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Information Communication Technology (ICT) Officer – Digital Health for Key Populations in HIV Care and Prevention – Abuja

Author admin Posted on

The Institute of Human Virology (IHVN) is a leading and reputable non-governmental organization addressing infectious and non-infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer through the provision of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, capacity building, research, and care and support services. IHVN is in partnership with local and international organizations and the different tiers of the government of Nigeria at national, state and local levels. The Institute’s vision is to be a leader in providing quality health services, capacity building and research in West Africa and beyond.

The Resilient HIV Implementation Science with Sexual & Gender Minority Youths using Evidence (RISE) study to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of the HealthMpowerment (HMP) mobile health application is a new 5-year NIH funded multi-country projected from UMB in collaboration with 5 clinical research performance sites (CRPS) across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa – Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia.

Job TitleInformation Communication Technology (ICT) Officer – Digital Health for Key Populations in HIV Care and Prevention  
Employment TypeFull-Time
LocationAbuja

Opening Date:       16th July 2024

Closing Date:         30th July 2024

Description and objectives:

IHVN is seeking a dedicated and passionate ICT Officer to join our team and play a crucial role in a groundbreaking project focused on improving HIV care and prevention among key populations through digital health interventions. The successful candidate will work closely with the healthcare providers, key population civil society organization, and Study and Data Coordinator to ensure that the digital health app is functioning and that the participants have access. The candidate will be responsible for managing the digital health app, providing trouble-shooting support, uploading new resources and information, tracking participant activity, etc.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead the day-to-day coordination and management of digital health app at the site level.
  • Track participant activity and engagement in the digital health app.
  • Upload new resources and information to the digital health app.
  • Maintain database for participant smartphone data top-ups and check for inconsistencies, duplicates, or missing data on a weekly basis.
  • Meet monthly with the digital health app central team.
  • Train healthcare staff and key population participants on the use of the digital health app, with support from the Study and Data Coordinator.
  • Ensure that project activities are executed in compliance with ethical guidelines and regulations.
  • Troubleshoot and maintain a log of issues with the mobile health app.
  • Assist participants in enrolling in the digital health app and maintain updated account information for each participant in REDCap.
  • Participate in team meetings and provide input on digital app activity and functioning.
  • Participate in the review of standard operating procedures (SOPs) established for digital health app management and functioning.
  • Lead data collection activities, such as participant enrollment and questionnaires as needed.

Required competencies

     Education

  • Bachelor’s degree in public health, digital technology, software development, communications, or a related field
  • Human subject protection and good clinical practice training

  Experience:

  • Strong understanding of digital health technologies and their application in healthcare settings.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, REDCap, cybersecurity, and programming languages, such as JavaScript or C++.
  • Experience with mobile app development a major plus.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with diverse communities.
  • Knowledge of ethical considerations related to working with key populations and vulnerable communities.
  • Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
  • Sensitivity to cultural and social issues impacting key populations in HIV care and prevention.

Equal employment opportunity statement:

IHVN is an equal employment employer. We do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, genetic information, or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable laws.

Mode of Application:  Please submit your application letter and detailed curriculum vitae as one Microsoft Word document with the position applied for and location well captured as the subject of the email to the Assistant Director, Human Resources, through this email address:[email protected].This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This advert closes 14 days from the date of this publication, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  

GBV Survivors Utilize IHVN Seed Funds for Financial Empowerment

Author admin Posted on

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2023 estimates, 31% of women in Nigeria have experienced physical violence since age 15. Gender-based violence (GBV) has been defined as “any violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, girls, men and boys.”

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) provides gender-based violence services such as HIV testing services, post-exposure prophylaxis for rape survivors mental health screening and psychosocial support screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and treatment for minor injuries. IHVN also provides pre-exposure prophylaxis for eligible survivors, emergency contraceptives to avoid unintended pregnancies in female survivors of childbearing age, tailored post-violence care services to clients who are undergoing intimate partner violence, and maintenance of an efficient referral system in our supported states to enhance referrals for non-clinical services like social support, legal counsel, and financial empowerment.

In December 2023, as part of programs to mark the 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence in women and girls, IHVN provided House Hold Economic Strengthening (HHES) interventions to about 20 indigent survivors of GBV across the four supported states. In the FCT, five gender-based violence survivors received the seed fund of ₦50,000.00 through New Hope Agency, a community-based organization to support their petty trades and increase their resilience.

