IMA World Health Tanzania-based Consultant Scope of Work:
Technical Lead for Strengthening Health Systems for Safer Childbirth in Tanzania Initiative
(Private Sector Donor Opportunity)
Consultancy Dates: September 27 – October 31, 2021
LOE: Not to exceed 20 days
Scope of Work:
Reporting to Senior Technical Director for Health in close coordination with IMA Country Director in Tanzania to help position IMA in Tanzania and lead technical content development for a strong submission in response to a call for Expressions of Interest in support of strengthening systems for safer childbirth. Candidates should have strong experience in Maternal and Child Health programming in Tanzania.
Specific responsibilities could include, but not be limited to:
- Review and consider a soon to be released call for EOIs in support of strengthening systems for safer childbirth (Release date: September 27, 2021), with the Tanzania context in mind for an IMA proposed project implementation over 2-3 years in the $2-$2.5 million range.
- Meet with IMA staff in Tanzania to better understand the local capacities of IMA, as well as gaps in current project initiatives that could be addressed with new investments in local capacity building for safer childbirth and aligned with what IMA expects from the upcoming call for Expressions of Interest, as per the attached background notes. Meetings to be held with key staff including IMA’s Country Director, IMA Project Coordinator for PS3+ project initiative, IMA partner contact for the MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience Initiative (MIHR) in Tanzania or others as suggested by Country Director.
- Conduct desk research on county-level data and policy strategy documents needed to fill in or validate IMA’s identified gaps and better understand the context that could justify a new investment for local capacity strengthening leading to strengthened systems for safer childbirth in Tanzania. This may also include assessment of how a new project would collaborate with other donor-funded MNH efforts in the country (in addition to MIHR).
- Consider sub-national regions in Tanzania that a new project implementation could target based on discussions with IMA project staff above.
- Consider whether a new project initiative should target public or private sector health networks based on IMA local/preferred partners with compelling needs.
- Identify and interview relevant MoH partners and relevant IMA health network/HF partners that could participate as coordinating or implementing partners.
- Assess opportunities for inclusion of women in decision-making and design.
- Research and set meetings with private sector/businesses/companies that could offer innovative engagement in a system strengthening for safer childbirth initiative including but not limited to digital data management, digital solutions contributing to safer childbirth systems, financial services, medical supplies/services, etc.
Deliverables (Due dates TBD based on EOI deadline and internal proposal calendar):
- Organize preliminary design discussions with relevant IMA staff and partners to inform narrative content for IMA EOI submission.
- Content for use in IMA’s technical narrative EOI submission including but not limited to:
- Project justification for investment in local capacity building for safer childbirth systems in Tanzania
- Proposed project target zone of implementation
- Proposed project coordinating or implementing partners
- High level project objectives and illustrative activities
- Brief narrative explanations of how the project would address:
- Local capacity building
- Inclusion of women in decision-making/design
- Digital Solutions
- Innovation
- Private Sector linkages for sustainability
OPPORTUNITY BACKGROUND:
- Merck’s Strengthening Systems for Safer Childbirth initiative will launch virtually on September 14 during an anniversary celebration for Merk for Mothers (MfM), and it will include a call for EOIs that will be open to new partners. (Corus has already been invited to the event through an invitation MfM shared with IMA Foundations and MIHR staff.)
Strengthening Systems for Safer Childbirth will focus on three key areas:
- Local capacity/empowerment of local organizations to identify local challenges and solutions (this may include INGO support for local capacity strengthening/sub-granting, including strengthening organizational, technical and financial capacity to apply for and receive grants/funding from private organizations)
- Digital solutions for improved delivery of care, use of data
- Equity and women’s inclusion (ensuring women’s voices are part of program design)
Other key considerations that will impact funding decisions:
- Innovation and innovative solutions (not only digital innovation, but innovative approaches and partnerships to address challenges)
- potential for private sector partnership as a key sustainability measure (this may include partnership with social enterprises, such as LifeBank in Nigeria that delivers medical and blood supplies)
- multisectoral integration, and buy-in for inclusive practices to ensure women’s participation
- interest in expanding support for vulnerable populations. In this respect, MIHR is highly relevant given its focus on fragile settings and hard to reach or underserved populations.
- We expect investment levels in the $1 - $3 million range over multiple years (it is not yet decided how long)
- Geographic priorities currently include Kenya, India and Nigeria, but they are open to other countries where we can demonstrate an enabling environment that will support sustainability or private sector investment and most importantly, need (this may mean MIHR Sahel countries would be less appealing?); MfM has supported programming in DRC and Tanzania as well. Unknown if they will support multi-country investments at this time.
- They will be attracted to projects that offer co-investment or leveraging of resources (such as with USAID through MIHR) and will appreciate understanding the amount of funding it could leverage. Funding will be catalytic to push the envelope and maximize the impact of existing investments.
- Will also appreciate understanding scale of reach (# of women).
- Working in support of relevant SDGs Agenda 2030
IMA’s Momentum Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) initiative is currently addressing safer deliveries with improved digital data management through use of safe childbirth checklists and postnatal care checklists; promoting childbirth with skilled birth attendants; supporting self-care interventions to bring services closer to communities and embedding “experience of care” practices to ensure women’s inclusion; and support to HCFs and promotion of lifesaving access to Misoprostal or other quality of care improvements. These interventions should be considered as potential leverage for a submission to Merck.
How to apply;
To apply please send your cover letter and CV to tzrecruitment@imaworldhealth.org by no later than 21st September 2021. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.