Somalia: Community Health Supervisor

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, providing relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of oppression and violent conflict. The IRC has worked for over seven decades and today is involved in over 25 conflict zones in the world addressing both the immediate lifesaving needs of affected people in an emergency and the reconstruction needs in recovering societies. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and thorough accountability to those we serve. The IRC is an international agency with offices in New York, London and Geneva.

BACKGROUND:

The International Rescue Committee has been working in Somalia since 2006, providing essential services to conflict and disaster affected communities. The IRC has been operational in Central Somalia (Mudug and Galgadud regions) and Mogadishu implementing interventions in the areas of livelihood, WASH and health reaching out to more than 200,000 conflicts and drought affected people. In 2012, the IRC extended its operations into Puntland with an office in Garowe where it currently implements activities on community protection, WASH and Livelihood support.

Scope of Work:

Responsible for the community outreach arm of the health services provided within the catchment population of IRC supported primary health care facilities. The CHW Supervisor will constitute and coordinate the full team of the Community Health Workers (90) and Traditional Birth Attendants (15) and he/she will liaise, coordinate and share with other teams (medical) when required.

Key Responsibilities:The Community Health Supervisor is directly responsible to the Community Engagement Manger (CEM) and will carry out the following duties:

Programming

• Recruit and organize the entire team of CHWs, in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager (CEM)
• Sensitizing and informing the community of IRC’s activities in Karaan, Hawl Wadag, Wadajir and Hodan Districts
• Together with the team of CHWs, establish an accurate geographical mapping of the catchment population served by IRC primary health care activities.
• Define schedules for conducting health education and mobilization activities in the community and health facilities, in collaboration with the CHWs. Define the community zones to be covered on a weekly and monthly basis
• Arrange weekly meetings with CHWs to address issues and identify health education topics to be disseminated to the community and in the health facility
• Conduct community social mobilizations using participatory methods to increase positive health seeking behaviors.
• Ensure that the community mobilization sessions are inclusive of vulnerable populations, i.e. women, children, the very old and people with disabilities
• Develop Health Promotion material, in collaboration with the Community Engagement Manager, and ensure their distribution and use in the health facilities and communities
• Coordinate and prioritize Health Promotion activities for the target population
• Link with other organizations and agencies-WHO and UNICEF, working on similar issues, and that are active in IRC’s area of operation to engage in information sharing
• Facilitate workshops, events and health education campaigns pertaining to outreach programs, in collaboration with the CEM
• Collate, compile and analyze community outreach data on a monthly basis and submit these to CEM to aid in program planning
• Review data filled in by CHWs and conduct monitoring and supervision of CHW activities, through regular home and facility visits to verify reported information and address any questions or concerns that may arise
• Ensure that all hygiene components, elements and sanitation issues are understood and promoted among the host community and IDPs
• Promote the linkage between the communities, key stakeholders and the IRC
• Arrange and submit weekly work schedule and plan daily duties and responsibilities in collaboration with the CEM
• Attend weekly/monthly health center meetings
• Coordinate with the medical team to facilitate and ensure timely referrals of relevant cases from the community to the health facility as necessary

Reporting and communication

• Maintain and submit community outreach supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies and placing orders for drugs and supplies
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops and participating in Continuous Medical Education sessions and other trainings
• Provide weekly updates/reports on CHW activities conducted, challenges faced and recommendations
• Compile and submit monthly reports
• Monitor and supervise proper usage of supplies.

Operations

• Maintain equipment in good condition and submit regular inventory report of the same
• Maintain patient/case confidence by keeping information confidential
• Report any significant changes in operations to the CEM
• Carry out any other additional duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Key Result Areas

· Organization of community outreach activities

Required Qualifications

Qualifications:

1. Previous work experience with working with host and IDP communities

2. A degree in community based approach, Nurse, public health and other related field

3. Clear and consistent communications skills for use with supervisor, staff and clients

4. Good knowledge of interviewing and recording techniques; of the surrounding community; program principles and some knowledge of the health care systems

5. Must be proficient in MS Word and MS Excel

Required Experience & Competencies:

• At least 2 years working experience in community outreach activities in a health facility set up and local or international NGO

• Ready to work in difficult environmental conditions

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Ability to execute outreach plans, collect data and prepare reports

• Sensitive to different cultures and has good interpersonal skills

• Excellent organizational skills, team management and time management

• Must be a team player

Applications to be done on the IRC careers page via the link below:

https://rescue.csod.com/ats/careersite/jobdetails.aspx?site=1&c=rescue&id=400