NATIONAL CONSULTANCY: Conduct formative research to identify factors associated with access and utilization of FP services among refugee populations in Rwanda

The Position:

By the end of 2023, more than 114 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide because of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. The East and Horn of Africa, and Great Lakes region host nearly 5 million refugees. In Rwanda, as of end of September 2023, Rwanda hosted 135,733 refugees, asylum seekers, and other displaced populations. Approximately, 94% of these individuals reside in camps, with the remaining 6% living in urban areas.

Family Planning (FP) is a critical lifesaving health service and a human right, especially during humanitarian crises where women and girls face heightened risks of unintended pregnancies and gender-based violence. The updated Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health (2018) emphasizes FP as a core clinical service to prevent unintended pregnancies.

However, numerous barriers hinder FP access and use, including language barriers, low education levels, misinformation, cultural and religious beliefs, and negative personal experiences with contraception. These factors contribute to a high unmet need for FP, resulting in unintended pregnancies. Additional structural barriers like lack of privacy, weak supply chains, and inadequate service provision further exacerbate the issue.

Strengthening health systems is crucial to ensure refugees, particularly women and girls, have access to essential health services, including FP.

In Rwanda, UNHCR works to ensure refugee access to healthcare through camp-based facilities and national health insurance programs for urban based refugees. UNHCR also supports and pays the cost of refugee referrals to secondary/tertiary healthcare at national hospitals, although advocacy is directed towards the inclusion of camp-based refugees in CBHI.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

Despite these efforts, the contraceptive prevalence rate in Rwandan refugee camps was only 38% in 2019, with limited information available on the specific factors influencing FP access and utilisation. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the factors associated with FP access and use among refugee populations in Rwanda.

You would be responsible for:

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Knowledge and Experience:

Languages:

Fluency in English and knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda is desirable.

Required Competencies:

Values:

Core Competencies:

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.

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