Expected start date: 24th July 2020
Expected Completion date: 6th September 2020
Reporting to: Advocacy Technical Working Group through the RIATT-ESA Programme Manager
Location of Assignment: Desk review with virtual consultations conducted with RIATT-ESA Partners in the ESA region.
Background and Justification:
RIATT-ESA are proposing to investigate how COVID-19 has been impacting the HIV programmes of its over 30 partner organisations and what measures they have used to adapt their programmes to ensure the continued support of vulnerable children and youth in the ESA region.
Job Summary
Aim of the Study:
This study will investigate how the partner organizations have been impacted by COVID-19, the challenges they have faced and measures they have taken to alleviate and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The study purpose is to identify and share partners’ promising practices with adapting programmes and conduct advocacy with Governments in the ESA region about the findings.
Scope of this assignment / Detailed Activities and Tasks
Consultation with stakeholders:
Consult with the relevant partners in the ESA region.
Outputs/Deliverables:
This assignment has 2 deliverables:
Inception report
Study report including collation of Partners’ Promising Practices
Qualifications & Experience Required:
Education:
Relevant advanced academic degree (Medicine, Social Sciences, Public Health, Development Studies, Economics or related fields); previous experience leading teams; knowledge of HIV programmes; knowledge of institutional development and capacity assessment; high quality report writing skills;
Knowledge & Skills
• Demonstrated experience in conducting advocacy studies and planning for advocacy campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience in institutional development and with knowledge of HIV programmes and implementation;
• Experience working with governments, international donors and others.
• Sensitivity to and ability to work with people living with HIV, at risk and affected by HIV including key populations.
• Knowledge and skills in capacity assessment in relation to large scale public programmes;
• Specific knowledge of mapping, programmes coordination and data base development;
• Demonstrated ability to prepare for, facilitate and lead, national surveys;
• Demonstrated ability to present information and ideas and to communicate effectively;
• Demonstrated data collection and analytical writing skills;
• Knowledge of the East and Southern Africa Community (EAC & SADC) administrative structures is an added advantage;
• Proven ability to: (i) handle multiple tasks under pressure with short deadlines; (ii) ability to work independently, seeking guidance on complex issues; and (iii) excellent interpersonal skills, proven team orientation and the ability to work across unit boundaries.
Experience:
1. At least 5-8 years’ experience working in HIV programmes and institutional development
2. Demonstrated experience in conducting advocacy studies and planning for advocacy campaigns.
3. Relevant academic degree (Medicine, Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics or related filed); previous experience leading teams; knowledge of social protection programs; knowledge of institutional development and capacity assessment; high quality report writing skills
4. Prior experience working closely with the SADC and EAC
5. Prior experience on information / Data management– database development; qualitative research software skills; mapping skills
Languages: Fluency in English is essential, working knowledge of French, Portuguese and or KiSwahili will be an added advantage.
How to apply: Potential candidates are requested to submit the following to hradmin@repssi.org cc riattesamanagement@repssi.org by .
· A cover letter outlining your skills and experience
· A detailed CV
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Detailed TORs
Detailed Terms of Reference
Children, HIV and the COVID-19 Response in the ESA Region: Collation of promising practices
Eastern and southern Africa is the hardest hit region by HIV. Although it is home to about 6.2% of the world’s population, it accounts for over half (54%) of the total number of people living with HIV in the world (20.6 million people). In 2018, there were 800,000 new HIV infections, just under half of the global total[i].
South Africa accounted for more than a quarter (240,000) of the region’s new infections in 2018. Seven other countries accounted for more than 50% of new infections: Mozambique (150,000), Tanzania (72,000), Uganda (53,000), Zambia (48,000), Kenya (46,000), Malawi (38,000), and Zimbabwe (38,000)[ii]. Overall, new infections in the region have declined by 28% since 2010[iii]. Around 310,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in the region in 2018, although the number of deaths has fallen by 44% since 2010[iv]. Despite the continuing severity of the epidemic, significant progress has been made towards meeting the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. In 2018, 85% of people living with HIV were aware of their status, 79% of them were on treatment (equivalent to 67% of all people living with HIV in the region), and 87% of those on treatment had achieved viral suppression (equivalent to 58% of all people living with HIV in the region)[v].
