Nutrition & Hygiene Promoter Assistants at COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale

COOPI in Nigeria
COOPI started its operations in North-East Nigeria in July 2014 to carry out a rapid evaluation of the most relevant constraints suffered by the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) displaced by the food crisis and the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.

The COOPI Nigeria Field Office is located in Potiskum, Yobe State, in order to cover five LGAs in Yobe State and to provide direct assistance to the IDPs and their hosting communities, through a multi-sectorial programme covering Food Security, Nutrition and Child Protection interventions. COOPI's capacity to respond to the humanitarian situation in the country is confirmed by its experience in providing humanitarian aid in more than 24 other Countries around the World, in over 50 years of operations.

Scope of the Vacancy
The Nutrition & Hygiene Promoter Assistants will be responsible for planning and implementation of nutrition and hygiene education activities in COOPI’s food security and nutrition operation area in Yobe and Borno states focusing on IDPs and vulnerable host communities. They will ensure comprehensive mobilisation of the community for nutrition screening of children under five, forming and monitoring care support groups, IYCF training. 

Main Duties / Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Nutrition Officer and in collaboration with the Project Managers, Field Coordinators, and other collaborators of the projects and of the Base, they will:

• Perform screening of the nutritional status of children under five in their designated locations and refer SAM cases to health/CMAM centres
• Coordinate and collaborate with community mobilisers’ team leaders and lead mothers of care groups in implementing follow-up of referred SAM cases
• Follow up with the new admission of malnourished children
• Ensure liaison with existing community structures, (groups and individuals, women groups, religious leaders where possible.
• Collect and track weekly data at community level, including the results of MUAC screening during house-to-house visits, in accordance with COOPI standard nutrition statistical reporting forms
• Submit weekly nutrition and health report to the Nutrition Officer for onward sharing with the  Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
• Carry out the day-to-day Hygiene Promotion activities
• Provide training on nutrition (IYCF) and hygiene practices
• Distribution of hygiene items
• Follow referrals of all severely malnourished children to the stabilization center
• Keep defaulter tracing for malnourished children
• Report any problems in a timely manner to the Nutrition Officer or the Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
• Participate in the field work of the nutrition survey (impact assessment)
• Conducting cooking demonstrations

Additional responsibilities
This job description is not intended to be all inclusive and the employee will also perform other related tasks as required and assigned by his/her supervisor.

Profile of the Candidate (Education, Training, Competences, Skills)

Minimum Requirements:

• Nutrition and Health qualifications (Diploma/degree)
• Share the humanitarian mission of the organization
• Good communication skills
• Ability to communicate with vulnerable populations
• Proven experience in related field
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Accuracy and promptness in performing duties
• English writing and speaking skill preferred

Desired Competencies / Skills:
Essential
Professional, motivated, open, creative, mature, responsible, flexible and culturally sensitive

Preferred

• Previous experience in similar roles in a humanitarian set up
• Good knowledge of the intervention area/s and local context
• Knowledge of the local language (Hausa/Kanuri)