VAS FIELD ASSISTANT needed at Helen Keller International

RECRUITMENT NOTICE

TWO (02) “VAS FIELD ASSISTANT” FOR THE REGIONS OF

NORTH AND FAR NORTH CAMEROON

Helen Keller International is a non-profit International Non-Governmental Organization, present in Cameroon since 1992 and therefore the mission is to save the sight and the life of vulnerable and most disadvantaged populations.

In Cameroon, the mortality of children under five remains high with 71 deaths per 10,000 live births in 2019. Micronutrient deficiency is a public health concern with a significant prevalence for certain micronutrients such as vitamin A which affects approximately 35% children under five years old. Among the strategies for combating the mortality and morbidity of the latter is vitamin A supplementation (VAS) via mass distribution campaigns and during routine activities within health facilities.

This year, Helen Keller International is providing support for the organization of the VAS campaign for children aged 6 to 59 months by the Ministry of Public Health in eight (08) regions, namely Adamaoua, Center, East , the Far North, the Littoral, the North, the West and the South.

This support has been provided since 2021, as part of the GIVEWELL project on Vitamin A Supplementation, through financial, material and technical assistance provided to the Government of Cameroon with a view to implementing mass distribution campaigns for vitamin A capsules. vitamin A during SASNIM and JNV in the Centre, Littoral, East, West, Adamaoua and South regions. The objective is to reach every child and obtain convincing results during these campaigns. Helen Keller Intl has also provided human resources support to the said regions with the recruitment and provision of staff responsible not only for supporting them in the coordination, monitoring and implementation of campaigns,

In order to meet the expectations of officials in the North and Far North regions following the request from the MINSANTE for additional support to support the implementation of Vitamin A supplementation activities in the said regions, Helen Keller International – Cameroon is launching a call for applications for the recruitment of two (02) “VAS Field Assistants” based respectively in the North and Far North regions .

1. Main objective

The objective of this project is to improve the coverage of Vitamin A Supplements (VAS) in children aged 6 to 59 months during SASNIM/JNV and in the period between the two campaigns through VAS activities in routine in the regions concerned.

Job Title: VAS Field Assistant

Location: Garoua in the North region and Maroua in the Far North region

Supervised by: VAS Project Associate

Type of contract : Fixed-term contract

Duration : 01 (one) year renewable

1. Description of the following specific tasks :

Under the technical supervision of the VAS Project Associate, the VAS Field Assistant will be responsible for: strengthening the monitoring of preparatory, implementation and evaluation activities during vitamin A supplementation during SASNIM/JNV campaigns, during independent monitoring and post-campaign coverage survey. He/she will also have to support the regional and district management teams in monitoring the routine implementation of VAS in his/her region.

Specifically he/she will:

• Contribute to data management at the regional level;
• Contribute to the development of work plans;
• Contribute to the development and execution of district and regional micro plans;
• Ensure the availability of all tools;
• Contribute to monitoring stock status and input management before, during and after the campaign;
• Contribute to the management of all technical, administrative and financial activities to ensure the effective implementation of the project;
• Ensure that the data management sheets/tools are correctly filled out (supervision sheets, SharePoint, etc.);
• Contribute to the monitoring and reconciliation of supporting documents;
• Contribute to the preparation, implementation and evaluation of independent monitoring;
• Contribute to the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the post-campaign coverage survey;
• Participate in the development of tools and agendas useful for the training of investigators and monitors;
• Participate in the monitoring of equipment and materials made available to investigators and monitors during activities;
• Participate in the supervision of monitoring (SASNIM and JNV) and investigation (PECS) activities;
• Contribute to the compilation and verification of all deliverables, dashboards, invoices and any other supporting documents at the end of each activity;
• Compile, sort and verify the accuracy of the data to be declared;
• Support, in collaboration with the relevant experts, the analysis of data from technical and sector reports and recommend follow-up actions;
• Contribute to the development of monthly and annual activity reports for the VAS program (Campaign and Routine);
• Monitor routine VAS data at the Health District level;
• Monitor and support the routine insertion of VAS data from the various FOSAs in your work region into DHIS 2.

1. Qualifications and skills

• Hold a higher diploma (at least BAC +3) in Nutrition, Public Health, Community Health, Development Project Management, or any other related field deemed relevant;
• Have data management skills;
• Have experience in the implementation of Nutrition and Health campaigns and surveys (PECS, LQAS);
• Have experience working with DRSPs/Districts/Health Areas;
• Have experience working with communities in the area of ​​health/nutrition;
• Pay close attention to detail;
• Have a very good knowledge of the Microsoft office package;
• Having previous experience in data analysis and processing with computer software (STATA, SPSS, EPI info…) is an asset;
• Be of good character;
• Good communication skills;
• Good ability to understand and adapt;
• Have a sense of confidentiality;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Interpersonal skills.