Opportunity to work as a Project Manager to support maternal, child and neonatal health programmes

Welbodi Partnership is recruiting a Project Manager Primary Care and Community Engagement to join the team in Freetown, Sierra Leone to support our engagement with peripheral health units (PHUs) and communities, including a new initiative to improve maternal and neonatal health . As you might know, Sierra Leone has some of the worst maternal, child and neonatal morality rates in the world. Welbodi is undertaking a new initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the Western Area by improving the quality of care at PHUs and Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) and empowering communities, particularly women, to carry out health promotion activities, seek appropriate skilled care, and create and implement solutions to improve maternal and neonatal health.  The Project Manager will oversee this, and other related programmes. Join us to improve the health of women, children and newborns in Sierra Leone!

Position: Project Manager Primary Care and Community Engagement

Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Start Date: As soon as possible

End Date: One year, with possibility of extension

For more details please click here for the advertisement with application details. 

APPLICATION PROCESS: Interested candidates should email a copy of their CV, cover letter, and a list of three relevant references to jobs@welbodipartnership.org as soon as possible. The job title should be included in the subject line. Your cover letter should include: your country of residence and nationality, dates you are able to commence and duration of availability. Only those applicants shortlisted for an interview will be notified. 

Exciting Opportunity to work as an IPC Mentor in Sierra Leone

Welbodi Partnership is recruiting an IPC Mentor to join the team in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has been through a very challenging time, having fought through the biggest Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the history of the world. We want to support its healthcare workers and communities by helping build a system that is resilient to infectious disease outbreaks in the future. In partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and three hospitals in Freetown we aim to improve and sustain infection prevention and control measures within the hospital setting to ensure a safe environment for patients and healthcare workers. Join us in building a resilient health system in Sierra Leone!

Position: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Mentor 
Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Start Date: As soon as possible
End Date: Three months with possibility of extension (till end 2016)

For more details please click here for the advertisement with application details.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Interested candidates should email a copy of their CV, cover letter, and a list of three relevant references to jobs@welbodipartnership.org as soon as possible. The job title should be included in the subject line. Your cover letter should include: your country of residence and nationality, your date of birth, dates you are able to commence and duration of availability. Only those applicants shortlisted for an interview will be notified. 

#GivingTuesday: Help Welbodi Partnership Build Sierra Leone's Healthcare System Back Better

#BlackFriday and #CyberMonday are over, and what the women and children in Sierra Leone need, can’t be bought in a day. Will you help us use #GivingTuesday to kickstart the recovery phase of the Ebola response? We will be fundraising over the holiday period and the New Year to "build back better” and ensure that what we do now is sustainable and makes a real and lasting difference to women and children in Sierra Leone. 

Please act now so that together we can address the needs at the Children’s Hospital and start making a difference. With your support we can start taking steps to rebuild the healthcare system and build it back better. By laying a strong foundation now and starting the recovery process, we will be able to strengthen our ability to secure longer term funding to invest in maternal and child health for the years to come. 




Today, you could make one-time donation here or give a valuable ongoing gift with a recurring monthly donation (UK, USA). Even a few dollars or pounds per month will help. If you sign up this month for a new recurring donation to our Global Giving project, an anonymous donor will match your donation up to $200!

Photo credit: Sandra Lako 2011

Stronger Together

The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone has been declared over. The fight is done. Thousands of people in Sierra Leone and from around the world worked together to overcome the Ebola virus. The government, NERC (National Ebola Response Centre), Ministries, healthcare workers, community members, NGO workers and so many more people served and sacrificed to get us to this point. It is through collaboration and coordination and a lot of perseverance that we won this battle. 

The Ebola Response Consortium (ERC)*, of which Welbodi Partnership is a member, demonstrated the power of partnership throughout the outbreak. NGOs were able to join together to ensure coordination and collaboration with the aim of reaching one common goal: ending the Ebola outbreak. This film tells the amazing story of what can be achieved when people come together and work in unity. The work that the ERC has accomplished over the past year has been tremendous.  From surveillance, to infection prevention and control, to improving water and sanitation in health facilities, to safe and dignified burials, the ERC was able to work on all fronts to support the government of Sierra Leone in ending this outbreak.  The projects that Welbodi Partnership was involved with were not only crucial to stopping the chain of transmission within health facilities but also in laying a foundation for a stronger and better healthcare system in Sierra Leone. The work that has been done through the ERC will have a lasting impact beyond this Ebola outbreak and we look forward to continued collaboration throughout the recovery phase to improve healthcare in Sierra Leone.

