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POPULATION, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT ADVISOR - USAID , KENYA

Global Health Fellows Program II

Technical Advisor I: Population, Health and Environment Advisor

Health of People and the Environment-Lake Victoria Basin Project, Pathfinder International

Location: Kisumu, Kenya

Assignment: Two year fellowship

GHFP II-P1-052

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with CDC Development Solutions and Management Systems International. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

GHFP-II's goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by developing and increasing the capacity of health professionals with tailored development opportunities. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels, and performance management and professional development activities aimed to enhance the technical and leadership skills of fellows.

BACKGROUND:

The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) covers 5 countries–Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi–where economic and social development depends on the healthy functioning of this shared ecosystem:

  • Over 80 percent of the population in the region relies on land, agriculture, and fishing for their livelihoods.
  • The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization reports that lake fisheries provide almost 2 million people with household incomes.
  • Almost 22 million people rely on consumption of the lake’s fish for their dietary needs.

Compounded by the impacts of climate change, the lives of people in LVB are greatly challenged due to declining land productivity, soil degradation, desertification, loss of biodiversity, diseases of livestock and crops, declining fisheries, poor development and trade policies, and rapidly growing population. High maternal morbidity and mortality also severely hampers the region’s ability to develop and achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 targets on reproductive health (RH), a prerequisite for poverty reduction. In recent national surveys, more than 40 percent of women in Uganda and 25 percent in Kenya expressed an unmet need for contraception.

In addition to improving maternal and child health and women’s empowerment, access to voluntary contraceptive services also enables families to have only the number of children they want, which helps reduce risk of infectious disease associated with crowding and ease population pressures on natural resources. Approximately 30 million people live in LVB, and that population is expected to double in the next two decades. Growing numbers of people in the area, from natural growth and migration for economic opportunity, adds pressure in terms of “demand for ecosystem services” while increasing the potential for environmental degradation and threats to ecosystem functioning.

INTRODUCTION

Since late 2011, Pathfinder International has implemented the Health of People and the Environment-Lake Victoria Basin (HoPE LVB) project, in an effort to reduce threats to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem degradation in the LVB while simultaneously increasing access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) to improve maternal and child health in project communities. The project will develop and test two scalable models for building capacity and promoting an integrated set of Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) interventions to be adopted by Ugandan and Kenyan communities and local and national governments. This three year project has been made possible by a collaboration of three donors: the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (programs for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Population), the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Population and Reproductive Health program), and USAID, which supports the project directly through this fellowship and indirectly through its partners the BALANCED project, ExpandNet, and Population Reference Bureau. Two monitoring and evaluation consultants supported by USAID are also part of the project team.

Pathfinder is working with three local organizations in Kenya and Uganda—Ecological Christian Organization (ECO), Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), and OSIENALA (Friends of Lake Victoria)—to implement a package of activities aimed at providing underserved families and communities with knowledge and skills to improve their RH, reduce levels of poverty through improved and/or more secure livelihoods, and increase their capacity to sustainably manage natural resources in the LVB. The interventions were identified by a participatory process that engaged key stakeholders, including community members from the select demonstration sites in both countries. The results of this pilot project will be shared with the LVB Commission and governments of Kenya and Uganda to advocate in favor of an integrated approach as a means of simultaneously strengthening RH and family planning, and reducing threats to environmental conservation—both of which are critical to attaining Lake Victoria environmental conservation targets, as well as MDG targets. Throughout the life of the project, the ExpandNet team will provide technical assistance to the project to incorporate and consider the potential for scalability—to other districts in the regions and other LVB countries.

The HoPE LVB Project Manager sits within Pathfinder Uganda in Kampala, which oversees both the Uganda and Kenya operations for this project. There is a Pathfinder team in Kisumu, Kenya, embedded in the OSIENALA office, which receives some technical and administrative support from Pathfinder Kenya in Nairobi. The Project Manager is supported by a management team which includes the Country Representative of Pathfinder Uganda, a monitoring and evaluation officer, a financial controller, and other administrative staff. Managerial and budgetary oversight, donor relations, and programmatic technical assistance come from Pathfinder headquarters in Boston for specific topics such as PHE integration, advocacy, maternal health, and adolescent SRH.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Advisor will work with HoPE project partners, stakeholders and staff to achieve this integrated approach to community health, land and fisheries conservation, and livelihoods improvement. The Advisor will be based out of the Kisumu office of OSIENALA with the Pathfinder HoPE LVB Project Manager based in Kisumu serving as his/her onsite manager. S/he will also periodically travel to the other partner sites in Uganda to coordinate project activities.

