Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

UNDP is a lead agency in UNAIDS for addressing the dimensions of HIV and AIDS relating to human rights, gender and sexual diversity. In addition, UNDP contributes to public health and development partnerships through collaborations with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the ‘Global Fund’), Roll Back Malaria, Stop TB Partnerships, and special programmes on human reproduction and infectious diseases that disproportionately affect poor populations.

As a member of the country-level UN Joint Team on AIDS, UNDP operates strictly in support, and within the framework of national health plans and disease specific national strategies, under the programmatic leadership of national health authorities and respecting the critical role of local civil society organizations (CSOs). Promoting national ownership, developing capacity and strengthening national systems is the over-riding objective of UNDP’s engagement.

UNDP Global Fund Partnership

As part of its wider engagement with the United Nations, the Global Fund has partnered with UNDP since 2003 to ensure that grants are implemented and services are delivered in countries facing complex challenges. The partnership focuses on three closely linked areas of work: implementation support, capacity development, and policy engagement. For implementation support UNDP serves as an interim Principal Recipient (PR) (currently in 30 countries) in a variety of settings including countries that face capacity constraints, complex emergencies, poor governance environments, political upheaval, or donor sanctions. It does so upon request by the Global Fund and/or the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) and when no national entity is able to assume the role at the time. UNDP’s role as PR is an interim arrangement until national entities can assume full responsibility for implementation and capacity of national partners (Government and CSOs) is also strengthened to ensure long-term sustainability of health outcomes.

Global Fund Programmes in Afghanistan

In July 2014, UNDP was selected by the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) of Afghanistan as the Principal Recipient of four Global Fund Grants: HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and Health System Strengthening (HSS).

Project Summary:    

Afghanistan lost many health professionals during the recent decades of civil strife and conflict. The training facilities were destroyed and degraded; ad hoc training with varying curricula, duration, and teaching methodology was carried out within the country and across the borders resulting in different levels and standards of health workers. The human resources development situation in Afghanistan is complex and requires special attention.

There is mal-distribution of health care providers between and within provinces, and between urban and rural areas. This leaves the peripheral health facilities and remote areas understaffed. The main reasons given for this situation were poor working, living and social conditions; security concerns; a lack of educational facilities for children; and poor transportation.

The MoPH has recently recognized and urged the shortage of female general nurses, nurse anaesthetists, community health nurses, environmental hygienists, biomedical engineers, physiotherapists and psycho-social counselors especially at the remote areas . Meanwhile, to tackle these issues the HRH Policy 2014-2018  has also emphasized the production, deployment and retaining a well-trained gender-balanced health workforce, possessing the skills needed to deliver affordable and equitable health services to the population of Afghanistan.

According to the needs of  health professionals, most of them are females, who have been selected from the remote areas of the country  based on the prior set criteria and after training they have been deployed in their communities to provide  health care services. Since 2004 more than 6000 health personnel have been trained under above mentioned departments and around 2000 are under training.  

Under BPHS health care services like, ANC, PNC, Family Planning, Nutrition, Immunity, Basic Medicine, Common Diseases, disability, Rehabilitation, Psychiatrics are provided not only in urban areas but in remote communities as well. Despite of the tremendous achievements, in some areas like psychosocial the needs and problems of the community require more efforts to overcome them. In this situation we face lack of professional personnel and on the other hand the professionals working under this category have the responsibilities to provide health care to psychiatric patients.

MoPH with financial support of EU and technical assistant of NGOs has trained 600 psychosocial counselors. This number is not enough to address the current psychosocial problems of the communities. To do so we need to train more psychosocial counselor.

Ghazanfar Institute of Health Sciences (GIHS) is training midlevel professional under 8 departments and since its establishment around 40000 nurses, midwives and other allied health personnel have been trained and they have been providing health cares to their communities. According to the Institutes of Health Sciences Strategy (2016-20) and on the based on the needs of the country GIHS is establishing a new department of Health Social Counseling. The establishing of this department is  align with the National Health Strategy of Ministry of Public Health and BPHS. This  new health professional will be trained to address the needs of the communities both rural and urban.

