Social and Behavior Change Facilitator for Immunization Vacancy-Job Ref: BJHNUNICEF/0107/2025821

Social and Behavior Change Facilitator for Immunization Vacancy-Job Ref: BJHNUNICEF/0107/2025821

Tegucigalpa (Honduras)

Job Description

The United Nations General Assembly has entrusted UNICEF with the mandate to promote the protection of children’s rights, help meet their basic needs, and enhance the opportunities available to them so that they can fully achieve their potential.

UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to ensure that these rights become enduring ethical principles and international standards of conduct for children.

UNICEF reiterates that the survival, protection, and development of children are universal development imperatives and integral to human progress. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure that children have priority rights to resources and to build capacity to establish appropriate policies and provide services for children and their families.

UNICEF is committed to ensuring that special protection is given to the most disadvantaged children: victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and children with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies by protecting children’s rights. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF provides its unique rapid response services to its partners to alleviate the suffering of children and their caregivers.

UNICEF is a non-partisan organization, and its cooperation is non-discriminatory. In everything it does, it prioritizes the most disadvantaged children and the countries most in need. Through its country programs, UNICEF aims to promote the equal rights of women and girls and support their full participation in the political, social, and economic development of their communities.

Context

Childhood vaccination is one of the most effective pillars of public health worldwide. Since 1974, the expansion of vaccination programs has saved the lives of at least 154 million people, 101 million of whom were children under 1 year of age (WHO, 2024). However, in recent years, multiple crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have severely affected vaccination coverage in many countries, including Honduras.

In 2020 alone, more than 23 million children worldwide missed their routine vaccination schedules. In recent years, Honduras has seen a sustained decline in childhood vaccination coverage rates. For example, the third dose of the pentavalent (DTP) vaccine reached only 73% in 2023, well below the minimum standard of 95% recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, the percentage of children with zero doses increased from 14% in 2019 to 18% in 2021. These trends demonstrate that, in the case of Honduras, the decline in coverage rates extends beyond the pandemic years.

Despite the fact that the Honduran State carries out major national immunization campaigns each year, and that health centers have the necessary vaccine supply, coverage rates remain low (PAHO, 2021). This suggests that the reasons for the decline could be primarily linked to factors related to the demand for vaccination. As a result, UNICEF, in support of the Expanded Program on Immunization, developed a communication strategy titled “Yo Soy Máximo.”

Likewise, a partnership was established with the National Autonomous University of Honduras to study the cultural, social, and psychological aspects that could be influencing this situation, which have been little studied in the country. This study has been the basis for the formulation of a social and behavior change (SBC) strategy for immunization, including key behavior-influencing communication elements (BCCs) identified to address the identified barriers and promote enablers of change, ultimately contributing to increased immunization coverage.

Social and Behavioral Change (SBC) at UNICEF is a cross-cutting program strategy that analyzes and addresses the cognitive, social, and structural determinants of individual practices and social change in development and humanitarian contexts. SBC utilizes the latest in social and behavioral sciences to understand people, their beliefs, values, sociocultural norms, and the economic and institutional contexts that shape their lives.

Under the above context, youth volunteers are needed to facilitate the implementation of the Expanded Program on Immunization’s evidence-based communication and social and behavior change strategy. The youth volunteer will receive guidance on the strategy’s implementation and assistance from UNICEF social and behavior change experts. The youth volunteer will be under the technical coordination of the Ministry of Health’s Expanded Program on Immunization, with support from the UNICEF Health and Nutrition team.

Task description

In coordination with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) technical team, the health regions, and with the support of the UNICEF Health and Nutrition Specialist, the Social and Behavior Change Facilitator for Immunization will be responsible for facilitating the implementation of the communication and social and behavior change strategy at the territorial level to promote childhood vaccination. To this end, they will carry out the following activities: 1. Organize and facilitate participatory community sessions to address barriers and motivations for vaccination among different groups in the community.

2. Support health regions and health centers in planning community vaccination days, incorporating awareness-raising activities before and during the day.

3. Identify and meet with key local allies (schools, churches, women’s associations, youth groups) to explain the importance of vaccination, build their public support, and promote their participation in activities.

4. Coordinate with local radio stations, schools, municipalities, and other community spaces to disseminate key messages and organize social mobilization activities.

5. Make use of communication materials (posters, radio messages, social media, commercials) adapting messages to the local dialects, age, gender, and cultural practices of the community.

6. Apply simple social listening tools to identify opportunities, and data collection tools (quick surveys, short interviews, etc.) to monitor changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

7. Support the health team in preparing vaccination microplans, incorporating aspects of communication and community participation.

8. Organize periodic meetings with local EPI staff and health promoters to review results, adjust messages, plan upcoming actions, and coordinate efforts.

9. Provide technical assistance to health personnel and community promoters on how to address barriers and enhance vaccination enabling factors.

10. Support supervisory visits or rapid assessment sessions in communities with low coverage, gathering input to adapt SBC (Social and Behavior Change) strategies at the local level.

11. Facilitate the inclusion of CSC activities in municipal or regional health operational plans, working with health technicians and municipal staff.

Expected results: Operationalization of actions that contribute to social and behavioral change through the deployment of tools, methodologies, and effective communication in the expanded immunization program, to increase spontaneous demand for vaccination in prioritized health regions.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 – 80

Required experience

1 month

Nationality

Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience

1 month

Languages

Spanish, Level: Native language, Required

English, Level: Basic, Desirable

Required education level

Secondary education

Competencies and values

Competencies:

Establish and Maintain Alliances
Demonstrate self-knowledge and ethical awareness
Strive to achieve tangible results
Innovate and Embrace Change
Mastering ambiguity and complexity
Working in collaboration with others
Values:

Attention

Integrity
Trust
Accountability
Sustainability
Skills and experience

General experience of 1 month or more, preferably in community process development.
Ability to adapt to different contexts and work in dynamic and changing environments.
Ability to establish relationships of trust and collaboration with communities, healthcare personnel, and other key stakeholders.
Knowledge of the Honduran sociocultural context is desirable, especially in matters of public health, immunization, and development of community processes.
It is desirable to have a driver’s license (light vehicle).
A university degree and/or specialization in the development of community participatory health processes is desirable.
NOTE: It is considered desirable to have worked or resided at the place of assignment/duty station (Tegucigalpa).

Area(s) of expertise

Communication, Community development, Health

Driving license

Please click on the button below to Apply.