Progressio has made a significant contribution to international development and human rights for more than seventy years. We support poor and marginalised people, especially women, to empower themselves – People Powered Development – by placing development workers to share skills in nine countries, and through our international policy, advocacy and campaigning. Progressio has Catholic roots and works with people of all faiths and none.
Communications and Advocacy Adviser
Malawi Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA)
Based in Lilongwe, Malawi (with regular travel across the country to the CSONA members)
One year placement (with the possibility of renewal)
The Development Worker (DW) will work alongside the Malawi Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), facilitating the capacity building of its Secretariat, and assisting the Alliance to develop a country specific advocacy strategy and campaign to increase coverage of nutrition issues in the media.The DW will engage with the media both at national and sub-national level, and assist in the formation of advocacy campaigns, geared towards strengthening Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) commitments made by leaders at national level. S/he is expected to build information for influencing debate and advocacy campaigns for decision making at national and district level, as well as support the Secretariat in developing a project proposal to help the Alliance advance its advocacy efforts.
The DW will identify capacity gaps with the Alliance for improved and effective coordination and coherence of nutrition programmes and issues for advocacy in Malawi. S/he will also facilitate trainings for the CSONA member organisations, including on the promotion of nutrition specific and sensitive interventions, at both district and national levels.
BACKGROUND TO PROGRESSIO
Progressio is a UK-based charity working internationally to enable poor and marginalised people in developing countries to challenge and change the situations that keep them poor. We currently work on people’s rights, development and environment in nine countries and have a long history of working in fragile, post-conflict and authoritarian states. We work with people of all faiths and none.
Progressio works in long-term partnerships with local pro-poor organisations and community groups in the global South. We provide training, advice and support through specialist development workers (DWs) and consultants, most from the global South. They know what works and help our partner organisations find lasting solutions to the problems that poor communities face. We also send committed young adults from the UK to engage alongside local volunteers in community development work, through the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme. DWs, Consultants and ICS volunteers help thousands of people in some of the world’s poorest communities to make lasting improvements to their lives.
Because poverty is about unequal power relations and lack of rights, we support poor and marginalised people to empower themselves to change the structures that keep them in poverty. We help strengthen their call for change locally as well as in the UK and mainland Europe. With our supporters, we stand alongside poor communities in demanding that decision-makers give priority to those with least power and least wealth. For more information please visit: www.progressio.org.uk
BACKGROUND TO THE PARTNER ORGANISATION
CSONA aims to facilitate civil society organisations (CSOs) to take a leading role in influencing and supporting national efforts through meaningful dialogue and advocacy with stakeholders, including government, donors and the private sector, and thus contribute to a successful roll-out of national nutrition strategies. In Malawi, CSOs have mostly been involved in implementation of nutrition interventions, with little focus on advocacy for increased resource allocation for nutrition.
CSONA, which is currently being housed at Concern Worldwide’s offices in Malawi, was formed in 2013 with support from the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) for SUN. CSONA is a membership based organisation, which currently has 26 CSOs, a Secretariat made up of two people and an interim committee, made up of representatives of member organisations. CSONA is scheduled to register itself as an independent body in the coming years. The primary expected outcomes for the MPTF grant are:
§ Improved coordination and coherence of nutrition programming and policy through the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform for nutrition
§ Increased resource allocation for nutrition
§ Strengthened coordination and delivery of nutrition services at the district level.
BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT
Although there have been improvements in maternal and child malnutrition in Malawi, malnutrition remains high, with 47% of children stunted, 14% underweight and 4% wasted. A reduction in maternal and child malnutrition through adequate nutrition is a pre-requisite in achieving the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, as well as the Millennium Development Goals. The Malawi National Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan clearly stipulates the strategic and standardised steps needed for effective and efficient implementation and monitoring of nutrition activities.
