Nutrition Champion at Development Exchange Centre (DEC) - 2 Openings

Development Exchange Centre (DEC) is a Non-Governmental Organisation that is non-partisan, non-profit, and established in 1987. It is Incorporated by Trust with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)- (IT/Cert: 10826). The organization has an overarching mandate of providing socio-economic development services to women, groups, communities, and NGOs[1]. DEC’s Head Office is in Bauchi State, and it is currently operational in all Northern States of Nigeria including FCT, Enugu, and Cross Rivers States, with a staff strength of 868 permanent employees. DEC’s socio-economic enhancement programs cut across several sectors that touch the basic fabric of its target beneficiaries and include education, health, economic/livelihoods, water/environment, good governance & peacebuilding, and microfinance.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Nutrition Champion

Locations: Bauchi and Nasarawa
Employment Type: Full Time

Purpose of the Role

• To promote optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices, facilitate nutrition counseling, and support community-level awareness and referrals in alignment with the CASCADE project goals. Nutrition champions focus on educating, supporting, and linking community members to nutrition services.
• Their work is vital in preventing malnutrition, encouraging behavior change, and promoting healthy diets.

Key Responsibilities

• Supports Community Led Advocacy Sensitization/Stakeholders engagement by raising awareness on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, appropriate complementary feeding after 6 months and promoting consumption of Cascade Food value chain (Orange Fleshed Sweet potatoes-OFSP, Gboma Sika, Soya Beans among other foods) during pregnancy and lactation.
• Engaging traditional and religious leaders to champion behavioral change in dietary practices.
• Support Community Led Advocacy for Nutrition services at community levelSupport community awareness on hygiene practices using Key Household Hygiene PracticesWork with Community Quality Improvement team facilitators to support hygiene improvement at household’s level.
• Teaches families on how to prepare nutritious meals using local foods such as Orange Fleshed Sweet potatoes-OFSP, Gboma Sika, Soya Beans among other foods), hygiene and safe food handling, the signs of malnutrition and when to seek help.
• Supports women access Antenatal Care Services at facilities/community Nutrition Education session on practices through facilitating Radio listening groups for SBCCFacilitating town hall sensitizations.
• Supporting local women’s groups (VSLA, SILC) to drive household-level nutrition improvements.
• Improve child diets quality through promoting local practices.
• Visits pregnant women and caregivers of young children at home to reinforce key nutrition messages using IEC Materials, encourage attendance at antenatal care or growth monitoring sessions, provide counseling on breastfeeding, child feeding, and maternal nutrition, assess hygiene practices and support households on improvement practices, complete home visitation tools and report to the Case Managers and facilitate follow up groups and escalate.
• Assists health workers during monthly weighing and screening sessions, help record children’s weight and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) periodic after every 6 months, explain results to caregivers and encourage them to act if a child is at risk, track and report facility-based Growth monitoring data and other data that may be assigned. Facilitates Mother-to-Mother Support Groups where women can share experiences, learn from each other, support one another in practicing good nutrition, grown Cascade Food value chain for consumption and support women knowledge improvement through facilitating / delivering IYCF messaging leveraging VSLA Meetings.
•  Identifies and refer malnourished children or pregnant/lactating women with nutritional risk to health facilities, supplementary feeding programs, Case Managers or other services and work closely with SAA Champions to compliment behavior shift for women. Encourages households to grow their own nutritious foods (like vegetables or fruits) to improve diet diversity and promote uptake and utilizations of food recipes. Keeps simple records of households visited, referrals made, community meetings conducted and data reporting.
• Report activities to the Case Manager or Health and Nutrition Technical Officer

Qualifications and Experience for the Position

• Minimum of SSCE / WAEC. Certificate in Community Health, Nutrition, or Social Mobilization is an added advantage.
• Previous experience as a community volunteer or health worker is highly desirable.
• Good communication and facilitation skills in the local language.
• Strong knowledge of cultural practices related to maternal and child nutrition.
• Passionate about community development and improving child health.
• Must have previous experience in managing community health/nutrition platforms.
• Must be community based and known among stakeholders and community members.
• Preferably a community-based health practitioner, dietitians, health worker, CHIPS etc.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their resume / CV and cover letter in a single file (Word document or PDF, as any other format would not be considered) to: hr_recruitment@dexcentre.org using the job title as the subject of the mail.