A single thread that runs through the stories of the survivors is that of resilience to move beyond the pain that they have experienced to forge a new life for themselves and their children.

42-year-old Vashira Ezra shed tears of joy upon receipt of the funds. “I felt good and happy. I did not expect that one day, anybody would give me money to start anything.”

Vashira, who hails from Northeast Nigeria, but now lives in Abuja, Nigeria, decided to use the money for grain business. She bought freshly harvested guinea corn from a local market and is storing it till mid-2024 when she expects to make 70% profit from selling the grains.

“I chose the grain business because I have a passion for it. If I didn’t go for grain business, I would have spent the money anyhow. While growing up, my parents were in that line of business, and I saw how profitable it was.”

Vashira’s hopes are high that she will stabilize and expand the business from just guinea corn to other grains. In addition to selling grains, she does menial cooking jobs and hair braiding. She is optimistic that she will continue to move beyond the emotional hurt that she experienced when her partner and father of three children, abandoned her with nothing to fend for them.

Another beneficiary, Rebecca Akpan, who hails from South-South Nigeria and currently resides in Abuja, used the funds to start an akara (bean cake) business.

“I saw that if I sell close to a primary school close to where I reside in Jikwoyi, I’ll have a quick turnover. So, I bought beans, sieves, and pots, and started the business.

Every day, I grind one and a half mudus of beans. Sometimes, I fry potatoes along with it. Sometimes, I sell up to ₦7,000.00 daily. One thing I make sure to do is make a daily thrift saving,” she adds.

Besides selling akara, Rebecca is also learning how to make fabric bags and has big plans to expand the business. Being busy has given her some relief from the physical and emotional abuse that she has endured and focus on carving a better life for herself and her three children.

Agatha Jibrin, another beneficiary, used the funds to start buying and selling provisions like drinks, noodles, and biscuits. She was also able to repair her faulty fairly used grinding machine which she had obtained earlier, for a second income for grinding vegetables and grains in her neighborhood.

Agatha is from one of the North-Central States in Nigeria but now resides in Abuja.

Though the pain from the neglect of her partner who abandoned her and married her cousin is still there, with counseling and empowerment, she is moving on to work and take care of her three children.

“When I got the money, I felt like I was in heaven. Even though it was Christmas time, I was not tempted to use the money to buy things for my children. I bought drinks and sold them at a good price to attract more buyers,” she says.

Like the other beneficiaries, 43-year-old Cecilia Akwara, a mother of five, has received financial and psychosocial support after surviving physical and emotional abuse. Cecelia, who is from South-East Nigeria, lives in Abuja with her five children.  When she received the fund, she invested in making fascinators, head ties, and hats.

 “I like headwear and the creativity required in designing something new. Whenever I work on these fascinators, I feel happy. I find joy in it,” she says with a big smile. She uses the income from the fascinator and hat business to augment what she gets from working in a creche. After being deprived of the opportunity to work for more than 20 years by her partner, she is happy to work and looks forward to learning different styles of fascinators, and getting a shop to display and sell them.

The fund, though little, is changing the narrative for these women.

IHVN Gender-Based Violence Program Lead, Mrs. Derby Collins Kalu explains that, “the provision of the HHES was done to improve the lives of the survivors. We developed a set of criteria for selection of eligible survivors for the intervention. We adopted the use of HHES assessment tool but made a few modifications which included that the client is currently undergoing GBV and has reported this in the last one year

These beneficiaries have made tremendous progress and have recovered from emotional turmoil. The funds they received helped them to restart their businesses and improved the quality of their lives. The IHVN program is structured to provide both clinical and non-clinic post-violence care to survivors in the health facilities. We also program in the communities through partnership with Community Based Organizations to promote primary and secondary prevention of GBV for all post violence care survivors of GBV. Through Community Based Organization (CBOs), we also provide specialized age appropriate GBV prevention messages for adolescent and young people in the schools. We have equally integrated our GBV intervention program into the package of care for the key populations,” she says.

Vashira Ezra and her child pose for a picture with staff of New Hope Agency, the community-based organization IHVN supports to provide GBV services.
IHVN GBV Lead, Mrs. Derby Collins-Kalu presenting the seed fund to Agatha Jibrin in December 2023.
Cecilia Akwara displaying some fascinators she made.

