TERM OF REFERENCE FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF 60 INVESTIGATORS FOR THE INDEX 2.0 STIGMA STUDY OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV LIVING WITH HIV IN CAMEROON

1. BACKGROUND  
In Cameroon, stigma and discrimination have an impact on the identification and diagnosis of PLHIV within the population through the refusal to use HIV testing services and the denial of HIV status in the event of a positive result. . They also have an impact on the initiation of treatment and the suppression of the viral load through the refusal to accept the HIV-positive status, the low adherence to treatment or its interruption, the low retention in treatment and subsequently a low suppression of the viral load. Stigma remains one of the main barriers preventing PLHIV from accessing health care. According to the pilot survey “Stigma Index of PLHIV 2.0” from 2017, 14, 75% of PLHIV have chosen not to seek health care because of their HIV status. Stigma and discrimination are a barrier to voluntary counseling and testing and to effective HIV prevention and care services. This tendency to refuse to seek treatment, care and support fuels stigma and discrimination, and further reinforces this vicious cycle which disrupts the overall care of PLHIV. This is because stereotypes and fears persist until people living with HIV are weakened and suffer from the symptoms of the final stages of AIDS, and denial and silence reinforce the stigma against of these already vulnerable individuals.

Stigma and discrimination are a barrier to voluntary counseling and testing and to effective HIV prevention and care services. This tendency to refuse to seek treatment, care and support fuels stigma and discrimination, and further reinforces this vicious cycle which disrupts the overall care of PLHIV. This is because stereotypes and fears persist until people living with HIV are weakened and suffer from the symptoms of the final stages of AIDS, and denial and silence reinforce the stigma against of these already vulnerable individuals. Stigma and discrimination are a barrier to voluntary counseling and testing and to effective HIV prevention and care services. This tendency to refuse to seek treatment, care and support fuels stigma and discrimination, and further reinforces this vicious cycle which disrupts the overall care of PLHIV. This is because stereotypes and fears persist until people living with HIV are weakened and suffer from the symptoms of the final stages of AIDS, and denial and silence reinforce the stigma against of these already vulnerable individuals. care and support fuels stigma and discrimination, and further reinforces this vicious cycle which disrupts the overall care of PLHIV. This is because stereotypes and fears persist until people living with HIV are weakened and suffer from the symptoms of the final stages of AIDS, and denial and silence reinforce the stigma against of these already vulnerable individuals. care and support fuels stigma and discrimination, and further reinforces this vicious cycle which disrupts the overall care of PLHIV.

This is because stereotypes and fears persist until people living with HIV are weakened and suffer from the symptoms of the final stages of AIDS, and denial and silence reinforce the stigma against of these already vulnerable individuals.
The purpose of the People Living with HIV Stigma Index is to collect information on the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV. The results of this study should be used to inform policies and programs to address HIV-related stigma and discrimination nationally and globally. The
main objective of this study is to assess the level of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV from the general population and key and priority populations (TS, MSM, DU, Transgender, prisoners) in Cameroon.
As part of the implementation of the Index 2.0 study on stigmatization of people living with HIV, the Cameroonian Network of Associations of People Living with HIV (RéCAP+) is looking for 60 investigators for 10 cities in Cameroon: Yaoundé, Douala, Buea, Bafoussam, Bamenda, Garoua, Ebolowa, Ngaoundéré, Bertoua and Maroua.
Form of contract: Service provision contract

Duration: 20 days
Reporting line: Regional supervisor
Job location: 10 cities: Yaoundé, Douala, Buea, Bafoussam, Bamenda, Garoua, Ebolowa, Ngaoundéré, Bertoua and Maroua
2. General responsibilities
The investigators will collect the data according to the instructions and the quality requirements set by the study’s Steering Committee. More specifically, the interviewer position will involve the following elements:
• Participate in the interviewer training organized as part of the study
• Participate in the pre-testing of the questionnaires in the field (For those of the interviewers selected)
• Recruit and enlist participants of the study in the collection sites
• Search and enroll in the collection sites the lost participants
• Make sure to offer a good reception to the respondents of the survey
• Inform the participants about the objectives of the study
• Check respondent eligibility
• Administer informed consent to respondents
• Conduct interviews
• Adequately identify selected respondents and collect high-quality data while respecting respondent confidentiality
• Develop with the regional supervisor a work plan that will allow for better collection on the field
• Produce and transmit daily reports to the regional supervisor
• Ensure that collection objectives are achieved within the allotted time and that collection is carried out in accordance with the study design
• Report all incidents to the regional supervisor
• S ensure the confidentiality of the interview and respect for each participant.
3. Qualifications and skills required
     Qualifications
 Hold at least a BEPC or any other equivalent diploma; Bachelor’s degree and above will be appreciated
 Being a member of the community of people living with HIV is an asset
 Having participated in carrying out surveys
 Experience in mobile data collection
 Having worked in the humanitarian or community setting is an asset
 Having computer skills (Microsoft Office: Word, Excel)
 Strong oral and written communication skills in French and/or English and/or local languages ​​(ie the most spoken language in the city where the candidate wishes to be an investigator)
 Being bilingual is an asset
      Competence
 Demonstrating great relational and communication skills
 Having a sense of responsibility and respecting the principle of confidentiality so dear to the work of an investigator
 Good mastery of information collection techniques
 Being able to work in a team, independently and under pressure within short deadlines
 Be fully available for the entire duration of the collection (20 days)
 Accept to work in an unstable environment in terms of security and difficult to access.
4. Submission procedure and closing date for applications
Interested candidates are invited to send their application files in a sealed envelope with the mention “CANDIDATURE FOR THE POST OF INDEX 2.0 STUDY INVESTIGATORS ON THE STIGMA OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN CAMEROON” to the RéCAP+ office in Yaoundé, located in Yaoundé 200 meters from the green city district hospital or at the email address recapcam@yahoo.com with the subject ‘Application for the post of investigators of the Index 2.0 study of stigmatization of people living with HIV in Cameroon’, specifying the city of affection, no later than September 15, 2023 at 3 p.m.

Application files must include the following documents:
1. A cover letter addressed to the Executive Director of RéCAP+
2. Certified photocopies of diplomas and/or certificates
3. A curriculum vitae including the contacts of two references
4. A photocopy of the national identity card.
NB:
1. Female applications are strongly encouraged
2. Each candidate must specify the city of their choice of work
3. Any application transmitted by a channel other than those indicated above will not be taken into account
4. Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted personally.