Title: Empowering Municipalities through Participation, Organized, Well-Developed Educational Resources in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Duration: 12 months
Purpose:
Action Against Hunger and Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People (IRDT) are collaborating as a consortium to implement this project, combining their technical expertise and established partnerships with local authorities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The project’s objectives align with both organizations’ missions: ending hunger, addressing malnutrition, strengthening leadership, and fostering community ownership.
The consortium is committed to implementing Republic Act 11148 (An Act Scaling Up the National and Local Health and Nutrition Programs Through a Strengthened Integrated Strategy for Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition in The First One Thousand (1,000) Days of Life, Appropriating Funds Therefor and For Other Purposes).
The project seeks to strengthen the local health and nutrition system through a multi-stakeholder approach focused on evidence-based interventions and capacity-building initiatives. Targeted efforts will support Local Chief Executives (LCEs), Local Nutrition Councils (LNCs), and Islamic leaders, with particular emphasis on promoting leadership, community engagement, and interventions tailored to the needs of pregnant women, newborns, and young children. Implementation will extend from the municipal to the barangay level.
Background
Operating in the BARMM region since 2000, Action Against Hunger’s key objectives are: 1) saving lives, 2) promoting capabilities, and 3) transforming systems. Through a multisectoral approach, Action Against Hunger implements nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions across emergency and development contexts, collaborating closely with government institutions, donor agencies, technical working groups, private sector partners, NGOs, and civil society organizations to enhance nutrition outcomes. Capacity building remains central to Action Against Hunger’s programming, particularly in governance and health service delivery. From 2018-2023, Action Against Hunger’s health and nutrition programs reached 239,916 individuals in the Philippines. Action Against Hunger currently has two ongoing health and nutrition projects in the BARMM region, focusing on training Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) to deliver essential primary health care and working under an MoU with the BARMM Ministry of Health.
Together, Action Against Hunger and IRDT bring complementary expertise essential for the success of this project. The project employs a structured, systemic approach, beginning with a comprehensive assessment of the existing municipal health system. This is followed by targeted training in leadership, service delivery enhancement, and behavioral change communication. The capacity-building efforts aim to empower health and nutrition leaders at every level, from Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to barangay health workers (BHWs), supporting informed decision-making that fosters sustainable community efforts to improve the health and nutrition system in BARMM. Post-training coaching and mentoring will ensure reliable service delivery and sustained project outcomes.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant (Primary Health Services Expert) will work closely with the Team Leader.
They will be responsible for:
- Design and implement nutrition and primary health care programs tailored to community needs.
- Provide technical inputs in improving the delivery of primary health care services, ensuring accessibility and quality.
- Assist in the development and conduct of health education sessions to promote nutrition and primary health care practices.
- Engage with communities to elicit information and utilize it to raise awareness and encourage participation in health programs.
- Ensure efficient allocation of resources, including personnel, equipment, and supplies.
- Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess program effectiveness, and impact (health and nutrition indicators) to inform program improvements.
- Work with local health authorities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to coordinate health initiatives.
- Advocate for policies that support nutrition, and primary health care at local and national levels.
- Ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of health data collected and reported.
- Contribute to regular reports on health data to inform decision-making and policy development.
- Identify and implement improvements to data monitoring and evaluation systems in nutrition and primary health care programs.
- Provide technical support to health facilities and staff on data management
- Explore, and recommend innovative approaches in nutrition and primary health care programming, including its monitoring and evaluation processes.
- Foster leadership skills among health workers, and community leaders in promoting governance.
- Assist in the development of strategic plans for nutrition, and health governance initiatives.
- Provide mentorship and coaching to local leaders, and health committees.
- Other tasks assigned by his/her supervisor to achieve the goals and objectives of the project.
COORDINATION
- Coordinate with the Team Leader and Health & Nutrition Coordinator the schedule of planned activities.
- Coordinate with the Head of Project on security and agenda.
- Coordinate with all stakeholders of the project.
TIMELINE OF ENGAGEMENT
Total consultancy days: at least 20 working days/month for one (1) year. Either consecutive or intermittent, depending on the work plan agreed upon between Action Against Hunger and the Consultant.
OBLIGATION OF ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
Action Against Hunger will provide:
- Relevant documents, primer, code of conduct, PSEA, security in the field relevant program documents.
- The Consultant will be integrated as part of the project implementation team.
- Basic logistic support (area-to-area field visits/activities).
- Technical and operational oversight.
- Payment of the consultant upon successful completion and submission of agreed outputs.
KEY COMPETENCY OF CONSULTANT
The Consultant (Primary Health Services Expert) has preferably the following key competencies:
- Advanced degree in nutrition, medicine, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, research, or other related fields.
- At least 8 years of experience in nutrition, and public health, including child health programming and implementation.
- At least 8 years of experience in analyzing and upgrading current systems in the delivery of a package of health and nutrition services in PHC facilities.
- Work experience in conducting training specific to nutrition, and/or nutrition and primary care services for frontline facility-based and community-based service providers.
- Work experience with DOH/ NNC or other government agencies at national and sub-national levels, particularly at the municipal level.
- Work experience on competency-based approaches in the development of Learning and Development Interventions for frontline health and nutrition workers.
CONDITIONS
- The consultant will provide his/her food and accommodation.
- The consultant shall provide all equipment needed for the conduct of the consultancy such as laptops, and mobile phones.
- All outputs must comply with Action Against Hunger Branding and Visibility Guidelines, and policies on Data Protection, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Gender, and other related policies.
- The consultant should be available to work on weekends if needed.
Payment Terms are as follows:
The Consultant (Primary Health Services Expert) shall bill Action Against Hunger monthly with their corresponding reportorial for the month. A monthly payment shall be made upon review and validation of the Team Leader, Head of Base, and H&N Coordinator.
How to apply
Consultants are requested to submit their CV with letter of intent indicating your date of availability and daily rate, and portfolio/sample works on or before 23 MARCH 2025. Application should be sent to Anthony Abustan at aabustan@ph.acfspain and Junie Laguidao at jlaguidao@ph.acfspain.org keep in cc Philipp Danao at pdanao@ph.acfspain.organd Muntazar Mukarram at mmmukarram@ph.acfspain.org . Kindly use “Consultant: Health Services Expert” as the subject of email.
Action Against Hunger provides equal opportunities to candidates regardless of their origin, nationality, race, gender, regional, and sexual orientation. This vision aims to integrate equal treatment and opportunities among females and men in all processes and policies within the organization.
Action against Hunger is also committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work such as but not limited to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and/or financial misconduct; We expect all staff, consultants, service contractors and volunteers to share this commitment through endorsing our code of conduct and other related policies and only those who share our values and code of conduct will be recruited to work for us.