UNICEF CONSULTANCY SERVICES-Zimbabwe
CONSULTANCY SERVICES :TO SUPPORT COORDINATION OF THE JOINT CHOLERA INITIATIVE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA (JCISA) AND HUMANITARIAN WASH IN ZIMBABWE
The UNICEF Zimbabwe Country Office is seeking Expression of Interest (EOI) from qualified Consulting Institutions or Individuals to enter into a contract for a period of six months to support coordination of the Joint Cholera Initiative in Southern Africa (JCISA) and Humanitarian WASH in Zimbabwe.
Background: Cholera is a major health problem in the Southern Africa (SA) sub-region and has become endemic in at least half of its countries. In Zimbabwe, in the 1970s and 1980s, major outbreaks were experienced every 10 years, this reduced to every 5 years in the 1990s. Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all reported yearly outbreaks since 2006 with a cumulative total of some 318,400 cases and 10,810 deaths from cholera, with a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 2.5%. The largest outbreak to date took place in Zimbabwe and reported 98,000 cases and approximately 4,300 deaths.
Post-epidemic evaluations had highlighted the need for a coordinated approach to cholera prevention and control in the region, together with timely and integrated technical support from regional partners to countries. This resulted in the establishment of the Joint Cholera Initiative for Southern Africa (JCISA), a multi-agency technical partnership bringing together WHO, UNICEF, UNOCHA and OXFAM with the primary goal being to *“strengthen regional capacity and collaboration in order to ensure more timely, integrated and effective technical support to countries in the areas of cholera preparedness, response and resilience**”*.
Due to its strategic geographical location within the Southern African region, as well its relevance for the initial development of the JCISA and activities undertaken to date, Zimbabwe has been identified as the hub for the coordination of the Initiative, with UNICEF Zimbabwe assuming the hosting role for the UNICEF led activities which will include information management and the overall coordination of JCISA for the time being.
Beyond the JCISA related activities, UNICEF Zimbabwe supports the Ministry of Environment Water and Climate (MoEWC) for the Humanitarian related coordination of the WASH sector, and their lead role for the WASH Sector Coordination and Information Forum (WSCIF) and its Emergency Strategic Advisory Group (E-SAG). Since its establishment in 2014, the ESAG has coordinated the preparedness and response for all humanitarian related interventions among WASH partners in Zimbabwe and it is within this coordination structure, and the framework of the Humanitarian Country Team, that the WASH sector has developed its sectoral strategy for the response to the ongoing drought situation as part of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)[1].
The HRP aims to respond to the devastating drought episode associated with the 2015/2016 El Niño event which is negatively impacting on livelihoods and quality of lives. The El Niño-induced drought has been declared a regional disaster by Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states, underlining the strong regional dimension of the current crisis. This followed individual countries’ declaration of emergency, including Zimbabwe where the 2016/2017 agricultural season was a declared a national disaster due on February 2016
To support the coordination of the above indicated structures i.e. Joint Cholera Initiative for Southern Africa (JCISA) and WASH Emergency Strategic Advisory Group (E-SAG) for Zimbabwe, UNICEF Zimbabwe requires of qualified and dedicated resources. It is envisaged that such requirements can be fulfilled by the engagement of a Consulting Institution providing an experienced consultant / team in compliance with the qualifications indicated below.
Objectives: The overall goal of the consultancy is to ensure an appropriate coordination of activities within the Joint Cholera Initiative for Southern Africa (JCISA) across 11 countries (5 JCISA countries + 6 related countries) and for Zimbabwe, to ensure coordination for the implementation of the WASH component of the HRP under the ESAG / WSCIF. The outputs expected from this consultancy are:
Functional information systems across countries within the scope of the JCISA covering the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) systems, sharing and compilation of information on cholera outbreaks and cholera outbreak trends are monitored and evaluated.
Identification of potential funding opportunities coordination, capacity building, knowledge management and enabling environment for the JCISA.
Technical support for the operation and of the Zimbabwe WASH Emergency Strategic Advisory Group (E-SAG), including the coordination of WASH partners (Government agencies, UN, NGOs and other relevant actors) for WASH related humanitarian action, including but not limited to the implementation and monitoring of the WASH Component of the Zimbabwe Humanitarian Response Plan.
Qualifications: In order to effectively deliver on this assignment the Consulting Institution should be able to provide a highly qualified and experienced WASH Expert with the following qualifications:
Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in Environmental Public Health, Civil or Sanitation Engineering, or field related to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector.
At least 10 years of experience in management and technical assistance to WASH programmes in developing countries, including coordination of emergency / humanitarian programmes.
Proven experience on WASH sector coordination in emergency / humanitarian contexts, including sectoral strategy development and implementation and cholera preparedness and response.
Experience working with government agencies, local authorities, international organizations, NGOs and communities in the field of water, sanitation and participatory approaches in health and hygiene promotion.
Familiarity with the WASH coordination mechanisms in countries where JCISA, in particular Zimbabwe, is operational is an advantage.
Strong interpersonal skills, organizational networking, the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively with a range of government and civil society partners
Strong demonstrated experience and knowledge in data analysis and monitoring
Possess initiative and a drive to achieve results and ability to work with minimal supervision
Ability to work effectively in multicultural environment
Familiarity with UN related humanitarian systems and processes is an asset
NOTES:
Interested Institutions or Individuals can submit additional team members to complement WASH experts’ experience, however this is not considered as a mandatory requirement.
Institutions not based in Zimbabwe are required to include a Zimbabwe based individual that meet the above indicated qualifications.
[1] https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/zimbabwe/document/zimbabwe-drought-humanitarian-…
HOW TO APPLY:
Response Requirements: At this stage, UNICEF is requesting Expression of Interest from Consulting Institutions or Individuals interested in competing for contract to support coordination of the Joint Cholera Initiative in Southern AFRICA (JCISA) and humanitarian wash in Zimbabwe. Interested Individuals / Institutions should submit detailed and complete institutional profile information and documents, together with a written “Expression of Interest” in response to this advertisement. Information provided will be reviewed to assess the suitability of each proposer to be included in the upcoming competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
If you/your Institution is interested in participating in the planned solicitation and meets the requirements with suitable experience, please reply to this EOI with the reference: “CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO SUPPORT COORDINATION OF THE JOINT CHOLERA INITIATIVE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA (JCISA) AND HUMANITARIAN WASH IN ZIMBABWE” by either email or mail no later than 12:00 noon Harare local time on 27 June 2016
We strongly encourage responses at the earliest. Email responses should be addressed to serviceszim@unicef.org and copy nsafure@unicef.org. Mailed responses can be sent to The Supply Unit, UNICEF Harare Office, 6 Fairbridge Avenue, P.O. Box 1250, Belgravia, Harare, Zimbabwe.