Nowadays, Afghans are facing a lot of problems that are the result of the war, unemployment, malnutrition, forced marriage , under aged marriage,  addiction, gender based violence, chronic diseases i.e. HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, Cancer and so on . Therefore the consequences of these situations need to be addressed but also to provide such health cares to address its psychological problems as well.

GIHS will start training of the new health professional workforce with a title of Health Social Counselor after establishing Health Social Counseling Department at GIHS in 2018.

It is worth mentioning that  Health Social Counselors (HSCs ) will receive a  two year training and diploma in Health Social Counseling. The HSC ToR will not only cover the activities related to psychological problems but the following responsibilities as well:

• Counseling and refer the psychological / psychiatric patients to hospitals;

• Counseling and encouraging the HIV/AIDSsuspectedpatients totest their blood for HIV/AIDS voluntarily;

• Counseling and encouraging the HIV/AIDSpatients for treatment;

• Counseling and encouraging TB patients to get Health care and complete the treatment course;

• Providing awareness to the communities on prevention of Malaria and to use the net;  

• Counseling and refer the gender based violence cases;

• Counseling and refer women to get ANC, PNC, Family Planning, Nutrition and Vaccinations;

• Providing awareness on personal and environmental hygiene;

  Providing awareness and counseling  the communities to build Behavioral Change Commination (BCC) and Interpersonal Communication Counseling (IPCC).

HSC will not only provide health cares to HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria patients,  but also to the family protecting centers in  ministry of Women Affairs on gender, violence against women, encouraging people to employment and literacy in Ministry of Work and Social Affairs, providing counseling on the drawbacks of drug usage, and the messages on disadvantages of  drug usage in ministries of Education and higher Education.

The training materials for short courses in Health Social Counseling have been developed and will be upgrading based on needs and requirement to address the, HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, gender and drug addiction issues.

This project will be funded by International donors and Stakeholders and GIHS  will start to train HSCs first in Kabul and Kandahar and them gradually in provincial Institute of Health Sciences (Helmand, Farah, Herat, Ningarhar, Badakhshan, Kunduz and Balkh).

Overall Objective of the Consultancy:

GIHS/ MoPH seeks the expertise of an international consultant to review, upgrade and finalize the Health Social Counseling (HSC) curriculum. The curriculum should take into account the responsibilities of Health Social Counselors (HSCs) to provide counseling on different health, social and personal issues by using the experience learning methodology. The overall objective of the consultant is to:

• Conduct an in-depth review and upgrading the HSC Curriculum that is responsive to the identified needs of MoPH;

• Conduct desk review and incorporate regional and international best practices in HSC curriculum;

• Modify the contents of the HSC developed curriculum to the international standards and norms of curriculum;

• Conduct training session on practically applying the curriculum for GIHS related staff and departments;

• Check the English language of the Curriculum to be more perfect both in sense of grammar and content.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work and Deliverables:

• Conduct extensive literature review and study existing documents related to HSC curriculum;

• In depth review and analyze the counseling curricula implementing by regional and other countries to ensure that the curriculum meets International counseling standards;

• Work closely with the HSC Taskforce Committees, and HSC Consultants to consult with them regarding his/her comments and recommendation;

• Incorporating the feedback and responses provided by HSC Taskforce members in the reviewed upgraded HSC curriculum;

• Ensure that emphasis is placed on the holistic development on the learner’s competency and relevancy to address the Afghan community’s needs;

• Ensure that counseling, referring skills are mainstreamed in each subject as cross cutting topics;

• Incorporate all inputs and comments found during reviewing the upgrading HSC curriculum;

• Present finalized drafts for reviews and final syllabi, guides and manuals for validation and approvals as per contract;

• Develop a comprehensive narrative report on the curriculum review with concrete suggestions on implementation of the revised curriculum. Incorporate comments from the task force and stakeholders;

• Providing presentation on upgrading process to MTAG.

