Consulting Services – Health & Nutrition Advisor Full-Time

The Helen Keller International is hiring a Consulting Services – Health & Nutrition Advisor.

Request for Proposal for Consulting Services – Health & Nutrition Advisor.

Nature of Services

Health & Nutrition Advisor to provide technical assistance to the Helen Keller Mozambique team designing and planning the Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) and Community Management of Acute Malnutrtion (CMAM) activities.

Contracting Entity: Helen Keller International.

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Background

Helen Keller Intl implements integrated packages of cost-effective interventions that are proven to improve maternal and child nutrition. Helen Keller Intl supports policies and programs on food fortification, vitamin A supplementation, infant and young child feeding, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, community-based management of acute malnutrition, and prevention and treatment of neglected tropical diseases. Advocacy and social behavior change communication with various stakeholders are at the core of Helen Keller Intl’s programs. Helen Keller Intl also undertakes cutting-edge research to influence policy decisions and inform program quality.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Health of Mozambique has transitioned VAS from mass campaigns to an integrated approach. VAS is distributed along with other maternal and child health interventions in primary healthcare facilities to all children aged 6 to 59 months and via outreach events (called Mobile brigades) that are organized for populations in hard-to-reach areas (>15 Km from facilities). For communities located in a radius of 5-15 KM of the health facilities, community health volunteers also called Agente Polivante Elementar, (APEs) can distribute VAS directly in children’s homes. Despite efforts from the Ministry of Health and support from partners, VAS coverage has remained below the minimum required threshold of 80%. To reinforce the program and increase coverage of VAS, in the provinces of Gaza and Tete, Helen Keller Int’l is working with the Ministry of Health to strengthen the health system functions such as information system and supply chain and improve service delivery through innovative approaches.

Helen Keller also aims to implement an innovative CMAM program in Tete Province to provide access to treatment for moderately malnourished children and referral of children with severe acute malnutrition to health facilities. However, ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and ready-to-use supplemental food (RUSF) experience frequent stock-outs. Both products are supplied by UNICEF and WFP, respectively. Helen Keller Int’l will use locally sourced food solutions. Children under five will be screened for acute malnutrition, and caregivers of moderately malnourished children will be given a voucher to collect food in the nearest market. The food products to be received in exchange for the coupon will be pre-determined to bring sufficient macro and micronutrients to the children. The ingredients will also correspond to recipes familiar to the caregivers and approved by the Ministry of Health.

Place of Performance: Mozambique

Duration and Timeframe

Fifty (50) days starting mid-July 2023 through the end of the calendar year.

Scope of Work

• In coordination with the Ministry of Health, SETSAN, and UNICEF, and referencing the national CMAM guidelines, prepare a guide and all required tools for CMAM intervention focusing on moderate acute malnutrition and the use of local recipes as primary treatment and food vouchers to access nutritious food basket.
• Develop a training plan for both VAS and CMAM projects; this includes training modules adapted to the national CMAM protocols and schedules and provides support in organizing and conducting the training to all relevant actors.
• Develop a monitoring framework for the CMAM project that includes performance indicators as defined by the national CMAM protocols and standards, and process indicators.
• Provide technical assistance to Helen Keller and the Ministry of Health teams in the start-up and implementation phases of the project.
• Provide technical assistance to the VAS teams to finalize micro and monitoring plans for all districts in Gaza and Tete provinces.

Deliverables

• CMAM project guide and implementation tools.
• CMAM and VAS training plans and reports.
• CMAM and VAS monthly monitoring reports.
• VAS technical assistance province visits reports.
• A mass screening plan to identify households affected with acute malnutrition.
• A strategy for mapping services, and service providers.
• Coordination meeting minutes.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Proven track record of designing and planning program activities with the Ministry of Health for similar projects.
• Specific technical expertise and training experience in an area relevant to the proposal as represented by:
  • Minimum of a master’s degree in Nutrition, Public Health, or a related field, and.
• 10+ years of experience in nutrition/ public health programming, or.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of Multisectoral approaches in Nutrition Interventions and Nutrition-specific interventions (Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition: Prevention and Treatment).
• Experience working with the Ministry of Health in Mozambique and knowledge of the local context.
• Proficient in Portuguese and English (written and oral communication skills).
• Demonstrated experience in writing high-level reports and developing and delivering effective trainings.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and project management skills.
• Strong personal discipline and capacity to respect deadlines, even under pressure.
• The ability to work closely in a team, to be patient, adaptable, flexible and solution- oriented.
• Available to travel to the provinces to work with the technical teams.
• Mozambique national or foreigner legally authorized to work in Mozambique.

Specific Requests for Information

Please describe the nature of your education and experience and why it is well suited to the nature of the work described above. Please be sure to address the qualifications and experience listed above and comparable project work.

In addition, please provide:

• Your CV.
• Sample work product.
• Three references who may be contacted by Helen Keller Intl. These references should be clients or employers for whom you have provided similar services.
• Pricing/Price Sheet: a pricing list for the services that you/your company is interested and able to offer based on the activities listed above.

Please submit your proposal, noting the title “Health and Nutrition Consultant” in the subject line.

Submissions will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Evaluation and Award Process

This RFP is open to all persons or entities that are deemed capable of implementing the scope of work, with a solid record of integrity and business ethics.

The award will be made to the Seller representing the best value to the project and to Helen Keller. For this RFP, price, delivery, technical and past performance are of equal importance for the purposes of evaluating and selecting the “best value” awardee.

In the spirit of our founder and namesake,
Helen Keller places diversity and partnership at the core of our work.