Globally, the annual number of new infections among children (0-14 years) has almost halved since 2010 with a 47% reduction in new HIV cases. HIV is having a significant impact on children and adolescents in the region. In 2018, 1.1 million children (0-14 years) were living with HIV in East and Southern Africa. The proportion of children living with HIV on treatment increased to 62% in 2018 from 22% in 2010. The main route for HIV transmission among children is through mother to child transmission, (MTCT), during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. East and Southern Africa has achieved the largest decline in MTCT anywhere in the world, falling from 18% of infants born to mothers living with HIV in 2010 to 6% in 2015—a threefold decrease (UNAIDS 2016).Without ART, a third of infants who acquire HIV as a result of MTCT will not reach their first birthday, and half will not reach their second birthday. Approximately 65,000 of the region’s children and adolescents died of an AIDS-related cause in the same year[vi]. While there has been a decline in new HIV infections among adolescents over the last decade, the slow rate of that decline, coupled with the rapidly increasing population of adolescents and high rates of adolescent pregnancy will continue to fuel the HIV epidemic.
The new COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a new strain of coronavirus, has resulted in extraordinary measures being taken around the world to contain, slow the pace, or reduce the impact of the virus in form of partial or total lockdowns and other country, context-specific restrictions. It is anticipated that in Africa a higher incidence of the severe effects of COVID-19 will occur in younger patients because of the demographics and associated endemic conditions that affect the immune system. HIV is likely to increase the severity of COVID-19. Africa may not see the same narrative of “most people who get it will be fine” play out (World Economic Forum 2020).
COVID-19 may impact children and their families affected by HIV and the programmes meeting their needs in several ways:
i) Negative impact of the measures taken to combat the virus on vulnerable children and their families due to the state of lockdown e.g. lack of exercise, poor nutrition, food shortages, lower family incomes from not being able to work, difficulty accessing health services, more violence and sexual abuse against children at home, poorer mental health, limited schooling and consequent detriment to mental health.
ii) HIV-specific impacts of COVID-19 virus on children and their families e.g. greater impact of the virus on people living with HIV because of weakened immune system, stock-outs of ARVs and HIV diagnostic kits, non-adherence to ART due to HIV stigma, risky behaviours, greater stress, HIV and TB drugs essential for children being used for COVID-19 without good scientific reason etc. Social and structural exclusions and stigma experienced by young key populations.
iii) Modifications to programmes to tackle the HIV-specific challenges e.g. multi-month dispensing of medications, strengthening peer groups, ensuring children’s voices continue to be heard etc.
RIATT-ESA are proposing to investigate how COVID-19 has been impacting the HIV programmes of its over 30 partner organisations and what measures they have used to adapt their programmes to ensure the continued support of vulnerable children and youth in the ESA region. Therefore, this study, will investigate how the service organizations have been impacted, the challenges they have faced and what measures they have taken to alleviate and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The study purpose is to identify and share partners’ best practices with adapting programmes and conduct advocacy with governments about the findings.
There are several potential areas of programming that have been affected by COVID-19 that will be investigated by the study, including:
· Violence (family related and community related)
· Human Rights violations by law enforcement agencies during lockdown
· Limited access to treatment
· HIV stigma and discrimination
· Children with low CD4 count
· Lack of psychosocial support
· Food insecurity to children and families
· Food insecurity in communities
· Children who are not in families
· Children of IDPs and refugees
· Children living with TB
· Young key populations, sex workers
· Impact of long school closures on children
· Access to education and absence of resources
· School feeding programmes
[i] UNAIDS 'AIDSinfo' (accessed April 2020)
[ii] UNAIDS 'AIDSinfo' (accessed April 2020)
[iii] UNAIDS (2019) ‘Communities at the centre: Global AIDS Update 2019’, p.188.
[iv] UNAIDS (2019) ‘Communities at the centre: Global AIDS Update 2019’, p.188.
[v] UNAIDS 'AIDSinfo' (accessed April 2020)
[vi] UNICEF ESARO: https://www.unicef.org/esa/hiv-and-aids
vii World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/why-sub-saharan-africa-needs-a-unique-response-to-covid-19/
Closing date: 17th July 2020 at 5pm Johannesburg time