IYCF CARE Group Training Facilitation Consultants at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Each year, we and our partners reach millions of children in communities around the world. Join our dedicated and diverse staff in their work to improve the well-being of children everywhere.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: IYCF CARE Group Training Facilitation Consultant

Location: Abuja

Introduction
Building on the recommendations from the revision of the Nutrition BCC strategy  for Working to improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) conducted in March 2016 and in line with recommendations from the DFID’s 2016 annual review recommendation on the need for the programme to increase the coverage of IYCF to 90% in all WINNN implementing states without introducing new activities ; the programme is seeking an international consultant to lead in the process of incorporating the Core Group IYCF Care group methodology into the existing Community-IYCF interventions.

The Care Group approach is a community-based IYCF strategy for promoting behaviour change.  A CG is composed of 10-15 community-based volunteers that regularly meet together with project staff for training and supervision.  A CG is different from typical mother’s groups i.e. IYCF support Group in that each Mother Leader is responsible for regularly meeting with 10-15 of her neighbours, sharing what she has learned and facilitating behaviour change at the household level.  

The selected consultant will also be responsible for training Save the Children Nutrition technical team and selected Government personnel from the 5 WINNN implementing states as well as Federal agencies such as the FMOH, MB&BP,SMOH and NOIA on the Care Group methodology and supporting the roll out in the WINNN implementing states.

Project Background
Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of morbidity and mortality of a large proportion of children under-5 in Nigeria. It accounts for more than 50 per cent of deaths of children in this age bracket.

Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) is a 6-year project funded by DFID, which started in September 2011. The overall objective of the project is to reduce mortality through decreasing the incidence and prevalence of under nutrition in Nigeria with focus on Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Yobe and Zamfara States. The programme is implemented by a partnership that includes UNICEF, Save the Children and Action against Hunger (ACF).

The overall object of the WINNN programme is to build the capacity of the state and LGAs to implement nutrition interventions as routine services through existing PHC structures and to use evidence-based advocacy to improve political commitment to and government funding for nutrition interventions.

WINNN aims to improve maternal and child nutrition in Northern Nigerian through support to primary health care service providers for the implementation nutrition interventions as routine services through existing PHC structures, funded by the Government of Nigeria.   Behaviour change communication (BCC), outreach and counselling are key activities for the project under the IYCF output.

WINNN’s IYCF intervention promotes early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for new-borns and infants, continued breastfeeding for at least 2 years and optimal complementary feeding practices for young children. It targets the first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, which provides a window of opportunity to prevent child deaths and ensure healthy growth and brain development.

Justification
The Care Group methodology is being incorporated primarily into the WINNN C-IYCF intervention to strengthen the link between CMAM and IYCF in ensuring that successfully treated and discharged cases of SAM does not relapsed by linking them up with a support group that is within their vicinity and proving follow up home visit. The care groups also create a multiplying effect and ensure an equitable reach;  every beneficiary household through neighbour to neighbour peer support using interpersonal behaviour change activities.