State Clinical Mentor – Katsina State

Author admin Posted on

The Institute of Human Virology (IHVN) is a leading and reputable non-governmental organization addressing infectious and non-infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer through the provision of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, capacity building, research, and care and support services. IHVN is in partnership with local and international organizations and the different tiers of the government of Nigeria at national, state and local levels. The Institute’s vision is to be a leader in providing quality health services, capacity building and research in West Africa and beyond.

The National AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections Control and Hepatitis Programme (NASCP) is a Department of Public Health division in the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH). Its mandate is to coordinate the formulation and effective implementation of the Nigerian government policies, guidelines, and standard operating procedures to prevent new HIV infections and improve the existing treatment, care, and support for those already infected and affected by the virus. In collaboration with the USG, NASCP is implementing the first phase of National Clinical Mentoring in the HIV program in 19 Nigerian States for improved HIV service delivery.

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), in collaboration with SASCP, is seeking to recruit qualified persons in Katsina Stateto fill the following critical positions necessary for program implementation, as indicated below:

Job TitleState Clinical Mentor
Employment TypeFull-Time
LocationsKatsina State (1 Position)

Opening Date:       15th July 2024

Closing Date:         29th July 2024

Description and objectives:

Under the supervision of the Director of Public Health, the State clinical mentor will provide mentorship to healthcare workers in assigned facilities. S/He is expected to build the capacity of frontline Healthcare workers to provide quality HIV clinical services as part of a comprehensive package of care in both public and private facilities and communities. The candidate must be domiciled in the State and be conversant with the terrain.

Responsibilities:

  • Provide on-site clinical training to healthcare workers on HIV treatment according to the national guidelines, including adult and paediatric ART and treating tuberculosis and other opportunistic diseases.
  • Provide training through clinical consultation, assisting local healthcare workers in identifying key bottlenecks affecting patients’ access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and helping them with direct patient care as needed.
  • Provide continuous medical education (CME), which may include didactic training sessions for health professionals, as needed. All training will be in accordance with the national guidelines.
  •  Provide health worker capacity-building sessions using various methodologies (including project ECHO and low bandwidth video conferencing).
  • Assist, as requested, with facilitating sessions on the weekly ECHO videoconferencing sessions with health workers from various sites in the states.
  • Develop standard operating procedures for HIV clinical care at the health facility in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders. This may include troubleshooting problems with the patient flow, tracking defaulters, or clarifying referral pathways by developing appropriate algorithms.
  • Submit a monthly report on training and technical assistance activities, as well as findings and recommendations for strengthening services in the health facility and compliance with the national treatment guidelines.
  • Perform other duties related to clinical mentoring as assigned.

Required competencies

  1. Core requirements:
  2. Demonstrated coaching and mentoring ability.
  3. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with people of different backgrounds.
  4. Ability to apply problem-solving skills to ongoing challenges.
  5. Strong organizing, planning, and prioritizing skills
  6. Sensitivity to different cultural working environments
  7. Ability to analyze and interpret data and write reports.
  8. Capacity to operate as a team player in large, diverse teams and individually.
  9. Self-motivated with a strong work ethic.
  10. Proficiency in computers and software/applications such as presentation software, spreadsheets, and video conferencing.
  • Education and experience

Academic training:

  • Must possess a degree in Medical Sciences (MBBS or equivalent).
  • Postgraduate qualification/Masters level training in Public Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Obstetrics will be an advantage.
  • Must be registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and have evidence of current practising license.
  • Experience:
  • At least 3-5 years experience with clinical HIV and AIDS care, including the provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART)
  • Must have at least two years’ experience with program planning, assessment, and implementation of HIV clinical care programs.
  • Experience in the provision of HIV clinical training
  • Previous experience in HIV-related operational research is an advantage.
  • Good knowledge of current trends and normative guidance (national and international) in HIV clinical care and service delivery
  • Experience in coordinating multi-disciplinary HIV clinical teams for effective service delivery.
  • Willingness to travel to clinics and hospitals in assigned geographical areas within the State.

Equal employment opportunity statement:

IHVN is an equal employment employer. We do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, genetic information, or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable laws.

Mode of Application:

Please complete and submit your CV at this link:   Clinical Mentor

  Also Application letter and detailed curriculum vitae in Microsoft Word format should be forwarded to the Assistant Director, Human Resources, through this email address:[email protected].This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This advert closes 14 days from the date of this publication, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  

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