Overview

The past fifteen years have seen tremendous gains in reducing the burden of disease and progressing towards malaria elimination. Since 2000, global malaria deaths have been cut by more than half, saving 7 million lives, primarily among children less than five years of age. Expansions in financing, strong political commitments, novel diagnostic and preventative measures, and multi-sectoral co-ordination have facilitated this progress. Since 1998, RBM Partnership to End Malaria has been central to the global fight against malaria. It has been essential to mobilizing resources and scaling up innovative interventions, putting the world onto a path towards eliminating malaria. The Partnership comprises more than 500 partners committed to end malaria, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions.

The RBM Partnership's Vision is of a world free from the burden of malaria. The RBM Partnership is based in Geneva and hosted by UNOPS

Although malaria is entirely preventable, the disease continues to be an obstacle to both human and economic development. The devastating effect of malaria on development can be traced from national to household and family level. Malaria is associated with poor socio-economic development, marginalization and exploitation. Malaria morbidity and mortality is associated with industrial and agricultural losses due to loss of person-hours and decreased worker productivity.

Even with concerted efforts to increase effective coverage of vector control interventions – especially with insecticide treated long lasting mosquito nets (LLINs), the disease burden remains significant and points to the fact that these interventions (and other conventional ones) are not enough to sustain gains achieved in the control and subsequently to malaria elimination. The effects of malaria extend well beyond the health sector, calling for a multi-sectoral response. For example, sustained gains in malaria control and elimination in developing countries has been seen in countries where action is being taken to address the broader socio-economic determinants like improving living conditions, promoting smarter agricultural and industrial practices, and addressing barriers to accessing health services.

The Multisectoral approach to malaria, based on social and environmental determinants will remain a dream unless the relevant communities are empowered, engaged and effectively play their role. Community participation is not about giving them tasks to do, but involves communities taking active part in the analysis, decision-making about priorities and resources, doing and monitoring, as well as holding authorities and others accountable. A multisectoral approach to malaria control means that a wide range of stakeholders is engaged, and the aims of malaria control are met by joint efforts. Resourcing such efforts is not simply a matter of securing cash donations; major advances can be made at little or no cost to health or malaria programmes. Being ‘malaria smart’ means making actions and operations in all relevant sectors contribute to reducing, rather than producing, malaria, while achieving their sector-specific outcomes as well as the malaria-specific outcomes. The latter will in turn benefit all stakeholders.

The East Africa Community (EAC) is a Regional Economic Community established under Article 2 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community as amended in 2010, amongst its objectives in the EAC Protocol on Health, to coordinate regional efforts on epidemic preparedness, mapping, prevention, control and where possible the eradication of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The 9th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers on Health Directed the EAC Secretariat to finalize the development of the Malaria Action Framework for the East African region and develop a funding proposal to Global Fund on HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis and to other Partners to support implementation of the Malaria Framework.

Functional Responsibilities

Reporting to and under the leadership and guidance of the Country/Regional Support Partner Committee (CRSPC) Manager, in collaboration with the Head of Health Department at WAHO secretariat as part of the execution of this assignment,, EAC Regional Malaria Coordinator will undertake, among others, the following specific tasks;

Implementation of the East Africa Malaria Programme

1. Coordinate a comprehensive desk review of social and environmental determinants of malaria at four levels; society, environment, population group, and household and individual, to inform the developmental strategies and multi-sectoral engagement approaches for malaria control in the Greater Lake Region. Existing engagement efforts should be acknowledged, and best practices identified.
2. Based on task #1 above, propose which sectors should be involved in the delivery of national malaria control interventions. This includes concrete proposal of “how” (mechanism) the different sectors will be engaged and Mainstreaming Malaria.
3. Coordinate a SWOT analysis of proposed mechanisms of engagement and propose tools for negating challenges of disharmonies across sectors’ that are associated with difficulty in collaboration and Mainstreaming Malaria in other relevant sectors.
4. In collaboration with the National Malaria control programmes, coordinate the development of a mechanism for inter-sectoral financing of implementation of the framework and plan covering both conventional malaria interventions, functions addressing other determinants of malaria within the different sectors and household level interventions impacting on malaria control. In addition, identify and stratify respective roles and responsibilities of different sectors and stakeholders in implementation the multi-sectoral plan and realization of national malaria control and elimination targets;
5. Coordinate and develop a plan for operationalizing the multi-sectoral framework with specific measurements of success (Monitoring and Evaluation).
6. Coordinate essential, mutually agreeable cross-border collaborative activities such as synchronized malaria interventions and/or complementary approaches directed at intensified control and elimination tailored to the local context. This, including coordination of the implementation of activities developed under the RBM-ALMA-EAC Tripartite Memorandum of understanding
7. Facilitate the establishment of a regional cross-border malaria data-sharing and visualization platform for complementary action in response to active transmission across borders, including harmonization with the existing one in the EAC countries.
8. Establish and agree upon a regional M&E framework and monitor all EAC regional malaria control activities including the cross-border activities. •
9. Review progress on EAC cross-border collaboration for malaria elimination by careful reporting to regional committees.
10. Initiate or revitalize existing EAC regional coordination mechanisms for cross-border collaboration, including sub-regional coordination activities to maximize the impact of the resources from the Global Fund to countries in the region, and
11. Collaborate with other existing cross-border mechanisms, organizations and sectors including communities and civil society networks.
12. Strengthen and scale up partnerships with the Global Fund for harmonized actions and better resource sharing to leverage and complement, but not duplicate bilateral partner investments across these countries.
13. Support the smooth running of the EAC Malaria and NTD Unit Coordination Secretariat
14. Any other duties as may be assigned by the EAC head of Health Department.

