United States of America: Consultancy to Compile and analyze Data on Pre-school age Deworming Distribution and Coverage

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 26 Sep 2014

I. BACKGROUND:

Globally, UNICEF plays a lead role in supporting nutrition programmes to improve the survival, growth and development of women and children. One flagship programme supported by UNICEF over the last decade includes ensuring high and sustained coverage of life-saving vitamin A supplementation (VAS) among children aged 6-59 months. Since the introduction and scale up of VAS programmes via polio National Immunization Days (NIDS) in the late 1990s, VAS coverage rates have increased from about 20% to over 75% in developing countries. The most marked progress has been achieved among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, where VAS coverage generally exceeds 80%. This progress has been achieved mainly as a result of regular, generally semi-annual, events known as Child Health Days (CHDs), which are designed to deliver key child health and nutrition interventions to children under the age of five years. As per a recent UNICEF-led analysis of CHDs [1], these events allow governments to co-deliver VAS alongside a package of child survival interventions. This package often includes childhood vaccines and deworming for children of pre-school age. In fact, the UNICEF analysis found that from 1999-2010, VAS, deworming and childhood immunizations were included in 99.6%, 80.8% and 79.5% of CHDs, respectively.

UNICEF carries out a formal reporting mechanism every year to determine vitamin A capsule needs for the subsequent year, and to assess VAS coverage for the previous year. Even though the VAS coverage form includes basic information on deworming and other high-impact interventions, the variables currently included in the form do not allow for the determination of deworming coverage among children 12-59 months. With renewed interest of global partners to support deworming programs, and increasing attention to improved program monitoring, UNICEF Headquarters would like to improve the annual reporting for deworming programs

among children 12-59 months reached through CHDs. In addition to strengthening coverage and program reporting, UNICEF would also like to strengthen the global supply forecasts for deworming medications used in CHDs. To this end, UNICEF will develop a novel data collection tool for deworming and link it to the successful reporting mechanisms in place for VAS.

II.PURPOSE:

This consultancy will support the Health and Nutrition Sections, UNICEF New York with the following:

(i) Compile, review, clean, analyze and organize country-level data on pre-school age deworming from UNICEF’s VAS/CHD Excel based reporting form/questionnaire for the period 2013 (approx. time = 40 days)

(ii) Using parameters defined with Health and Nutrition Sections, prepare a detailed report (25-30 pages) which provides information on the current state of pre-school deworming implementation (number of countries, distribution strategies, treatment used, coverage, and bottlenecks) (approx. time = 30 days)

(iii) Based on ii), work with the UNICEF Health and Nutrition Sections and other global partners to develop a manuscript for the peer-reviewed literature (approx. time 10 days)

(iv) Using the most recent collected round of data produce a consolidated global deworming commodity forecast for preschool age children for 2015 based on the existing VAS model along with a short report (5-10 pages) (approx. time = 40 days)

III.DUTY STATION AND DURATION:

This consultancy is for approximately 120 working days (6 months), with October 1, 2014 as the desired starting date. The consultant is required to work on premises at New York Headquarters as frequent meetings will be required with UNICEF colleagues in the Nutrition and Health Sections. Given the close links with UNICEF Supply Division, travel to Copenhagen may be required.

VI.KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• At least two years of public health experience in Health/Nutrition with specific experience with key child health and nutrition interventions to children under the age of five.
• Master’s degree in the sciences or public health/nutrition
• Proven analytical and writing skills
• Experience in information systems, data management, statistical analysis and data interpretation, and use of Health/Nutrition data
• Experience with using excel to organize, clean and analyse health/nutrition data.
• Understanding of the work of UNICEF an advantage

How to apply:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc) to
< pdconsultants@unicef.org > with subject line: “Compile and analyze Data on Pre-school age Deworming Distribution and Coverage”by 26^thSeptember 2014, 5:00pm EST.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above. Two references must also be submitted. Submissions made without a daily rate will not be considered.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR DELIVERABLES.