Malawi received financial support from the MPTF to support the establishment of a strong, sustainable and influential civil society alliance, which would support the implementation of nutrition interventions outlined in the national agenda. CSONA therefore works with stakeholders at all levels, including government ministries, the Office of the President and Cabinet, NGOs, UN agencies, donors, the business community, technical and research institutions, and district and community-level organisations and authorities to ensure that nutrition is integrated across all areas of programming, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The over-arching aim of the effort is to harness the power of cross-sectoral civil society engagement in advancing nutrition within the national agenda.
THE PLACEMENT
The Development Worker (DW) will be based in Lilongwe at the CSONA Secretariat and will facilitate the process of building the capacity of the CSONA Secretariat, and member organisations, in communications and advocacy, mainly on nutrition issues. The DW will conduct training of trainers’ sessions for the CSONA Secretariat staff on media advocacy and communication, and provide on-going day to day support, mentoring and coaching. S/he will also play a key role in assisting the CSONA members on the promotion of nutrition specific and sensitive interventions. The DW will also assist in the development of communications and advocacy tools and strategies, providing technical oversight and advice to the CSONA Secretariat and member organisations during implementation of nutrition programmes.
- Overall aim as a Progressio DW
This placement is envisaged as contributing to the specific theme, sub-theme and indicator(s) outlined below that form part of Progressio’s overall Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Logical framework, RICA (Regular Impact and Capacity Assessment):
Theme 1: Effective Participation and Governance:
Theme Overall Goal – Poor and marginalised people we support, especially women, will have greater influence on decisions and policies which affect their lives in order to reduce their poverty.
- Specific responsibilities
The Communications and Advocacy Adviser will:
§ Assist the CSONA Secretariat in identifying capacity gaps in the communications and advocacy processes with reference to SUN.
§ Build the capacity of CSONA and its member organisations on the identified gaps for effective implementation of nutrition programmes in Malawi.
§ Develop and provide technical guidance on advocacy and communication strategies on SUN-related matters.
§ Assist the Secretariat to identify SUN issues for advocacy and facilitate trainings for member organisations. This also includes assisting in the training of the CSONA members on promotion of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions, at both district and national levels in Malawi.
§ Assist the Alliance in tracking budget allocations to the SUN agenda and lobbying for increased budgetary allocations to the SUN sector by the Government of Malawi.
§ Assist in the development of relevant Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials for the member organisations, aimed at promoting enhanced quality nutrition programming in the country.
§ Assist with the development and implementation of communications tools for a range of audiences, in collaboration with the Secretariat and members, to engage organisations and the public in support of the SUN movement.
§ Support media-related activities, including drafting press releases, editorials and feature stories to support nutrition policy priorities.
§ Coordinate social media engagement and maintenance, so as to ensure that new and consistent information (article links, stories and events) is posted regularly and that the content engages target audiences and leads to measurable actions.
§ Assist the Secretariat in writing, editing and formatting communications materials, including newsletters, reports, and proposals.
§ Support the Secretariat and members to finalise an advocacy strategy and plan.
§ Assist in developing policy-related media backgrounders, public agency testimonies, talking points, letters and other materials, to support CSONA’s programmes and advocacy issues, as well as priorities.
§ Research and develop legislative policy summaries/briefs on current advocacy and legislative issues impacting on nutrition in Malawi.
§ Support the implementation of CSONA’s advocacy policy priorities through communication and outreach with community neighbourhood groups on a particular policy item, and work with CSONA members to get pertinent information.
§ Support, develop and generate new ideas for forums, advocacy through story telling, etc. This includes assisting in shaping the programme, obtaining speakers, creating announcements and working with team members to coordinate, execute and publicise events.
§ Assist the Secretariat to develop and maintain good external relations with key regional advocacy organisations and networks to ensure CSONA is well positioned as a credible and influential player in the nutrition arena.
§ Participate and contribute to Progressio’s learning process through sharing information, completing regular six monthly reports and undertaking means of verification surveys/tools related to Progressio Regular Impact and Capacity Assessment (RICA) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework.
