • Re-define team composition as necessary – in collaboration with the field staff. • Ensure all criteria are respected and understood by the teams, including admission, discharge and transfer to and from the various components of the programme • Ensure comprehensive health checks and treatment according to the agreed protocols • Undertake a pilot of the new Monitoring and Evaluation database for OTP and roll-out the MRP requirements of ECHO for SFP. • Undertake spot checks of forms completed by staff to ensure completion, accuracy and coherence. • Undertake individual evaluations with the team leaders • Ensure adequate availability of all medical and food supplies for each distribution, input in to creation and maintenance of a monthly distribution plan and ensure stock is pre-positioned as planned with Nutrition Programme Manager and logistics team • Ensure that a weekly report of the tally of the OTP/SFP statistics for each site is obtained and provide data to UNICEF and other partners as necessary. In addition conduct weekly and monthly analysis and report of basic indictors to be shared with all partners
• Through liaison with the field staff provide effective follow up of all cases – particularly: Ensure the prompt tracing of children who are absent from the programme. Request specific children to be followed up as required (newly enrolled children, sick children, long stay children / children not gaining weight, children with social problems etc.). • Daily liaison with Nutrition Field Staff in order to establish progress and address any problems in a timely manner. • Attend regular Nutrition Cluster meetings and represent Save the Children at additional meetings as required.. • Organize a coverage survey / assessment and develop an action plan based on the results. • Ensure cooperation with FSNAU and others in undertaking nutrition assessments in Hiran and Galgadud. • Ensure that key documents and programme information is centrally saved and available to SMT, programme staff and partners. • Support field nutrition lead with data analysis and reporting on programme progress. • Assist in any other tasks when required
Output: • Work plan developed and shared with Programmes quality and development director, Operations manager and global nutrition advisor • Scale up implementation strategy developed (Including M&E) • Regular updates/reports (as set out above) • Final report at end of emergency period funding
Application Procedures:
All interested candidates please forward your CVs and applications forms to: vacancies@scsom.org, the deadline of application submission is on 5th Sept 2011