UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
Organizational Context and Purpose for the job
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, advocacy and in operations. UNICEF's work is based on the need to address the impact of conflict and other phenomena affecting the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families and translate this commitment to children’s rights into action. UNICEF performs these tasks to give all children equal opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favouritism. This will ensure that every child has an equal chance in life. Moreover, UNICEF’s work accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in its Core Commitment for Children in the Humanitarian crisis.
In Afghanistan, more than forty years of conflict continue to undermine the rights of children to have access to their rights (Education, health, food, nutrition, protection etc) which adversely results in children and their families demonstrating Mental Health and Psychosocial disorders and challenge. The National Mental Health Survey and Assessment of Mental Health Services (2018) showed that the population of Afghanistan is very much exposed to traumatic events: 66% have personally experienced at least one traumatic event, and 77% witnessed such an event, for a total of 85% who have either personally experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. This is a very high number which is considered a risk for PTSD[1]. Irrespective of this alarming level of risk of PTSD in the country, the multiple levels of emergencies ranging from the conflict, which intensified in 2021, the COVID Pandemic and climate-related (storms, flooding, winter, drought, earthquake etc) emergencies result in further Mental Health and Psychosocial challenge for the population, including children. According to the 2018 National Mental Health Survey, 10 % of children were found to be impaired in their daily roles by a mental health problem as evaluated by their mother; 8% may qualify for a potential diagnosis[1].
Background and Scope of Work:
Afghanistan remains one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world and a global priority for UNICEF, with two-thirds of the population, approximately 28.3 million people, including 15.3 million children, requiring humanitarian assistance. The country is coping with the impact of the third consecutive year of drought and the second year of crippling economic decline, while still recovering from the effects of 40 years of conflict, recurrent natural disasters and disease outbreaks which has driven almost 97% of the population into poverty. The humanitarian situation is further exacerbated by a complex and restrictive operating environment affecting the UN and civil society organizations alike.
Undernutrition is highly prevalent among children under five years of age in Afghanistan and is an underlying cause of the high under-five mortality rates in the country. The Afghanistan Nutrition Cluster estimates that 4 million vulnerable people in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition in 2023. This includes 875,224 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and 804,365 pregnant and lactating women. High levels of micronutrient deficiencies persist, including iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin A, which affect the health and development of children and women. Anemia among women of reproductive age (pregnant and non-pregnant) in Afghanistan is prevalent with 40% of them being anaemic. The high rate of anaemia begins early in life with 45% of children 06-59 months and 3 out of 10 adolescent girls in Afghanistan (31%) being anaemic according to the National Nutrition Survey (NNS, 2013). This results in an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition affecting both girls and their children if they become pregnant. Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are suboptimal as shown in the recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). Despite the lifesaving power of breastfeeding, half of all newborn infants (52%) are not initiated to breastfeeding within the first hour of birth as recommended; additionally, the number of children eating both a diverse and frequent diet – a minimally acceptable diet – is extremely low with almost all children (93%) aged 6-23 months not receiving the recommended acceptable diet which exposes them to micronutrient deficiencies, wasting and stunting, all of which have detrimental effects on the health and wellbeing of the children both in the short time and in the long term.
The last National Nutrition Survey in Afghanistan was conducted in 2013, the absence of latest data has created information gap on important humanitarian and developmental nutrition indicators. Up to date data is very important for estimation of nutrition and health needs of a country which is key to strategic decision making, evidence driven policies and allocation of resources. Afghanistan requires reliable and updated data in different aspects of nutrition to address multiple challenges posed by various forms of malnutrition to vulnerable populations. The development of comprehensive costed plan and a detailed roadmap will be an important step to understanding the actual resource requirements and time needed to plan, coordinate, and successfully roll out a national nutrition survey in Afghanistan. The costed plan/ roadmap will be useful documents for resource mobilization from stakeholders, resource allocation by the public sector and advocacy document on the importance of national nutrition surveys. This term of reference describes tasks, roles, and responsibilities of the consultant to be recruited to support the development of the Costed plan and roadmap of the national nutrition survey in Afghanistan.
Scope of Work/ Work Assignments:
UNICEF will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Health Public health directorate to develop a costed plan for National Nutrition Survey (NNS) and a detailed roadmap for conducting a national Nutrition Survey. The proposed activities will include review of secondary information, consultations with various stakeholders in Nutrition both at the national provincial and district level and development of detailed costed plan and road map for a National Nutrition Survey.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
The development of the costed plan and roadmap of the national nutrition survey for Afghanistan will include the following key roles and responsibilities.
Work Assignment Overview
Tasks/Milestone:
Deliverables/Outputs:
Timeline
1.Preparation Inception report and data collection tools
Inception report is prepared and submitted, providing detailed methodology to be used, details of activities to be undertaken, lists of documents to be examined and institutions to be visited, data collection tool developed and a list of key stakeholders to be consulted.
15th October 2023
2. Preparations of costed plan and road map for National Nutrition Survey
A draft report of Costed plan and road map for National Nutrition Survey
15th November 2023
3. Conducting Validation Work
Conduct a validation workshop to review the draft report of costed plan and roadmap of the national nutrition survey.
31st November 2023
4. Reviewing and finalizing the final costed plan and roadmap
A final report of the costed plan and roadmap is finalized and submitted.
15th December 2023
5. Preparation of power point summary of the report
A summary power point of the costed plan and roadmap finalized and submitted.
15th December 2023
Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Applicants are requested to apply through the provided link; https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/565220/consultancy-for-development-of-a-detailed-costed-plan-and-roadmap-of-national-nutrition-survey-in-afghanistan
Applications received via ACBAR online portal will not be given consideration.
https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/565220/consultancy-for-development-of-a-detailed-costed-plan-and-roadmap-of-national-nutrition-survey-in-afghanistan
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, e... Read More
