Organizational Context

 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. At Geneva level, the Health and Care Department’s (HCD) New Strategic Direction 2023 focuses on Health Systems Strengthening and WASH Systems Strengthening through four pillars: Global Health Security, Global Health Protection (UHC), Global WASH Services and Transformative Partnership.

The Global Health Protection (UHC) pillar houses and chairs the Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP), a partnership of more than 40 organizations, including government, private sector, faith-based and humanitarian organizations, focused on three main activities: (1) coordination of partners involved in insecticide-treated net (ITN) campaign and continuous distribution activities; (2) development of operational guidance for planning and implementing of ITN distribution based on an iterative process; and (3) providing technical assistance to national malaria programmes and partners based on requests. AMP’s activities support achievement of the WHO Global Technical Strategy (GTS) targets for high coverage and use of ITNs. AMP is a workstream within the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. Harnessing the global leadership and management systems of IFRC, AMP is uniquely positioned to support and advance country-level efforts to optimize ITN distribution and ensure that the right nets reach the right people at the right time through both campaign and continuous distribution channels.

 

Job Purpose

 

(Continued from Organizational Context)

Nigeria’s National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) has led the successful distribution of over 300 million insecticide treated nets (ITNs) since 2009 through mass campaigns. Over time, the NMEP and implementing partners have developed expertise for different campaign processes, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of mass ITN distribution to achieve the WHO Global Technical Strategy (GTS) targets for universal coverage of malaria prevention.

Maintaining high coverage of ITNs for populations in need is important to provide community-level protection from malaria vectors. ITN mass distribution campaigns successfully achieve a rapid increase in ownership of and access to ITNs. However, in some cases, households (HH) do not receive any ITNs or receive an incorrect number of ITNs (fewer or more than planned in relation to the campaign ITN allocation rules), leading to lower than expected ITN coverage following campaigns.

To respond to demand from national malaria programmes for guidance and easy-to-use tools for planning and implementing approaches for assessing the quality of household registration during their ITN campaigns, as well as the quality of their ITN campaign during and post-distribution, the Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP) developed general procedures for assessing the quality of ITN mass distribution campaign household registration and ITN distribution activities using clustered lot quality assurance sampling (cLQAS).

LQAS is a rapid survey method to assess the quality of coverage following a health intervention in pre-defined areas such as health districts or sub-districts (known as lots) using a small sample size. Traditionally, LQAS has been used with a simple random sample design. cLQAS divides the sample (N) into smaller clusters (k) of n individuals, where N=k*n.

Nigeria’s NMEP has been implementing end process monitoring for ITN campaigns for more than a decade. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NMEP and partners updated the methodology for the end process monitoring to ensure statistically valid results that are representative of the areas where the campaign took place. Under the previous SOW for support to Nigeria’s ITN campaigns, AMP implemented hands on work with the team, as well as virtual training. Given a need to reinforce the learning and the opportunity to do it as an in-person training, the NMEP has requested AMP to organize and implement a cLQAS capacity-building session for the workstream advisors and members, the implementing partners and other key stakeholders involved with the ITN campaign planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Job Purpose

The overall objective of the SOW is to organize and implement a cLQAS capacity-building session covering the protocol, the sampling, the tools, analysis of data, follow up investigation and use of data for decision-making. The training will be organized in Abuja and dates will be determined by the NMEP. Approximately 35 participants will be invited to the training.

The objectives of the workshop are:

• To update knowledge and skills for planning and implementing, as well as supervising, end process monitoring using cLQAS, as well as to ensure that sound methods are used (based on the end process monitoring) for the in-process monitoring done during the household mobilization by the internal monitors.
• To ensure that the updated IG annex and tools for in and end process monitoring are sufficiently detailed, correct and ready for full rollout.

 

Job Duties and Responsibilities

 

Specific objectives:

1. Work with the NMEP and partners to conduct a four-day training including:
   • Pre-training planning/agenda development
   • Review of training agenda, materials, etc
   • Develop materials and tools
   • Facilitate the four-day workshop
2. At the end of the workshop, make any needed updates to the annex and tools for end process monitoring (as well as in-process internal monitoring) based on the feedback from participants.

Outputs and deliverables

• National team personnel trained to improve the quality of household registration and ITN distribution activities relevant to the state context
• Final report detailing work undertaken and recommendations for next steps
• Updated in/end process monitoring annex and tools

Timeframe and duration

The SOW will cover 18 days, including the in-country support period between 02 February – May 2025. Actual dates for in-country support to be confirmed with NMEP based on staff availability.

• Distance support for training planning: 3 days
• In-country training: 7 days (2 days before, 4-day workshop and 1 day after)
• Post-training updating of tools and materials for in/end process monitoring: 2 days

Alignment to the IFRC’s objectives and strategy:

The Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP)’s mandate aligns to the Federation’s Strategy 2030 as it supports the achievement of strategic aims:

1) Save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disasters and crises.

2) Enable healthy and safe living.

Objective and outcomes:

Objective #1: Scaling up and maintaining universal coverage targets of malaria prevention with ITNs through all available channels including mass distribution campaigns and continuous distribution channels.

Desired outcomes: To address some of the most critical challenges countries, partners, and TA providers face with planning and implementing mass ITN campaigns and to identify cost-effective and efficient strategies.

Support to be provided to the consultant:

The consultant will be supported by the Manager – Malaria Programmes and the Officer, Country Support.

Time allocation, for budget purposes

The consultancy timeframe will be from February to May 2025. This consultancy contract includes travels.

 

Notes: The consultant will be contracted by the IFRC, and the standard contractual terms will apply.

 

 

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

 

Required

• Fluently spoken and written English.

Preferred

• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic).

 

Competencies, Values and Comments

 

Application Instruction

Please submit your application in English only.