Specifically, the PHE Advisor will:

Provide technical assistance in the implementation of PHE strategies in project sites in Kenya

  • Collaborate with the project’s conservation and livelihood and RH officers to provide routine technical oversight and other support to community groups to ensure proper implementation of integrated SRH and conservation activities.
  • Collaborate with the project conservation and livelihood officers to identify needs of community groups such as village health teams, beach management units, women’s groups, youth groups and local leaders, encourage a participatory approach and provide technical support as necessary in conjunction with Project management team.
  • Assist with the curriculum development/improvement for PHE training for local district councils, Community Health Workers/Volunteers, community members, and other project staff.
  • In the Advisor’s areas of expertise, provide guidance to other project staff and consultants in implementing activities, monitoring and reporting on project activities.
  • Gather and analyze new PHE-related opportunities and information within Kenya and Uganda that would enrich the project.

Assist in the smooth execution of the monitoring and evaluation plan (M&E) which measures the integration of PHE interventions implemented by the project

  • Monitor the execution of the M&E plan to measure achievements in implementing integrated PHE activities. Use existing PHE resources to ensure that the M&E plan is building on the evolving best practices in M&E of PHE.
  • Participate in the design/adaptation and effective use of appropriate data collection tools in liaison with partners.
  • In collaboration with project’s data officer, analyze and synthesize data for reporting purposes.

Build the capacity of project staff and government entities

  • In collaboration with project team and advisors, develop and implement a plan to embed PHE integration strategies, knowledge and approaches into the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, local government agencies and the local districts’ conservation programs and organizational practices.
  • Identify key local staff from the conservation partners to mentor in PHE integration strategies and approaches in order to transfer technical expertise to those organizations.
  • Develop materials with partners and Pathfinder Headquarters staff on documenting PHE best practices in the LVB context for use by program partners and implementers implementing organizations and their partners.

Build networks and information dissemination channels for HoPE LVB and PHE in general

  • As part of the HoPE LVB project, develop good working relationships with key partners and local service providers.
  • Develop relationships within the PHE community and USAID PHE technical partners in Washington, DC (Woodrow Wilson Center, Population Reference Bureau, the BALANCED Project, etc.) and beyond in order to share and disseminate these lessons and experiences with the broader PHE community.

Provide project implementation support to the HoPE LVB team

  • Provide support to Project Manager in designing, implementation and monitoring of integrated health and environment/conservation project activities in the project communities.
  • Assist in designing community- and facility-based trainings; design training materials, coordinate training events and prepare activity reports as appropriate for conservation and RH interventions.
  • Assist the Program Manager in designing annual and quarterly work plans and in Advisor’s areas of expertise.
  • Assist the Project Manager in preparing annual and quarterly reports.
  • Contribute to the documentation of lessons learned and success stories in the community.
  • In collaboration with the Technical Services Unit at Pathfinder headquarters, support project implementation documentation to ensure that the process of executing the pilot model is well documented.

Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the Technical Advisor’s own interests.


Qualifications


  • Master’s degree in a related field
  • 0-7 years’ experience implementing community-based health programs with or without experience in an international/resource challenged setting
  • At least two years’ experience implementing community-based health programs in a resource challenged setting in Africa is preferred
  • Experience with or knowledge of natural resources management, environmental management, and conservation strategies desirable. Demonstrated passion and interest for conservation required
  • Experience with PHE integration highly desirable
  • Knowledge of and experience with monitoring and evaluation of health activities
  • Proven strong cross-cultural and interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a cross-cultural team environment
  • Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment
  • Excellent oral communication and writing skills
  • Proficiency in Swahili highly preferred
  • Ability to obtain a medical clearance to live and work in rural Kenya required
  • US citizenship or US legal permanent residency required


Contact Details


Contact:
GHFP Recruitment
Telephone:
202-661-8020
Email:
ghfprecruitment@ghfp.net

Application Instructions


All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system athttps://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on August 14, 2012.