Technician ‘WASH on Wheels Project’ 150 views

About NALA

 NALA works to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases in Ethiopia, specifically hygiene-related diseases that are common in areas with limited access to clean water and sanitation. NALA’s disease prevention model complements drug distribution campaigns with targeted health education, community mobilization, and improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. NALA intervention models empower communities to take the lead in promoting behavioral change and in improving WASH; increasing sustainability beyond the end of the different project. In addition, NALA’s locally-based solutions have resulted in a measurable reduction in the prevalence of disease in our project areas. As a result of NALA’s successful work, the Ministry of Health invited NALA to provide technical assistance to the National NTD Control Program, as well as coordination support to regional-level governments. The Ministry also requested special attention and implementation support for disease “hot spots,” areas where disease burden is especially high. NALA’s work has span for many years and focuses on schools, communities and capacity building and policy work both at the federal and regional levels.

 About the project

 “WASH on Wheels”— Improving WASH Access in Schools

In Ethiopia, only 23% of schools have access to water, and only 40% have sanitation services. This absence of sufficient WASH services puts children at risk for several NTDs, as well as other WASH-related illnesses. In October 2019, NALA organized an intensive WASH assessment of schools in one of our project areas in southern Ethiopia. This zone is considered a “hot spot” for NTDs such as schistosomiasis, trachoma, STH, LF, and others. The scoping team reported that a basic level of WASH infrastructure actually existed in several schools, though it was mostly non-operational. The infrastructure had been built in the past by different international or local partners, but unfortunately the facilities had not been maintained. Their evaluation highlighted two important causes of WASH failure in the schools: 1) poor maintenance due to lack of knowledge, lack of materials, or de-prioritization and 2) an absence of behaviour change to reinforce the use and sustainability of the facilities. In their post-trip report, the scoping team also expressed that most of the infrastructure could be easily fixed with the right tools, knowledge, and motivation.

For this reason, NALA is to launch “WASH mobile clinics” (or WASH on wheels) staffed by both skilled technicians and trained community workers. The WASH clinics (vehicle) will travel to different schools and fulfil two different but interrelated objectives: 1) improving WASH access in the schools, and 2) inspiring hygiene-related behaviour change amongst the school community.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The post requires strong familiarity and substantial experience in construction as well as provision of technical advisory related to the construction of WASH facilities. The potential post holder should also be familiar with project cycle and management as well as be able to actively participate in the identification and pursuit of strategic options for the WOW project.

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES

 The post holder will generally be in charge of maintaining the WASH facilities in schools supported by ‘WASH on Wheels’ project and her/his key responsibilities will include, maintaining the WASH facilities providing training, and ensuring access to WASH facilities progress on targets.Some of the key responsibilities are:

• Participate in the implementation of WASH needs assessments and assessment of WASH facilities to be maintained in schools.
• Maintenance or rehabilitation of sanitation facilities (latrines, pits, and more).
• Maintenance or rehabilitation of drinking water infrastructures (hand dugwells, boreholes, pipe network, reservoir, drinking water treatment devices, and more).
• Enhance the ability of local experts to address WASH maintenance issues.
• Provide training for WASH fellows on how to identify and fix frequent WASH maintenance problems as well as prioritize hygiene education and practice at school level.
• Assess existing WASH infrastructure and provide quick fix and guidance on alternative solutions as needed.
• Provide regular supervision of WASH infrastructure maintenance and improvement work.
• Make sure that the type, quality and quantity of materials delivered to construction sites by suppliers and sub-contractors are up to standard.
• Ensure access to handwashing that is accessible and inclusive to all students.
• Work closely with the relevant stakeholders and government agencies to implement the project; mainly education bureaus and schools as well as the relevant health bureaus.
• Conduct multi-sectoral advocacy events and trainings to government and community representatives.
• Ensure that targeted schools lead WASH improvement campaigns, sanitation is better-managed in those schools and students have a healthier learning environment.
• Conduct joint monitoring and evaluation in targeted areas and schools.
• Ensure that local experts could address WASH issues efficiently by strengthening the coordination between WASH, health, and education actors in the project area.
• Participate on the development of a technical manual that will be distributed to district offices and serve as a reference guide for all relevant partners.
• Submit regular reports to the project manager.

Reports to:  Project Manager

Duty Station:  Regional (Amhara or SNNPR with frequent travel within and between the two regions)

Number of Positions: Two

 Employment Duration: Immediate start –one-year contract with a 1-month trial period.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

•  At least 3 years’ experience in the WASH sector, such as WASH Engineer or WASH Assistance andfully aware of the technical details of WASH facilities.
• Diploma or degree in Water Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and other related subjects.
• Knowledge about WASH, NTDs and SAFE strategies.
• Experience with school, health or WASH initiatives is an advantage.
• Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising high workload and multiple tasks in a high paced environment with tight deadlines.
• Willing to travel across the project implementation areasi.e., Amhara and SNNP regions.
• Experience communicating with remote teams including using file sharing (drop box/google drive/jumbo mail etc.), voice over IP applications (WhatsApp, Viber, Skype etc.)
• Computer literate, including good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

COMPETENCIES

• Is self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling NALA’s values.
• Is honest, encourages openness and transparency and demonstrates highest levels of integrity.
• Thinks and acts strategically and ensures that activities are prioritized and aligned within an agreed strategy.
• Communicates clearly and works effectively with a wide range of people to reach common understanding.
• Is fluent in English, Amharic, and preferably other regional working languages and is able to communicate freely (written and orally).
• Able to juggle multiple activities at the same time.