. Background

Polio eradication is a corporate priority for UNICEF globally. Afghanistan is one of the three remaining countries where polio is still endemic, and UNICEF has committed itself in front of partners, donors, and national governments to continue the work on polio eradication until the goal is reached.

With the declaration of polio as a public health emergency, Afghanistan is intensifying its efforts to ensure polio is stopped for good. As a key partner in the effort to eradicate polio, UNICEF has the lead role in communicating to families and communities about the importance of taking the oral polio vaccine to prevent polio. UNICEF has recently scaled up its human resource capacity at all levels, including the deployment of social mobilizers at the community level to expand household and community engagement. There is continuous emphasis on the need to ensure evidence-based decision making for communication at all levels. There is a tremendous amount of data which exists in Afghanistan’s polio programme to guide communications activities, including intra- and post-campaign monitoring data which provides information down to the lowest level.

Rational: With the expansion of the Immunization Communication Network (ICN) which is also expected to keep records of children under five at the household level and all data sources are used for effective communication decision making. A range of communication and monitoring data reported from the field needs to be regularly reviewed, analyzed, and used to guide to programme planning and implementation at the regional, provincial and district level. It is necessary that regional (zonal) Polio teams have the capacity to manage information/ maintain database and analyses data/ information and provide critical information to track issues and progress of Communications interventions in the respective regions. Quality of data and efficient data flow from SM level to regional / national level is critical.

Given the above-mentioned programmatic needs, additional capacity that is flexible to rove the province with limited security restrictions is anticipated to support the UNICEF Polio team in terms of data analysis, capacity development and technical support at the field level.

Compile data from ICN network¹

This includes but not limited to:

(i)        Compile field book data submitted by DCO/ CCS.

(ii)      Maintain ICN data of the region in a database [in coordination with Kabul M&E].

(iv)     Provide data collection guidance and mentoring to DCO on data compilation and data quality assurance (e.g., DCO to compile from CCS but to conduct random verification with hard copies).

Compile qualitative data on ICN performance/ issues/ challenges and track actions taken and progress

In coordination with ICN Focal Point at Zonal level, support the following:

(i)     Compile issues related to ICN performance, issues and challenges as identified from different sources, including from Third-Party Monitoring, Provincial Management Team for Expanded Programme for Immunization (PEMT), PCO/ DCO, UNICEF and partners’ monitoring

(ii)    Compile qualitative information and issues identified from campaign review, district planning and PCO/ DCO meetings

(iii)  Maintain a database of issues and tracking of actions taken and progress [Excel database]

Track status of district profiles and district plans

Maintain a regional database(s) in coordination with Kabul M&E

Under guidance of ZO team lead and Kabul M&E, support the following:

(i)        Ensure receipt of secondary data, particularly SIA Admin data, PCA, LQAS from REOC/PEMT and WHO to update the UNICEF Polio database

(ii)      Maintain region’s admin data within UNICEF Polio database

(iii)     Maintain region’s ICN data within UNICEF Polio database (as mentioned in #1)

(iv)     Maintain region’s database of issues and action taken (as mention in #2)

(v)      Maintain region’s database of social profiles and social information (e.g., target groups, special populations, availability and access to local health services, community influencers, communities’ awareness, and demand for polio

Conduct analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to support district/ cluster planning and performance management

Under guidance of Zonal Polio team lead and Kabul M&E, support the following:

(i)     Analyze ICN data trends to demonstrate ICN performance in registering children, children vaccinated during campaign, tracking missed children, and addressing missed children during Catch-up, RI referral, vaccination of newborns, etc.

(ii)    Analyze quantitative data from different sources and prepare tables, graphs, charts to highlight issues, challenges, focusing on districts and clusters with high missed children, refusal, or teams/ SM performance

(iii)  Analyze monitoring data reported by PCO/ DCO via ODK² tools (particularly SM/ CCS/ DCO monitoring)

(iv)   Triangulate data from different sources, e.g., Admin data, ICN data, Intra-Campaign Monitoring (ICM), Lot Quality Assurance Survey (LQAS), Post-Campaign Monitoring (PCM), etc. to highlight issues and challenges and identification of districts and clusters where there are significant issues to be addressed by ICN/ Communications interventions

Compile and analyze other social data and social profiles to support district / cluster planning including identification of communication actions.

Other analytical support as required e.g., training provincial/ district staff in data collection, validation, quality control, analysis]

(i)     Conduct random check of data collection by SM/ CCS at duty station

(ii)    With technical support from Kabul M&E, identify M&E training needs and support training of ICN jointly with M&E Kabul team.

Others as required

• CN data from field book compiled at regional level in correct format and meeting quality standards. 

• PCO and DCO are guided on the compilation process &            quality assurance.
  

•   Database of ICN issues and actions taken updated on weekly basis [under guidance of ICN Focal Point]

•   Issues identified from campaign review, district planning and DCO/ PCO meetings     are  

  documented (in a database) and tracked (to ensure district plans addressing the identified
    issues)
  Database(s) of the region is maintained.
  

Duty Station & Travel required

Duty station is the Provincial capital (Tarinkot) for Uruzgan, Eastern Region (Jalalabad) and Southeastern/ Central Region (Gardez).

Some travel outside of duty station 30-40% time to conduct data validation and field monitoring in high- risk districts within the region as well as conduct monitoring of ICN staff and participation in monthly meetings. On quarterly/ biannual basis, possible travel to Kabul for Polio M&E technical meetings

 Supervisor

Under direct supervision of UNICEF Zonal Polio Programme Specialist & technical supervision of the lead Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (Polio).