Call for a Consultant to Develop a Community based Mental Health Training manual for Wild4Life program
Consultancy, Research Jobs
- Pangaea Zimbabwe Aids Trust. …
- Expires 14 Aug 2025
- Harare
- Contractor
Job Description
Introduction and background
Pangaea Zimbabwe (PZ) is a registered local Private Voluntary Organization (PVO 10/20) that
envisions a world in which all human beings live healthy, productive, and quality lives. PZ
strives to transform the lives of underserved populations by working to increase access to
quality, responsive, evidence-based, client-centered comprehensive health services
through health facility and community engagement through collaborating with the
government and various stakeholders to improve individual and population health and the
quality of life for all citizens. Initially, with a primary focus on HIV and Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), the organization has evolved over the years to focus
on broader health and development issues at national and subnational levels including
health systems strengthening, improving the quality of primary healthcare for underserved
and vulnerable population groups, policy advocacy, research, program monitoring, and
evaluation and community systems strengthening. PZ promotes evidence-based strategies
to expand access to health services whilst upholding the rights of all citizens regardless of
circumstances of birth, gender, sexual orientation, or geography. We recognize that local
leaders and communities are central to forging resilient health and community systems in
responding to and addressing health issues and as such, we prioritize partnering with local
structures and communities to promote ownership and sustainability.
Wild4Life Health program model and Theory of Change
The updated Wild4Life Health model is a holistic and integrated set of six pillars aimed at
addressing health system weaknesses, inequities, and barriers in rural and underserved
communities. The model combines facility-based and community-based interventions to
strengthen health service delivery, build demand, and improve quality of care and health
outcomes for the population.
1. Human Resources for Health (HRH) – this pillar focuses on capacity building and
mentorship of healthcare workers (HCWs), village health workers (VHWs), and other allied
health staA. The pillar ensures continuous professional development of healthcare workers
(HCWs), village health workers (VHWs), and other allied health staA through clinical
mentorship, in-field mentorship, supportive supervision, and skill-building in service
delivery. Wild4Life team and Ministry of Health district mentors carry out integrated
mentorship visits to health facilities and outreach services, train, mentor and support Village
Health Workers in the field to improve community-based health services delivery and also
carry out regular review meetings and skills-building workshops for HCWs and VHWs.
2. Health Governance and Leadership – this pillar focuses on strengthening District Health
Executives (DHEs) for eAective health governance, leadership and accountability,
supporting Health Centre Committees (HCCs) to foster community ownership and promote
local accountability and a link between communities and health facilities. Wild4Life team
support the DHE in conducting district mentorship on data-driven decision-making and
leadership practices, HCC trainings on roles, advocacy, and management of community
health priorities and resources and facilitating regular HCC meetings to ensure community
voices are heard.
3. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Data Quality, and Digital Health – this pillar
focuses on data quality assessments and improvements, utilizing digital tools to guide
improvements and integrating CQI processes into service delivery to address gaps. Wild4Life
team carry out quarterly Data Quality Assessments and audits (DQAs) and data review
meetings, data abstraction, introduces digital health solutions for improved data collection
and facility-led CQI projects to identify and address service delivery bottlenecks.
4. Community engagement and structures – this pillar seeks to transform gender norms
and empower communities through community dialogues, GNT sessions and working with
community leaders for social accountability and strengthen community-based structures to
demand quality healthcare. Wild4life team organises community dialogues on maternal
health, gender equity, health rights and other topical health issues and conducts
community-led health campaigns and health promotion activities.
5. Service delivery innovations – this pillar seeks to enhance healthcare delivery through
DiAerentiated Service Delivery (DSD) models like CARGs, FARGs and private sector
partnerships. It also seeks to improve access to healthcare services via integrated outreach
and addressing logistics and supply chain challenges. Wild4Life program conducts monthly
integrated outreach services to underserved communities and strengthening cold chain and
supply chain logistics to ensure availability of essential commodities. The program plans to
plan the DSD for private sector engagement for expanded access to care through
pharmacies.
6. Cross-cutting and emerging health issues – this pillar integrates NCDs, mental health,
neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), climate change and other emerging health priority and
topical issues into programming. The Wild4Life program will initiate community screening
for NCDs namely hypertension and diabetes, train and mentor healthcare workers on mental
health integration and promote health resilience to climate change through community
training, sensitization and outreach health education campaigns on climate change impacts
on health.
Duties and Responsibilities
Purpose of the consultancy
To coordinate stakeholder engagement, adapt existing training tools, and develop a practical
and context-specific Mental Health training manual and participants guide that can be used
by local health workers and community workers, with a focus on children and adolescents
living with or affected by HIV.
Tasks for the consultant
1. Coordinate and facilitate a 3-day multi-stakeholder co-creation meeting with 15
participants including MoHCC, WHO, Friendship Bench, local NGOs and other
strategically relevant stakeholders.
2. Literature review and document analysis of existing mental health approaches from
Friendship bench, Ministry of Health, WHO mhGAP, Grassroots soccer, Connect,
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other relevant models, partners and stakeholders.
3. Develop a Wild4Life Community mental health training manual tailored to children,
adolescents and youths and that can be used by district and facility healthcare workers,
VHWs, caregivers and adolescents peer mentors for mental health screening,
counseling and capacity building.
4. Ensure the training manual is practical, low-cost, scalable, and culturally relevant to
Wild4Life operational areas.
5. Collaborate with technical support team in developing the manual.
Key components of the manual (proposed):
Mental health basics
Common mental health conditions in children and adolescents
Mental health screening and referral
Psychosocial support techniques
Adolescent peer mentorship and group facilitation
Coping strategies, stigma reduction, and ART adherence
Timeframe – 45 days
The timelines for key roles and tasks - TBA
Reporting and management
a) The consultant will report to the Wild4Life Program team with technical oversight by the
Mental Health focal point from MoHCC.
A technical working group (TWG) comprising MoHCC, WHO, SALT Africa, and Wild4Life will
provide review and guidance.
Payment terms:
1. 20% to be paid at contract signing and submission of inception report
2. 40% to be paid at submission of stakeholder meeting report and draft manual
3. 40% to be paid at submission of final manual and roll-out plan
4. All payments are inclusive of VAT. (NB A 30% deduction will be levied in the absence of
Tax certificate).
Qualifications and Experience
Required qualifications and experience
a) Masters degree in Public Health, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
b) Minimum 5 years’ experience in mental health programming, curriculum development,
or community-based training.
c) Familiarity with various mental health models
d) Demonstrated ability to engage multiple stakeholders and facilitate participatory
workshops.
e) Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills in English (proficiency in local
languages an advantage).
f) Prior experience working in Zimbabwe is desirable.
How to Apply
Qualified consultants or consulting firms should submit:
An updated CV or organizational profile
Brief technical proposal (max 3 ages)
Budget breakdown and timeline
An example of similar work
References
Email to: recruitment@pangaeazw.org on or before 14 August 2025.
