Reference: AFR/245
Location: Arusha, Tanzania
Duration: Two years
Closing Date: 30 Sep 2010
1. Background
The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) has approved funding to support a project aimed at enhancing the capacity to reduce Maternal/Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality in the East Africa Region, through the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC). The project will focus on enhancing the capacity of midwife trainers to further train skilled midwives for placement within the health services.
Many Commonwealth member countries in East, Central and Southern African region do not currently have midwifery educator’s programmes, thereby constraining their ability to train midwives to deliver care to mothers and newborns. Consequently, there is an acute shortage of midwives in the region which in turn has been a major contributing factor to the high maternal mortality ratio, with some countries having in excess of 1000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births as compared to the developing country average of 21/100,000. The limited number of trained midwives in ECSA region is therefore a major constraint for countries in meeting target 6 of MDG Goal 5; reducing maternal mortality by three quarters by 2015 and increasing the proportion of births to be attended by skilled health personnel to 90%.
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) was set up in 1974 under the auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat. In 1980 ownership was transferred to the organisation itself in order to allow greater flexibility of membership. The current membership is ten countries namely: Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is an inter-governmental organisation which promotes regional cooperation in health. Its activities are mainly in the areas of policy advocacy, capacity building, information sharing and research and evaluation. The Commonwealth Secretariat initially worked with ECSA-HC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop a midwife tutors programme for the region.
2. Purpose of the project
To enhance midwifery capacity in order to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in the East, Central and South African region.
3. Scope of Work
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will be deployed to ECSA-HC in order to support the implementation of this programme. The expert will closely with the Senior Programme officer of ECSACON (East, central and Southern Africa College of Nursing) which is the central hub of nursing and midwifery education in ECSA. The expert will be responsible for coordinating the midwifery educators’ programme in ECSA- region.. In collaboration and consultation with partners, it is expected that the expert will undertake the following activities:
* Conduct a resource audit in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to identify those that will implement the advanced midwifery programme. This will be a combination of desk work and visits (one per region - east, central and southern)
* Facilitate the development and validation of the courses in approved institutions.
* Work with selected universities to train students and provide support to teachers/lectures in the HEIs in the region.
* Facilitate the development of course materials
* Provide input on some of the modules as per the training schedule
* Participate in the final assessment of students for the ECSACON Fellowship Award.
* Provide leadership in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the programme
* Lead the development and implementation of an appropriate and effective programme strategy/business plan
* Identify and share information on best practices, lessons learned, and resources related to enhancement of midwifery capacity through education in the region
* Develop a monitoring and evaluation system for collecting, updating, and sharing information on resources available in the region.
* Liaise with all stakeholders, organizations and projects in the region and globally to better coordinate knowledge sharing mechanisms to strengthen efforts to improve midwifery education, regulations and practice for reduction of maternal & neonatal mortality and morbidity.
4. Outputs/Deliverables
It is expected that through the activities the following outputs will be achieved:
* Agreed and validated curriculum for delivery by selected institutions
* Course materials developed and reproduced
* Selected Higher education Institute able to deliver advanced midwifery course
* Midwifery tutor trained in the delivery of midwifery training
* Effective knowledge sharing strategy developed and in use
* Monitoring and evaluation strategy developed and in use
5. Transfer of Expertise
The Commonwealth Secretariat attaches particular importance to the transfer of expertise and knowledge to counterparts. The expert will train midwife trainers from different countries to further train skilled midwifery attendants for placement within the health services.
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will coordinate the midwifery capacity building project through various modes of learning (competency and or inquiry based model, distance learning mode, residential or contact session’s mode). She/he will work with selected universities to train students and provide support to teachers/lecturers in the HEIs in the region.
She/he will take up some of the modules as per the training schedule. Other activities will include the development of course materials, for the project and provide leadership in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the programme. Furthermore, key staff in the HRH department of the ECSA-HC Secretariat will also be assigned to work with the expert on key strategic and policy areas to ensure that the institutional memory is maintained upon completion of the expert's tenure.
6. Implementation Arrangements
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will be based in the HRH department of the ECSA-HC Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, for a period of two years. The expert will be working closely with the Senior Programme Officer ECSACON under the support and supervision of the HRH Manager. These will continue working on the project after the departure of the CFTC expert. The selected HEIs will have established advanced midwifery courses supported by appropriate documentation and trainers. ECSA-HC countries will continue to sponsor prospective candidates for the programme while ECSA–HC will continue with the following: Monitoring and evaluation of the programme; Training materials development; Curriculum review; Marketing the programme.
7. Professional qualifications:
Bachelors in Nursing/Midwifery or any other relevant Degree, with Masters in Nursing, Public Health, /Midwifery or Maternal and Child Health. PHD or additional training in education will be an added advantage
8. Experience and Personal attributes
* The coordinator should have at least five (5) years experience in programme coordination and development of educational programmes.
* Should be results oriented, with proven leadership, coordination and marketing skills
* Experience in monitoring and evaluation of programmes
* Research skills especially operational research
* Developing training guidelines, manuals and reporting formats
* Excellent verbal and written communication Skills.
* Computer Literate
9. Submission of Application
Interested applicants who are citizens from Commonwealth member countries and who meet the above requirements are invited to apply with a detailed CV including names and contact details of three referees to:
Miss Ishbel Allotey, Human Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5HX. Fax: +44 (0) 207 747 6520. Email: i.allotey@commonwealth.int
Please also complete a Personal History Form (PHF) which is down-loadable with the Skill Codes Booklet from the Commonwealth Secretariat Website, Long Term Assignments (Overseas) page.
