HIV / Malaria / TB Stigma Expert (Consultant) at the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) - 2 Openings

Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) was established in 1998 as a non-governmental Organization to serve as a collective voice of PLHIV in the Country. The Organization is registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria in September 2004. NEPWHAN is now Seventeen (17) Years Old as a vibrant patient community network in Nigeria. The network formed since 1998 has established structures at the zonal and all States including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and as well saddled with the responsibility of coordinating, supervising and monitoring activities and programs of over 1, 030 support groups membership across the Federation making it one of the biggest Patient network in Africa.

NEPWHAN has formed constituent bodies; Association of Youth Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (APYIN), Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (ASWHAN), Association of Religious Leaders Living with and Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA+) to advocate and provide HIV programming intervention for the specific needs of their targets and members.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: HIV / Malaria / TB Stigma Expert (Consultant)

Location: Asokoro, Abuja (FCT)
Employment Type: Contract
Assessment Area: Vulnerable population seeking treatment and care for either HIV/AIDs, TB or malaria
Duration of Consultancy: 20 days
Slots: 2

Background
COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) & Community Systems Strengthening Towards Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (CSS-RSSH):

• The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on three major health priorities, specifically, HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, due to disruption to health services resulting in major setbacks and direct impact of the pandemic.
• In Nigeria, the restrictions of movement due to complete or partial lockdowns as a result of COVID-19 led to limited access to routine HIV, TB and Malaria services particularly in the most populous states and commercial centres that were the hardest hit by the two waves of the pandemic.
• In the lock down period of COVID-19, key and vulnerable populations and affected communities with HIV and TB reported cases of harassment and stigma and discrimination, violation of privacy and confidentiality rights in the process of going to seek care such that they avoided clinics even when the lock downs eased.
• The civil society on AIDS (Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria - NEPWHAN), and Malaria (Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition - ACOMIN) in Nigeria under the C19RM grant will play critical role in mitigating the impact of COVID 19 through its contributions to the national response to COVID-19, with regards to facilitating access to essential commodities and routine healthcare services while increasing response to human right abuse.
• Consequently, it is important to identify the magnitude of the stigma associated with HIV, TB and Malaria in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.
• This will provide the needed evidence for planning for implementers and programmers in Nigeria. Coverage states for the intervention are Plateau, Ondo, Rivers, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Delta, FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Oyo and Kwara.
• The HIV / Malaria / TB Stigma Expert will provide technical guidance to the assessment process.
• He or she will be accountable to the ATM networks and will report directly to NEPWHAN in charge of planning and implementing the assessment, under the strategic guidance of the National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA).

Overall Objectives

• To assess the extent to which HIV, Malaria and TB stigma acts as a barrier to both accessing and providing services in the context of COVID 19, and to support the development of recommendations to address HIV, Malaria and TB stigma so that quality HIV, Malaria and TB services are available, accessible and acceptable to all, with special considerations given to the needs of key, vulnerable and under served populations.

Specific Objectives

• To understand the level and dimensions of perceived self-stigma, and stigma directly experienced and observed by people diagnosed with HIV, Malaria and TB
• To understand the level and dimensions of secondary HIV, Malaria and TB stigma directly experienced, and stigma observed by family members / primary carers of people diagnosed with HIV, Malaria and TB
• To understand the level of perceived HIV, Malaria and TB stigma against people diagnosed with HIV, Malaria and TB in communities and stigma observed by the community.
• To understand the level and dimensions of perceived HIV, Malaria and TB stigma against people diagnosed with HIV, Malaria and TB in health care settings and stigma against health care workers.
• To support the development of recommendations to address HIV, Malaria and TB stigma in order to reduce peoples’ vulnerability to HIV, Malaria and TB infection, increase peoples’ access to HIV, Malaria and TB services and improve treatment outcomes.

Roles / Responsibilities

• Develop protocol / inception report detailing how the assessment will be conducted with clear timeline.
• Conduct baseline assessment/entry interaction meeting with the 3 ATM networks (NEPWHAN, ACOMIN and TB Network) to understand the context of stigma for the three disease areas.
• Map all the stigma stakeholders who should engage in the process.
• Conduct desk review of stigma assessment tools.
• Develop stigma assessment tools to capture data at the community level
• Field-test the developed tools.
• Facilitate a day meeting with the 3 ATM networks (NEPWHAN, ACOMIN and TB Network) to finalize and adopt the tools.
• Develop training slides/presentations for training of national staff and research assistants/data collectors on use of the tools.
• Develop Terms of Reference for the research assistants/data collectors.
• Facilitate a 3days non-residential meeting for National staff on the use of the tools
• Remotely support the training of the research assistants/data collectors.
• Oversee the data collection process
• Analyze data
• Develop recommendations and action plan with stakeholders and submit assessment report.

Deliverables for Research Coordinator (Consultants):

• Inception report / protocol.
• Validated stigma assessment tools
• Report of the trainings conducted
• Comprehensive report on the stigma assessment and presentation slides.

Qualification, Key Skills and Experience

• At least Master’s Degree in Public Health or any Science related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in leading design and implementation of health research initiatives/projects
• Demonstrable research skills such as data analysis, survey design, including skills for gathering both qualitative and quantitative data and use of statistical tools.
• Extensive knowledge of the Nigerian health sector
• Previous experience in community research/survey as it relates to HIV, TB and malaria activities.
• Demonstrated expertise in stigma measurement methodologies, as well as their implementation, analysis and publication is an added advantage
• Familiarity with country’s ethics review process and the documentation needed
• Proficiency in English language and research report writing.
• Ability to work within strict / tight deadlines.

Application Closing Date
28th February, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and a 1-page capacity statement electronically to: hr@nepwhan.org and copy: nepwhanrecruitment@hotmail.com

Note

• Above documents should be attached as one MS Word Document.
• Candidates should indicate the position they are applying for in the subject line of the email, as follows: Name and Position E.g Peter James Okoh, Supervisor.
• Applications that did not follow this format would be disqualified.
• Multiple applications would also be disqualified.