Job description: KAP survey consultant
Location:
Employment Type: consultancy

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs.
Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, non-political, non-sectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Background:
Since 2004, the International Medical Corps has been providing targeted, integrated, and comprehensive live-saving health and nutrition interventions benefiting IDPs, host communities, nomads refugees and returnees throughout Central, South, and West Darfur states. IMC implements primary health care, nutrition, and WASH programs, supporting 66 communities with integrated interventions.  IMC also works to build the capacity of the health work force and of the community to ensure project activities are built into long-terms strategic planning and that the workforce will have the needed capacity to continue humanitarian interventions in the target communities. In addition, the programs have adopted an integrated emergency and rehabilitation approach to prevent and treat malnutrition and improve health care service delivery. IMC plans to understand in more depth and breadth the underlying factors and causes of health, nutrition and WASH problems in Kalma camp in South Darfur. It is expected that the findings from the survey will be applied and used as a monitoring benchmark and input for further programme decision making. To this end, it is proposed to implement a comprehensive household survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to health, nutrition and WASH.

Methodology:
The survey will be developed using updated SMART methodology. Anthropometric and mortality indicators will be generated using ENA or Epi/ENA software. Survey methodology should be reviewed by IMC Program Director.

Objectives:
The Consultant will lead and deliver the survey and its findings as per the following objectives:

• To determine mothers/caretaker’s knowledge and caring practice regarding infant and young child feeding.  
• To provide additional qualitative information on the likely causes of malnutrition and barriers to optimal infant and young child feeding nutrition practices (E.g. through focus group discussions).
• To assess the community’s knowledge, attitude, practice and beliefs regarding water, sanitation and hygiene.
• To assess the mothers and caregivers knowledge, attitude, practice and beliefs on curative, preventive and promotive aspects of maternal and reproductive health.
• To formulate and provide practical and sustainable recommendations to strengthen the nutrition activities based on the survey findings.
• To examine barriers to and level of utilization of health, nutrition and wash services.

Other contextual information:

• To determine the coverage of selective feeding programme (OTP and TSFP) for children aged 6-59 months.
• To determine enrolment into Antenatal Care clinic and coverage of iron-folic acid supplementation in pregnant women.

Expected roles and responsibilities:

• Develop and design SMART survey protocol, including sample size estimation, population size, clustering of the villages etc, and validate contextual tools using the SMART methodology.
• Train the SMART data collection teams and data clerks (including field testing).
• Assume overall responsibility for design and implementation of the SMART, including daily supervision of SMART teams and daily data collection quality assurance.
• Be responsible for data cleaning and analysis using appropriate software i.e. Epi Info, SPSS, ENA for SMART.
• Prepare a draft SMART survey report for review by IMC, ensuring that the assessment is comprehensive and includes all relevant indicators.
• Prepare a final report including background, methodology, results, limitations, conclusions and recommendations incorporating feedback from IMC staff on the draft report.
• Prepare and lead a validation workshop for State MOH and stakeholders in Nyala, South Darfur.

Deliverables:

• Results of standardization tests, details of data cleaning and plausibility checks should be presented in the final report.
• Present the design, implementation and supervision strategy of the SMART survey. Validate with IMC country team and the Technical Unit Nutrition advisor.
• Implement the SMART survey in Kalma camp, Bilel locality, South Darfur.
• Present a draft SMART survey report including background, methodology, results, limitations, conclusions and recommendations within one week after completion of field work.
• The findings and major recommendations are to be presented to partners at the mission level (oral presentation and PowerPoint slides).
• Present a SMART final report incorporating the feedback from the IMC country team and the TU nutrition advisor.
• Submit all the data and analysis outputs (both raw and final) electronically to IMC country team.

Reporting:

• The consultant will report on regular basis and agreed task schedule to the M&E Coordinator or delegated person who will have the overall responsibility of the survey.

Qualifications, experience, Skills, Knowledge & Abilities required:

• A health professional or nutritionist with MPH, MSc or advanced professional degree or field-related experience.
• Significant and proven experience, at least three years, in community based studies including SMART surveys.
• Knowledge in designing and implementing CMAM and IYCF programs.
• Excellent analytical and statistical skills.
• Strong communication skills, able to effectively present information clearly and respond appropriately to questions from IMC staff and other relevant stakeholders.
• Strong supervisory and organizational skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative and to meet deadlines.
• Ability to cope with stress; hardship; patience and flexibility and willingness to work additional hours in order to meet tight deadlines.
• Ability and willingness to travel to field sites and nutrition facilities.
• Advanced proficiency in the use of MS Office, EPI INFO, SPSS and for ENA SMART Software.
• Fluent in written and spoken English (Knowledge of Arabic is an added advantage).

Time Frame:

• The consultancy will last 30 days, starting from the signing of the contract.

Liability:

• IMC has right to suspend or cancel the whole process during the selection and/or implementation of the activities at any stage without any obligation or liability.

How to apply:
•    Interested applicants are requested to send their submissions(both physical and financial proposal) HQ to add the proper writing.
•    Applications must include:
    Survey protocol
    Cover letter,
    CV,
    An approved final report of the most recent SMART survey that he/she had conducted.