Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) assists distressed populations, victims of natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict. They do so irrespective of gender, race, religion, creed, or political convictions.
MSF observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance. MSF claims full and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its functions.
Members respect their professional code of ethics and maintain complete independence from all political, economic, or religious powers.
MSF-Brazil has a team of over 220 people. It is one of the 31 MSF offices worldwide, bringing together financial and human resources and increasing expertise to support MSF projects in more than 70 countries. MSF-Brazil’s main office is located in Rio de Janeiro with a growing support office in São Paulo and has its activities funded by more than 500,000 Brazilian donors.
MSF BRAZILIAN MEDICAL UNIT (BRAMU)
BRAMU is a medical unit within MSF, funded and accountable to the MSF-Brazil directorate, and integrated within the MSF –Operational Centre Brussels (OCB) Medical department.
The growing challenges in the Latin American region around migration, violence, environmental health challenges, and emerging health conditions have made the unit move towards a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach using applied social sciences, evidence-based medicine, and epidemiology.
BRAMU’s portfolio for support includes Migration, Urban violence, Environmental health, Adolescent Health, and Mental Health.
Adolescents and youth, together addressed as “young people” (10-24 years), experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth. Young people are not a homogenous group but a very diverse population.
In countries where MSF works, violence, conflict, migration, and communicable and non-communicable diseases affect many children and adolescents. They also face environmental, social, and family conditions that hinder their personal development and successful integration into society. Young vulnerable groups have a greater propensity to engage in and are subject to risky (sexual) behavior, substance abuse, and crime and often experience stigma, discrimination, and violence.
The Adolescent and Youth Health Advisor will provide technical support to improve access to health of young people in vulnerable situations. This includes young migrants and refugees, unaccompanied minors, ethnic minorities, street youth, LGBTQ youth, adolescent mothers, youth affected by conflict, violence, gangs, and drug use, minors involved in sex work, among others.
OBJECTIVE:
To provide context and project-specific field support for improved management of vulnerable young populations in MSF projects as part of a multi-disciplinary team (BRAMU – Brazilian medical unit). The support is not limited to vertical adolescent projects. This position will guide and support the integration of adolescent -specific services/activities in existing OCB projects.
The Advisor will be based in Brazil and will work transversally with BRAMU (Brazilian medical unit), medical referents according to the specific topics, and needs e.g. Sexual Reproductive Health, Child Health, HIV/TB, Mental Health, Vaccination, Health Promotion, Key Populations, as well as medical operational and analysis colleagues.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Operational and strategic functions:
• Define main strategies to access and include vulnerable young people in our medical project activities according to the region, sociocultural background, and existing resources
• Support the design or adaptation of activities considering the circumstances of young vulnerable marginalized groups, for example adaptation of contraceptive, SAC, maternity, STI/HIV services for adolescents, appropriate risk assessments (HEADSS), adapted health promotion strategies, etc.
• Propose effective community -based approaches and integration of young vulnerable populations in comprehensive health services.
• Develop innovative and creative approaches to overcome barriers to accessing health care (preventive & curative services) using youth-led and youth-engaged practices so young people participate in the problem definition and content development.
• Guide the development of a participatory program design, engaging young people, their communities, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Support the identification and development of strategic alliances/partnerships with community services caring for adolescents to improve the participation and engagement of excluded youth and at-risk groups and develop a structured approach for referral and follow-up.
• Enable teams with evidence-based frameworks and standard operating procedures to improve access to health for the above-mentioned vulnerable groups by guaranteeing their right to privacy, health care services, and protection against discrimination in our projects.
• Provide technical advice to staff, partners, and stakeholders to integrate young people’s health rights, gender issues, and other relevant social considerations into project activities and operations.
• Support teams to understand and navigate laws, policies and other institutional barriers that minors face to access health care
• Support teams in developing context -age- and developmentally appropriate information and counseling to adolescents, appropriately adapting communication style and using visual aids or information technology tools.
• Support with data collection and monitoring at the project level to make these vulnerable young groups visible.
Field Support:
• Conduct field visits (up to 40% of the time) to provide technical support to field teams to provide strategic and operational orientations to improve access, care, and the adequate inclusion of vulnerable young people in the project
• Conduct training (effective interaction with adolescent patients, quality health care services for adolescents, Adolescent SRH considerations, etc.) and sensitization workshops to demonstrate awareness of one’s own attitudes, values and prejudices that may interfere with the ability to provide confidential, non-discriminatory, non-judgmental, and respectful care to adolescents.
• Support teams through regular communication, answering technical questions, sharing relevant resources.
• Support field assessments, research initiatives, and evaluations of the quality of health service provision and adolescents’ experience of care
Capacity building & Collaboration:
• Develop, lead, or support training to address gaps in adolescent health care and programming applicable to needs and context.
• Support the inclusion of young people’s health needs and issues in existing MSF medical trainings.
• Contribute to adolescent appropriate adaptations of current clinical guidelines and protocols.
• Gather & (co) develop toolkits with project strategic and health educational resources.
• Encourage an internal and external sharing dynamic about adolescent and youth health through a Community of Practice. (Co) organize and participate in workshops, conferences, and webinars as necessary.
Formative and operational research:
To provide health access for vulnerable, marginalized groups, we need to understand better the nature and prevalence of risky behaviors and social factors affecting their health.
• Support formative research (needs assessment and contextual analysis) in the field.
• Contribute to the analysis of factors that impact the young people’s abilities to lead a healthy life (age, gender norms, sexual orientation, ethnicity, community beliefs, socioeconomics, etc.) to guide the design of services that vulnerable young people need.
• Assess main health access issues for young and at risk populations/marginalized populations.
• Support community-engaged participatory research to lead to new questions, improved messaging, and the inclusion of excluded young groups.
• Screen literature for evidence-based approaches and document good practices and lessons learned about young people’s health, gender, and social inclusion
EDUCATION:
• Medical doctor with SRH experience
• A graduate qualification in Reproductive Health, International or Public Health is highly desired
• Qualifications in Adolescent health and/or ASRH are strongly desirable.
EXPERIENCE IN:
• Working with vulnerable adolescent and youth in stressed contexts
• Training health care providers is an asset
• Providing technical (clinical) support and understanding of technical issues related to SRH services in humanitarian settings, including maternity care, SGBV, STI, contraception care, and safe abortion care issues, is highly desired
• SRH
• Field experience is strongly desirable
LANGUAGES:
• Fluent in English
• Spanish/Portuguese – intermediate level
• French is an asset
SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE:
• Strong knowledge of adolescent health and effective adolescent programming: Understanding of normal adolescent development and its implications for health care and health promotion
Adolescent and Youth Health Advisor
• Knowledge of gender and cultural dimensions of Adolescent and Youth Health is essential
• Understanding of law and policies that affect the adolescent health-care provision
• Office Package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Specialized skills in consultation and interdisciplinary care
• Effective facilitation skills
BASIC COMPETENCIES:
• Commitment to MSF principles
• Strategic Vision
• Results and Quality Orientation
• Teamwork and Cooperation
SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:
• Analytical Thinking
• Service and Orientation
• Initiative and Innovation
• Relationship / Network Building