This exciting and important Tanzania-based position with foodwatershelter requires a Registered Nurse to facilitate an optimal standard of health and wellbeing for the vulnerable women, their children and orphaned children who reside at Kesho Leo children’s village. Two main components of the Kesho Leo community health program make this possible; health education/health promotion and the provision of basic health care and assessment through the Kesho Leo community health centre (CHC).
foodwatershelter (fws) has a unique opportunity to offer consistent and personalised health care, support, empathy and to ultimately protect and promote the health of all residents of Kesho Leo. In time, this healthcare will also be accessible to Kesho Leo workers and their families, neighbours and those who attend other Kesho Leo programs such as chekachea (kindergarten). When the CHC is established, the health team will work towards providing clinical services to the wider community of Sinoni, initially through the community outreach program. The education component will be focused on the Kesho Leo residents but will also be available to the wider community of Sinoni.
The current main objective of the Kesho Leo Health Manager (KLHM), is to recruit a Tanzanian counterpart (Registered Nurse) and work closely with her or him to consolidate the good work that has already occurred in establishing the CHC and the community outreach service. At present other responsibilities of the KLHM will be given lower priority. Due to this objective, we are seeking an experienced Registered Nurse for a short-term contract (3 months), with an option to extend. responsibilities
Domain 1: Clinical services:
- Provide health care including first aid, treatment of mild infections, regular health assessments for Kesho Leo Mama’s and children. In time, this clinical health care will be provided to the Kesho Leo workers and their families, neighbours and children attending Kesho Leo programs such as chekachea. We aim to provide this health care from our CHC to the wider community of Sinoni when our CHC is established (perhaps 2012/3)
- Provide support and follow up care to Kesho Leo mamas and children during times of illness or hospitalisation.
- Advocacy for Kesho Leo residents to receive better health care when negotiating the health system.
- Provide health care for volunteers including basic first aid, treatment of mild infections and support and advice as required.
- Provide outreach health services in collaboration with the HES (Health, Education and Social welfare) team.
Domain 2: Health policy:
- Policies are currently being developed and you will be instrumental in this process.
- Develop/review guidelines for appropriate referral to various health facilities in Arusha; including contact details and specialists available.
- Formulate/review Health Policy and Procedures for clinical services delivered in the CHC and volunteer village, including health outreach services.
- Respect and work towards fws policy of inclusion for children of all abilities. Liaise with HES team to best support children with special needs.
Domain 3: Equipment and supply management:
- The CHC has some supplies and equipment, but more is needed. You will be involved in deciding what is needed and from where we obtain it, taking sustainability issues into consideration at all times.
- Fit out CHC with equipment and supplies and develop stock inventory. Ensure CHC is stocked with working equipment, consumables and basic stock of antibiotics, pain relieving medicine, first aid and health assessment equipment.
- Ensure that the volunteer village health post is stocked with first aid equipment and basic medicines.
Domain 4: Health education/ health promotion:
- Conduct regular educational needs analysis and continue comprehensive health education classes for Kesho Leo mamas.
- Conduct a health education needs analysis for the wider community of Sinoni and provide/organise community education sessions every other month or so, with input from community elders and local health workers.
- Continue health education for the local primary school and the Kesho Leo checkechea (kindergarten).
- Work with local health services to source or create health literature in local Kiswahili language.
Domain 5: Source funding to ensure sustainability:
- Assist in the sourcing of funds for Kesho Leo Health Program, via the fws grants team and fws health manager.
- Source medical supplies in accordance with good practices in hygiene, waste minimisation, re-use and recycling when safe to do so, energy efficiency and waste disposal.
- Work with fws Sponsorships Program Manager to facilitate the creation of any material required for the marketing/maintenance of fws’s various sponsorship programs.
Domain 6: Networking:
- Network, research and liaise with community organisations and health facilities in Arusha area.
- Liaise with Tanzanian Ministry of Health to learn more about various policies and procedures such as regulations for the development and registration of health facility.
- Collaborate with the local Kesho management team and volunteers.
- Work closely with the HES team both in Kesho Leo and Australia to provide holistic, multidisciplinary care for vulnerable mama’s and children.
- Support the team to do site tours and media interviews as required.
Domain 7: Manage human resources:
- Source part – time Tanzanian nurse for clinical, education and health promotion services.
- Source consultant medical/health professionals from Tanzania or other countries to attend the Kesho Leo community health clinic for intermittent health assessment for mama’s and children, e.g. Visiting paediatrician, nutritionist, women’s health specialist...
Domain 8: Reporting:
- Provide written monthly reports on the health and wellbeing of all who access your clinical services, including regular assessments of all KL residents.
- Provide written monthly reports on education provided.
- Provide written monthly reports on finance – money spent on clinical needs, CHC equipment/supplies, education, infrastructure and consumables.
- Provide written monthly reports on all services accessed for clinical needs and all networking with other organisations.
key performance indicators
- House mamas and children will continue to be happy and healthy.
- Benefits of health education (especially the prevention message) will be evident through decrease in cases of disease affecting Kesho Leo residents.
- Decrease expenditure on treating preventable illness (i.e. less hospitalisation).
- Significant improvement in health of vulnerable children and orphans within two months of arriving at Kesho Leo children’s village.
- All mamas and children continue to have long-term health needs managed.
Working hours: * Full time (mostly Monday-Friday; however may include additional time facilitating community education, one Saturday every second month and some on-call nursing after hours).
- 3-month posting (available now) with an option to extend.
Package:
- Free accommodation (onsite)
- Monthly stipend (for long term volunteers)
skills & requirements:
- Registered nurse with varied background in many areas of nursing practice, not limited to practical ward nursing.
- Ability to be flexible and pioneering in relation to finding ways to improve the health of the community.
- Experience in health education, including ability to conduct an educational needs analysis.
- Knowledge of first aid and resuscitation, especially in resource poor areas.
- Experience in international health/development/public health a plus.
- Experience in paediatric nursing, women’s health and/or midwifery desirable.
- Some experience with HIV and/or tropical medicine an advantage
- Motivated, interested and keen to learn new skills.
- Must be able to work autonomously and as a team member as well as maintaining strong communication with the Kesho Leo Project Manager and the fws health manager.
- Patient, honest and trustworthy.
- Highly value the importance of confidentiality.
- Committed to achieving goals in timely manner.
- Easily develop rapport with Kesho Leo residents, fellow staff, community members and Australia based managers.
- Have an understanding of the various areas of fws sustainability and fws goals around those.
- Have an understanding of some of the difficulties in accessing health care in developing countries.
- Computer skills to enable satisfactory reporting, including health record keeping, development of budgets, emailing and ordering of medical supplies with use of spreadsheet.
- MS office skills a must.
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