Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Officer at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Duty Station:     Borno, Maiduguri

Position Overview:
Knowledge and understanding of Action Against Hunger mandate, humanitarian principles and current programs. With the program manager, develop coherent messages and send to the community about the missions’ mandate, program objectives and approach. Build trust between the AAH and the community.

Specific Objectives: 

• Conduct Simple Rapid Assessment (SRA) of all mothers with children under 24 months that attend the OTP/SFP programme through the local Mobile clinics.
• Conduct detailed assessment of child feeding practices in women requiring additional support or reveal difficulties.
• Maintain clear communication with other CMAM programme staff regarding status of beneficiaries.
• Provide the Pregnant women with preparatory counselling for breast feeding and colostrum feeding, to ensure prevention of pre-lacteal feeds and bottle feeding.
• Counseling the mothers on good maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation.
• Provide tailored one to one counseling sessions, based on initial assessments, offering practical advice and education to mothers on the key issues of infant and Young child feeding practices.
• Utilize the provided education material on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, relaying accurate, practical and specific advice for the mother’s needs.
• Ensure a comfortable, calm environment for counselling sessions and maintain good relationships with the beneficiaries.
• Ensure strong communication links with all other CMAM staff, providing advice and support to all other staff members on IYCF issues as and when they arise.
• Conduct education sessions within the surrounding community on the importance of IYCF practices in conjunction with community mobilisers.
• Aid in establishing mother to mother support groups (Community Health Groups – CHGs) within the community to provide additional support for mothers and extend knowledge of good IYCF practices.
• Play an active role on advocacy to promote proper IYCF Practices, antenatal and post-natal checkups, importance of institutional deliveries, vaccination and growth monitoring.
• Identify training needs of Health workers and Community Volunteers attached to facilities as well as conducting theoretical trainings if necessary followed by On Job Training (OJT).
• Participate in regular internal and external coordination for the program at LGA level and at state level when required.
• Integration of IYCF care practices within PHC/MCH component run by government staff.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Health, Nutrition, Nursing or related field. Higher level Degree preferred.
•  Minimum 2 years work experience in humanitarian contexts, with at least 1 year in conflict/insecure contexts.
• He/she must have experience in CMAM, IYCF and community mobilization.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Ability and willingness to frequently travel to villages and stay at the field.
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions like long distance walking to screening sites.
• Capacity to supervise and coach health workers.
• Ability to work in an environment where there are physical discomforts associated with change in weather or discomforts associated with noise, dust or dirt.
• Professional, motivated, open, creative, mature, responsible, flexible and, culturally sensitive.
• Excellent team, budget and project management and representation competencies.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Proficient in statistical and other softwares (Microsoft Office package, SPSS, SPHINX, STATA, EPI Info, ENA for SMART, GIS, etc.)
• Willing and able to be based and travel regularly within remote areas, where services are limited.
• Fluency in English.
• Commitment to AAH mission, values and policy.
• Proficiency with local languages (Kanuri, Fulani, Hausa)
• Previous NGO experience managing mobilization in different interventions (i.e. cash transfers, wash, Nutrition).
• Previous experience with AAH.