3 Job Opportunities at SHDEPHA+ Kahama, Health and HIV Officer

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BACKGROUND
Service, Health and Development for people living with HIV /AIDS (SHDEPHA+) is a national non-governmental organization, registered on 21 November 1994 with registration number SO 8216, with the aim of mobilizing resources to help people living with HIV/AIDS and to fight the spread of the disease. Although originally focusing on people living with HIV/AIDS, over the years SHDEPHA+ has expanded beyond HIV/AIDS and related issues to other development interventions and now covers both infected and affected by HIV/AIDS with over 65 branches countrywide. Each branch of SHDEPHA+ works independently, developing, managing, and implementing its projects, though all branches share one constitution and registration. 

SHDEPHA+ Kahama, based in Kahama Municipal, is among the 65 branches, was launched in 1999 and started independent operations in 2002 has been working with both international and national donors, the local and central government and other stakeholders to work toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The organization works with the poor, key, and vulnerable groups including women, children, youth, people with special needs; and it gives special attention to the underserved and marginalized populations such as PLHV, FSW, and VAGYW.

SHDEPHA+ VISION:  A democratic community that is free of poverty, hunger, and diseases and enjoys a good quality of education, standards of living, and social well-being.

SHDEPHA+ MISSION: SHDEPHA+ is committed to reducing income and non-income poverty, hunger, human suffering, diseases, and the impact and spread of HIV/AIDS by empowering marginalized and vulnerable people, most at-risk populations, and communities in general to achieve Community-based and sustainable human development. 

GOAL: Using SHDEPHA+ core values and mission to work toward the Millennium Development Goals to improve the lives of marginalized and vulnerable groups, most at-risk populations, and communities in general.

SHDEPHA+ Kahama has been awarded by PACT Tanzania to implement ACHIEVE project in Msalala DC, Ushetu DC and Kahama TC found in Shinyanga region, Tanzania. The Adolescents and Children HIV Incidence Reduction, Empowerment, and Virus Elimination (ACHIEVE) is a five-year global effort to reach and sustain HIV epidemic control among pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescents, infants, and children. 

The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by a Pact led consortium of top global HIV/AIDS partners, including Jhpiego, Palladium, No Means No Worldwide, and WI-HER. These core partners are supported by a network of global and local strategic resource partners. ACHIEVE focuses on priority PEPFAR countries across Africa and the Caribbean. The ACHIEVE consortium works with USAID Missions, national governments, and existing response partners to identify gaps in HIV prevention and treatment programming among target populations. Using best practices and expertise along with innovations, the project is addressing critical gaps to meet country-specific epidemic control goals. ACHIEVE is USAID’s flagship initiative to address the needs of children, young people, and breast-feeding women affected by HIV. 

This includes supporting local organizations in serving these populations and ultimately building their capability to receive direct U.S. government funding for programs at scale. The project leverages the full strength of its consortia and related private and public sector stakeholders to support countries attain and sustain HIV epidemic control. In Tanzania, starting in October 2021, ACHIEVE expects to receive funding from USAID to support HIV prevention and support programs targeting orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescent girls and young women, through the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) program.

The goal of ACHIEVE Tanzania is to strengthen local organizations and the national- and community- level social welfare systems, structures, and workforce to support and sustain OVC to access HIV-inclusive services that support their health and well-being. 

ACHIEVE Tanzania program has three Strategic Objectives: 

1. To strengthen the capacity of the national and community-level social welfare workforce, systems, and structures to ensure quality services for OVC, at-risk AGYW, and people living with HIV (PLHIV). 

2. To build capacity of local organizations to manage and implement USAID/PEPFAR awards as prime implementing partners. ACHIEVE Tanzania Project will support the transition of prime funding and implementation to capable local partners to meet the PEPFAR goal of 70% of funding to local partners. 

3. To deliver high quality OVC services and DREAMS interventions for AGYW 9-14 years

ACHIEVE Tanzania anticipate to achieve the following outcomes: 

1. OVC service delivery is transitioned to directly funded USAID local prime implementing partners. 

2. Local partners are strengthened to manage and sustain family-centered, community based OVC and DREAMS service delivery. 

