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Objectives
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the strengthening and scale-up of WASH in Schools (WinS) programs in West and Central Africa as an integral part of operationalizing the Key Results for Children (KRC) Initiative for KRC#4 Improved Learning outcomes and KRC#8 Ending Open Defecation.. This will be achieved through the development and dissemination of technical guidance for WinS as part of KRC #4 and #8, preparatory work for a second French-language WinS capacity building course, the development of field notes for dissemination within the region, and remote technical support for UNICEF country offices in the region including support for the inclusion of WinS into national level Education Sector Plans.
Background
To date, more than half the children in West and Central Africa (WCA) do not have access to WASH facilities in their schools. A growing body of research and evidence show the link between access to WASH in Schools (WinS) and improved equity, education and health outcomes for children. Access to water, sanitation and hand washing with soap (hygiene) in schools has been shown to decrease rates of acute upper respiratory illness, soil-transmitted helminths and diarrhea among children. WASH in Schools was prioritized in the global development agenda with the September 2015 adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The fourth and sixth goals call for universal access to quality education and universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene, respectively. Targets 6.1 and 6.2, of SDG 6, implicitly mention universal WASH access in schools while target 4a, of SDG 4, explicitly calls for WASH access through education facilities that are safe, gender sensitive, disability friendly and provide effective learning environments for all students. Other global efforts to enhance WASH access in schools include the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) which is guided by the vision laid out in SDG4, to provide inclusive and equitable quality education to all. Of the 60 GPE member countries, more than a third (21) are from the West and Central Africa region. The 2020 GPE strategy outlines three goals: Improved and more equitable learning outcomes;
Increased equity, gender equality and inclusion as well as Effective and efficient education systems.
At the regional level, WASH in Schools is part of the WCAR Key Results for Children (KRC #4 Improved Learning Outcomes and KRC #8 Ending Open Defecation), under Goal Area 4 (Every Child Lives in a Safe and Clean Environment) and contributes to the realization of Goal 1 (Every Child Survives and Thrives), Goal 2 (Every Child Learns) and Goal 5 (Every Child has an Equitable Chance in Life). Furthermore, 11 WCAR country offices have identified ending open defecation and ensuring equitable access to sanitation and hygiene as a priority for the coming four years. Additionally, UNICEF's WASH Strategy outlines five results areas, of which WinS and MHM support two, WASH in Institutions and Hygiene, respectively. Strengthening the capacity of practitioners in the region will also contribute to the strategy's programming principles of reducing inequality, sustaining service at scale and contributing across SDGs.
To date, several regional and global projects have supported the scale-up of WinS programs in the region. The global WASH in Schools for Girls qualitative research project was carried out in four WCAR countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria). The outputs from the research are being used as an example for other countries and the outcomes are supporting girls' education in the respective countries. In addition to the research, a French-language WinS capacity-building course was developed by the regional office in coordination with Burkina Faso's Institut International d'Ingénierie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement (2iE). The course was held in November 2017 and was attended by 35 participants from nine countries. The case studies developed by the teams are being used to enhance WinS programming at the national level.
Scope of work
The consultant will be expected to support capacity-building opportunities, provide technical support for country offices, aide the establishment of a French-language knowledge-exchange platform and contribute to advocacy initiatives in the region. The items below show the tasks for which the consultant will be responsible :
Operationalisation of Key Results for Children.
Develop technical guidance to support COs to operationalise the change strategies for the Output 8.2 Number of Schools with separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.
Prepare and present a webinar on WinS for KRC #8 and KRC #4
Technical Support
The consultant will provide remote support and advice to at least seven (7) country offices (including but not limited to Burkina Faso, CAR, Chad, Eq. Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger) based on the 2018 Client Survey technical assistance requests for the realization of regional Key Results for Children through skype calls, email exchanges, and webinars on the following areas:
Review and assessment of current WinS programming using bottleneck analysis
Integration of WinS in education sector plans, national standards, costing and budgeting
uptake of global level WinS SDG indicators into national Education Monitoring Information System (EMIS) surveys to track progress towards the SDGs through coordination with UNESCO,
inclusion of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) into existing WinS programs to improve girls' access to education
adoption, adaptation and implementation of the Three Star Approach for improved sustainability of WinS programs.
Capacity-Building
French-language WASH in Schools Course
The consultant will be responsible for supporting the organization of the second rollout of the French-language WASH in Schools course in coordination with Burkina Faso's Institut International d'Ingénierie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement (2iE). Activities will include the following:
Upgrade of existing curriculum specifically two additional modules on Advocacy and Strengthening the Enabling Environment for WinS
Update of the course schedule and delivery format using recommendations from the 2017 rollout.