*The ERC is a consortium of non-governmental organizations that is supporting the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) in Sierra Leone to respond to the Ebola outbreak in all districts of the country. The ERC is led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and comprised of eight member organizations – Action Contre la Faim (ACF), CARE International, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, King’s Health Partnership, the IRC, Save the Children and Welbodi Partnership– and seven partner organizations – ABC Development, eHealth, International Organization for Migration, Médicos del Mundo, Muloma Women’s Development Association (MUWODA), Oxfam GB and Solidarités International- who have pooled their collective technical and operational resources to support the MoHS in the Ebola response and recovery. 

Remembering our Heroes

On the eve before the WHO declares the Ebola outbreak over in Sierra Leone, hundreds of people gather downtown for a vigil and march in honour of our fallen healthcare worker heroes.  As Ebola comes to an end, we remember those who have served their country and sacrificed their lives, and their families who still bear that loss.

During the first six months of the outbreak, healthcare workers were greatly affected by Ebola and many of them died as a result. In some places this led to a great sense of fear amongst both healthcare staff and patients alike and they were afraid to go to clinics and hospitals. Thankfully with time, training and supplies, health care workers gained confidence to treat patients again and likewise, patients and caregivers began to rebuild trust in the healthcare system. It will take time, but efforts will continue to be made during the next stage of recovery to restore that trust and empower communities to improve their health practices and health seeing behaviour.  

This evening was a time to reflect. A time of gratefulness towards the healthcare workers who have sacrificed their lives in service to their country. A time to celebrate how far Sierra Leone has come and the prospects of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone being declared over by morning. The evening was proceeded in true Sierra Leonean style with music, dancing, lights and laughter all the way from Campbell street to the country’s famous Cotton Tree. Spirits were high and the resilience of the Sierra Leonean people was clearly evident.

Many people have stepped up and fought this battle. Sadly, not all of them have made it to the end. They will be remembered and remain in our hearts forever.

Welbodi Partnership thanks the healthcare workers who have made great sacrifices to work during the Ebola epidemic. They have been brave and stood in the line of duty to ensure that health care in Sierra Leone continues to be available. Thank you to the staff of Ola During Children's Hospital, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital, Rokupa Government hospital and Jenner Wright Clinic for your perseverance. 

Position available: Consultant Paediatrician – Head of Training

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone is recruiting for an available position of a Consultant Paediatrician to serve as Head of Training at the Ola During Children’s Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Position Available:           Consultant Paediatrician – Head of Training

Location:                            Ola During Children’s Hospital (ODCH), Freetown, Sierra Leone

Reports to:                         Medical Superintendent, Ola During Children’s Hospital

Supervises:                         Medical Officers, Residents, House officers, and Medical Students            

Contract length:               12 months, with possibility of extension subject to funding availability and performance

Start Date:                          As soon as possible

Remuneration:                 Competitive, to be discussed with the selected candidate

Application deadline:    11:59pm on Friday the 14^th August 2015

The Ola During Children’s Hospital is the national children’s hospital located in the eastern part of Freetown with approximately 10,000 admissions per year. The hospital provides medical care for neonates and children from the Western Area but also serves as the only tertiary referral centre for paediatrics for the country. The hospital was granted temporary accreditation by the West African College of Physicians in November 2013. As a Consultant Paediatrician – Head of Training you would have a direct and significant impact on the quality of care provided at the Children’s Hospital and play a crucial role in the development of Sierra Leone’s first ever postgraduate training programme, producing the country’s future leaders in child health.

Please see the full terms of reference and application details here:

Termsof Reference

ApplicationForm

Please distribute this notice widely to those who might be interested in this great opportunity to help improve child healthcare in Sierra Leone.

Applications

Application deadline: 11:59pm on Friday the 14^th August 2015

Applicants are welcomed from all nationalities, including Sierra Leoneans at home or in the diaspora.

In accordance with equality and diversity policy and child protection policies, successful candidates for this position will require a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check, or national equivalent. We will comply fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertake to treat all applicants for positions fairly.

Please download and complete the application form and email the completed form, accompanied by a CV, to Dr. Sandra Lako, email: jobs@welbodipartnership.org 

Please include the title of the position in the subject line of your email.

CVs and cover letters will not be accepted for this position without a duly completed application form.

Only those applicants shortlisted for an interview will be notified.

New Position in Sierra Leone or London!

In addition to our previous post, we've got another position we're excited to announce and begin recruitment for. Please share with your friends and networks!

Welbodi Partnership is looking to recruit a short-term Project Planner and Grants Writer to help us write at least one important grant over the next few months, and to help develop project plans, concept notes, budgets, and other materials to inform future grants.  The person can be based in London with at least 20% of their time spent in Freetown (2.5 weeks) or they can be based full-time in Freetown.

You can also find this position listed on Charity Jobs.