Adolescents and Young Women Consultant

DUE: 23 JULY 2023

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, dignity

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights.

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the 2022 to 2026  UNICEF Zimbabwe country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to engage a qualified and committed Adolescents and Young Women (School Retention) individual consultant To carry out a rapid assessment to understand the context of school dropout among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the Global Fund AGYW programme and make recommendations for programme improvements and adjustments as relevant.

BACKGROUND:

In Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), 62% of the population is less than 24 years and an estimated 26% of new HIV infections occur among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), aged 15-24 years. HIV prevalence rates among young women are also more than twice as high compared to young men. This disproportionality is reflected in Zimbabwe, with AGYW affected with a higher annual HIV incidence rate of 0.76 percent than same-aged young men 0.08 percent (ZIMPHIA 2020), due to factors such as social isolation, economic disadvantage, discriminatory cultural norms, orphanhood, violence, and high school drop-out rates. The risk of HIV transmission is further compounded by higher sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), with young women who have experienced sexual violence or abuse to be around 25%.

Under the GC7, Zimbabwe is prioritizing scaling-up and consolidating interventions that work across sectors to address the structural drivers and social determinants that increase the risk of HIV acquisition amongst AGYW. Combination HIV prevention packages that offer a mix of proven high-impact HIV prevention interventions have been recommended as an approach to fast-track reductions in new HIV infections. In this regard, National AIDS Council and Plan International are delivering an HIV prevention package in selected districts aimed at preventing HIV infections in AGYW by providing educational support to the most vulnerable AGYW, on the pretext that keeping them in school is critically important to keeping them safe and protected from harmful vices such as early and unintended pregnancies, marriages, HIV infection, poor health and economic outcomes.

Evidence is showing that despite the provision of what is believed to be a comprehensive package of services, the project continues to record marriage union and pregnancy related dropouts among the supported AGYW.

To enhance the quality and efficiency of AGYW programming, the Global Fund has operationalized an Adolescent Girls and Young Women Strategic Initiative (AGYW-SI). As a trusted partner on adolescent and HIV policy, data and programming, UNICEF is working with the Global Fund to provide technical assistance (TA) and strengthen Global Fund AGYW grant implementation in priority countries including Zimbabwe.

It is against this background that UNICEF Zimbabwe is looking for a consultant to provide TA to UNDP, National AIDS Council and Plan International aimed at better understanding the context of school dropouts among AGYW in the Global Fund AGYW programme and make recommendations for programme improvements and adjustments as relevant.

ASSIGNMENTS:

UNICEF, in support of National AIDS Council, is seeking consultancy services from a mid level consultant with vast experience in adolescent’s sexual reproductive health/HIV and girls education programmes, to carry out a rapid assessment to understand the context of school dropout among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the Global Fund  AGYW programme and make recommendations for programme improvements and adjustments as relevant

The consultant is required to address the following objectives:

•  Identify the reasons associated with the early withdrawal of AGYW from school at individual, household and societal or community level
• Identify the key drivers that may predict early school withdrawal for AGYW in the Global Fund programme -geographies
• Identify where there may be gaps in the Global Fund AGYW programme that could be improved to better address the context of high levels of early withdrawal from school
• Make recommendations for early school withdrawal prevention
• Identify where recommendations could be feasibly integrated into the existing GF AGYW programme structure

Activities

Through this assignment, the following tasks should be performed:

• Attend a kick-off call with UNICEF for orientation to the Partnership and expectations of this technical assistance
• Prepare an inception report and tools detailing the approaches and timelines to achieve the deliverables and present it to stakeholders including National AIDS Council, UNDP and key AGYW partners for input.
• Conduct a desk review of the programme documentation, programmatic, academic, latest evidence in region and other grey literature, on early withdrawal from school, keeping girls in school, and other context specific documentation
• Conduct stakeholder interviews and focus groups with key groups including AGYW, male sexual partner groups, parents, teachers, community office-bearers and individuals in positions of authority at community level, religious leaders and others as relevant to understand predictive drivers of early school withdrawal, the reasons associated with early school withdrawal and recommendations for programme interventions to address early school withdrawal
• Review programme implementation processes to identify where changes could be integrated to make necessary improvements
• Prepare draft report + summary PPT with key findings and recommendations from the desk review, consultations and implementation plan and attend a stakeholder feedback meeting
•  Prepare a final report + updated PPT with feedback from stakeholders incorporated and share at a validation meeting with stakeholders
• Develop a learning report from the implementation process of the TA for regional learning

 To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

Advanced university degree in Education, Public health, Adolescent Health, Social Sciences, Epidemiology or related field

Experience

• 5 years of knowledge and expertise on HIV and adolescent and young people’s health and development context across ESA
• Strong knowledge and experience of keeping girls in school agenda in the field of Adolescent HIV & SRH programming
• Experience of technical assistance reviews would be an added advantage
• Strong analytical skills with sufficient understand of qualitative/quantitative methods
• Understanding of / working experience with the Global Fund and /or UNICEF is an added advantage

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• A set of strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills and a good understanding of translating research into policy and programmatic implementation
• Demonstrated ability to work across a range of partners, including national, sub-national and community-level stakeholders and partners to secure buy-in and ownership
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships, including with national-level stakeholders
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills

Desirable

Experience working in related field in Eastern and Southern Africa, is desirable

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language  or a local language is an asset.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Advertised: 14 Jul 2023 South Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 23 Jul 2023 South Africa Standard Time

TO APPLY

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