Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) Program
Short-Term International Communication Assignments
The Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) Program is recruiting qualified, enthusiastic communication professionals who can volunteer to support vaccine-preventable disease activities through five month assignments in priority countries from July through November 2012.
General Overview:
The STOP program is part of the Global Immunization Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia. CDC, along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, sends volunteers through the STOP program to support countries towards the eradication of polio, reducing measles mortality and morbidity, and supporting routine immunization programs.
CDC and its global partners are recruiting volunteers to assist with this project as field based communication support consultants. Assignments are five months in length, beginning with two weeks of training in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, prior to deployment.
Communication STOP team members work at the national, provincial or district levels, and may be paired with one or more national counterparts. Volunteers will receive travel and living allowances, and will work to support the development, implementation and evaluation of communication and social mobilization activities, with an emphasis on promoting immunization in the hardest to reach communities.
Project Requirements for Field-Based Consultants:
STOP teams require highly qualified communication professionals selected from a global pool of applicants. Candidates for STOP assignments should have relevant professional experience, preferably in the field of communication and/or social data analysis. Relevant experience is defined as having worked (school work/internships not included) in one or more of the following areas: public health campaigns or immunization outreach, social marketing, mass media, program communication, development or social welfare projects, social research, monitoring or evaluation. Command of English is required. Fluency in French or Portuguese is very desirable.
Other Requirements:
It is also important to be a self-starter who can work in the context of limited supervision, to be very flexible, and to work well with people of different cultures and under difficult conditions. It cannot be overemphasized that each candidate must work exceptionally well as a part of an interdisciplinary and multi-national team. Also, many of the country assignments present living conditions that are especially challenging such as lack of electricity, inconsistent water supply, poor communications systems and demanding travel. These conditions should be considered as part of the assignment prior to submitting applications.
Applications
STOP is an exciting program and an opportunity to participate in a global disease eradication program. Interested applicants can learn more about the program via the STOP website at
Applications should include a CV (English) and cover letter, and should be submitted to UNICEF to Ms. Lisa Wong , with “Communication STOP” in the subject heading. The application deadline is 29 February 2012.
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