Coordination with country teams from the first rollout to:
Create a group of WinS focal points in the region
Publish well-analysed case studies from the 2017 rollout and disseminate across the region
WASH in Schools during Public Health Emergencies
The consultant will also be responsible for the development and dissemination of best practices for WASH in Schools during Public Health Emergencies drawing from the countries affected by the EVD crisis. Activities will include the following:
Compilation of WinS response during the EVD crisis in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
Development of a draft field note which identifies best practices for WASH related public health emergencies in schools (EVD, cholera etc.)
Final draft of the field note (updated with comments from Education, Health & Gender)
Knowledge Exchange:
The consultant will support the establishment of a French-language Yammer page on the WinS Network site to facilitate exchange between francophone WinS practitioners. The site will be developed in coordination with NYHQ, which manages the platform. The consultant will support the Sanitation & Hygiene Specialist with the following tasks:
Identification of participants (drawn from the first cohort of the WinS course, regional practitioners, Education, WASH and Gender colleagues)
Development of thematic areas (EMIS monitoring, MHM and Three Star Approach) and discussion topics for the group
Provide the Sanitation & Hygiene Specialist with site analytics (number of participants, number of views, active discussions etc.) in coordination with IT
Advocacy:
The consultant will be responsible for supporting the inclusion of WASH into the national Education Sector Plans of at least four countries in West and Central Africa. This will be organized in coordination with the UNICEF Education section at WCARO.
Support for the inclusion of WASH in the ESPs of four countries (Guinea, Niger, Mali, Cameroon)
Finalization of the WinS data drive for WCAR
follow-up with countries that have not validated data sets
coordination with UNESCO and the JMP for the organization of a webinar on the results of the data drive and the process for updating EMIS indicators
Deliverables and Schedules
The consultant will furnish the following deliverables:
Deliverable 1
Draft of Technical Guidance for WinS KRC
Terms of Reference for WinS-WCAR Resource Group
Launch of French-language WinS Yammer site and site analytics
Webinar and meeting minutes on the WinS SDG indicators
Outline Field Notes of WinS 101 case studies
Draft of WinS in Public Health Emergencies Field Note
Draft Bottleneck Assessment of WinS in WCAR (draft)
Estimated payment date: 31 July 2018
Deliverable 2
Final Technical Guidance for WinS KRCs
Interim report on support given to country offices
Draft schedule and curriculum for the second French-language WinS 101 rollout
Webinar and meeting minutes on MHM programming through WinS
Final Field Note on WinS in Public Health Emergencies
Yammer site analytics
Estimated payment date: 30 September 2018
Deliverable 3
Final Field Notes of WinS 101 case studies
Final report on Technical support for country offices
Support for the WASH in Health Facilities Data Drive
WASH component for Education Sector Plans
Final Bottleneck Assessment of WinS in WCAR
Webinar and meeting minutes on the WinS KRCs
Yammer site analytics
Estimated payment date: 15 December 2018
Timing
The contract will commence on 15 June 2018 for a duration of 107 days and will conclude on 15 December 2018.
Reporting Requirements
The consultancy is home-based, with no travel. Deliverables will be shared with the Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist via email or file-sharing sites such as WeTransfer. Deliverables include both draft and final versions of Field Notes, Bottleneck Analysis, Technical Guidance as well as minutes of web-based meetings. In addition, progress updates will be submitted on a monthly basis to monitor the growth of a web-based French-language knowledge-sharing platform.
Profile Requirements
Specific competencies, qualifications and experience required of the contracted consultant:
Master in Public Health or equivalent experience, in environmental engineering or a related field;
At least eight (8) years of experience in public health issues in developing countries;
Experience with WASH in Schools and Menstrual Hygiene Management research or programming;
Must be fluent in French and English
Prior experience working in the West and Central Africa region is advantageous.
Administrative Issues
The supervising officer will be the Sanitation & Hygiene Specialist within the WCARO WASH Section. Weekly calls between the consultant and Sanitation Specialist will be held via Skype or Skype for Business to ensure progress during the contract. Furthermore, the consultant will be required to liaise with the Education, Gender and Health sections in WCARO as well as the Sanitation Team in NYHQ.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Payment will only be made for work endorsed and approved by UNICEF WCARO.
Closing Date Sat May 26 2018 00:55:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)