For every child.

UNICEF Sao Tome and Principe is transforming into an integrated programming focused on a holistic community-based approach that looks to the child and or adolescent/young people from a multi-deprivation lens, bringing more synergy and efficiency to the dissemination and engagement with the community. As part of the response, STP CO is developing a framework that: allows young people to participate in decisions that affect their lives, increase their access to all information and a platform gifted with secure and responsive mechanisms to deal with complaints and feedback.

The U-Report platform is a social monitoring tool designed for young people and other community members to strengthen community-led development, citizen engagement, and access to and use of real-time monitoring and participation platforms. It allows young people and the community to speak out through SMS through surveys and unsolicited messages about varied topics, including what is happening in their communities. It provides a forum to broaden their voices through local and national media and acts as a real-time citizenship data point for key stakeholders, service providers and decision-makers on the issues being addressed in communities. The platform also provides useful information to U-Report participants so that they can work for changes and improvements in their own locations.
In this regard, UNICEF Sao Tome and Principe will launch U-Report in December 2020 to strengthen the involvement and participation of young people in Sao Tome and Principe. The information gathered through U-Report will feed the UNICEF programs and the policy of the Government of Sao Tome and Principe, the National Youth Policy and Strategy and the National Action Plan for Youth, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in September 2020.

How can you make a difference?

Objective:

The overall objective of the assignment is to in coordination with the National Steering Committee, the consultant is expected to support the country to develop and implement U-Report strategy and scale up the initiative amongst the youth and adolescent population. There needs to be a concrete plan to reach into communities, gather relevant information, and to use it to empower the target public, and families, to address issues relevant to children and adolescents, as well as to use this information to exert influence at local and national level stakeholders as part of a larger governance and accountability strategy. The consultant is also expected to ensure that information collected feeds into UNICEF’s and partners’ programmatic goals.

Scope of work (– specific tasks):

• Support the development and implementation of U-Report STP national strategy in the country, in accordance with the Regional and National Concept Notes, and in coordination with the National Steering Committee. This includes recruitment, engagement, and positive change, ensuring data collected through U-Report informs the response of UNICEF, its partners and key decision-makers.
• Give training to the Steering Committee and support the coordination of its activities.
• As part of infobots’ development, create and continuously update country-specific information relevant to young people, in coordination with program sections within UNICEF, the youth Institute and other members of the Steering Committee.
• Schedule polling/chatbot questions in coordination with members of the steering committee and other related sections, according to the country's data and greatest needs.
• Lead the creation of data points at the national level in coordination with program sections within UNICEF and other members of the Steering Committee and support the harmonization of common data points at the regional level.
• Undertake the day to day management of U-Report STP, including creating polls, BOTs and managing Live Chats as appropriate.
• Demonstrate the construction of communication flows for rapid-pro polls.
• Demonstrate the best ways to interact on the Facebook and U-report website.
• Demonstrate the management of U-Report polls (align with global law dates and campaigns).
• Assist in setting up the launch of U-Report STP in coordination with the UNICEF CO Youth and Adolescent section. This includes the design of an awareness-raising and advocacy plan to run communication campaigns across all relevant media outlets as well as strategies for reaching venues of community activism and dialogue.
• Implement, test, and launch U-Report STP according the country planning.
• Assist in setting up the U-Report website (from template), keeping it updated with information useful to U-Reporters and partners.
• Ensure compliance of Standard Operating Procedures relevant at the national level to be followed by all users of the U-Report platform (i.e. RapidPro and U-Partner).
• Develop measures to address critical unsolicited messages and questions raised by adolescents/youth; selected programs/partners’ priorities, and capacities.
• Create a roadmap for integrating U-Report into common/shared initial set of priorities that are in line with key partner priorities.
• Monitor, evaluate and analyze the project according to the agreed M&E framework.
• Monitor U-Report initiatives on a daily basis during the consulting period, through the review of incoming messages, feedback, consultative meetings and/or information exchange with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely actions to resolve issues and/or consult relevant employees for timely resolution during the consulting period.
• Support the creation and management of complaint and feedback mechanism through U-Report.
• Set up a system to ensure that the information collected via U-Report STP is available to the program sections its partners and key decision-makers to guide their activities.
• Provide recommendations on scale/innovative campaigns and data display on the U-Report website.
• Ensure that project deliverables are provided on time and budget.
• Give training to the national coordinator

Expected Deliverables & Work Schedule:

• Contextualized U-Report STP strategy and documentation (guidelines & standards).
• U-Report Website up and running.
• Steering committee established.
• Initial flow development according to agreed content and data points for polls, infobots, protection and emergency preparedness messages and others.
• Awareness-raising and advocacy plan developed and approved by CO.
• Follow up the completion of the website of U-Report STP according to country planning.
• Partners trained and using U-Report and U-Partners, as relevant.
• Feedback loops established within UNICEF STP CO and partners.
• Final Output/Product
• U-Report STP established in country and being used by multiple sections and partners of UNICEF and others UN Agencies for accountability to affected populations and program delivery.

Source:https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/536585