Individual Consultant To Develop A Strategy To Prevent And Manage Teenage Pregnancy In Limpopo Province at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Purpose of consultancy:

• The purpose of the Terms of Reference is to appoint an Individual Consultant to develop a strategy and an advocacy brief to prevent and manage teenage pregnancy in Limpopo province.

Scope of work ((Description of services, activities, or outputs)
The successful consultant service is expected to work with the United Nations Population Fund South Africa Country Office, Office of the Premier, Provincial Department of Social Development, Department of Health, Department of Education and other stakeholder to do the following:

• Utilising the Limpopo Annual Work Plan, establish a strategy and identify partners for collaboration in the quest to mitigate teenage pregnancy in Limpopo province.
• Consult and collaborate with the relevant government departments, young people / youth sector, institutions of higher learning (i.e. University of Venda and University of Limpopo) for research data or evidence-based strategic information, and youth focal persons from the Office of the Premier and other government departments in the province.
• Develop a strategy aligned to OTF and Departmental priorities, activities and processes.
• Develop an implementation plan that includes completion of school by learners and that a plan that can easily be implemented by all partners and stakeholders.
• The Individual Consultant will be expected to develop the inception report, the strategy, Implementation plan and a conclusion report.

The Strategy and the Implementation plan should:  

• Include strategies for retention of girl child in school if they do become pregnant. 
• promoting dialogue amongst in the community on addressing teenage pregnancy
• Recognise and guide the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for adolescents to provide appropriate direction and guidance in sexual and reproductive matters.
• Ensure that the programmes and attitudes of health-care providers and social services providers do not restrict the access of adolescents to appropriate services (through implementation of Youth Zones in all healthfacilities) and the information they need (which at a minimum includes information on sexually transmitted diseases, sexual abuse and supportive services from respective departments). These services must safeguard the rights of adolescents and youth to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent, respecting cultural values and religious beliefs. 
•  Protect and promote the rights of adolescents and youth to reproductive health education, information and care and greatly
• reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies. Promote registration and utilisation of the B-wise platform.
• Support mechanisms for the education and counselling of adolescents and youth in the areas of gender relations and equality, violence against adolescents, responsible sexual behaviour, responsible family- planning practice, family life, reproductive health and rights, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and AIDS prevention.
• Ensure provision of programmes for the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse and other reproductive health services. Such
• programmes should provide information to adolescents and make a conscious effort to strengthen positive social and cultural values.
• Ensure that sexually active adolescents and youth are provided with special family-planning information, counselling and services, and those who become pregnant get special support from their families and community during pregnancy and early childcare.
• Promote programmes directed to the education of parents, with the objective of improving the interaction of parents and children to enable parents to comply better with their educational duties to support the process of maturation of their children, particularly in the areas of sexual behaviour and reproductive health.
• Develop a guideline on the referral of pregnant adolescents to relevant departments for further interventions especially the under 18 years.

Duration and working schedule:

The duration of the project will be four months, starting from 03 August 2023 when the contract is awarded and should be completed by 15 December 2023 Schedule of work:

• Inception briefing meeting with UNFPA and OTP and provincial government partners
• Review of guiding documents and inception meeting
• Submission of inception report with detailed work plan
• Coordinate virtual and in person consultation meetings with provincial and district focal persons
• Compile and submit first draft reports for review
• Present revised plans to the UNFPA, OTP and government partners and solicit feedback
• Develop an advocacy brief
• Final submission of strategy document and advocacy brief by 27 October 2023

Place where services are to be delivered:

• Consultancy will be mainly virtual and the initiation meeting as well as the closeout meetings will be hybrid. The consultant may be expected to travel to for consultations with the district partners however, this will be subject to the constraints imposed by the financial resources available. 

Supervisory arrangements:

• The consultant will be under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Adolescent and Youth program officer and will work closely with the, and OTP focal person, the Steering Committee and relevant government departments

Expected travel:

• The consultant is expected to work both remotely (off-site/virtually) and be available to travel for field work and stakeholders engagement as appropriate.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

The project requires a suitable Individual Consultant who has extensive knowledge on Teenage Pregnancy, Youth engagement, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Gender, HIV and Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The Individual Consultant may include co-consultants with the same expertise. The Individual Consultant must demonstrate the following attributes:

• Education: Post-graduate University Degree or equivalent in public
• health/sexual and reproductive health, medicine/social sciences,
• programme management, or other related field
• Extensive experience in strategy development for youth, teenage pregnancy and on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, and or Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
•  Demonstrate evidence in carrying out similar work assignments.
• Have a least 5 years of experience in management of Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programmes.
• Be familiar with government SRHR policies, systems and structures.
•  Excellent writing skills and development of reports.
• Familiarity with South African Government, UN development programmes will be an asset.
• Experience with UNFPA as well as supporting the National Department of Health or Department of Social Development or Department of Education.
• Capacity to produce quality content under short deadlines.
• Knowledge of key issues in the Youth Development sector