Expected Output/Deliverables; Timeframe and Payment percentage:

The International Consultant is responsible to Review, Upgrade and Finalize the Health Social Counseling (HSC ) Curriculum:

• Developed detailed plan for reviewing and delivery of educational materials; 2 working days;  4%

  Developed detailed report about the current courses and justification to upgrade selected courses; 3 working days; 6 %

• Update Contents of the curriculum and detailed outlines and description for each Content after consulting with HSC Taskforce committee; 24  working days; 40%

• Developed a list of references needed to enrich the developed Curriculum; 2 working days; 4%

• Update a manual that describes teaching strategies; 6 working days; 11%

• Provide Training Materials for the TOT; 3 working days; 6%

• Developed detailed Monitoring plan and ckecklist; 2 working days; 4%

• Developed final Comprehensive Report documenting the whole conducted activities including but not limited to:

  • Implemented activities;

  • Results;

  • Recommendations;

  • Proposed actions;

  • Current needs;

  • Lessons learnt; 3 working days; 25%

Payment Modality:

Payments under the contract shall be delivery based and be made on receipt of specific milestone reports, and including a timesheet according to UNDP procurement formats for individual contractors.  These shall be as indicated in the above, the milestone reports shall be certified by GF TB-RSSH Programme Associate and shall be made upon approval by the GF programme or GF deputy Programme Manager.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;

• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;

• Must have excellent communication skills both verbal and written;

• Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting;

• Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;

• Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.

Management and Leadership:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;

• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;

• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;

• Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;

• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;

• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;

• Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications: 

• At least a Master degree (PHD preferable) from a recognized university in any of the following areas or related field: Counseling, Psychology, Public Health ,Gender,  Education, Social Sciences or International Development.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in Public Health Training and Teaching;

• At least 3 years of experience working with Counseling in Health Sector;

• Demonstrated experience in serving in an advisory role;

• Past experience working in Afghanistan and/or conflict affected countries desirable.

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English;

• Afghanistan language (Pushto or Dari) is an asset.

Working Arrangements:

Institutional Arrangement

• The international consultant will work under the overall supervision of the GIHS Director under the direct supervision of the HSC Consultants;

• The consultant shall work in close collaboration with HSC Taskforce Members.

• GIHS  will provide office space The consultant however is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone.

Duration of the Work:

• The duration of work will be 9 Weeks (with maximum 45 working days) starting from 15  May 2018 to 17 July 2018.

Duty Station:

• The duty station for the contractor is GIHS /MoPH ,Kabul, Afghanistan for the entire duration of the contract;

• The consultant will follow the working hours and weekends as applicable to the UNDP/GF project personnel. Consultant’s movement for meetings and consultations shall be coordinated by UNDP. The consultant is at all times required to observe UNDP security rules and regulations.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

• Daily Fee – The contractor shall propose a daily fee which should be inclusive of his/her professional fee, local communication cost and insurance (inclusive of medical health and medical evacuation). The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is 45 working days; 

• Living Allowance - The contractor shall propose a Living allowance at the Kabul applicable rate of USD 162 per night for his/her stay at the duty station. The maximum number of nights for which the Living allowance shall be payable under the contract is 62 nights. The contractor is NOT allowed to stay in a place of his choice other than the UNDSS approved places. UN will provide MORSS compliant accommodation in UNOCA to the contractor. The payment of UNOCA accommodation shall be made directly by the contractor;
• Travel & Visa – The contractor shall propose an estimated lump sum for home-Kabul-home travel and Afghanistan visa expenses;

The total professional fee, shall be converted into a lump sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the abovementioned schedule of payment.

Evaluation Method and Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

• Cumulative Analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight 70%;

Financial Criteria weight 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria (70 points):

Technical Proposal (30 Marks)

• Technical Approach & Methodology (20 marks) – Explain the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach;

• Work Plan (10 marks) – The Applicant should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

Qualification and Experience (40 marks) [Evaluation of CV for shortlisting]:

• General Qualification (15 marks);

• Experience relevant to the assignment with UN or other international organization (25 marks).

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Duly accomplished Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);

• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Technical Proposal:

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;

• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.