Hygiene Promotion Officer (Ethiopian Nationals)

The African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD) is a non-political, non-religious and non-profit making NGO with Country Programme Offices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. AIRD’s objective is to offer operational support, including but not limited to: supply chain, logistics, construction, infrastructure, environment, livelihoods and WASH in partnership with relief and development organizations that focus on disaster-affected and development oriented areas. AIRD delivers for and through partners including but not limited to UN Agencies, international and national donor organizations and governments.

AIRD now seeks to recruit a qualified and motivated Hygiene Promotion Officer to be based in Semera-Afar, Ethiopia for an anticipated BHA-USAID funded WASH Project.

Purpose of the position

The hygiene Promotion Officer will form part of a team that communicates with communities on health and hygiene needs and concerns. He/She will also assist in program strategy, verify information provided by various sources, and communicate program implementation strategy to stakeholders as part of the WASH intervention to safeguard and improve the public health of the affected population by:

• Promoting safe WASH practices, including appropriate use and maintenance of WASH facilities and services, with a focus on hygiene practices in camps.
• Ensuring appropriate community involvement in the design and delivery of essential WASH services and facilities by contributing to hygiene promotion sessions, awareness campaigns, and hygiene aids/kits distribution, the hygiene promotion team member will play an important role in contingency/emergency response.
• And any other related tasks.

Key Responsibilities

1. General Duties

• Conducting FGDs for women and men and any other group, related to hygiene activities in the targeted area.
• Commitment to specific tours and within the specified hours.
• Providing health awareness messages to beneficiaries (males and Females, youth, etc ) through:
  • Hygiene promotion campaigns
  • Disseminating personal hygiene awareness messages.
  • Conducting health awareness sessions, participatory sessions, discussions with beneficiaries, home and school visits, and campaigns on hygiene promotion with the aim of promoting preventive health concepts among individuals and the field of public health.
• Encouraging people to sterilize drinking water and raise awareness of diseases transmitted through water and sanitation.
• Sending reports periodically on hygiene promotion sessions and communicating with the line manager regarding the completion of hygiene promotion plans.
• Lead the team of community outreach workers
• Ensure community engagement in the project activities
• Conduct a periodic need assessments and contribute to the redaction of new proposal as needed.
• Any other tasks requested by WASH management.

Key Relationships

• WASH Project Manager
• Water and Sanitation Officer
• M&E Officer
• Humanitarian Operations Officer
• Partners, Government authorities
• WASH and NFI Cluster

Qualifications, experience and skills

• Graduate degree in Public Health or any other appropriate field of development assistance;
• At least 2 years of practical experience as Hygiene Promotion Officer in humanitarian response with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs)
• Knowledge of the humanitarian situation in the area (Afar Region).
• Ability to work under pressure and withstand work pressure
• Ability to facilitate community-level hygiene awareness campaigns (Males and Females campaigns).
• Assist in Organizing and Facilitating Training for the camp community.
• Good knowledge of Sphere standards and WASH Cluster standards on Hygiene

Required languages: Must be fluent in Both Amharic and English (written and spoken); Knowledge of the Local Language will be advantageous