Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium
MSF’s mission in Belgium aims to address, through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, the health needs and key social determinants of the most vulnerable segments of the population, including migrants in transit and undocumented migrants, while proactively engaging in assessing main difficulties and promoting institutional change.
The intercultural mediator working for the Belgian mission will be involved in 2 principal projects:
• The mental health project includes active participation in the Humanitarian Hub, where several organisations provide a wide range of services to vulnerable populations. In this structure, mental health care (first line) is provided by Médecins Sans Frontières. A second line service has also been created to provide psychological follow-up and respond to identified needs.
• An outreach project initially designed to support the response to COVID-19 in Belgium among the most vulnerable populations. The mobile team, also composed of various organisations, intervenes in non- accredited structures (such as squats) and accredited structures in terms of awareness-raising, prevention and control of infections, health promotion and referral to psycho-social-medical care if necessary.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Supporting the communication and interaction between beneficiaries (migrants and refugees) and care providers in the host country, through addressing consequences of language barriers, socio-cultural differences and discrimination, following MSF protocols and procedures, to improve access to quality health care and other relevant services and providing MSF with an understanding of local socio-cultural determinants
Facilitating the relation between beneficiaries and the care providers from MSF and its partners involved in medical consultations, mental health, and social worker sessions, etc. through:
• Providing quality and culturally sensitive interpretation between the care providers and the beneficiaries (trialogue) in his/her mother tongue (source language / target language), Supporting intercultural awareness, sensitiveness and clear communication between the parties.
• Assisting care providers and beneficiaries in addressing negative consequences of socio-cultural differences, to support the therapeutic/social intervention through sharing with the care providers relevant aspects of the cultural background of the beneficiaries, acting as a cultural broker; Identifying and reporting barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services.
• Performing in strict cooperation with the field coordinator, ICM Supervisor, MHAM, screening, psycho-education group sessions, group counselling as well as individual consultations for identified beneficiaries.
• Proposing coordinated actions related to the Covid-19 awareness campaign, promotion of our mental health services and develop and implement them in cooperation with your team.
• Following up these actions and adapting them if necessary.
• Guaranteeing confidentiality, medical/psychological secrecy, impartiality and neutrality. Declaring conflict of interest.
• Participating in meetings, trainings and supervisions.
• Supporting translation of internal/external documents into the required languages.
• Supporting the creation of Health promotion materials in collaboration with the team.
• Translate documents from / to mission language into a local one upon request.
• Interpret between the care providers and the beneficiary.
• Always keep respect towards beneficiaries, partners and MSF staff participating in discussions.
• Ensure confidentiality of all translation is maintained as directed by the Mission/Project coordination team.
• Ensure neutrality and accuracy when interpreting.
• Collecting feedback from beneficiaries on the implementation and quality of the activity.
Together with relevant project team members, providing information to beneficiaries on the use of the health care system and other support services (shelter, food, transport, legal support) provided by MSF and other actors, with the aim to favour empowerment and autonomy of beneficiaries:
• Informing the beneficiaries of the existing service offer, in accordance with their request.
• Promoting exchanges with the Brussels network of aid to the homeless/migrants in transit sector with the overall objective of improving the health of this public.
• Making the link between MSF and people in transit, host communities, migrant’s communities, informing beneficiaries and communities about MSF and services it provides and the constraints, procedures and opportunities in access of services.
• Adapting communication to any circumstances, using appropriate language registry as well as diplomatic and courtesy manners by adapting the messages to the culture of the beneficiaries and developing reading capability of the context in which he should operate. Participating in creation of any material needed for communication, providing cultural briefing and context update to the team about our beneficiaries’ country of origin.
• Accompanying and following up beneficiaries internally or to external referrals (health and social care facilities) as needed, reaching new beneficiaries through Maraude/ outreach activities to provide them with general and mental health information
• Applying proactively Psychological First Aid when encountering the beneficiaries in distress and refer to the MHAM.
Contributing to context understanding and data collection on medical/humanitarian issues, with a specific attention to vulnerabilities, to provide reliable information for operational decision-making through:
• Providing updated information about the general situation according to the needs defined by the project coordinator. Reflect together with the different team members to adapt messages to make them culturally acceptable, appropriate and avoiding misunderstandings.
• Sharing with the team, before or after the consultations, important aspects of the cultural background of the beneficiaries to be considered in order to improve the quality of our services.
• Sharing information on a daily basis with your supervisor about certain situations that have caught your attention during the day (stories about violence, ill treatment and particular problems) and allow the briefing of the rest of team through learn and share sessions.
• Collecting testimonies and carry out patient survey, if requested by your supervisor.
• Reporting all important information expressed by the beneficiaries and the communities, ensuring confidentiality at all times.
• Supporting media reviews and content creation for communication
REQUIREMENTS
Education: Degree in social sciences, social communication or teaching. Training in interpretation or intercultural mediation is an asset.
Experience: Essential previous working experience of minimum two years in similar position. Preferably in provision of medical services and/or with NGOs.
Previous experience in migration / refugee context is an asset.
Languages: French and/or English is essential
Amharic or Tigrinya or Arabic is essential Any other language is an asset
CONDITIONS
· Expected starting date: April 1st 2022
· Contract type: 1-year contract, full time – extendable
· Location: Brussels, Belgium
· Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs
· Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
· Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments
Deadline for applications: 15th of March 2022
How to apply?
Please, send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] and mention “Intercultural Mediator” in the subject of your email. Please name your documents with your FAMILY NAME.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
MSF values diversity and is committed to create an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
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To apply for this job please visit www.msf-azg.be.