Closing Date: Thursday 30th September 2010
Download Terms of Reference
Location: Arusha, Tanzania
Duration: Two years
Closing Date: 30 Sep 2010
1. Background
The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) has approved funding to support a project aimed at enhancing the capacity to reduce Maternal/Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality in the East Africa Region, through the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC). The project will focus on enhancing the capacity of midwife trainers to further train skilled midwives for placement within the health services.
Many Commonwealth member countries in East, Central and Southern African region do not currently have midwifery educator’s programmes, thereby constraining their ability to train midwives to deliver care to mothers and newborns. Consequently, there is an acute shortage of midwives in the region which in turn has been a major contributing factor to the high maternal mortality ratio, with some countries having in excess of 1000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births as compared to the developing country average of 21/100,000. The limited number of trained midwives in ECSA region is therefore a major constraint for countries in meeting target 6 of MDG Goal 5; reducing maternal mortality by three quarters by 2015 and increasing the proportion of births to be attended by skilled health personnel to 90%.
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) was set up in 1974 under the auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat. In 1980 ownership was transferred to the organisation itself in order to allow greater flexibility of membership. The current membership is ten countries namely: Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is an inter-governmental organisation which promotes regional cooperation in health. Its activities are mainly in the areas of policy advocacy, capacity building, information sharing and research and evaluation. The Commonwealth Secretariat initially worked with ECSA-HC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop a midwife tutors programme for the region.
2. Purpose of the project
To enhance midwifery capacity in order to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in the East, Central and South African region.
3. Scope of Work
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will be deployed to ECSA-HC in order to support the implementation of this programme. The expert will closely with the Senior Programme officer of ECSACON (East, central and Southern Africa College of Nursing) which is the central hub of nursing and midwifery education in ECSA. The expert will be responsible for coordinating the midwifery educators’ programme in ECSA- region.. In collaboration and consultation with partners, it is expected that the expert will undertake the following activities:
* Conduct a resource audit in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to identify those that will implement the advanced midwifery programme. This will be a combination of desk work and visits (one per region - east, central and southern)
* Facilitate the development and validation of the courses in approved institutions.
* Work with selected universities to train students and provide support to teachers/lectures in the HEIs in the region.
* Facilitate the development of course materials
* Provide input on some of the modules as per the training schedule
* Participate in the final assessment of students for the ECSACON Fellowship Award.
* Provide leadership in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the programme
* Lead the development and implementation of an appropriate and effective programme strategy/business plan
* Identify and share information on best practices, lessons learned, and resources related to enhancement of midwifery capacity through education in the region
* Develop a monitoring and evaluation system for collecting, updating, and sharing information on resources available in the region.
* Liaise with all stakeholders, organizations and projects in the region and globally to better coordinate knowledge sharing mechanisms to strengthen efforts to improve midwifery education, regulations and practice for reduction of maternal & neonatal mortality and morbidity.
4. Outputs/Deliverables
It is expected that through the activities the following outputs will be achieved:
* Agreed and validated curriculum for delivery by selected institutions
* Course materials developed and reproduced
* Selected Higher education Institute able to deliver advanced midwifery course
* Midwifery tutor trained in the delivery of midwifery training
* Effective knowledge sharing strategy developed and in use
* Monitoring and evaluation strategy developed and in use
5. Transfer of Expertise
The Commonwealth Secretariat attaches particular importance to the transfer of expertise and knowledge to counterparts. The expert will train midwife trainers from different countries to further train skilled midwifery attendants for placement within the health services.
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will coordinate the midwifery capacity building project through various modes of learning (competency and or inquiry based model, distance learning mode, residential or contact session’s mode). She/he will work with selected universities to train students and provide support to teachers/lecturers in the HEIs in the region.
She/he will take up some of the modules as per the training schedule. Other activities will include the development of course materials, for the project and provide leadership in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the programme. Furthermore, key staff in the HRH department of the ECSA-HC Secretariat will also be assigned to work with the expert on key strategic and policy areas to ensure that the institutional memory is maintained upon completion of the expert's tenure.
6. Implementation Arrangements
The Midwifery Training Project Co-ordinator will be based in the HRH department of the ECSA-HC Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, for a period of two years. The expert will be working closely with the Senior Programme Officer ECSACON under the support and supervision of the HRH Manager. These will continue working on the project after the departure of the CFTC expert. The selected HEIs will have established advanced midwifery courses supported by appropriate documentation and trainers. ECSA-HC countries will continue to sponsor prospective candidates for the programme while ECSA–HC will continue with the following: Monitoring and evaluation of the programme; Training materials development; Curriculum review; Marketing the programme.
7. Professional qualifications:
Bachelors in Nursing/Midwifery or any other relevant Degree, with Masters in Nursing, Public Health, /Midwifery or Maternal and Child Health. PHD or additional training in education will be an added advantage
8. Experience and Personal attributes
* The coordinator should have at least five (5) years experience in programme coordination and development of educational programmes.
* Should be results oriented, with proven leadership, coordination and marketing skills
* Experience in monitoring and evaluation of programmes
* Research skills especially operational research
* Developing training guidelines, manuals and reporting formats
* Excellent verbal and written communication Skills.
* Computer Literate
9. Submission of Application
Interested applicants who are citizens from Commonwealth member countries and who meet the above requirements are invited to apply with a detailed CV including names and contact details of three referees to:
Miss Ishbel Allotey, Human Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5HX. Fax: +44 (0) 207 747 6520. Email: i.allotey@commonwealth.int
Please also complete a Personal History Form (PHF) which is down-loadable with the Skill Codes Booklet from the Commonwealth Secretariat Website, Long Term Assignments (Overseas) page.
Closing Date: Thursday 30th September 2010
Download Terms of Reference
