Consultant (Nutrition SMART Survey) at JDPC on BMZ funded project.
JOB TITLE: Consultant for Nutrition SMART (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions) Survey
JOB LOCATIONS: Hong & Michika LGAs, Adamawa state, Nigeria
Employment Type: Contract
Project Brief
The project name is; Multisectoral strengthening of resilience of vulnerable households in conflict-affected areas of Northeastern Nigeria and Northern Cameroon.
The ongoing conflict in Northeast Nigeria has resulted in enormous humanitarian needs in various sectors. Recent nutrition and food security surveys indicate that most people are food insecure, with poor or critical levels of both acute and chronic malnutrition. To respond to the existing needs and in line with the Nutrition Sector Humanitarian Response Plan Objectives, JDPC & Caritas Germany collaborates with the Nutrition Sector Coordination and State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) to support and strengthen the quality and scale of nutrition services.
Purpose and Goal
The goal of the survey is to determine the magnitude and severity of malnutrition, mortality rates and food security situation amongst the population in the accessible communities of 2 LGAs (Hong and Michika LGAs) in Adamawa State, Nigeria.
Specific Objectives
- To estimate the prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting and Oedema) among children aged 6-59 months.
- Determine the prevalence of chronic malnutrition and underweight among children 6 to 59 months of age.
- Assess health seeking behaviour among caretakers of children aged 6-59 months.
- To retrospectively estimate the levels of crude mortality rates and under five mortality rates in a specific period (134 days)
- To assess maternal malnutrition among the mothers of children surveyed.
- To determine Infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF) indicators in the survey area for the age group of 0-23 months children.
To determine water, sanitation, and hygiene practices of the survey population.
- To assess the percentage of women and children under 23 months of age who meet the Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) four months after harvest.
Approach and Methodology:
This nutrition survey will be conducted using a mixed method SMART (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition) methodology to assess the point prevalence of malnutrition and other indicators. The targeted population for the anthropometric survey will be children and their mothers among the sampled households.
Dietary Assessment:
Examine dietary patterns within the community to understand the adequacy and diversity of food intake. This could involve assessing the consumption of key food groups and micronutrient rich foods.
Nutritional Anthropometry:
Perform anthropometry measurements, including height, weight, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), to assess the prevalence of malnutrition among different age groups.
Infant and Young Child feeding (IYCF) Practices:
Investigate breastfeeding practices, complimentary feeding, and the introduction of nutritious foods to infants and young children. Assess the knowledge and adherence of caregivers to recommended IYCF guidelines.
Micronutrient Status:
Evaluate the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (e.g., Vitamin A, iron, & zinc) within the community. This could involve biochemical assessments or dietary surveys focussing on micronutrient-rich foods.
Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) study:
Assess the community’s knowledge, attitudes and practices related to nutrition and health. This could inform targeted behaviour change communication strategies.
Food Security Assessment:
Evaluate the food security status of households, including access to and availability of nutritious food. Identify factors affecting food security, such as income, agricultural practices, and market access.
Assessment of Nutrition Services:
Evaluate the availability and accessibility of nutrition services, including antenatal and postnatal care, growth monitoring, and management of acute malnutrition.
Community Perception and Participation:
Understand community perceptions of nutrition-related issues and assess the level of community participation in nutrition programs. Identify barriers and facilitators to community engagement.
Expected Outcome from the Nutrition SMART Survey:
A comprehensive survey report covering the following indices;
- Prevalence of global and severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months
- Prevalence of global and severe chronic malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months
- Prevalence of acute malnutrition among community women
- Retrospective crude mortality rates and under five mortality rates and the entire population
- Retrospective two weeks morbidity rate of children 6-59 months
- Infant and young child feeding practices specifically; Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months, Minimum dietary diversity, Minimum acceptable diet, Consumption of iron-rich foods.
- Dietary practices of women with childbearing age specifically Minimum dietary diversity, Minimum acceptable diet, Consumption of iron-rich foods.
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices.
Geographic Coverage of the Survey:
Adamawa State, Nigeria – Hong and Michika Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Expected Timelines
The survey will be conducted for a duration not exceeding 25 working days including field work, data analysis and report write up.
| Activities | No. of days | Person Responsible |
| Survey preparations (Development and validation of protocol and tools, selection of survey teams & preparation of necessary logistics). | 3 | Consultant |
| Train the survey teams | 5 | Consultant |
| Collect data, enter it daily, and give feedback to the field teams | 10 | Consultant |
| Review the data, final analysis, submit and present preliminary results to IM TWG. | 3 | Consultant |
| Final report Compilation and submission | 4 | Consultant |
| Total number of days | 25 working days for consultant |
Note: Consultant should note that the day of arrival and departure is not part of the consultation period.
Key Deliverables
The consultant will be responsible for:
- Developing the survey protocol following the Nutrition Sector format.
- Developing/adapting survey tools.
- Training survey teams
- Lead, monitor and supervise data collection.
- Present the initial findings to the Assessment Technical Working Group.
- Electronic files of the clean (final) quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysis as a final deliverable.
- A summary version of findings should be shared as a final deliverable.
- A final survey report as per specified format.
Budget:
The consultant fees should include daily technical fees and any other costs related to his/ her travel and accommodation. JDPC & Caritas Germany will work with the consultant to recruit survey personnel and preparations for relevant logistics for training and data collection.
The Consultant(s) will report to:
Caritas Germany Desk officer, JDPC Assistant Coordinator, Senior Program Manager, and work closely with the MEAL & Program teams.
Required Expertise
The selected consultant is expected to have strong expertise in measuring Mortality, Nutritional Status, and Food Security in Crisis Situations using SMART methodology and should be a recognized/ registered SMART survey manager.
Interested applicants should have:
- Academic qualification in Nutrition, Epidemiology, Demography, or related program.
- Demonstrated experience conducting and managing all aspects of nutrition SMART surveys.
- Led at least two SMART surveys, preferably in different contexts.
- Experience in Northeast Nigeria or any other conflict affected contexts is preferred.
- Excellent analytical, research, writing and concise and compelling communication skills; Strong visual presentation skills preferred.
Language skills: Professional capacity in English.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested and qualified candidates should send the required Documents below to: [email protected]
Application closing date 06/02/2024.
Application Documents
Applicants must submit the Following Documentation:
Technical proposal that defines among others, understanding of the terms of reference, survey methodology (i.e. specifics on sampling strategy, sample size determination, survey team composition, plan for field supervision and data collection quality checks, requirements for data entry and analysis, equipment, and other required logistics)
Cost of planned activities,
Examples of similar assignments, curriculum vitae and
Financial proposal – expected consultant fees on a per day basis and terms of payment.
JDPC will examine all applications to ensure that they contain no amendments to the terms or any other irregularities and/or errors. Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Technical Evaluation:
The applications will first be evaluated on technical merits. The technical evaluation assesses the capacity of the applicant, based on the submitted technical proposal, performance history, and references submitted. For this purpose, certificates and additional references may be requested and subsequently examined.
Financial / Cost Evaluation:
The financial/cost evaluation is based on the cost of services presented in the application. The evaluation is intended to assess and confirm that applicants provide good value to JDPC & Caritas Germany for the cost of all goods and/or services offered.
Other Evaluations:
After ranking applications and applicants according to technical and financial criteria, JDPC & Caritas Germany may consider other variables, including, but not limited to, record of past performance, integrity, and social responsibility.