Background
More than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These diseases disproportionately affect rural and high-poverty populations with the least access to clean water and sanitation. Children and women are most at risk of contracting NTDs, which include such debilitating diseases as blinding trachoma, schistosomiasis, and intestinal parasites. These diseases can cause cognitive impairment and long-term disability that make it difficult for people to go to school or care for a family, further trapping the poor in a cycle of disease and poverty.
NALA has been working to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Ethiopia since 2008. To date, NALA's community-based and school-based projects have led to a sustained decrease in the disease burden in different project sites across the country. NALA’s experience on the ground has led to the development of a holistic model that empowers the community to take charge in promoting behavior change and in improving access to WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene).
A key part of NALA’s model is its school-based health education program, which has reached an estimated 2 million children across Ethiopia. By utilizing an interactive methodology and diverse range of educational tools, NALA’s program has promoted healthy hygiene behaviors to keep children free from disease. The school program has been adapted for different regions, languages, and ages (including early childhood, primary school, and older youth.). NALA Foundation has been implementing a behavioral intervention in the majority of the region's districts over the last few years. As a key component of its projects, the organization initiated the idea of incorporating health content into the curriculum in order to sustain the interventions. In light of NALA's success in school-based behavioral intervention, the regional educational bureau became supportive and began pushing forward.
Currently, NALA seeks to hire an expert, who will work closely with the SWEPR Bureau of Education, to facilitate the integration of tested health education methodologies and materials for prevention of NTDs into school curriculum. The position holder will coordinate the work of a selected task force, composed of education professionals, who will lead the process of review and integration. The process will entail mapping the gaps in already existing resources and analyzing the existing curricula and materials, including a review of NALA’s and other partners’ materials to examine what can be integrated with proper adaptations. Under the direction and supervision of the regional education bureau and in accordance with the conclusions of the committee, revisions to the materials and tools will be made, and a document with final recommendations will be prepared to guide the integration of hygiene and NTD topics into the curriculum.
Role and Responsibilities
Deliverables
Competencies
Qualification and Expertise Required
Employment duration
Applicants must include their responses to the following questions in their cover letter.
Only those that included their replies in their cover letter will be eligible for the next round of screening.