The United Nations World Food Programme seeks to recuit Consultant – Nutrition Analysis (79843)

Closing date : 15 apr 2018

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ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Chad is a low-income landlocked sub-Saharan African country classified as one of the least-developed country by the United Nations. Its population of 14.4 million is predominantly rural, and most households depend on subsistence agriculture or livestock activities for their survival. With most of its land located in the Sahel band, Chad is prone to seasonal climate shocks that affect agricultural and pastoral production, resulting in regular food crises that affect people’s food and nutrition security.

The nutrition situation remains worrisome in Chad according to the 2017 nutrition survey. The prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) estimated at 13.9% is very close to the WHO critical threshold, with significant regional disparities: in twelve (12) of twenty-three (23) regions, the prevalence of GAM exceeds the WHO critical threshold of 15%. The situation of chronic malnutrition is just as worrying, with a national average of 32.4 % and prevalence exceeding the critical threshold of 40% of WHO in five of the 23 regions. The trend analysis shows a slight increase for all malnutrition indicators since 2016. The Cost of Hunger study carried out in collaboration with the Government of Chad and the African Union concluded that 43 percent of child mortality is related to malnutrition[1].

The situation is also concerning for women; 19% have a BMI less than 18.5, which indicates a state of chronic energy deficiency[2]. Micronutrient deficiencies are also widespread and affect largely children and women.

In refugee, data from the SENS survey conducted by UNHCR in 2017 confirm the trends observed among local populations, with more than 15% of children living in camps in the eastern part of the country suffering from acute malnutrition associated with stunting prevalences above the WHO emergency threshold of 40% in most of the refugee sites.

The determinants of malnutrition in Chad are multidimensional and interrelated, part of them are related to maternal and child care practices, food insecurity, acess to basic social services and other more basic context-related issues such as socioeconomic factors like education and gender inequality.

Structural factors are predominant, however their contribution to the prevalence of malnutrition  is not well documented and the way they are interacting whith conjonctural factor not well known. So far, most interventions proposed by WFP aim at adressing the direct and immediate causes of malnutrition in a context where structural factors and the root causes are not addressed.

WFP plans to undertake a strategic shift from specific nutrition interventions in a humanitarian context to a multisectoral approach to address malnutrition, including both immediate and root causes. Information on malnutrition causality and how they are interacting is needed to build a comprehensive and long term response with a sustainable impacts in line with the Chadian context and in support of WFP’s country strategic plan (2019-2023).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Head of Programme, the Nutrition consultant will provide a comprehensive analysis on the fundamental and structural causes of malnutrition and recommend how WFP could envisage a shift to a multisectorial approach to address the immediate and root causes of malnutrition in Chad.

The consultant will acomplish the following tasks in close collaboration with the nutrition team:

1. Establish the main direct and underlying causes of malnutrition and assess the relative importance of context-specific causes in their contribution to malnutrition, especially the blockages and potential that could guide appropriate solutions.
2. Identify opportunities/potentiel for synergies and complementarity with other nutrition actors involved in maternal and child health, food and nutrition security, women’s livelihoods, social protection and local development.
3. Recommend strategic, context-specific interventions in key sectors: agriculture, food security, livelyhoods, health, water, sanitation, social protection, education, which, if implemented appropriately, will have a significant impact on undernutrition in the medium and long terms.
4. Identify critical capacity building interventions at multiple levels (human, financial, institutional) to support institutionalisation and mainstreaming of nutrition in key sectors such as health, agriculture, education and socil protection.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced University Degree in Nutrition or Public Health.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of work experience in international nutrition with a minimum of 5 years working in humanitarian and development contexts.
• Proven experience in conducting nutrition situation analysis and elaborating strategies in nutrition.
• Proven working experience with the UN (in particular with WFP) or with NGOs.
• Demonstrated ability to strategically engage with Government and partners to develop and implement multi-sectoral strategic plans.
• Fluency in French is an adavantage.

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