ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. As the international community has committed to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030, one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat. Food and food-related assistance lie at the heart of the struggle to break the cycle of hunger and poverty. For its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

Malawi is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa. With a population expanding rapidly at 3 percent per year and the majority of livelihoods dependent on agriculture, the population is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate-related disasters. Poverty is experienced by most rural families, with those headed by women and children suffering the most. Relying on small parcels of densely cultivated land for their livelihoods, rural Malawians are highly affected by climate change. Episodes of drought as well as severe flooding are increasing in frequency, intensity and unpredictability, giving the most vulnerable households inadequate time to recover.

Malawi’s challenges are also compounded by high rates of HIV infection (estimated at 9 percent), low primary school completion rate (at 51 percent) and chronic under-nutrition (at 35.5 percent for children under 5). WFP continues to partner with the government, other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with a particular emphasis on reaching Zero Hunger (SDG 2), addressing structural drivers of hunger wherever possible.

POSITION LISTING DETAILS:

Type of Contract:   Internship
Duty Station:     Lilongwe, Malawi
Contract Duration:   6 Months
Dates of Advertising: 6 June 2024 to 19 June 2024

Unit/Division: Nutrition

Duty Station: Lilongwe Office

BACKGROUND:

The Malawi country office portfolio has embarked on a strategic shift towards building a food and nutrition secure and resilient Malawi through a combined range of innovative programs. Nutrition is a development priority for the government of Malawi and its success is based on its effective integration with nutrition related interventions both internally across all WFP Activities and externally with other partners both at policy and national level. The Country office nutrition portfolio reflects both the global and country office shift that encompasses both nutrition specific and sensitive actions to foster resilience and through a life cycle approach focusing mainly on the 1000 days and expanding to adolescents and other vulnerable groups such as people living with HIV (PLHIV). The key priority programming mainly covers nutrition prevention activities while also supporting the government with various capacities in the implementation of nutrition treatment activities. Specific target programmes are: Lean season/emergency nutrition response; Prevention of stunting programme; Supplementary Feeding Programme, Nutrition care support and Treatment for HIV/TB mainly through supporting linkages between the facility and community level interventions; as well nutrition sensitive programming through school meals, resilience building and social protection programming. Across all these programmes social and behavior-change communication (SBCC) and gender transformative actions are mainstreamed. WFP fosters partnership with stakeholders encouraging increased political commitment, program linkages, leveraging and alignment of organizational objectives for complementarity to accelerate multi-sectoral collaboration in reducing under nutrition. The WFP Nutrition programme is intended to cover the entire country, however, most of its activities currently, are concentrated in the southern and Northern region. WFP Malawi is also host to the SUN Business Network (SBN) and key government partner in the promotion of integration of nutrition in the national HIV response activities in Malawi.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Malawi Country Office of WFP is seeking motivated and qualified candidates to enroll for the 2024 Internship Programme.

The internship will be for the period of 6 months from 15 July 2024.

JOB PURPOSE

Under the overall supervision of Programme Policy Officer (Activity Manager), the Nutrition Intern shall support implementation of WFP Nutrition activities including nutrition integration across all WFP programme portfolios. The intern will also specifically support the Scaling UP Nutrition Business Network activities to ensure the network is well coordinated and jointly with the Activity Manager, support all nutrition related endeavours at the Country Office level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

•   Support implementation of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive programmes including during emergencies. Programme support areas include but not limited to: Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and Nutrition Care Support and Treatment (NCST) focusing on emergency and lean season support; Nutrition prevention activities including) Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF); Social Behaviour Change Communication; and nutrition sensitive programming which will be the main focus; and capacity strengthening of government on both nutrition specific and sensitive programming.
•   Follow up implementation of nutrition-sensitive and specific interventions at sub-national levels to improve the quality of diets, services and practices for children, adolescents and women.
•   Support nutrition integration across all SOs for effective programme implementation and demonstrable outcomes in nutrition related indicators
•   Provide nutrition technical support to WFP staff and cooperating partners in nutrition related programme/ project implementation.
•   In liaison with Programme Officer, undertake regular and mutually agreed visits to district councils and cooperating partners and provide guidance on enhancing the quality of programmes.
•   Provide support in operationalisation of the Scaling Up Nutrition Business network, ensuring coordinated efforts in the delivery of SBN Malawi regional chapters
•   Support development of Information, Education and Communication (IEC)/advocacy materials to convey clear messages of nutrition programme and purpose
•   Support consolidation and updating of relevant nutrition data and development of nutrition reports in collaboration with Programme Officer and PI unit.
•   Documentation of nutrition success stories in collaboration with PI
•   Preparation of nutrition distribution plans (DPs) as required
•   Participate in Nutrition M&E related activities including regular nutrition monitoring
•   Participate in nutrition relevant meetings and working groups internally and externally with partners

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Be currently enrolled in an Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) or graduate (Master’s) programme.
Completed at least 2 years of the programme and has attended class in the past 12 months, or Graduated from the Bachelors or Masters programme in the last 6 months.
Areas of study includes Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition, Food Technology, Medicine or other related field.

Language:

Fluency in both oral and written English

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE:

•   Understanding of nutrition policies, strategies and programmes
•   In-depth knowledge of relevant field of specialisation (nutrition, public health, development of other);
•   Knowledge of CMAM protocols
•   Proficiency (at least intermediate skills) in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and nutrition/public health software (i.e., EPI INFO)

COMPETENCIES:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

•   Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP.
•   WFP is not responsible for living expenses, arrangements for accommodation, necessary visas and related costs.
•   WFP will recognize candidates’ educational credentials from recognised institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.
•   Candidates who bear any of the following relations to WFP staff members are not eligible to apply: sons, daughters, brothers, or sisters.

DELIVERABLES

•   Districts/CPs adequately integrate nutrition in School meals, livelihoods, emergency and lean season response, social protection work plans and operations.
•   Quarterly follow up with districts and CPs on nutrition implementation and documentation of successes and challenges
•   Success stories documented on a quarterly basis.
•   Timely support provided in preparations of district MOUs and FLAs provided.
•   Nutrition DPs prepared timely.
•   SBN work plan developed and implemented in collaboration with supervisor.
•   Nutrition supplies pipeline monitored and maintained in case of support to nutrition treatment during emergencies.
•   Draft nutrition IEC or advocacy materials when needed
•   Nutrition inputs into relevant reports provided.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for sending applications is 19 June 2024

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Apply Now

To apply for this job please visit career5.successfactors.eu.