LGA Facilitator (Sokoto) at Committed To Good (CTG)

Overview of position

• In 2020, Nigeria was declared WPV free for having gone without any WPV cases for over four years. However, Nigeria is experiencing outbreaks of cVDPV2 due to low Routine Immunization (RI) coverage & population immunity. In 2018, Nigeria experienced a major outbreak leading to about 34 cases. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in collaboration with partners has ensured the overall planning, implementation & monitoring of the polio eradication program in 19 northern states & a few southern states where the spread was recorded. As of 2018, the number of cases reduced to 18, but about 4.3 million children are still unimmunized (18%, MICS / NICS 2021).
• RI performance in Nigeria has remained suboptimal for over 10 years, according to the National Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) of 2003, 2008, 2013 & 2018, communication & social mobilization are critical components in RI & Supplementary Immunization (SI) campaigns for polio vaccination & other vaccines. The Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCM) network is one of the strongest community structures that support 12 high risk states in northern Nigeria, working closely with stakeholders, caregivers & communities to promote vaccination. These volunteers organize community dialogues & compound meetings, track newborns & children under five years for polio vaccination & refer pregnant women to health facilities for antenatal care. The network is supervised by a network of Facilitators at the LGA & state levels
• The engagement of state & LGA Facilitators across these states has ensured no wild polio case has been reported for the past 3 years, after the last polio case was reported in August 2016 from Borno state. Enhanced awareness of the community about the polio campaign remained at 94%. Strengthened monitoring of the program & routine monitoring of the program is jointly done by all polio partners. Support rapid survey implementation to generate additional data, national level review, planning & capacity building events for VCM network members & a data quality assurance mechanism in place.
• The LGA Facilitators will be located at the state & LGA with frequent trips to wards & settlements to provide that essential link between the community structures in the assigned LGA of implementation, serving to coordinate & supervise polio / RI activities at the LGA level. S / he will supervise the day to day implementation of polio / RI activities across our client supported implementation sites. S / he will also supervise the daily operations of the VCM network, with a specific focus on ensuring quality implementation & data reporting. The LGA Facilitator will also play a prominent role in reporting on the changing humanitarian situation (Borno / Yobe states) within their LGAs & will enable & client & its partners to adapt in a timely & appropriate response to the changing situation. In the context of increasing insecurity with limited travel to implementation sites by our clients staff, LGA Facilitators’ presence in the field provides a much needed means for program monitoring to ensure the maintenance of the quality of implementation according to national & international protocols as well as an independent layer of accountability.

Role objectives

• Supervise a team of Volunteer Ward Supervisors (VWS), Polio Survivor Group (PSG) & Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCM) in his / her area(s) through regular monitoring, capacity building & supportive supervision.
• Work within specified LGA(s), ward & settlement to ensure deeper ward / settlement analysis, planning & implementation of strategic communications interventions.
• The specific communication interventions to be implemented in each area will be informed by local knowledge, social data & unique characteristics of the wards/settlements.
• Consult with our clients SBC & State Facilitator to mobilize & ensure the effective organization and functioning of the LGA social mobilization task team.
• Support LGA Health Educators in meetings of the LGA social mobilization team to plan, implement & report on communication interventions supporting the polio & non polio SIA programs & targeting high risk wards within the state.
• Conduct regular community mapping exercises to identify vulnerable groups, hard to reach communities, strategic communication & mobilization delivery points & channels for messaging, advocacy & public education (microplanning).
• Identify training needs / gaps of various groups & seek support from our clients SBC & State Facilitator to implement capacity building activities to fill knowledge gaps & address deficiencies.
• Identify & engage key local influencers such as district heads, religious leaders, women groups, town announcers, traditional dancers, pharmacists & socio cultural groups & support the planning & implementation of such activities such as majigis, mop up activities, use of local town announcers & special events, to create high levels of public awareness, to resolve non compliance & reduce missed children.
• Monitor the relevance & use of IEC materials & make specific recommendations to our clients SBC & State Lead on their adaptability to local reality.
• Spend adequate time working with various community groups & monitor all SBC activities so that our clients support to local level interventions & their impact can be documented across all their programs (health / polio, WASH, education, nutrition, child protection).
• Track the delivery & efficient utilization of campaign social mobilization funds at the LGA level & report on how funds are spent to support various communication activities & facilitate, in coordination with our clients SBC & State Facilitator, the effective use of social mobilization funds (channelled through the government departments) at the state, LGA & ward for polio & non polio SIAs.
• Monitor & report, every month, factual & complete disbursement honorariums to VCM, PSG & VWS, reporting immediately any misappropriation of funds to the Program Manager (Polio) & State Facilitator.
• Actively participate in all state level pre campaign trainings as appropriate.
• Support all SBC activities in respective LGA / wards / settlements to promote child survival & protection.
• Support different sectors to mark & celebrate global & national days, e.g., global hand washing day, day of the African child, etc.
• Respond appropriately to health emergencies & disease outbreaks through the risk communication & community engagement committees at the LGA level.

Expected output:

• A detailed work plan at the beginning of the contract & monthly work plans thereafter.
• Sharing & uploading of data to ODK & other data tools at agreed timelines.
• Monthly report of activities, outcomes, mission reports & support to other reporting as requested.
• One end of contract report, including detailed handover notes, delivered to SBC & the State Facilitator.

Expected results:

• Nigeria community engagement plan implemented at all levels by all stakeholders.
• Facilitation of implementation of state & LGA social mobilization & High Risk Operational Plans (HROP).
• VWS, PSGs (where applicable) & VCMs are supervised, mentored & capacity strengthened through solid teamwork & leadership.
• Vaccination barriers are identified, analyzed & overcome by social mobilization groups & key influencers & the number of missed children & non compliance is reduced.
• LGA communication packages on health, polio, routine immunization, WASH, education & nutrition & child protection are developed & implemented.
• Polio & RI & non polio SIAs Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) reports are available at the state, Field Office (FO) & Abuja levels.
• Contribution to other reports made & shared as requested.

The primary outcomes will be:

• Quality implementation of all polio & non polio IPDs / Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIA)'s reduces (to almost zero) missed children (non compliant or absent) & zero dose children.
• Increased commitment from LGA officials, traditional leaders & religious leaders through frequent LGA Facilitator feedback & engagement on all SBC activities for our clients programs.
• Social mobilization working groups & committees at LGAs hold regular meetings & use social mobilization data to plan, monitor & implement SBC interventions in polio, RI, health, nutrition, education, WASH & child protection.
• Improved use of social & Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) data in communication strategy development & planning by the LGA team, including social mobilization working group members through technical inputs.

Project reporting

• This role reports to the line manager.

Key competencies

• Bachelors degree in social sciences, communication, public health, community nutrition, community development or a related technical field.
• Fluency in English & knowledge of any local languages(s) spoken at the duty station where the candidate will be selected.
• At least 3 - 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the state / LGA level in program planning, management, monitoring & evaluation in immunization programs.
• Experience in social mobilization, advocacy & communication in health related programs, polio eradication campaigns, IEC materials development, training / capacity building & team building.
• Current knowledge of development issues, strategies as well as programming policies & procedures in international development cooperation.
• Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan & execute ideas & impart knowledge & tech skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multi cultural environment & establish harmonious & effective working relationships both within & outside the organization.

Team management

• This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.