Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Champions – RCOG

We are recruiting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Champions from Rwanda, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Zimbabwe for the Making Abortion Safe programme.

Through our Making Abortion Safe programme, the RCOG is looking to work in collaboration with gynaecologists, obstetricians, physicians of other specialities, midwives, nurses, other health care professionals and researchers to contribute to long-lasting change in the field of sexual and reproductive health, with a specific focus on safe abortion and/or post abortion care.

Please note: The name of the programme locally can be adapted to suit individual country contexts.

Purpose

We anticipate working with several SRHR Champions in each country, across different cadres of professionals and at multiple points of influence. We are open to working with professionals who are already working to improve access to safe abortion and/or post-abortion care and potentially supporting existing work being undertaken, as well as with professionals who are interested in joining this work for the first time.

Through a collaborative process, SRHR Champions in each country will be supported to identify and implement interventions and actions to improve access to safe abortion and post abortion care within their country and to build a two-year country specific strategy and action plan which will be financed through the programme. This strategy will build on any work that has been carried out in the past and present by other advocates for improving access to safe abortion and post-abortion care.  The focus of the advocacy work will be on generating change in policy and practice areas to improve access to safe abortion. The expertise and insight of SRHR Champions across the five programme countries will inform the development of open source advocacy and clinical training tools and materials and all work will aim to build on existing efforts.

SRHR Champions are expected to actively engage with and support other SRHR Champions, via an online peer-to-peer support forum, sharing lessons learned between countries. In addition, there will be opportunities to share their work, knowledge and experience around SRHR advocacy through participation at regional and international conferences.

SRHR Champions are required to:

• Work collaboratively across country SRHR Champion networks to develop and implement the national strategy and action plan.
• Actively implement national strategy and action plan in a coordinated manner, according to the country situation.
• Actively contribute to a wider network of SRHR Champions and existing abortion advocacy forums to share expertise, knowledge, experience and resources across countries.
• Experienced Champions may provide mentorship and support to more junior Champions.
• Work with the Making Abortion Safe programme team to develop high-quality, relevant global advocacy and clinical training tools and resources around abortion and post abortion care to affect policy and practice change.
• Promote and disseminate training resources widely amongst their networks.
• Present their work at national, regional and international conferences.
• Engage with RCOG Making Abortion Safe programme team to track progress against objectives.

Champions engaged in the programme will receive the following:

• RCOG Associate/Affiliate Membership and Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) Associate Membership (fully funded for the duration of the programme).
• Opportunity to complete the FSRH International Certificate of Knowledge in Sexual and Reproductive Health (fully funded).
• Support (financial and capacity building) for development and implementation of in-country advocacy plans.
• Access to, and opportunity to work with programme team to co-create, online training (knowledge-based abortion, contraceptive counselling course, harm reduction and legal frameworks, advocacy toolkit), webinars and forums.
• Access to a network of like-minded SRHR advocates and experts through the programme’s Peer-2-Peer learning platform.
• The opportunity to apply for fully funded participation at national, regional and international conferences and RCOG events.
• Support to submit posters, abstracts and to present on advocacy work at national, regional and international events.
• Opportunity to work with programme team to adapt and develop RCOG Best Practice Guidance to make them country specific.

How to Apply

To apply, please read the role description and then submit a completed application form and CV to cfwgh@rcog.org.uk. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis but should ideally be received by 31st October 2020. We reserve the right to close the call for applications at any time after this date, once posts have been filled.