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For every child, protection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

How can you make a difference? 

Background:

Afghanistan faces substantial challenges in achieving safe sanitation and hygiene for its population. According to the 2023 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), a large proportion of households in Afghanistan still lack access to improved sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas This has resulted in the continued practice of open defecation, posing severe risks to public health, dignity, and economic development. Despite these challenges major progress has been made during the last three years (2022-24) A total of 6,855 communities to become ODF and resulted 2.9 million to live in Open Defecation Free Environment. 

One of the most critical consequences of inadequate sanitation is its contribution to under-five child mortality, currently at 55 deaths per 1,000 live births in Afghanistan. Diarrheal diseases — which are directly associated with unsafe sanitation, contaminated drinking water, and poor hygiene practices — remain a leading cause of death among young children in the country.

In addition to mortality, poor sanitation is a major underlying factor in child stunting and malnutrition. Repeated exposure to fecal pathogens due to open defecation and unsafe environments leads to chronic enteric infections, causing a condition called environmental enteric dysfunction (EED). This impairs nutrient absorption and contributes to stunting, undernutrition, and poor cognitive development in children.

Moreover, Afghanistan is one of the last countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Poor sanitation environments, open defecation, and limited hygiene services create ideal conditions for polio virus transmission, primarily through fecal-oral routes. Children under five, already vulnerable to malnutrition and enteric infections, are at greatest risk of poliovirus infection, especially in areas with limited access to clean water and sanitation.

Sanitation deficiencies also have significant implications for education and school attendance. Schools lacking basic sanitation and hygiene facilities — particularly gender-segregated, functional toilets and handwashing stations — discourage school attendance, especially among adolescent girls. Menstrual hygiene management becomes a barrier to regular attendance and academic performance in the absence of appropriate sanitation infrastructure.

In response to these intersecting challenges, the Afghanistan Sanitation Strategy 2024–2034 seeks to achieve universal access to basic sanitation and eliminate open defecation by 2034. The strategy positions sanitation as a foundational element for improving child survival, nutritional outcomes, disease control (including polio eradication), and educational attainment, while contributing to national public health and socio-economic development.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

To provide technical support to develop a National Roadmap for Elimination of Open Defecation in Afghanistan, in consultation and coordination with relevant authorities, UNICEF and WASH cluster.

The WASH Section seeks to recruit a home-based international consultant in the capacity of Individual International (Consultancy) for Development of Afghanistan ODF Roadmap. The Consultant is expected to undertake the assignment remotely with two (2) in-country mission to Kabul - Daikundi and Kabul Nangarhar.

The Consultant will work directly with the WASH Section under the direct supervision of the WASH Manager, who is based in Kabul.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will work closely with UNICEF, relevant authorities, ACM, Sanitation Technical Working Group, Provincial Sanitation Players, and other core stakeholders’ partners and conduct field visits to Districts which are declared as ODF (2) and districts with high level of OD (2) to conduct community level consultation to get some gender perspectives on the ODF. Tasks include extensive desk reviews, facilitating national consultative workshops, and meeting with national and international WASH partners.

Responsibilities/Key Assignments

Phase One (Four Weeks) - Home-based

• Conduct desk review of all relevant documents on WASH program implementation in Afghanistan.
• Develop the costed first draft of the National Roadmap for Elimination of Open Defecation in Afghanistan, ensuring alignment with the Afghanistan Sanitation Strategy 2024-2034. Since we are in 2025, the roadmap will cover the period between 2026 – 2034.

Phase Two (six weeks) - Afghanistan

• Hold consultations and meetings with all relevant national/provincial stakeholders
• Conduct field visit to two Districts which are declared as ODF and two districts with high level of OD to community level consultation to get some gender perspectives on the ODF
• Revise the first draft of the national roadmap based on stakeholder inputs.
• Present the first draft at a national consultative workshop.

Phase Three (six Weeks) - Home-based

• Review the draft of the national roadmap based on workshop feedback.
• Share the second draft with UNICEF and relevant  authorities for review.
• Finalize the national roadmap and submit the final consultancy report to UNICEF.

Output/ Deliverables

• Costed National Roadmap for elimination of open defecation in Afghanistan.
• National workshop reports prepared and submitted.
• Final consultancy report prepared and submitted.

Time Frame & Work Plan

Nov 2025

• Conduct desk review and develop the first draft of the roadmap.

Dec 2025 – Jan 2026

• Conduct field visit to two Districts which are declared as ODF and two districts with high level of OD to community level consultation to get some gender perspectives on the ODF
• Hold consultations and meetings in Afghanistan.
• Revise and present the first draft at the national workshop.

Jan – Feb 2026

• Review and finalize the roadmap based on feedback.
• Submit the final consultancy report.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Applications must include:

• Cover letter.
• Resume.
• Samples of previous work.
• Financial offer in USD. (This should only be the day rate for working days. UNICEF will provide a daily subsistence allowance for calendar days spent in Afghanistan, including weekends, to cover out-of-pocket costs while in-country, including accommodation. Travel, international and local, will be reimbursed.)
• Applications submitted without financial and technical proposals will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced to the next stage of the selection process.
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• An advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Civil Engineering, Economics, or a related technical field.
• At least 10 years of relevant international experience in sanitation and hygiene, program planning and design, implementation, and management are required
• Knowledge and experience of Afghanistan context is desirable
• Proven analytical and planning skills and ability to think strategically is desirable
• Excellent writing and reporting skills and good spoken English is required. 
• Previous work experience with UNICEF and in similar contexts would be an added advantage.

How to apply:

• Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee.  Please see the financial proposal template here: Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.