The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:   Occupational Therapists (4 Jobs)  

Organisation: Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International)

Duty Station:  Nakivale (1 Job), Palabek (1 Job), Omugo (2 Jobs), Uganda

Salary: UGX 3,276,469 – 3,680,921 /=

Reports to: Project Manager

Length of Contract: Until 31/05/2024

Start Date: September 2023

Start Date: As soon as possible

 

About US:

Co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of Handicap International) is a 40-year-old independent and impartial organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and individuals experiencing extreme hardship, taking action and bearing witness to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

 

HI in Uganda is currently implementing development and humanitarian interventions in six sectors/thematic areas: Livelihood, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Physical and Functional Rehabilitation, Inclusive Education, Inclusive Health, and Inclusive Humanitarian Action (IHA) to improve access and quality of services to the most vulnerable people including persons with disabilities promoting a more inclusive and harmonious society

 

About Project:

Uganda is experiencing multiple emergencies that impact the delivery of safe, inclusive and equitable education. In 2022, 146,759 refugees newly arrived in Uganda, while 31,662 individuals are also recorded as new influxes during the beginning of January and the end of May 2023. Of these, approximately 37,500 (21%) are in the age group between 5 and 171, and 13.6% of them (5,100) are estimated to have functional difficulties. The project aims to achieve three major outcomes;

• Outcome 1: Improved Access and Retention to Inclusive and Gender Transformative Learning and Training Opportunities
• Outcome 2: Improved delivery of quality education and training
• Outcome 3: Strengthened systems for effective and resilient service delivery

 

Role of HI in the Project

Barriers affecting access to quality education for children with disabilities are numerous including; access, attitudinal, limited knowledge and stigma. The proposed project therefore, will address the specific needs of children with disabilities with an intersectionality lens on age and gender. HI will provide technical support to Uganda Education Consortium partners to apply a twin-track approach to disability inclusion i.e. to mainstream disability inclusion to all educational interventions from ECD to secondary education and to provide targeted services i.e. rehabilitation, provision of assistive technologies (ATs), individualized educational support. The FER intervention will target 3,130 children with disabilities (14% of the total target of 22,358). HI will support the Uganda Education Consortium partners to achieve this target jointly, based on the data using the WGQs. For rehabilitation and related specialized services, HI will directly support 313 children in Rhino (Terego District) Palabek (Lamwo District) and Nakivale (Isingiro District).

 

Job Summary:  The Occupational Therapist (OT) is part of the integrated rehabilitation and MHPSS (physiotherapists, psychologists and psychosocial officers). It collaborates closely with the Inclusive Education Officers (IEO) in the field with support from HI regional and country technical specialists (Regional Rehabilitation Specialist, Country MHPSS Specialist and Regional Inclusive Education Specialists). The position of the OT is to support functional activities of daily living and occupational activities of children at home and in school to ensure that children can participate in school activities in the classrooms and outside (playground, latrines, kitchen etc.). At the same time, supporting teachers in understanding childhood disabilities and activity performance in and outside the classrooms and parents/caregivers in continuation of ADL and occupational activities of the children at home. The responsibilities of the OT contribute to the overall achievement of the project objectives, reflected in monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to HI and the donor.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Mission 1: Ensure planning and field coordination of project activities with internal and external stakeholders.

• Participate in monthly activity planning meetings, including daily, weekly, and monthly movement.
• Coordinate activities with the project manager, TU, and project team, ensuring coordinated activity implementation within the project’s scope and HI procedures and standards.
• Active participation in Case Management and Case Presentation with the technical units according to a pre-determined schedule.
• Contribute to the reports prepared by the project manager to the consortium partners on HI activities in the field and to donors.
• As needed, can be delegated to represent HI and the project in settlement meetings and produce report/feedback to the project manage

Mission 2: Implement, facilitate and follow up, daily, the project activities by the project implementation plans for service delivery.

• Participate in assessing children following OT procedure and guidelines with the integrated team (PT and MHPSS) using validated assessment tools via Survey CTO, and coordinate work with inclusive education officers.
• Design appropriate occupational therapy intervention according to the priorities of needs identified during assessment and according to the “rehabilitation goals” of the child, family and the integrated team. Ensure all plans and interventions are “child-centred”.
• Prescribe appropriate assistive devices following standard procedures, assessment tools, and follow-up guidelines post-delivery, i.e. basic and intermediate wheelchair assessment and follow-up.
• Coordinate timely orders with the PM and logistics officer and review assistive devices after delivery.
• Provide OT services at home, fixed point, and school using appropriate intervention and basic, local equipment.
• Provide basic training to the child, family, caregiver, and teachers on occupational activities to achieve the rehabilitation goals at school or home.
• Monitor performance and participation outcome of the child, and update record during home, fixed point and school follow-up using standard outcome measure tools (COPM, COTE, FIM etc.)
• Re-assess cases according to “new” priorities and recommend adjustments in the treatment plan, including discharge and case closure

Mission 3: Participate in project review, monitoring and data collection and MEAL activities.