- By the end of the placement, the following outcomes are expected:
§ Increased capacity of CSONA and its member organisations in advocating for and raising awareness on the need for increased funding allocation to the nutrition sector by the Government of Malawi and other players, such as donors and the private sector, in line with the Government of Malawi’s commitments made towards the SUN agenda.
§ Increased capacity of local CSOs to effectively implement nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions, which will contribute meaningfully towards the nutrition agenda.
§ CSONA has the capacity to make the Government of Malawi accountable on the implementation of its commitments towards the nutrition agenda in terms of funding and implementation of the planned nutrition interventions.
§ Good external relations with key regional advocacy organisations and networks established and maintained by CSONA.
§ Policy briefs on identified key issues affecting the SUN agenda developed and shared with the relevant stakeholders, including the Government of Malawi, for redress.
§ Increased capacity of CSONA and its members to effectively communicate on SUN initiatives.
- Counterpart and management
While the Development Worker (DW) will work with all staff of CSONA and its member organisations, s/he is expected to work directly with a counterpart for the sharing of knowledge, skills and mentoring, in the areas of communication, advocacy and nutrition interventions. The DW’s direct counterpart will be the Project Manager for CSONA. The DW will be accountable to the Country Director of Concern Worldwide, who is CSONA’s Chairperson.
A tripartite agreement will be established setting out the terms of the placement and partnership between the DW, Progressio Malawi and the CSONA Secretariat (on behalf of CSONA member organisations).
PERSON SPECIFICATION
This section outlines the skills and requirements we seek for this placement, please read it carefully and ensure your application addresses each of these requirements (giving clear examples).
Specification / Essential / Desirable /Education / 1. Master’s degree in Communications, Development Studies, Law, Social Sciences, or a related field, or a related qualification / 19. Specialised training in advocacy, nutrition and/or organisational development
Experience / 2. Minimum five years experience in designing, implementing and monitoring and evaluating communication and advocacy campaigns/strategies
3. Experience of working in/with non-governmental organisations or civil society organisations in an organisational development capacity
4. Experience in designing and delivering training workshops to a variety of audiences on advocacy and communication issues
5. Experience of liaising and networking with a range of different organisations and stakeholders (e.g. civil society, media, government officials)
6. Experience in the development of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on nutrition
7. Experience of working in a resource poor environment where access to technology is limited / 20. Experience in nutrition programmes, including monitoring their effectiveness
Skills and knowledge / 8. Solid knowledge of the fundamentals of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions
9. Knowledge of governance issues, especially from a nutrition perspective
10. Excellent project management, self-organising, prioritising and report writing skills (including the ability to plan and implement own work with limited support)
11. Excellent news and feature writing skills in English (to publication standard – traditional and new media), including the ability to communicate complex issues in an accessible way
12. Understanding of capacity building techniques and methods, and ability to share-skills/mentor staff
13. Sound political judgement, negotiation and mediation skills, and the ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in a politically sensitive and rapidly evolving environment
14. Effective interpersonal, communication and networking skills, and ability to build good working relationships with different stakeholders
15. Ability to work in a diverse setting, with people of different cultural, religious, educational, gender, race, nationality and age backgrounds
16. Strong analytical skills and computer literacy / 21. Ability and willingness to support fundraising efforts
Other / 17. Willingness to travel extensively to all districts of Malawi
18. Demonstrable commitment towards the aims and objectives of the Malawi CSONA / 22. Clean, valid driving licence and passport
LOCATION AND LIVING CONDITIONS
The DW will be based at the CSONA Secretariat, which is housed within Concern Worldwide’s offices in Area 3, Lilongwe. However, the placement will involve travelling to districts where CSONA will establish district nutrition fora.
Malawi is a peaceful country with a relatively stable government in a multiparty democracy system. In terms of security, residential areas and the streets are fairly secure.