Community Health Officer (f/m/x) At Médecins Sans Frontières

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 70 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

Community Health Officer (f/m/x) – Brussels – MSF Belgium Mission

CONTEXT

MSF’s mission in Belgium aims to address, through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, the health needs and key social determinants of the most vulnerable segments of the population, including migrants in transit and undocumented migrants, while proactively engaging in assessing main difficulties and promoting institutional change.

MSF’s mission in Belgium:

• Active participation in the Humanitarian Hub, where several organisations provide a wide range of services to vulnerable populations. In this structure, mental health care (first line) is provided by Médecins Sans Frontières. A second line service has also been created to provide psychological follow-up and respond to identified needs.
• Outreach activities are designed to reach and support the most vulnerable populations. The mobile team intervenes in non-accredited structures (such as squats), informal settlements and hot-spots of gathering for the target populations: in terms of awareness-raising, primary health care consultations on site, prevention and control of infections, health promotion and referral to psycho-social-medical care if necessary.

MAIN PURPOSE

Prepare, provide and present health / mental health education sessions to the population/patients according MSF principles and values in order to promote health through information related to health measures, hygiene conditions, psychoeducation as well as provide information about MSF activities in order to facilitate access to healthcare.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepare material and deliver health education sessions, messages and topics addressed to different populations regarding hygiene, diseases and prevention as well as regarding mental health/psychosocial.
• Ensure all the patients and caretakers are well informed, according to protocols, about health-related issues and that all patients attending MSF activities are well informed about services provided.
• In collaboration with ICM and HP teams: prepare/produce various health and mental health messages/topics, tools, according to specific groups and needs.
• Promote and develop the preventive aspect of health-related measures through a climate of trust and open communication with the beneficiaries.
• Identify people with medical or mental health problems, contact with medical team and report for immediate referral if needed. Inform the line manager about any problem encountered (population, equipment, material…).
• Report to line manager all results, problems met, strengths and constraints of community visits and HP activities on a regular basis, as well as barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services.
• Collect all type of information related to specific health and living conditions of the population in locations where the Outreach team intervenes
• Assisting care providers and patients in addressing negative consequences of socio-cultural differences, to support the therapeutic/social intervention through sharing with the care providers relevant aspects of the cultural background of the patient in the different locations of intervention:
• Squats, shelters and informal settlements where the outreach team intervenes
• Humanitarian HUB, MSF Clinic and other indoor HP activities.
• Support the provision of services facilitating the communication between beneficiaries and MSF staff by creating a trustful relationship with all counterparts.
• Participate actively in HP projects (i.e. community mapping, feedbacks and rumors gathering) as instructed by the HP supervisor.
• Reflect with the MSF team to adapt activities and messages to ensure smooth flow of activities, make them culturally acceptable, avoiding misunderstandings and improving the quality of services.
• Maintaining monitoring data and producing regular work reports to the supervisor.
• Participating in team, case management meetings and attending supervision sessions with members of the team.
• Guarantee confidentiality, impartiality and neutrality, declare conflict of interest.

REQUIREMENTS

Education:

• Essential: Literacy in English and Arabic.
• Desirable: Education in social sciences.
• Any training related to health promotion / community mobilization would be an asset.

Experience:

• Essential: Knowledge and/or experience in Middle East area and communities’ cultures. (Preferable: Palestine, Lebanon, Syria).
• Desirable: Experience working (including as a volunteer) with vulnerable population. Experience working in community mobilization or education with migrants.

Languages:

• Essential: English.
• Essential: Arabic.
• Desirable: French and other languages spoken by the beneficiaries.

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: As soon as possible
• Location: Brussels (Belgium)
• Contract type: Full-time contract (3 months contract with a possibility of extension)
• Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation cost – Lunch allowances.

Due to administrative constraints given the duration of the contract, candidates must already have the permanent right to work in Belgium (European Union citizen) or a residence permit/document with the mention “access to the labour market unlimited”.

Deadline for applications: 15th of February 2024