Organization: UNV – United Nations Volunteers
Location: Kenya
Grade: Volunteer – National Youth – Locally recruited Volunteer
Occupational Groups:
Social Affairs
Legal – Broad
Political Affairs
Closing Date: 2024-10-10
Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF’s activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.
Context
The social protection sector in Kenya in the last decade has expanded despite the low coverage, the government is committed to build inclusive social protection systems. Notably, the Kenya National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) the guiding framework for development of an integrated social protection system in Kenya, comprising of policies and programmes in four areas: income security, social health protection, shock responsive social protection and complementary programmes. The new operational definition is aligned with the four pillars put forward in the revised policy which translate Kenya’s vision of a comprehensive social protection system, therefore, comprises public actions which address not only income poverty and economic shocks, but also social vulnerability, considering the inter-relationship between exclusion and poverty.
Social protection is increasingly recognized as an important tool to reduce vulnerability and chronic poverty as well as essential response to shocks experiencing these years and the sector greatly expanded in Kenya in the last decade. The Kenya Social Protection Policy (NSPP) is the guiding framework for development of an integrated system in the country, comprising of policies and programmes in three areas: social assistance, social insurance, and social health insurance . In 2013, the Government of Kenya (GoK) launched a National Safety Net Programme (NSNP), that consolidates the four major government-led cash transfer programs and provide support to more than one million vulnerable households. The four cash transfer programs include the 2005 Orphans and Vulnerable Children Cash Transfer program (CT-OVC), the 2007 Hunger Safety Net Program (HSNP), the 2008 Older Persons Cash Transfer program (OP-CT), and the 2011 Persons with Severe Disability Cash Transfer program (PWSD-CT).
Scope of Work:
Summary: Under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist (NICHE) in consultations with the NICHE National Coordinator at the Directorate of Children Services, the National UN Volunteer will provide technical support to the State Department for Social Protection through the Direcotrate of Children Services (DCS), particularly focused on providing coordination and implementation support to the Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE) programme. The Social Policy Volunteer will also work in collaboration with county governments and other partners to ensure successful implementation of the Cash Plus programme.
Task description
Under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist (NICHE), in conusltations with the NICHE National Coordinator at the Directorate of Children Services, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:
i. Support the State Department in identifying and developing tools and systems for data collection and compilation, including data analysis and visualisations of indicators be-tween the NICHE programme.
ii. Support the State Department to help develop and implement a strategy for elevating the important role of NICHE in delivering on the Government’s priorities.
iii. With support from the Social Policy Specialist, assist the State Department in collat-ing data for tracking costs for the different components of NICHE in its expansion are-as.
iv. Support the Directorate of Children Services and the Directorate of Social Develop-ment in managing and curating all relevant documentations regarding the implementa-tion of NICHE.
v. Support the monitoring of the functionality of the NICHE MIS feedbacking to the NICHE national coordinator at the State Department for Social Protection on the usa-bility and reporting partterns.
vi. Support the State Department in tracking and convening the Quarterly National NICHE Advisory Committee meetings and the monthly NICHE secretariat meetings in addition to tracking the action points for implementation.
vii. Support the National Coordinator to track county NICHE coordination meetings and documentation of programme minutes and actions trackers.
viii. In coordination with other UNICEF staff, the UNV shall act as UNICEF’s Technical li-asons person to the State Department of Social Protection, in particular for the roll-out and expansion of cash plus programmes including NICHE, CT-OVC, PwSD-CT among others.
ix. Any other related support assignment as may be requested by the Social Policy spe-cialist in consultations with the NICHE National Coordinator at the Directorate of Chil-dren Services.