Implementation of the Great Lakes Malaria Initiative

1. Facilitate the country and regional validation of the Draft Great Lakes Malaria Initiative Regional Malaria Strategic Plan 2020-2024, the collaboration framework;
2. Coordinate the Development of Concept note EAC Regional Malaria Multisectoral Action Framework and Plan 2019-2030
3. Cause and coordinate the development of a Concept note and funding proposal for the EAC Malaria Multisectoral Action Programme (EMMAP).
4. Cause and coordinate the development of a Concept note and funding proposal for EAC and Great lakes cross border Malaria Control Initiative

Monitoring and Progress Controls

By design, the assignment will require broad stakeholder engagement and consultations. The consultation will propose the approach and methods for ensuring extensive engagement at different stages of the development process. Key informant interviews, consultation, consensus and validation meetings should be considered for wider buy-in and involvement. The RBM will support the Regional Coordinator to mobilize stakeholders for consultations. The framework and plan will be presented to different multi-sectoral platforms and input and buy-in including EAC.

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Deliverables **

Implementation of the East Africa Community Malaria Programme

• Final EAC Malaria Multi-sectoral strategic Plan, 2018 – 2025
• Concept note for EAC Regional Malaria Multisectoral Action Framework and Plan 2019-2030
• Concept note and funding proposal for the EAC Malaria Multisectoral Action Programme (EMMAP).
• Implementation of the RBM-ALMA-EAC work plan
• Development of regional cross-border malaria data-sharing and visualization platform
• Development of regional M&E framework and monitoring of all EAC regional malaria control activities including the cross-border activities

• Smooth running of the EAC Malaria and NTD Unit Coordination Secretariat
  Implementation of the Great Lakes Cross Border Malaria Initiative

• Concept note and funding proposal for EAC and Great lakes cross border Malaria Control Initiative

• validated Draft Great Lakes Malaria Initiative Regional Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025 and the collaboration framework guiding the establishment and implementation of the Initiative, that will be approved by relevant authorities;

• draft validated MOU to guide operationalization of the Great Lakes Malaria Initiative bringing together the EAC Partner states and the DRC;

• Stakeholder engagement and consultation reports;

• Updated border district and Lake Victoria & Nile basin malaria profiles

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Public Health, or other health sciences, Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies or related field.

• A Bachelor’s degree in a related field with an additional 2 years of experience may be considered in lieu.

Experience:

Required:

• Extensive experience (at least 7 years) in planning, managing and implementing programs at national and/or international levels, including field experience with demonstrated achievements in Africa; of which at least 3 years’ experience in managing malaria control or any health projects, programs and/or Partnership networks;
• Extensive knowledge in Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programs.
• Experience in Multisectoral collaboration at country level and/or regional is key for this task.
• Experience in developing or supporting technical cooperation and/or partnership development is preferred

• Expertise in resource mobilization is preferred.
  Desirable:

• Knowledge of development issues and of the application of research findings to meet the requirement of developing countries.

• Thorough understanding of malaria burden and its implications.

• Relevant experience working in East Africa is an added advantage.

• Experience or sound understanding of international development and the political agendas as related to malaria.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Knowledge of French (or other UN languages) is desirable. 

Contract type

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: I-ICA 3 / ICS-11
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.