Community Leadership Engagement Officer 50 views0 applications

Community Leadership Engagement Officer

G12

Reporting:

Supervised by Project Manager (PM)

The Swaziland Ready, Resourceful, Risk Aware (Triple R) locally name Insika Yakusasa OVC,AGYW Project aims to prevent new HIV infections and to reduce vulnerabilities amongst orphans and vulnerable children (OVC);adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Swaziland, to advance the country’s progress towards the 95-95-95 target and epidemic control. Triple R helps HIV negative OVC and AGYW stay HIV- free and supports those who are HIV positive to lead healthy lives. To these ends, the project increases socio-economic, resilience to the impact of HIV and uptake of high impact HIV, sexual and reproductive health , family planning and sexual and gender based violence services amongst OVC and AGYW.

Overall Responsibilities:

• Responsible for all community leadership engagement activities in the project catchment area
• Review mapping data of local CBOs through chiefdoms to determine points of collaboration
• Review and connect to existing community leadership support structures and activities being implemented by NERCHA and other implementers to capitalize on synergies and reduce potential duplication.

Specific Responsibilities:

Community awareness on factors influencing AGYW vulnerability:

• Write quarterly reports in collaboration with FOs to identify key results to be shared with chiefdom leadership and identify critical issues and data points that require Chiefdom level engagement.
• Schedule and execute community leadership engagement meetings.
• Compile quarterly chiefdom specific reports of key project results for DREAMS interventions pertaining to AGYW including HIV prevention, SGBV, teen pregnancy and school dropouts.
• Conduct quarterly engagement and feedback meetings with key community leaders and stakeholders (CDCs plus IPs, NERCHA and Mobile units) to review project results and discuss challenges/solutions related to service uptake, GBV teen pregnancy, school dropouts, and promotion of positive gender norms.
• Document feedback and action items from the chiefdom engagement meetings, especially related to how community leadership can support AGYW and the community to address issues of negative gender norms, GBV, and teen pregnancy.
• Support community leadership to implement action items and track completion.
• Collaborate with the Communication department in using the WVE radio slots raise awareness and to deliver messages on positive gender norms and behaviors to communities: utilize voice recordings from community leaders/CDCs speaking about positive norms/protecting AGYW and how chiefdoms can support.
• Facilitate the dissemination of WVE approved materials to raise awareness about harmful gender norms: posters & pamphlets for CDCs and Chiefs
• Participate in policy makers sessions scheduled at Inkhundla level to advocate on AGYW related issues, including GBV, teen pregnancy and gender norms.

Engage male partners of AGYW:

• Collaborate with LMs in your chiefdoms to identify and engage small groups of men who are partners to enrolled AGYW
• Facilitate discussion sessions with AGYW and partners within the chiefdom level structures on positive gender norms in relation to supporting uptake of clinical services to prevent unwanted pregnancies, GBV, and HIV infections.
• Documents key findings and support the execution and follow up of chiefdom level actions developed in line with this intervention

Traditional leadership sensitized to the role of harmful cultural practices and SGBV in HIV risk:

• Participate in NERCHA regional coordination meetings, and mentorship and community data activities & incorporate negative gender norms themes that impact AGYW.
• Where chiefdoms have developed gender policies and action plans through HC4, work with NERCHA to review action plans and identify areas for collaboration.
• Where gender policies are not developed, work with NERCHA mentorship platform to engage the leadership for successful completion of the plans

Coordination between stakeholders at chiefdom level:

• Participate in meetings led by NERCHA focused on community data (CDAP) and chiefdom mentorship.
• Participate in partner national and regional coordination meetings that focus on updates, monitoring and problem solving on AGYW and OVC particularly around teen pregnancy and school drops
• Work with chiefdoms to support AGYW linkage to auxiliary services: e.g. business mentorship/internships at community level in line with Insika livelihoods program
• Participate in community events organized other IPs and chiefs to provide services and support education: use community platforms to address stigma and dispel myths and misperceptions about condoms, FP, VMMC, ART and other high impact services.
• Work with FOs for community entry, recruitment and presentation of community cadre to traditional leadership; and, dealing with challenges at chiefdom level.

Building Relationships with Health facilities.

• Utilize existing meeting points with chiefdoms and HCF such as Clinic health Committees. Or, create an engagement platform to meet IP clinical support needs

Minimum Requirements:

1. A Diploma or bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social and/or Behavioral Sciences or a related field, with specific emphasis on community-level health promotion and/or education. Bachelor’s degree preferred.

2. Knowledge and understanding of HIV prevention and sexual reproductive health services relevant to AGYW, including PrEP, PEP, pregnancy prevention, condoms, and HIV testing.

3. Knowledge and experience working within traditional community leadership structures

4. Personal or work experience with Adolescent Girls & Young Women (AGYW) populations.

5.Minimum 1-year experience in implementing/supporting community-level HIV prevention programmes involving multiple stakeholders.

6. M&E knowledge and/or experience in conducting data analysis for reporting purposes

7. Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, team building and problem-solving skills.

8. Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain professional relationships.

9. High integrity, self-driven, team player able to work with minimum supervision.

10. Good command of both official languages (English and Siswati).

11. Excellent written and oral communication skills.