Afghanistan and Pakistan are the world’s remaining polio-endemic countries. In 2022, as of November 30, Afghanistan reported 02 WPV1 reported in Kunar and Paktika provinces and 13 environmental cases in Eastern Region, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. These results confirm the need for continues community engagement efforts with a particular focus on previously inaccessible areas, high-risk districts, and areas where children are still missed for different reasons.

To support activities, our client is planning the recruitment of District Communication Officers (DCOs) who will work closely with extenders and their direct supervisor PCOs to ensure timely and effective implementation of polio programme activities.

Under the general guidance of our client regions Polio team leaders and direct supervision of the PCO in charge of the province, the incumbents will be responsible for managing, implementing, and monitoring of activities related to immunization, community engagement and social mobilization at the district level. The DCO will contribute to the implementation and monitoring of social mobilization and community engagement and health education plans, knowledge-sharing sessions, implementation of action plans, collecting and addressing rumors on the ground through available networks, and providing technical support to staff members across health facilities. 

Specific Tasks/Activities

District communication officer:

▪        Manage the planning, implementation and monitoring of social mobilization, communication, and community engagement at the district.

▪        Coordinate with key partners including WHO, religious/opinion leaders, influencers, NGOs, CBOs, youth forum, women groups on community engagement, social mobilization, and communication activities at district level.

▪        Work with the PCO / extenders, District coordinators and partners to design community initiatives engaging (religious leaders, professional and women groups) at district level

▪        Oversee the implementation of community engagement and campaign plans at district level

▪        Provide technical oversight to frontline workers including FMVs to ensure evidence-based monthly communication plans are developed and implemented at district and cluster levels

▪        Disseminate weekly messages and talking points at weekly community engagement meetings and monthly trainings, based on district specificities, and aligned with central guidance

▪        Ensure overall lead and supervision frontline workers including FMVs, review their performance during field monitoring (district and cluster plans, monitoring of campaign based SMs, support to RI, data maintenance, training sessions for CCS, etc.)

▪        Coordinate with the PCO / Extender for all Front-line workers personnel trainings in the district, as per training needs assessment,

▪        Support pre-testing the communication materials

       and training of FMV supervisors and FMVS, SMs and Community group

▪        Facilitate the timely payments of performing Front-line workers

▪        Prepare financial reports of funds utilization at the district level

▪        Verify funds expenditure for campaign based SMs

▪        Coordinate and document key communication interventions, initiatives, progress made in the high-risk districts, barriers faced, continuing challenges, solutions explored, and action taken to overcome the challenges

▪        Assist in collection and addressing rumors

▪        Coordinate pre-campaign engagement activities at district levels

▪        Collect social data for confirmed Polio cases in the province

▪        Retrieve copies of all districts RI micro plans from NGO/DEMT in charge and ensure all low performing areas and access compromised areas are planned for coverage

▪        Work in collaboration with District Polio Officer, Government counterparts to ensure the that the accountability framework for vaccine management is in place and that cold chain capacities are adequate.

o   Before campaign to monitor and report on:

-      District teams (campaign based social Mobilizers) are trained to support reducing number of missed children and refusal,

-      Communities' engagement activities are conducted to support reducing number of missed children and refusal,

-      Cold chain inventories are conducted and shared it with the provincial level.

-      The consumables, management tools and vaccines are delivered on time to districts and reviewed by the supply committee.

-      Pre campaign activities including Campaign Based social mobilizers activities when applicable and FMVs pre campaign awareness activities are supervised.

o   During campaign:

-      Monitoring clusters with huge number of missed children or refusal, take appropriate action and provide feedback to provincial and regional coordination team are conducted.

-      Feedbacks on vaccine management during evening meetings received and corrective actions are followed-up.

-      The use of vaccine and proper vaccine management is monitored on the online dashboard

-      Vaccine availability is monitored at district level daily and stock outs are solved as soon as possible

-      The Daily Summary Sheet and the Vaccine Vials Tracking Form are filled daily with figures from district level

o   After campaign to monitor and report on:

-      Draft reports and highlight room for improvement regarding the campaign quality.

-      Admin and PCA data are analyzed to identify room for improvement for next round and routine activities.

-      The final Daily Summary Sheets, the Vaccine Vials Tracking Form and the Form A are filled on the paper-based system and ODK (for Form A) within 7 days after completion of campaign

-      Destruction of empty vials is completed within 10 days after completion of campaign and destruction report is filled and transmitted to national level.

-      All usable vials are returned at regional level in cold chain.

o   Between campaigns

-      FMVs are supervised for on job training and support to improve Health Education sessions quality and reduce as much as possible the number of children under five missed.

