Child Nutrition and Development Officer

Mission and objectivesThe fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

ContextThe fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. The nutrition status of children and women in Afghanistan, especially in the Eastern Region provinces (Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan), remains a serious public health concern, there is high rate of stunting and wasting among children, the prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting) in the East region is even above emergency thresholds (≥15% in some districts). High rates of stunting, especially in rural and conflict & drought -affected areas which results from long-term undernutrition, poverty, and poor maternal nutrition and driven by poor dietary intake, diseases, poor water sanitation, and food insecurity. In addition to that, children are also suffering from micronutrient deficiency disorders especially iron, Vitamin A, and zinc which leads to weakened immunity system and developmental delays. In addition to that women and adolescent girls are also suffering from micronutrient deficiencies. Every 3rd adolescent girls and more than 40% of Childbearing Age (CBA) women are suffering from Iron Deficiency Anaemia. UNICEF Zonal Office in Jalalabad technically supports the Departments of Public Health, Civil Societies Organizations (CSOs) both HER and non-HER NGOs, and community based structures in the 4 provinces of the East Region on capacity building, strengthening the capacity of workforce (nutrition service providers such as Nutrition counsellors, nurses, MD doctors) , supporting case management for children who are facing malnutrition and work to strengthen system for child nutrition and development in order to prevent malnutrition and timely detect malnourished cases and be admitted into the program. Nangarhar, a key border province with Pakistan, continues to experience a significant influx of returnees, placing substantial pressure on the local health and nutrition systems. In response, UNICEF is actively engaged in delivering both preventive and therapeutic nutrition services to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable populations, including returnees and host communities. Additionally, the region is endemic for acute watery diarrhoea (including cholera) and polio, further compounding the public health challenges. Given its strategic location and increasing humanitarian caseload, there is a critical need for dedicated technical support to enhance coordination and ensure effective service delivery.

Task Description1. Summary of key functions/accountabilities: • Assist UNICEF in collaborating with provincial Child Nutrition and development program partners toward strengthen the implementation of Child Nutrition and development (CND) interventions. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting the implementation of Community Based Nutrition Intervention (CBNI), the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) program for the treatment of severe wasting, integrated Early Child hood Development ( ECD) services and efforts to enhance the capacity and performance of the nutrition workforce. Contribute to the effective management and quality assurance of the Child Nutrition and development program across the region covered by the Jalalabad zonal office through close monitoring of UNICEF-supported projects and activities. This includes collecting, , preparing, and reviewing the necessary supporting documentation for financial transactions, as well as supporting the monitoring of fund utilization and proper use of CND supplies by the end users. Support the monitoring the quality of Child Nutrition and development ( CND) activities in emergency settings, ensuring that implementation is regularly tracked and timely reports are provided to the CND Specialist. • Perform any other tasks as assigned n by UNICEF Child Nutrition and development Specialist and CND Officer, in support of program objectives and operational needs. 2. Contribute to effective management and quality assurance of the Child Nutrition and development Programme across the region covered by the UNICEF office: • Contribute to the effective utilization of the Child Nutrition and development (CND) program fund by informing fund allocation and utilization plans based on the identified humanitarian need in the Eastern Region.Collect, prepare and submit the required documentation for the timely release and liquidation of funds, in line with UNICEF’s financial and operational procedures. • Conduct HACT program monitoring visits timely preparation and submission of for approval, and uploaded all approved reports to E-tools. • Support partners in developing and implementing supply distribution plans and ensure that all supplies released to partners are reached to and utilized by the intended end users. • Collect and analyse program data and provide timely feedback to implementing partners and nutrition extenders to support informed decision making and program improvement. • Support the timely release and delivery of program supplies to the Health Facilities and communities including those implementing Community Based Nutrition Program (CBNI.) 3) Contribute to the development and management of Child Nutrition and development program across the ER provinces (planning, implementation & monitoring) • Collect relevant data and provide inputs for program planning and documentation, ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and relevance of the information provided. • Maintain organized record of reports and assessments for easy reference and to capture lessons learned, supporting continuous improvement of future programming. • Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of Child Nutrition and development (CND) by supporting the preparation of annual sectoral reviews meetings with de facto authorities and key CND partners. This includes organizing required meetings and workshop, taking minutes and producing reports, and following up on agreed action points. • Collaborate closely with the CND specialist to support the verification of data reported by partners of Child nutrition and development program Action Trackers, ensuring accurate monitoring of HAC indicators and progress reports. • Support the Nutrition cluster on collecting emergency response data including returnees data/information from Torkham response. • Support program innovation and foster integration with other related programs/initiatives to enhance overall effectiveness and impact Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: • Enhance their knowledge and understanding of volunteerism by engaging with relevant UNV and external publications and actively participate in such as events commemorating International Volunteer Day. • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Competencies and valuesCore Values • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *  Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)  Works Collaboratively with others (1)  Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)  Innovates and Embraces Change (1)  Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)  Drive to achieve impactful results (1)  Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Living conditions and remarksAs this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.