3. Increased use of OVC platforms, for pediatric HIV case finding, linkage to treatment and viral suppression. 

4. Increased access to HIV prevention and violence prevention services among OVC and youth 

5. Improved social economic capacity of at risk AGYW and OVC caregivers

With this, SHDEPHA+ Kahama therefore is seeking for competent, experienced, dynamic, and qualified candidates to fill the position below:

HEALTH AND HIV OFFICER (HHO) (3 position)

Location: KAHAMA/USHETU/MSALALA DC

Reports to: Programs Manager

Line Manage: NONE

Contract Duration: 12 months (renewable) 

Position Summary:

The overall objective of this position is to contribute towards strategic service delivery to OVCs and their caregivers, address critical barriers to service access, uptake, and adherence to scale up impact service delivery, advance progress towards 95-95-95 goals and improve health and social outcomes among OVC and their families.  

The job holder will ensure sound and vibrant bi-directional referral and linkage system, improved case identification, linkages to ART and Viral Load suppression among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV/AIDS.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Represent the SHDEPHA+ and coordinate with the Council Health Management Team regarding HIV and health related activities.
• Hold monthly coordination meetings with Care & Treatment Centers (CTC) in implementation area to support shared confidentiality, facilitate case conferencing, improve the bi-directional referral system, and ensure HIV positive beneficiaries receive needed services.
• Support Early Childhood Development (ECD) corners at targeted health facilities, including regular monitoring and supportive supervision.
• Support the facilities to have an updated enrolment register at the facility that demonstrate the cascade of enrolment of CLHIV at the CTC.
• Support Community Case Workers (CCWs) to work with high pediatric volume CTCs to trace HIV positive OVC who miss appointments, enrol them into ACHIEVE Project, and link them back to CTCs.
• Support CCWs to conduct HIV risk assessments for OVC during case management; refer and link at risk OVC to HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC). 
• Schedule quarterly Sexual Reproductive Health Education outreaches to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), DREAMS Girls in school and organize HTC outreaches for adolescents with high-risk behaviors.
• Work with Health Facility Implementing Partners to roll out a supplemental HIV curriculum to CCWs and ensure CCWs provide appropriate support to HIV positive OVC and caregivers.
• Support CCWs to strengthen the capacity of caregivers to support HIV positive OVC and ensure CCWs refer HIV positive OVC and caregivers to PLHIV support groups.
• Support the roll out of evidence-based curriculums relating to HIV (e.g., Steppingstone, Furaha Lifelong Parenting (Sinovuyo), Sexual Reproductive Health Education, Care for Child Development, etc.)
• Support the establishment of a bi-directional referral system to monitor beneficiaries through the HIV continuum of care as well as service completion for other health and social services.
• Monitor implementation, bottlenecks, performance metrics of the bi-directional referral system; pro-actively offer solutions, conduct quality improvement activities, and implement adjustments to improve referral outcomes.
• Participate in quarterly council level quality improvement meetings with relevant bi-directional referral system stakeholders; ensure actions from the meetings are implemented and the bi-directional referral system is improved.
• Work with the M&E officer to ensure all bi-directional referral data are accurate and produced weekly; use data for decision-making.
• Lead the development of a service directory for health, nutrition, and HIV services in implementation area; update the directory at least once a year.
• Support CCWs to conduct nutrition activities, including nutrition assessments, counselling, and linkage to other nutrition service providers.
• Provide continuous supportive supervision to CCWs to ensure provision of health-related services and referrals and linkages to beneficiaries.
• Submit timely updates to the Program Manager for inclusion in the quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports.
• Document lessons learned and best practices for experience sharing and replication.
• Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the Project Manager.

Minimum required Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Education:

• MUST be Diploma holder in Clinical Medicine or Nursing.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in medicine or nursing will be an added advantage. 
• Masters Degree in any professional field will be added as an advantage

Skills:

• Good understanding of Government of Tanzania health policies.
• Strong M&E skills and experience in strategic information.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Swahili and English including excellent training skills in working with adult learner leaners, particularly at the community level.
• Able and willing to work flexible hours as needed without constantly or close supervision
• Demonstrate leadership and team building skills.
• Diplomacy and negotiation skills that demonstrate ability to collaborate coordinate with a range of stakeholders and complex priorities.

Experience:

• At least two (2) years’ experiences in a field position with an organization in public health or OVC programming. Experience in implementation of community programs in health/HIV, MNCH, TB/Malaria etc., is preferred.
• Experienced with PEPFAR 3.0 funded project in Tanzania.
• Experience implementing program and donor regulations, systems, and procedures.
• Experience in an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach in development and social work.

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