Consultancy - Cholera Country Support Platform (CSP)/ Epidemiologist
The purpose of these terms of reference (ToR) is to identify a network of consultants to be deployed under the Country Support Platform/Global Taskforce on Cholera Control (GTFCC) to support cholera affected countries in the development and implementation of their National Cholera Plan (NCP). Applying to these ToRs doesn’t guarantee an offer for a consultancy. Applications identified as suitable will be notified and will be stored in an IFRC database for a maximum period of 2 years. The CSP/GTFCC will select the consultant to be deployed according to country needs.
By applying to this ToR you give authorization to:
· share your CV with the IFRC
· contact former employers for references and for information related to misconduct.
· store your CV in compliance with the data protection regulation. You can ask IFRC to remove or update your CV by contacting the CSP coordinator health.department@ifrc.org
Terms of reference for consultancy
Purpose of Project and Background
In 2021, according to the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) around 50 countries are still affected by cholera. The number of people living in cholera hotspot is estimated to be between 40 to 80 million. The burden of diseases remains extremely high with 1.3 to 4 million cases every year, including 21 000 to 143 000 deaths globally.
The GTFCC is a partnership of more than 50 institutions, including NGOs, academic institutions, and UN agencies, with a secretariat hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In 2017, the GTFCC launched the Global Roadmap to 2030 which aims to eliminate cholera in 20 countries and reduce the number of cholera deaths reported every year by 90%.
In 2019, Cholera-affected countries have called for additional technical support from the GTFCC in the development and implementation of their multisectoral National Cholera Plans for control or elimination (NCPs). In response to countries’ needs, the GTFCC has established a Country Support Platform (CSP) that will support efforts – primarily at national level – to control and eliminate cholera.
The CSP was launched in 2020 and it is hosted by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
The CSP is supporting cholera-affected countries by working towards the following outcomes:
· Cholera-affected countries have an NCP and a multisectoral coordination mechanism to align government, national actors, GTFCC partners and key stakeholders towards a shared strategy.
· With the support of the CSP, the cholera-affected countries have mobilized resources toward the funding needs identified in their NCPs
· The cholera-affected countries receive multisectoral technical support and capacity building for the formulation and the implementation of their NCPs.
The third outcome requires consultancies to support the cholera-affected countries around the five pillars for cholera preparedness and control:
· Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
· Surveillance and laboratory
· Case management
· Community engagement
· Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV)
These ToRs refer to Epidemiologist consultancies.
Alignment to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) objectives and strategy
Strategic Priority 3: Growing gaps in health and well-being
IFRC’s Strategy 2020: The IFRC supports National Societies to work with vulnerable communities to achieve better health and reduced vulnerabilities as well as to improve water and sanitation conditions in chronic and acute contexts during emergencies.
The IFRC was appointed in 2020 to be the operational arm of the GTFCC for the CSP project. This positions the IFRC and the network at the heart of global and regional partnerships for inter-agency coordination for eventual cholera elimination.
Global Flagship Initiatives: Reduce cholera related deaths by 50%. Cholera continues to threaten the lives of millions of people and yet with the provision of safe water and sanitation so many lives can be saved. The IFRC’s Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (including OneWASH) will be expanded to ensure equitable, sustainable and affordable access to water and sanitation to reduce cholera related deaths by 50% by 2025.
Objectives
The overall objective of the deployment is to:
· Perform a rapid epidemiological situation update and a risk assessment of the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country. This includes the 5 pillars (epidemiology/laboratory, WASH, OCV, Case management and community engagement) and short, medium and long term recommendations.
· Support the government and the partners in their cholera response, e.g. with data analysis, an actor/ stakeholder mapping and planning response specific epidemiological interventions.
· Support the government and the GTFCC partners for cholera hotspot mapping.
· Support the government in cholera surveillance and early detection, including an evaluation of the surveillance system and related recommendations.
· Support the government in reviewing and updating their cholera surveillance strategy
· Propose an update of the contingency plans for cholera response if any or draft a contingency plan based on scenarios with a budget.
· If feasible, gather information to facilitate OCV campaigns and integrate WASH assessments in OCV campaign post coverage surveys.
· Advise on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities related to cholera preparedness and response
Desired outcomes
Outcome 1: A rapid risk assessment (RRA) including an epidemiological update at district level, describing the possible evolution scenario(s) of the outbreak. This RRA should include an assessment of the 5 pillars and clear recommendations.
Outcome 2: Together with the national authorities and partners, support the development of a multisectoral outbreak response plan based on the recommendations of the RRA, including mapping of partners/ actors/ stakeholders and a budget
Outcome 3: A cholera hotspot mapping and/ or a training for hotspot mapping.
Outcome 4:** A gap analysis of the surveillance system and early detection at country and district level with recommendation and when feasible, a Standard Operating Procedure revision for surveillance and early detection. This should involve community-based surveillance.
Outcome 5: An update of the existing contingency plan for cholera response and/or supporting the country to design and implement a new cholera contingency plan based on scenario with budget.
Outcome 6:** An assessment of possible reactive OCV campaign with targets, planning, WASH associated activities. This assessment should include an actor mapping, priorities and needs (e.g. trainings).
Outcome7**: A draft M&E plan for the current outbreak response
Support to be provided to the consultant
IFRC WASH team in Geneva / IFRC regional office / GTFCC / CSP team will brief and support the consultant
Requirements
Education
Required: Relevant university degree in Public Health or similar fields.
Preferred**:** Epidemiology in Rapid Response /Emergency Response Unit (ERU) specialized training.
Preferred: Field epidemiology training programme (e.g. EPIET or EUPHEM)
Experience
Required: Five years of experience in communicable diseases surveillance or early detection
Required: Field experience in cholera outbreak and response
Preferred**:** Epidemiology consultancy experience in low-income country
Knowledge and Skills
Required: Good knowledge of cholera multisectoral control strategy, as well as mechanisms, tools and guidelines for programming and coordination at different levels.
Required: Good analytical thinking skills.
Required: Skills in developing and facilitating training, as well as, in preparing and delivering presentations.
Languages
English required and French as second language preferred.
How to apply:
How to apply
Interested candidates should send their CV, letter of interest, and daily consultancy rate in CHF (Swiss francs) to health.department@ifrc.org.
Email subject: Consultancy - CSP/WASH, Assessment and Quality Monitoring of programmes
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.