Program Officer at Pact Zambia

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow.  The promise of a healthy life.  Of a decent livelihood. Of sustainable natural resources that benefit communities.  Now more than ever in its 42 -year history, Pact is helping millions of people who are poor and marginalized discover and build their own solutions and take ownership over their future.

Pact enables systemic solutions that allow those who are poor and marginalized to earn a dignified living, be healthy, and take part in the benefits that nature provides. Pact accomplishes this by strengthening local capacity, forging effective governance systems, and transforming markets into a force for development.

Department Overview

While Zambia has demonstrated progress in prevention and treatment of HIV in recent years, infection rates among young people have remained extremely high and in some places, continue to rise. Priority populations, including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), are still particularly vulnerable. Around 13% of new HIV infections in Zambia are in AGYW aged 15- 24 years, compared to 7% of their male counterparts, and HIV is their leading cause of death (ZDHS 2014). Structural drivers, both social and economic, fuel the epidemic by negatively impacting AGYW decisions regarding sexual behavior and sexual partners.

Inter-generational relationships with a significant age difference are common and due in large part to the economic benefits afforded by older men. Among young women aged 15–24, those with intimate partners more than five years their senior are at greater risk of HIV infection than their counterparts. Sex with multiple concurrent partners, often in exchange for food, transportation money etc., is increasingly common and high risk for both men and women. There are high rates of teen pregnancy by the age of 19 among AGYW (standing at around 20% in urban areas and 36% in rural areas), which significantly contributes to school dropout rates and indicates early sexual debut and limited use of prevention methods

Pact Zambia is addressing many of the underlying causes of vulnerability among Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) both through its   community HIV prevention intervention and the DREAMS Initiative activities. The DREAMS Initiative supports the Government of Zambia’s response to HIV by reducing HIV transmission among AGYW aged 10 – 24 years, through educating young people about HIV prevention, providing AGYW with SRH and HIV prevention services and supporting families to relieve the negative effects of HIV and AIDS.

To respond to demands for more school-based interventions and scholastic support for AGYW in the DREAMS initiative, Pact Zambia has been implementing a School Based Prevention interventions (SBPI). School dropout is one of the major contributors to HIV infection among adolescents which largely remains unaddressed through the project. Majority of the AGYW not attending school is due to lack of resources for covering their bursaries and educational materials. School enrollment support to those who are unable to pay tuition fees or buy educational materials (uniforms, exercise books, pens and possible bags and shoes) is paramount in keeping AGYW in school or bringing them back to school. In addition to the school enrollment support, it is essential to strengthen the school community through structured combination HIV prevention interventions. The SBPI is being implemented in all the DREAMS sites and complements the community-based HIV prevention and DREAMS activities. Pact Zambia targets AGYW and ABYM aged between 10 – 24 years old enrolled in government, community and community private schools within the DREAMS districts.

Core Values: Pact employees embrace the following core values as representatives of the institution:

• All people have a right to participate in decisions affecting their lives
• Gender equity is mandatory for social transformation
• Resources are allocated in a transparent manner, guided by accountability to our clients and Pact’s role as steward of resources intended for the poor.
• Diversity in background, gender and age strengthen our capacity to be wise managers of public and private funds.
• Teamwork and collaboration shape our day-to-day working relationships
• Innovation and risk taking to achieve impact and broad scalable results drive strategic priorities
• Gathering and sharing information are primary roles for all employees
• Staff growth and advancement are a priority, including training and professional skills building to increase knowledge and competence and to stay abreast of new developments, especially in technology
• A healthy balance between work and life outside of work must be maintained for work satisfaction and fulfillment.

Key Responsibilities

• Support sub partners with overall implementation of SBPI activities across selected schools in DREAMS districts.
• Support sub-partners to manage the implementation of School Based Prevention plans and budgets and ensure alignment with overall project objectives and operational guidelines
• Represent the project at district level in collaboration with relevant line ministries such as Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Health including District Health office.
• Plan for and hold quarterly coordination meetings with collaborative partners and relevant line ministries to strengthen existing collaborative relationships.
• Carry out monitoring visits such as data quality checks and verification to sub-partners to ensure the most at risk AGYW are prioritized for interventions.
• Ensure sub-partners school support payment requests are submitted correctly and on time for processing.
• Carry out routine monitoring and follow up of program implementation and seamless coordination between DREAMS and School Based Interventions.
• Support DREAMS sub partners to ensure timely reporting, monitoring and analysis of results against set targets, and use of data to adjust implementation strategies as necessary.
• Support sub partners to develop, review and editing of program documents including progress reports, program descriptions, implementation plans, budgets and MER plans.
• Provide support to other DREAMS components beyond SBPI including Economic Strengthening, Families Matter Program and supporting DREAMS Centers.
• Submit timely monthly and quarterly reports to the SBPI Manager.

Basic Requirements

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience and a bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Gender, Development Studies, Social and/or Behavioral Sciences or a related field, with specific emphasis on community-level health promotion and/or education.
• Training and knowledge in community HIV/AIDS prevention and working with Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW).
• Experience in working with the Zambian education system
  Work experience in NGO and HIV Prevention environment is an added advantage
• Ability to design or develop program implementation and strategic materials, tools and guidelines.
• A strong team player with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in high profile, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate (verbally and in writing) technical issues effectively and persuasively.
  Fluency in the local language and English for day-to-day communication.
• Ability to use MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

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