National Individual Consultancy- Social Norms, Accra- Ghana (14 Months)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, safe sanitation 

With 18% Ghanaians still practising Open Defecation (OD) and some 47% using shared or public toilet facilities, scaling up sanitation in Ghana has been a major challenge. One of the overarching hurdles has been the lack of concerted effort in mobilizing stakeholders including traditional leaders and local authorities from district, regional and national levels for strict implementation of housing codes to ensure that no house is built without an improved toilet facility. The situation is further compromised in some areas by the continuous demand for public latrines from communities, and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) positive response. Furthermore, the WASH sector has not been strategic about the engagement of stakeholders such as masons, chiefs, traditional councils, regional and national houses of chiefs, and religious leaders in sanitation programmes.

Through the Sanitation and Housing Integration Project for Scale (SHIP4S), the Project seeks to address the persistent challenges faced by the sanitation sector in accelerating access to sanitation services by strengthening the linkage between sanitation (improved toilets) and housing. This will be done through the mobilization of both traditional and non-traditional key actors and stakeholders particularly traditional rulers or chiefs, traditional councils, Regional and National House of Chiefs, related Government Ministries/Departments, Assembly members and homeowners to run a consistent campaign against having or building houses without improved latrines. This is to create new norms for having improved latrines in housing and ultimately deliver sanitation at scale.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF now seeks to engage the services of an individual consultant to support a Social Norms drive targeted at making the ownership and habitation of a house without a toilet a negative social norm similar to open defecation.   In specific terms, the Consultant will be required to carry out the following broad activities :

• In collaboration with SBC, develop a strategy with activities focusing on making toilets an integral part of houses, a Social Norm (SN)
• Support training of MMDA staff on use of existing and new SN materials
• Document outcomes of sanitation and housing campaign
• Support engagements and orientation of National and Regional Houses of Chiefs as well as local councils of Chiefs  and Religious leaders in selected MMDAs on promoting toilets construction in all houses

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in  development studies, or international development or related field. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of five [5] years of relevant professional experience in behaviour change communication.
• Knowledge of the sanitation sector would be an asset 
• Fluency in English is required

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

  To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

  UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.