Care Group Promoter at Feed the Children

Purpose of the role

Feed the Children is implementing a Child Focused Community Development (CFCD) program, which is a comprehensive and integrated approach designed to empower children and their communities achieve self-sufficiency around its four program pillars - Food &Nutrition, Health &Water, Education and Livelihoods. Child Sponsorship is integrated at the center of the pillars to support the CFCD programming. Feed the Children’s (FEED’s) key food and nutrition and health and Water related activities and projects are focused on improving the food and nutrition security of mothers and children. Our health, WASH and food and nutrition interventions are delivered through behavior change communication approaches such as Care Groups (CG) and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS).

Feed the Children in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and relevant partners, is implementing food and nutrition interventions using care groups approach in Lodwar, Turkana County. The Care groups aim at improving the knowledge, attitudes and care practices of caregivers around MIYCN, hygiene and sanitation issues through dissemination of health and nutrition education messages to care group volunteers (CGVs) in the care groups for onward communication to beneficiary caregivers in the community. The model represents an effective strategy for promoting equitable beneficiary contact capable of producing measurable changes in health and nutrition indicators.
The Care Group Promoters will be community members selected to train and supervise the CGVs in their community on behavior change information in the community, facilitate and organize, participatory learning sessions to care group volunteers under the Supervisor in the Food and Nutrition Pillar.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate Food & Nutrition and WASH activities at the ward level and maintain cooperation with other community-level institutions and health facilities.
• Facilitate participatory learning sessions (Care Group meetings) with each of his/her 10-12 Care Group Volunteers (CGVs) once per month, following the lessons plan in the provided behavioral change communication materials.
• Hold meetings with the local leadership committee in each community to coordinate, monitor and evaluate (if these committees exist)
• Attend monthly training and reporting meetings provided by the supervisor and the module training sessions to accurately cascade trainings to the CGVs by sharing correct information and demonstrating skills learnt.
• Model the Health, Nutrition and Sanitation behaviors he/she teaches CGVs in their own homes
• Visit, monitor and evaluate each CGV (Care Group Volunteers) at least quarterly.
• Supervise CGVs work by accompanying them on home visits and observe them leading group meetings using the quality verification checklist
• Support other program activities, such as National Nutrition days, distribution of vitamins (A) deworming Tablets and weighing children under 5 years
• Attend training and coordination meetings at the sub-county level, providing verbal feedback and written reports of activities completed
• Prepare monthly reports based on the CGV registers and Neighbor Women’s (NW) registers.
• Cultivate and maintain good working relations with local communities and government representatives.
• Assist in project review and documentation of lessons learnt for wider dissemination.
• Prepare a roster of the visits to CGVs
• Participate in Community Health Unit activities in the assigned area
• In liaison with community health assistant, support monthly supportive supervision of CHVs (Community Health Volunteers) activities and conduct joint monthly data review of indicators.
• Support and participate in periodic community engagements held with other FEED teams to enhance Child wellbeing and integrate sponsorship in other programming activities.
• Assist with necessary preparations during community mobilization and sensitization on Child protection activities.
• Perform other duties as would be required.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Diploma in Community Nutrition or Public Health/Environmental Health from a recognized institution.
• Experience in implementation of Nutrition programs in a rural set up
• Good computer skills in MS-Office suite applications.
• Conversant with the IYCF (Infant and Young Child Feeding) guidelines.
• Knowledge of community-based approaches on improving nutrition and food security.
• Proven experience in liaising with government officials and other actors / partners.
• Outgoing personality with excellent communication skills.
• Good team player, flexible.
• Appreciation of and sensitivity to local culture.
• Excellent written and spoken English & Kiswahili. Knowledge of local language is an added advantage.
• Travel Required: 80% field travel within Kalokol and Kang’atotha Wards and 20% to Lodwar Office.
• Level of Contact with Children: High Contact - FEED the Children has an organizational Code of Conduct and Child Protection Policy developed to ensure the maximum protection of Programme participants and to clarify the responsibilities of FEED staff and the standards of behaviour expected of them. Therefore, it is expected the staff will have the responsibility to protect children.