-      Communities' engagement activities are conducted to support reducing number of missed children and refusal

●       Under the direct supervision of PCO, develop and implement the district level quarterly communication plans, with a clear focus on missed children and refusal. The plan should be evidence based and data driven

●       Identify cluster level refusal and engage with the refusal families ahead of the campaign through local influencers including religious leaders, professionals, and women networks

●       Manage implementation of the community initiatives led by influential groups (religious leaders, professional groups, youth and women networks) and engage local community members to improve vaccines uptake

●       Oversee messaging within the district, ensuring that all messages are locally relevant according to the district findings and issues, and aligned to national guidelines (standard messages and monthly topics); disseminate monthly messages through district meetings, partners (DEMT/DoPH) and community influencers

●       Coordinate and implement all communication activities in the district, including district level immunization campaign inauguration, advocacy meetings, monthly meetings at clusters and healthcare centres, etc. 

●       Monitor and report on access to vaccination issues within the district to PCO in a timely manner for prompt action.

●       Conduct local level interface dialogue with inaccessible local influencers together with district team to address inaccessibility

●       Ensure timely supervision of communication activities for campaign-based social mobilizers in the district

●       With support from PCO, plan and implement trainings for campaign-based social mobilizers, local influencers and other social activists, based on needs assessment, and using agreed updated curriculum.

●       Retrieve the list of children still missed after the campaign from District Polio Officer after each SIA and facilitate revisits and record coverage

●       Retrieve a copy of district routine immunization micro plan from NGO/DEMT in-charge and ensure all low performing areas and access compromised areas are planned for

●       Retrieve and analyse routine immunization data for BCG, OPV1/Hep 1 and OPV3/Hep 3; and follow up on low coverage and OPV/Hep 3 drop out greater than 10%

●       Conduct at least 4 monitoring visits of routine immunization sessions in a month and provide feedback to DEMT/PEMT/DoPH using the applicable format.

●       Work in collaboration with the District Coordinator and District Polio Officer, District Management Team and District Health Officer to ensure that the accountability framework for vaccine management is in place and that cold chain capacities are adequate.

Operation and reporting

●       Prepare necessary documentation and facilitate payment of fees/incentives to all campaign-based social mobilizers who have performed their tasks as per agreed deliverables after each SIA and keep records for reference.

●       Collect social data and communication data from campaign-based social mobilizers and share with PCO in a timely manner; coordinate and provide feedback to social mobilizers.

●       Ensure appropriate and timely dissemination and display of IEC materials at least 2-3 days before each Supplementary Immunization Action (SIA)

●       Facilitate the recruitment of campaign-based social mobilisers in the district in coordination with PCO and district selection committee.

Pre-campaign activities

●       Train cluster and vaccination teams on basics of vaccine management

●       Conduct district level cold chain inventories and share it with the provincial level team.

●       Work with the supply committee to review and deliver consumables, management tools and vaccines to clusters on a timely basis

●       Report on above mentioned activities to immediate supervisor and provincial team.

During the campaign activities

●       Collect feedbacks on vaccine management during evening meetings follow up on corrective actions

●       Conduct daily field visits to ensure compliance with good practices and capacities are strengthened

●       Monitor the use of vaccines and proper vaccine management on the online dashboard

●       Monitor vaccine availability at cluster and address stock outs as soon as possible

●       Fill in the daily Summary Sheet and the Vaccine Vials Tracking Form with figures from cluster level and the ODK questionnaire with vaccine monitoring data

●       Conduct Intra-campaign monitoring using ICM checklist

●       Participate in all district level evening meetings during campaign

●       Spend 40% time for RI monitoring in fixed sites, mobile and outreach sessions

After the campaign activities

●       Monitor to ensure that all unusable vials are returned outside the cold chain and in plastic ziplock bags to the provincial level and that all usable vials are returned at provincial level in cold chain.

●       complete Form A on the paper-based system and ODK within 3 days after completion of campaign

●       Pay field visits and verify the total absence of type 2 vaccine in clusters

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 Qualification: 

• Minimum 14^th-grade education completed combined with at least 5 years of work experience. A university degree in communication, public health, social sciences, development planning, communication, or another relevant field is desirable.

• At least 5 years of experience working with communities, public or community health, communication, or relevant field. The Polio program or EPI program management will be an asset.  

• The applicant should be ideally from the same district/nearby district or at least the same province.

• Ability to travel to remote locations within the district. 

• Writing and speaking and fluency in the local language is essential and English language skills would be an asset.