Design and layout services

Overall objective

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide layout, design and visualization support for guidance, case studies and other communication material and deliver outputs to the Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP) as requested and based on an agreed timeline within the framework of this consultancy contract.

Background

While a significant reduction in malaria case incidence and mortality rates had been observed globally over the past 20 years, the 2021 World Malaria Report shows that progress has plateaued, stalled or reversed in many high-burden countries since 2019, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even before the emergence of COVID-19, global gains against malaria were levelling off, and the world was not on track to reach the 2020 milestones of WHO’s global malaria strategy. On a global scale, progress against malaria remains uneven. According to the report, many countries with a low burden of the disease are moving steadily towards the goal of malaria elimination. However, most countries with a high burden of the disease have suffered setbacks and are losing ground.[1]

According to the 2021 report, there were an estimated 241 million malaria cases in 2020 compared to 227 million cases in 2019 – an increase of about 14 million cases. About 95% of all malaria cases were in the WHO African Region. The total number of malaria cases in 2020 is essentially the same as that reported in the year 2000. However, over this 20-year period, the population at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa nearly doubled. Malaria case incidence, which reflects population growth, maintained a downward trend over the last 20 years – from 81.1 cases per 1000 population at risk in 2000 to 56.3 in 2019 and 59 in 2020.

An estimated 69 000 more people died from malaria in 2020 compared to 2019 (627 000 vs. 558 000). About two thirds (47 000) of the additional malaria deaths were due to disruptions in the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. In sub- Saharan Africa there was an estimated 12% increase in malaria deaths in 2020 over 2019. This highlights the consequences of even moderate service disruptions to malaria services in a population at risk. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa showed a decline in outpatient attendance and malaria testing during the initial phase of the pandemic, and reductions generally coincided with peaks in COVID-19 transmission.

In terms of prevention, the 2021 World Malaria Report highlights that in 2020, 31 countries had planned campaigns to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and, of these:

• 18 countries (58%) completed their campaigns in 2020, with most experiencing important delays
• 13 countries (42%) had campaigns that were incomplete in 2020 and spilled over to 2021

Globally, about three quarters (72%) of all ITNs planned for distribution had been distributed by the end of 2020.

The Alliance for Malaria Prevention is a workstream within RBM and is an integral part of RBM’s Country and Regional Support Partner Committee (CRSPC). AMP is a global partnership of more than 40 organizations, including government, private sector, faith-based and humanitarian organizations. Housed and chaired by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), AMP is focused on three main activities: (1) coordination of partners involved in ITN campaign and continuous distribution activities; (2) development of operational guidance for planning and implementation of ITN distributions; and (3) supporting national malaria programmes and partners to identify, address and document operational successes and challenges to meeting the WHO GTS targets for high coverage and use of ITNs.

In 2020, AMP was awarded a grant by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to improve operational efficiency for ITN campaigns. As part of its work on the campaign efficiency project, AMP is committed to ensuring wide dissemination or work products, new approaches and methodologies and to showcasing the work of national malaria programmes and implementing partners adopting more efficient strategies for their campaigns. As part of this project, the AMP produces operational guidance documents and case studies, as well as other communication material, related to ITN campaign efficiency. These documents are shared widely with AMP partners and are advertised on the AMP website. The objective of this consultancy is to ensure that documents produced by the AMP are laid out for dissemination and communication purposes.

Terms of reference:

To support the AMP team with lay out of key documents, including documents in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish based upon requests.

Alignment to the IFRC’s objectives and strategy:

The Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP)’s mandate aligns to the Federation’s Strategy 2030 as it supports the achievement of strategic aims:

1) Save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disasters and crises

2) Enable healthy and safe living.

Project objectives and timelines:

Objective #1: To generate new evidence and best practices that will inform more efficient and effective ITN distributions, primarily but not exclusively through campaigns.

Desired outcomes: Increased availability and accessibility of evidence-based approaches and guidance for optimizing ITN distribution through ITN mass distribution and continuous distribution activities.

Support to be provided

Support will be provided by the Manager – Malaria Programmes and by the AMP Coordination Officer.

[1] https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/malaria/world-malaria-reports/world-malaria-report-2021-global-briefing-kit-eng.pdf?sfvrsn=8e5e915_23&download=true

The timeframe of this consultancy assignement will be from March to August 2023.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to health.department@ifrc.org by Friday 24th of February. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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