United Nations National Consultant Job Vacancy in Rwanda

Position Title:
National Consultant

Location: Kigali,
Rwanda

Duration: 30 working
days

Report to: Chief of
HIV/AIDS Section, in close collaboration with RBC/IHDPC

TOR for the
development of a national operational plan to integrate and scale up adolescent
friendly services in the national HIV care and treatment program

Background

WHO defines
adolescents as individuals aged 10-19 years and young adults as those aged
19-24 years. Adolescence is thus a transition between childhood and adulthood.
It is a period characterized by rapid physical, cognitive and social changes,
including sexual and reproductive maturation, gradually building up capacity to
assume adult behavior and roles. This involves new responsibilities and requires
new knowledge and skills.

Adolescents
experience special challenges with regards to health and development due to
their relative vulnerability and pressure from society and peers. If not well
addressed, these challenges often lead to adoption of risky behavior, which
compromises their overall health and development and impedes successful
transition into productive roles as adults.

Adolescents living
with HIV (ALHIV) share the above challenges in addition to the specific ones
due to their HIV status. These include sensitive issues pertaining to
disclosure, safer sex, adherence, stigma and rejection while at the same time
dealing with transitional adolescent issues of body image, developing sexuality
and peer pressure.

In Rwanda, like in
many other Sub-Saharan African countries, the number of adolescents living with
HIV is increasing mainly because parentally infected children have improved
access to effective ART and survive into adolescence. Adolescents living with
HIV also include those who acquire infection horizontally due to risky
behavior. Both these categories require specific and targeted attention and
support in order to facilitate transition from pediatric HIV to adult HIV care
and treatment services.

Objective of
the consultancy

To provide technical
support to RBC/HDPC for the elaboration of a budgeted national operate plan to
integrate and scale up quality comprehensive care for adolescents living with
HIV it national HIV care and treatment program

Specific
tasks

Conduct
a desk review and document current programming and interventions for ALHIV
Rwanda within the framework of regional experiences and global guidance on
comprehensible ALHIV care
Review
normative documents including sectoral policies strategies, guidelines,
and tools practices including the following: HIV testing policies and
protocols. HIV treatment guideline protocols and practices including
facility and community level care, support, counseling referral
Review
existing interventions
Support
RBC/IHDPC to define a minimum package of care for ALHIV to be adapted
integrate and scaled up in the national HIV care and treatment program,
based on available evidence experience
Develop
a costed and endorsed operational plan for integrating and scaling up the
minimum package of care for ALHIV in the national HIV care and treatment
program

Deliverables

An
inception report indicating methodology, actions and time frame
Final
report on findings and conclusions of the consultative review and analyses
of cur normative documents and interventions for ALH1Vs including
recommendations improvements
Final
draft document describing a costed national operational plan to integrate
and scale minimum package of adolescent living with HIV friendly services
in national HIV care treatment program during 2013-2015. This document
should be reviewed and approved appropriate technical working groups,
coordinated by RBC/IHDPC. This plan should include following components:

Profile of
the national consultant

Educational
qualifications:

Advanced University
Degree (Masters Level) in Public Health or Social Science related field.

Experience
and competencies:

At
least five years of professional work experience in public health, primary
health care and c care; Experience at international level is an advantage
Proven
experience in project planning and facilitating consultative processes to
get results
Familiarity
and experience in management of HIV care and treatment programs at
national and decentralized levels
Familiarity
and experience programming and caring for Adolescents Living with HIV
(ALHIV), and related HIV and AIDS policies and guidelines development such
as Adolescents Health Friendly Services Health systems reforms, etc…;
Good
analytical and writing skills
Excellent
skills in written and spoken English; Working knowledge of Kinyarwanda
High
level negotiating communication and advocacy skills.
Knowledge
of computer management and applications.