Action Against Hunger/Action Contre La Faim (AAH/ACF) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that was created in France in1979. AAH/ACF has been active in Afghanistan in the medical, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation fields since 1995.AAH/ACF improved access to health and nutrition services for the most vulnerable people, who live in remote areas without a localhealth system. In particular, the country team supported pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five, who are atgreater risk of malnutrition. Nutrition programs rely on an integrated approach, addressing both primary and underlying causes, inorder to have a lasting impact on nutritional status. The country team worked at community level, in villages and at provincial level,strengthening the public health system. It also worked at national level to ensure reliable information about the nutritional situation reached the wider humanitarian community. Covid-19 prevention was integrated into all interventions and additional responseactivities were implemented, such as the disinfection of health facilities and public places, cash assistance, psychosocial support andthe distribution of hygiene kits to affected populations.

Goal

Apply medical and nutritional protocols to ensure the care of the patients in nutrition centres. Provide nursing care, treatment and follow-up for children suffering from severe malnutrition, according to national protocols, universal hygienic standards and other procedures, in order to ensure a good delivery of care and improve their nutritional conditions

Objective 1: Providing preventive and curative health care to SC admitted patients

Admission of children:

Understanding and applying the SC admission criteria

In collaboration with the nutrition worker:

• Measuring the children’s, detecting presence of oedemas
• Calculating weight/height percentages
• Identifying the degree and types of malnutrition
• Noting admissions in the register with all the requested information
• Informing mothers of the results
• Drawing up nutritional surveillance forms and milk cards for the children
• Tracing the children’s weight-target line and noting their temperatures
• Administering  treatment prescripte after medical consultation
• Checking the children’s vaccination status, referring them to the vaccination station if necessary
• Explaining to mothers what the hospitalization involves: giving advice if required

Medical follow up

• Ensuring medical parameters are taken (temperature, heart and respiratory rate, weight, weight/height accordance, presence of oedemas, etc.) following the protocols in use, noting the results on the corresponding forms in the patients’ files
• Taking part in the daily medical round and noting changes in prescription according to the patients’ state
• Checking the prescriptions are signed and dated
• Distributing treatments according to individual medical prescriptions. Following the doses, administration methods and times and signaling any problems
• Ticking off and counter-signing treatments taken in the medical files
• Ensuring external care and dressings, referring the children for complementary examinations if required
• Following the rules of hygiene and asepsis during the delivery of all health care (washing hands, sorting waste, what to do in the case of accidental blood exposure, etc.)
• Detecting all anomalies in the children’s health and behavior, providing first aid whilst waiting for a doctor to arrive

Nutritional follow up (in collaboration with the nutrition worker)

• Inserting naso-gastric tube for feeding, responsible of checking the good position before feeding, evaluating and notifying any complications
• Establishing the children’s food ration according to their weight and degree of malnutrition
• Informing mothers about the importance of meals
• Informing mothers about the children’s diets and the number and frequency of meals
• Encouraging mothers to continue breast feeding during the hospitalization
• Inciting mothers to give the children liquid intake
• With the nutrition worker, being present and ensuring that the children eat all their meals correctly
• Noting the quantities absorbed and any identified problems (vomiting, diarrhea, etc.)  
• Watching over the weight curves
• Ensuring the children’s correct and regular growth by examining their weight curves
• Identifying all anomalies in the curves and informing the doctor in the case of weight loss
• Organizing daily information and education sessions in the SC

Leaving the SC

• Managing the children’s exits according to the criteria set out in the protocol and after medical agreement
• Measuring the children’s brachial perimeters
• Weighing and measuring the children to calculate weight/height  associations
• Checking that oedemas have disappeared
• Reporting all this information on the follow up forms and noting the exits in the register
• Providing handover  note on each team changeover
• Informing mothers of measures to be taken and giving them nutritional advice adapted to the state of their children

Objective 2: Managing the premises, medicines and medical equipment

• Being responsible for the material used
• Ensuring the follow up of medicine consumption during the inpatient phase, drawing up an order with the supervisor if needed
• Handing over the pharmacy and consumable medical equipment on each team changeover
• Prepare Oral Rehydration Solution on a daily basis, following the rules for doses, dilution and storage conditions
• Ensuring the cleanliness of the premises and work surfaces

Objective 3.  Communication and teamwork

• Introduce yourself to each patient, be polite.
• Explain how to take any treatment prescribed and the importance of following them correctly.
• Respect medical confidentiality at all times
• Working in collaboration with the medical and paramedical team
• Being responsible for the correct execution of tasks by the team under his supervision
• Organizing and managing training sessions if required
• Ensuring written and oral handovers within the team and between the teams
• Participating in departmental meetings and on-going training sessions
• Referring to the SC HoP/ Health Officer in the case of any problems
• Use language that the translator can understand
• Ensure good communication with the team
• Report problems encountered in the centre or within the team to the SC PM
• Propose solution to solve any problem faced and report them to the SC PM

Objective 4: Recording and Reporting

• Being responsible for the correct upkeep of registers and hospitalization forms
• Participating in daily data collection (number of admissions and exists, morbidity, etc.)
• Participating in the calculation and analysis of weekly statistics (calculating weight gain, length of stay, etc.) in collaboration with the Health Officer and the SC PM
• Reacting as necessary according to the results
• Follow clearly appropriate protocols and guidelines - National.
• Participate in the weekly/ monthly reporting of  TFU activities
• Support organization of transfer if needed (transport, paper…)

Background/qualifications

• Nurse Graduated degree
• At least one year experience on nutrition, paediatric activities,
• Humanitarian spirit
• Good organization,
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Good team interaction and positive attitude
• fluent in Local language(Pashto Language is essential)
• priority is giving to local (Field Staff)

Qualified and interested candidates should submit a cover letter and full CV with three Referees indicating the vacancy announcement to the address:

Human Resources Department AAH office

or can also be emailed to:

vacancies-hl@af-actionagainsthunger.org indicating the job tile and vacancy number of the position in the email subject line.

Eligible candidates are invited to apply by the earliest possible, until 17 Mar 2025. 

Do not submit academic certificates with the application. These will be requested if the candidate is selected. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the written test/interview.  

Action Against Hunger/Action Conter La Faim is an equal opportunity employer.  We strongly encourage women and people with disabilities to apply.  ACF/AAH has zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and abuse (SEA).