• Participates and contributes to project inception, implementation, review, and reporting.
• Regularly updates client data record after every follow-up, re-assessment, and discharge via Survey CTO, and maintain complete documentation of each activity performed within the OT capacity.
• Participates in technical meetings, case reviews, and regular project reviews (ISPR, BSS, Lessons Learned, etc.)
• Write and submit “human interest” stories and other testimonies, and submit them to the Project Manager for review and submission to HI’s Communication Specialist for approval and upload on Hinside, and the social media platforms.
• Contribute rehabilitation (OT) information in the project and donor reports following approved MEAL templates.
• Participates in capacity building and mandatory training allocated to staff in-country via Physiopedia and HI Academy.

Mission 4: Respect for HI identity, rules and policies; In coordination with the Human Resources Manager and the Project Manager:

• Know, understand, apply and respect the HI code of conduct and ethics, HI mandate and values, HI rules and operating procedure, HI policies (child protection policy, policy and mechanism for the prevention of and fight against bribery, the protection of beneficiaries from sexual exploitation and abuse policy) and make sure they are known, understood, applied and respected by its team
• Know, understand, apply and respect HI security rules and make sure they are known, understood and used by their team

Mission 5: Emergency preparedness and response

• Contributes to the program’s emergency preparedness actions and, during an emergency, adapts his/her work modality to contribute to HI’s effective humanitarian response.

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant must hold a diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy Mandatory
• At least two years of clinical experience in a hospital as an Occupational Therapist working along the multidisciplinary team.

 

Desirable

• Experienced working for an NGO (local/international) as clinical or community staff, an advantage.
• Experienced working in the community, private or public school or clinic as an occupational therapist.
• Experienced working in humanitarian and emergency settings.

 

Personal Skills & Technical Competencies required

• Ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills as an occupational therapist in day-to-day activities.
• Ability to perform a client-centred approach in the assessment, evaluation, and follow-up of intervention using standard methods and tools for occupational therapy
• Contribute to comprehensive assessment providing neuromotor, sensory processing, and functional or adaptive skill analyses of children.
• Contribute, communicate and collaborate effectively with the team and partners on improving care for children and the project.
• Knowledge of disability, Inclusion, and inclusive education.
• Engages in professional development and seeks ways to improve professional competencies and capacity using different mediums.
• Thinks critically.
• Professionalism by respecting professional and organizational ethics in dealing with clients, families, colleagues and partner
• Able to manage own practice ensuring quality and safety of work and confidence to work with less supervision
• Good communication skills in spoken and written English. Knowledge of Sign Language is an advantage.
• Must have good interpersonal skills.
• Must exhibit patience and tolerance when handling the child, training caregivers, and other organizational responsibilities.
• Can work under pressure.
• Must possess good analytical and problem-solving abilities in designing treatment programs, especially for complex cases, using available resources and, at the same time, taking advantage of the multidisciplinary approach within the organization.
• Must exhibit creativity, innovation, and flexibility in the management of children.
• Must be open-minded and able to accept criticisms.
• Must exhibit creativity, innovation, and flexibility in the management of children with disabilities.
• Must be computer literate – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Browsing

 

Application Process

• Humanity and Inclusion is an Equal Opportunity Employer, we encourage females and persons with disabilities to apply to become a part of our organization. HI provides the reasonable accommodation to facilitate work processes for Persons with Disability
• HI staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the Code of Conduct. In accordance with these values, HI operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-fraud, bribery, and corruption.
• HI does not solicit funds in exchange for employment opportunities.

 

How to Apply:

If you feel you meet the requirements, please send an updated CV (3 pages max, including three professional referees current and/or past line managers) with a cover letter to HR department at recruitment@uganda.hi.org indicating the position and location applied for in the subject line

 

Deadline: Sunday 13th August 2023 by 11pm

 

Any efforts to influence the recruitment process will lead to automatic disqualification. Disclaimer: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

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