Nutrition Community Worker- Syria – North Aleppo – Azaz

General Description of the Programme:

GOAL has been working in Syria since 2013, responding to the acute needs of conflict-affected communities. GOAL is working in Idleb Governate, both through direct implementation and through partners, delivering food, non-food programming to highly vulnerable populations, and provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) through support to Water units, as well as emergency support to recently displaced households.

GOAL has been working in North Aleppo Governate since 2019, through direct implementation and through partners, delivering food, non-food programming to highly vulnerable populations, as well as emergency support for recently displaced household.

GOAL’s nutrition program was launched in 2021 reaching 9,390 caregivers of children under 5 and women of reproductive age with a family mid-upper arm circumference (FMUAC) training which enabled these households assess for acute malnutrition in their families and where to self-refer within their local services. After the session, each household received MUAC tapes for children and their mothers. These sessions also included MIYCF messages, which were reinforced through the GOAL outreach Telegram channel through posts shared with the same communities. All the beneficiaries reached were also benefitting from GOAL’s largescale Food Security programme either by in-kind food kit, food voucher and MPCA distributions. The upcoming period will focus on continuing to enable communities to detect acute malnutrition for the proper intervention through the FMUAC approach and building their capacity to prevent malnutrition from occurring through MIYCN messages and counselling sessions coupled with LNS-SQ distributions for children under 5.

Job purpose:

The Nutrition Worker is responsible for the direct implementation of activities under GOAL’s nutrition activities in Northern Syria. The Nutrition Worker, together with the Nutrition Community Worker and other members of the Nutrition team, will provide technical support to beneficiaries to contribute to the reduction of malnutrition and the realisation of positive nutrition outcomes for the projects. The aim is for the Nutrition Community Worker to build capacity in people which will allow them to understand the causes, prevention methods and treatment of malnutrition for U5s and PLW, at household level. The Nutrition Worker will also be responsible for ensuring nutrition service mapping in GOAL and its partners area of operation is updated regularly. The Nutrition Worker in coordination with the Nutrition Officer will use the referral mechanism under the direction of the Nutrition Officer between GOAL’s other programmes e.g. food security and nutrition and between GOAL and partners or external actors.

The Nutrition Worker will report to the Nutrition Officer and Programme Manager and will be responsible for ensuring project activities are achieved within agreed timeframes, budgets and according to GOAL’s standards and donor regulations. He/she will contribute to robust process and impact monitoring and support the adaptive management of the nutrition programme.

Duties, objectives and competencies:

• Disseminate key tailored messages that will support improved maternal and child feeding and care practices in the community and in household visits
• Distribute communication products (leaflets/SMS messages/community announcements as appropriate) on what the LNS-SQ is, who it is for, and why it is important for children aged 6-59 months to consume it daily and not share it with other members of the household.
• Provide context specific training to households with U5 and/or PLW, on how to identify acute malnutrition at home and the appropriate actions to take if malnutrition is identified.
• Monitor the use of MUAC tapes to target families, ensuring HH have received, are able to use the tape and identify acute malnutrition correctly
• Ensure that HHs are aware of where to access available therapeutic care services when acute malnutrition is identified and monitor if they are successful in receiving access and therapeutic care services, if required.
• Conduct refresher training as necessary for households
• Working with GOAL’s field-based Social Workers refer cases of acute malnutrition to local health actors and follow-up on the referred cases.
• Conduct home visit follow ups for problem cases (i.e., absentees, defaulters, non-response to treatment) and encourage return to service, and other at-risk cases
• Ensure that all relevant information is collected for reporting purposes on a timely basis, and compile regular monitoring reports, as agreed with the Nutrition Manager and Officer
• Ensure that policies and guidelines as laid down in GOAL manuals and policies are adhered to at all times
• Ensure adherence to GOAL’s Code of Conduct and Child Protection Policy and standards of integrity, as well as uphold GOAL’s whistleblowing mechanisms of guidance.
• Programme and implementation SOPs and outreach materials as appropriate
• Other related tasks at the request of the Nutrition Officer.

Requirements (essential)

• Certificate or degree in relevant field (nutrition, health, science, or related relevant degrees)
• Experience of working in Syria, knowledge of Aleppo a distinct advantage
• Experience as a team member of working in community health or nutrition or other related health-related intervention.
• Good communication skills (written, spoken) in Arabic.
• Confident presentation and facilitation skills, experience in providing trainings is an advantage.
• Willingness to live and work in Aleppo, Syria at least five days a week
• Recipient of two doses of the COVID vaccine.

Requirements (desired)

• Enthusiastic, flexible about working long hours and keen to work hard to achieve the objectives of the programme
• Ability to work well and punctually under pressure.
• Soft Skills in coordination and networking with stakeholders including local government, nutrition sector actors, NGO partners and community leaders.
• Ability to commute and travel long distances.