Job opportunities in Cameroon: Apply for the position of Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) Consultant for the Breaking Barriers Project in Cameroon with ‘Reach Out’
5 min read
Deadline: 14 August 2022
Profile requirements
Essential
• Health professional doctor, nurse public health specialist with appropriate qualifications and
master’s degree or higher in social sciences, public health, or a related field.
• 5 years’ experience (of at least 5 years) in community health and ICCM including management of
ICCM programmes, supervisor management and training.
• Experience in capacity development programs including non-traditional approaches that can be
sustained in low resource setting
• Experience and commitment to hands on supportive supervision in field locations
• Demonstrable experience in designing competency assessment tools and training materials
• Seasoned trainer and facilitator
• Strong communication and representation skills. Intercultural tact and awareness
• Excellent writing skills
• Familiarity with intervention research
Desirable
• Good understanding of research methodology
• Expert knowledge of human and institutional capacity development approaches and current
practices
• Experience in designing and conducting operational research
• Demonstrable track record in producing technical publications
• Experience of working with stakeholders in Cameroon
• Fluency in written and spoken English and pidgin is required
Background and Context
Cameroon is one of the 10 African countries with the highest burden of malaria; and malaria continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with vulnerable populations, particularly conflict affected communities, at risk. In 2018, there were 6.2 million cases and 11,192 deaths from malaria (WHO, 2019). Although, since 2011, the number of cases registered within health facilities was steadily reducing, progress appears to have stalled in recent years. In the Southwest region, according to the most recent available data collected prior to the humanitarian crisis, malaria prevalence stands at 46.1% and 60% of all interactions with the health system were due to malaria. In 2017, the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon descended into a violent armed confrontation between state military and non-state armed groups. This has created recurrent cycles of displacement, and civilians have sought refuge in the forests and farmlands, rural, urban and peri urban areas in the Littoral region and in neighbouring Nigeria (Human Rights Watch, 2020) (OCHA, 2019). This has resulted in a displaced population moving to an area of higher malaria endemicity and resulting increase in malaria incidence and prevalence. Over 712,264 people (OCHA, July 2021) are displaced by this conflict, and more than 37% of health facilities in the SW are non-functional, limited attention has been paid to the impact of the crisis on the fight against malaria in these areas, and on gathering evidence on the most effective ways of restoring primary healthcare under the current conditions.
The operational research programme Breaking Barriers is focused on 80 conflict affected communities in
the SW and Littoral Regions both host and displaced communities. The overall objective of Breaking Barriers is to develop, implement and evaluate scalable, replicable, and innovative approaches to improve access to effective malaria case management through community-based
services in conflict affected and host communities in the South-West and Littoral regions of Cameroon by 2023. Specifically, the project seeks to:
- Identify at least two innovative solutions, appropriate to the context and with the potential to overcome local barriers and increase coverage and quality of community-based management of malaria in conflict-affected communities.
- Evaluate the feasibility of the interventions and their acceptability among target populations, CHWs, health facility workers, and health district and regional health authorities.
- Evaluate the impact of the interventions on coverage of appropriate treatment of malaria by CHWs, including severe malaria.
The Operational research which started in November 2020 is in two phases: The formative phase and the
intervention phase. Findings from the formative research of the Breaking Barriers project identified three
key interventions to improve the quality of malaria prevention and control services and support host and
displaced populations in Southwest and Littoral regions:
Community Health Participatory Approach (CoHPA)
Supportive supervision
Health vouchers for children under five years for severe malaria and adults for simple malaria.
The 3 interventions seek to address the weaknesses within the system and barriers to effective malaria care
services. This requires specialists support to work alongside the research officer and knowledge manager
supported by global technical advisors from MC for social behaviour change and community health.
The specialist support is estimated to be 5 days per month for the local consultant for 12 and a half months.
The supportive supervision component of the programme requires an ICCM specialist to work with the
supportive supervision system, providing direct support, gap filling supervision activities that cannot be
completed by the current team, namely, training, supportive supervision, and resource analysis.
The specialists will work with the District Civil society organization (DCSO) and Chief of centers (CoCs)
community Health workers, community health volunteers and project team to support their work and gapfilling for supportive supervision and SBC activities. The specialists will report to the senior research officer.
Purpose of the assignment
The purpose of the Supportive Supervision Consultant is to support the Project Team in the implementation of the agreed supportive supervision analysis and implementation of the Cameroon ICCM programme in 80 communities. Under the direct supervision of the Operational Research Specialist (ORS), and in collaboration with the project team within the implementation phase of the Breaking Barriers project.
- Scope
The consultant will work in the project office in GRA Buea for 5 days every month except during field
activities under the direct supervision of the ORS. Payments will be made installmentally every 6 months
upon approval of all deliverables by the supervisor including timesheets for actual dates of work and
consultant performance evaluation. - Details of the Technical Support
3.1 General Objective
The purpose of the Supportive Supervision Consultant is to support the Project Team in the
implementation of the agreed supportive supervision analysis and implementation of the Cameroon ICCM programme in 80 communities under the direct supervision of the Operational Research Specialist (ORS), and in collaboration with the project team.
3.2 Specific Activities for the ICCM specialist
• Lead the technical support of the project’s ICCM supportive supervision activities.
• Ensure all ICCM documents are compiled and reviewed identifying gap in guidelines and tool kits for effective ICCM supportive supervision.
• Conduct capacity assessments for ICCM supervisors and CHWs using national competency frameworks, analysing the tools and the competency of supervisors and CHWs. the project team and project participants
• Develop capacity strengthening plans for district managers, ICCM supervisors and implementing partner in partnership with REO and MC teams.
• To review and adapt the ICCM supportive supervision tools and materials needed to facilitate ICCM
activities, including competency assessment tools for CHWs
• Conduct supportive supervision activities with supervisors and district managers monitoring the
programme and providing quality assurance.
• To review progress and support technical training as required through MoH and partner meetings,
supervisor training events.
To monitor the programme following programme indicators in partners with the knowledge manager,
under the management of the ORS.
• Ensure strong monitoring of all activities working closely with knowledge manager ORS and REO team.
• Identify challenges to implementation based on changing context and make recommendations to
adapt tools and activities to REO and MC.
• To support relevant surveys to ensure robust research.
• Any other activities and responsibilities as directed by the ORS.
- Duration of work
The contract for this assignment is from the 1
st of September 2022 – 15th of September 2023
Click HERE to read details and apply
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
