Management of Acute Malnutrition in Infants (MAMI) Nurse

Medair is an international humanitarian organization established in 1988. Medair has been operating in Afghanistan since 1996 with programs mainly in the Health, Water & Sanitation, and Livelihoods sectors with significant reconstruction activities in remote areas. Current projects are Water & Sanitation, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Tirinkot district.  The project intends to improve and extend WASH services including water supply infrastructure and hygiene practices to improve outcomes for vulnerable families.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Uruzgan, which has been significantly affected by drought and conflict conditions. Building upon Medair’s decades of experience in the Central Highlands and Kandahar, the project intends to improve and extend the utilization of lifesaving preventive and curative nutrition and health services by mothers, PLWs, and children U5; to increase access to clean water, to reduce vulnerability to water-related and other preventable diseases, and to improve and increase food security for the most vulnerable families through food voucher distributions.

Overall purposel

To be a member of a Health & Nutrition team providing integrated health & nutrition services to targeted communities. To facilitate achievement of the objective of improved access to essential emergency nutritional services to displaced populations and acutely vulnerable host communities affected by nutritional emergencies. By providing appropriate maternal, infant and young child counselling to caregivers with nutritionally vulnerable infants (0-6months) and young children under the age of 2 years.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ensures that appropriate nutritional care as well as MIYCN/IYCF counseling is properly delivered to nutritionally vulnerable infants (0-6months) and young children under the age of 2 years according to Medair and national protocols, values and universal standards.

Upholds Medair values, and positively and actively contribute to the attainment of the teams. objectives.

Technical

Be able to assess the MIYCN/IYCF needs for nutritionally vulnerable infants and young children under the age of 2 years and give appropriate individual or group counselling or referral.

Provide appropriate skilled breastfeeding counselling to caregivers(Mothers) with infants and young children under the age of 2 years, this includes being able to give one-on-one counselling on the following topics:

• Initiating of breastfeeding for newborns.
• Breastfeeding: exclusive <6 months age and continued breastfeeding until the at least the age of 2.
• Complementary feeding: timely, adequate, diversified, safe and properly fed diet.
• Appropriate action on the non-breastfed infants.
• Sick Child feeding.
• Issue when mothers says they don’t have enough breast milk.
• Refuse breastfeeding issues with children and mothers.
• Breast Problems.
• Relactation/Supplementy sucking technique(SST).

Recognize the general danger signs in infants and young children under the age of 2 years and refer to a IMNCI Nurse at the OPD/site for further assessment or to the nearest health facility in the absence of the IMNCI nurse.

Provide in-depth assessment of infants under 6 months and lactating women as part of screening if they are at risk (nutritionally) according to MAMI (Management of At-Risk Mothers and Infants) admission criteria, this includes being able to:

• Take anthropometric measurements:, weight, length and age (WLZ, WAZ).
• Conduct breastfeeding assessments (infant growth and feeding assessment).
• Liaising with the IMNCI Nurse for Clinical assessment.
• Conduct maternal mental health status assessments

Follow-up enrolled infants and lactating women in the MAMI program to follow their progress in the program, especially related to breastfeeding issues. Through CHNVs.

Assess enrolled lactating women for maternal mental health issues and refer to appropriate mental health service if needed.

Liaise with the Health and Hygiene promotion Trainer and CHNVs  to ensure that MAMI program defaulters and non-responders are followed up with home visits.

Liaise with the appropriate community volunteers(CHNVs) to ensure that the volunteers are able to do appropriate active case finding for both the MAMI program and any other young children under the age of 2 where the caregiver needs one on one MIYCN counselling.

Discharge infants and the lactating woman according to MAMI discharge criteria.

Give supportive supervision and capacity build the Health and Hygiene promotion Trainer and volunteers at the nutrition site on technical MIYCN matters.

Quality Management

• Ensure good hygiene standards are kept within nutrition facilities.
• Compile MIYCN specific and other MAMI reports as required.
• Ensure adherence to the provided internal and and National protocols and guidelines.
• Ensure accurate record keeping of all nutrition activities, filling in forms, cards, registration books and tally sheets as required.
• Conduct on the Job training to Health assistant and CHNVs based on need.

Logistics

• Ensure safe storage of all supplies, medicines and medical material and equipment.
• Ensure accurate record keeping of stock movements.
• Assist the Health and Nutrition Supervisor in preparing stock requests.

Education: Minimum 2 Years Diploma in Nursing or Midwifery is required, Bachelor’s or Masters; Degree preferred.

Relevant experience:

• Minimum 3 Years of working experience in Nursing or Midwifery is required.
• Nutrition training/experience (ie. IMAM & MIYCN/ IYCF trainings or equivalent).
• IYCF counselling experience.
• MIYCN training.
• IMNCI training.
• Psychosocial support counselling skills or experience.

Languages: Some English -oral and written skills and good Pashto/Dari -oral and written skills is required.

Computer: Working knowledge in MS word and excel.

Other skills:

• Ability to work in a team and coordinate tasks and responsibilities.
• Ability to organize people in an orderly way and prioritize tasks.
• Good listening and counselling skills, patient, and kind attitude.
• Highly motivated to provide high quality services to beneficiaries of poor communities in a challenging setting.
• Good problem-solving skills with a solution-oriented attitude.
• Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as required.
• Respectful and kind with other staff, beneficiaries, and communities.
• Willingness to travel, work and live in a rural setting, and to behave in a manner appropriate to a conservative culture.
• Willingness to learn and develop further.
• Honest in dealing with beneficiaries and Medair staff.

Interested applicants should apply and forward their applications through the online JOB APPLICATION FORM which can be found under the submission email. The link should be copied, pasted, and opened on a new page.

Note: Please indicate the position title and vacancy number in your application letter. Applications received after the closing date or without the exact position title and vacancy number will not be given consideration. After submitting the online application, if some applicants do not immediately receive an automatic email from Medair, they shouldn't worry about their submission. When you open the link. please use the dropdown menu and choose the title of the position.