Block Coordinator- VL – Care India

CARE is a not-for-profit organisation working in India for over 70 years, focusing on alleviating poverty and social injustice. We do this through well-planned and comprehensive projects in health, education, livelihoods and disaster preparedness and response. Our overall goal is the empowerment of women and girls from poor and marginalised communities leading to improvement in their lives and livelihoods.

During FY 2020-21, CARE India directly reached out to 52.7 million people through 53 programmes across 18 states, covering more than 130+ districts. We are part of the CARE International Confederation, working in 100 countries for a world where people live with dignity and security.

CARE India seeks a world of hope, tolerance, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security.

Our goal is to ensure that women and girls from the most marginalized communities are empowered, live in dignity and their households have secure and resilient lives. CARE India aims to accomplish this goal by working with 50 million people to help them have quality health, education, livelihoods and overcome the effects of disasters.

Our employees are committed to CARE’s values, Code of Conduct, and safeguarding commitments towards a safe workplace for all, including the principle of ‘do no harm’. They are also responsible to uphold and strengthen our safeguarding commitments in their role. To know more about our safeguarding policies please visit our website link given below.

Position: Block Coordinator- VL
Grade/Level I
Project/Unit VL Phase II
Reports to: District Program Officer-VL
Location: Any block of districts of Bihar
Project Duration: 1 year

Skill
Minimum Qualification
B.SC. – BACHELOR OF SCIENCEPG DIPLOMA IN PUBLIC HEALTH & NUTRITION

Project Background 
A Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) was signed between Government of Bihar (GoB) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in 2010, based on which BMGF agreed to provide technical support and assistance to GoB to improve Health and Nutrition outcomes across the State. As part of this MoC, a Technical Support Unit (TSU) was established in 2013 with CARE India as the lead development partner. The Bihar TSU aimed to support the Health and Social Welfare (ICDS) Departments of the GoB in their endeavour to achieve rapid and sustainable change in Health and Nutrition. The TSU targets providing specific technical support to Government of India’s (GoI) RMNCH+A campaign, GoB’s Manav Vikas Mission Goals and Kala-Azar elimination goals across the State.

“In the next phase of, TSU will target people within the system with range of different types of intervention, to shape leadership and governance, build technical/managerial/data skills, co-design tools, processes, pilots with them, hardwire research into the core decision making processes, use measurement increasingly as a mirror and learning intervention, and draw on the wealth of experience accumulating with the team on the ground to inform policy making and strategy design.” As a part of the agreement between GoB and BMGF, Bihar TSU has established District Resource Unit (DRU) in all the districts to provide technical support at district level. The DRU would function as a Platform to enable structured delivering of program intervention and ensure that there is alignment with government priorities.

As a part of the agreement between GoB and BMGF, Bihar TSU has established a State Resource Unit (SRU) and District Resource Units (DRU) in all the districts to provide technical support at district level. The SRU is designed to provide high quality technical assistance to the Health and ICDS departments in the pursuit of achieving state goals in the full range of domain areas in the mandate of the TSU, including but not restricted to reproductive, maternal and child health and nutrition and visceral leishmaniosis. The DRU will provide structured support to district and block level teams of the Health and ICDS departments for all program operations in the same domains.

The grant aims to create a system to manage VL better. Capacitate the Government to run the created system.

ELEMINATE VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS (KALA AZAR)

With a long history of being a credible, successful partner of the government and with a recognized role in health in Bihar, Jharkhand and India, CARE will provide strategic leadership and implement the VL control activities across the States in close partnership with respective departments in Government of Bihar and Jharkhand and the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP).

Job Summary
The BC-VL will support the VL Control activities – especially Active case detection, KAMIS updating and effective IRS. S/he will be responsible for ensuring the availability of quality VL services at the Health facilities. S/he will liaise with health functionaries, partners and development agencies in the Blocks for ensuring synergy between VL Control Activities Program and all other health interventions working at outreach and facility level.

Contract / Key Relationships 
The BC-VL will report to DPO VL. S/he will also work closely with the Government counter parts including MOICs, BHM, Malaria Inspector, MTS, KA Camp-In charge and KTS S/he to ensure effective implementation of VL control activities in the assign Block.

Key Responsibilities
The primary duties and responsibilities of the Block Coordinator – VL will include the following but not be restricted to:

• Work closely with Medical Officer in Charge (MOIC) and Kala Azar Technical Supervisors to support IRS, Case detection and KAMIS activities.
• Liaise with MOICs, BHM, BCM, MTS, Malaria Inspector, KTS and KA Camp in charge to support VL activities and provide techno-managerial support at Block level.
• Lead, support and ensure high coverage and quality of IRS activities through team of Squad Member and in close coordination with Block officials.
• Oversee adequate organization of patient services for VL at PHC/SDH/DH (Patient flow, diagnostics, drug supplies, incentives) and Coordinate with Lab Tech, BHM, MOIC and DPO VL for above.
• Enhance the use of data for program management by health functionaries at Block level.
• Coordinate with Kala-Azar Technical Supervisor, Malaria Inspector and KA Camp in charge, LT – for micro planning for IRS, patient follow-up and treatment completion records.
• Ensure adequate maintenance of VL Offline/Online KAMIS.
• Facilitate and participate in Block and District level training, orientation program.
• Facilitate and strengthen different block level meeting and program.
• Ensure patient follow-up and geo tagging.
• Build capacity and strengthen knowledge base of MPW, FLWs on an ongoing basis through training,
• Meeting and mentorship.
• Identification, capacity building and follow-up of key informer.
• Contribute to research activities as per requirement.
• Awareness generation through ASHA/ANM/key informer Community meeting about Kala Azar.
• Support in other project activities as per requirement.
• Travel up to 90% of the time.

Qualification & Experience
Essential:

Bachelor’s / Master’s Degree in any discipline.

Preferred: 

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of health programs.
• Experience of supporting block level implementation.
• Experience of working with the National Programs at Block level, especially VL.
• Aspirants should have valid driving license along with own motor bike.

Skills & Competencies 

• Ability to multi-task and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrate integrity and honesty.
• Proven ability to identify problem areas, analyse, plan, innovate and execute ideas, as well as impart knowledge and skills.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize Government systems to strengthen national programs.
• Demonstrated ability to identify programmatic issues that require immediate attention, prioritize and take appropriate and timely action
• Demonstrates efficient decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel extensively (90%) within assigned Block and villages and gather first-hand information from community.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated learning agility, pro-activeness and openness to embrace new technologies at work.
• Working knowledge of Basic Computer Operations.
• Ability to function effectively as a team member and respect diversity in a team.
• Willingness and ability to learn and support learning in peers.
• Ability to meet hard timelines while working on different assignments simultaneously.
• A team player following model codes of conduct and behaviour ensuring gender and rights-based approaches at the workplace.
• Ability to read, write and speak Hindi/ local language of Bihar.