Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.
Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
A worldwide movement
MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Its principles are described in the organisation’s founding charter. It is a non-profit, self-governed organisation.
Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of 24 associations, bound together as MSF International, based in Switzerland.
Thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff – most of whom are hired locally – work on programmes in some 70 countries worldwide.
Humanitarian action
MSF’s work is based on humanitarian principles. We are committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
MSF operates independently. We conduct our own evaluations on the ground to determine people’s needs. More than 90 per cent of our overall funding comes from millions of private sources, not governments.
MSF is neutral. We do not take sides in armed conflicts, we provide care on the basis of need, and we push for independent access to victims of conflict as required under international humanitarian law.
Bearing witness and speaking out
MSF medical teams often witness violence and neglect in the course of their work, largely in regions that receive scant international attention.
At times, MSF may speak out publicly in an effort to bring a forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public to abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticise the inadequacies of the aid system, or to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests.
Quality medical care
MSF rejects the idea that poor people deserve third-rate medical care and strives to provide high-quality care to patients. In 1999, when MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the organisation announced the money would go towards raising awareness of and fighting against neglected diseases.
Through the Access Campaign, and in partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, this work has helped lower the price of HIV/AIDS treatment and stimulated research and development for medicines to treat malaria and neglected diseases like sleeping sickness and kala azar.Main Responsibilities
Under the direct responsibility of the Project Medical Coordinator, the physiotherapists’ main objective will be to:
Implement the set up of Stimulation therapy for malnourished children within the MSF project site and its needed planning cycle ( ARO , reviews ,…)
Screen , hire , train and coach national Physiotherapy staff in providing ST at the project site
Develop and monitor the outcomes of the care of the children as well as promote and explain the impact of the activities on the project’s global outcomes to the Medical staff of the project by collaboration with other clinicians ( MHPSS , Play therapy , Health Promotion , MCH, feeding ,..) with the management and follow-up of malnourished children.
Guide the children care, at the set up of the project phase, during individual ST sessions for malnourished children and to pass on to the mother/father or the person responsible for the child the stimulation gestures to be continued at home.
Main Tasks
Implementation of Stimulation Therapy for malnourished children:
Dimension the need and scope of the therapy activities for the project with the Medical coordination
Hire and prepare national human resources for setting up the activities
Accompany the logistical and organizational set up of the activities in the existing infrastructure
Brief and enhance the understanding of the therapy activities to the interdisciplinary team present at the hospital
Create pathway of care and selection criteria as well as discharge criteria for the therapeutic activities
Draft basic outlines for the medium time frame planning of the project ( ARO preparations )
Provision and supervision of Stimulation therapy sessions for malnourished children
Welcome the family, assess the child’s development and run ST-Malnourished Children sessions withthe parent in the stimulation therapy areas of the targeted UNTI and UNTA.
Raise awareness of the importance of ST for malnourished children among parents and caregivers through health talks in therapeutic stimulation areas.
Introduce parents and carers of malnourished children to motor, sensory and cognitive activities through play.
Train or raise awareness among nutrition workers.
Train or sensitize community relays when available.
Explain and present ST-Malnourished children to visitors from various organizations.
Provide and deliver Training updates for the National Physiotherapists through general guidance for ST
sessions for malnourished children including :
Therapeutic play sessions to help children reach the developmental milestones that match their abilities. Take into account possible limitations due to the effects of malnutrition.
Promotion sensory development and fine motor skills
Improvement of general balance and facilitating the child’s movements through appropriate stimulation
Stimulation of cognitive skills and therefore complex abilities following the standard skills based development chart on age of child
Involvement techniques for parents in play and in observing their child’s abilities, and providing them with stimulation tips for everyday life at home.
Awareness and training for the interdisciplinary team:
Give briefings and training to members of the medical team on how stimulation improves recovery for malnourished children and their further development
Draft and develop with the interdisciplinary team intake and discharge criteria for the children needing stimulation according their nutritional status
In collaboration with the other project teams, inform the community about the nature of the ST- malnourished children and rehabilitation services offered by HI within the framework of the project.
Reporting and internal coordination:
Contribute to sitrep and activity report on the Project progress
Create train staff and integrate specific data sets on activities outcomes of the stimulation activities to be uploaded into the database collection framework of the project
Keep beneficiaries information and monitoring data up to date according the periodical data collection
Participate in drafting analysis reports
Participate in regular team meetings within the project
Participate in workshops organized on an ad hoc basis at the request of the Project Manager
Team safety and code of conduct:
Understand, apply and enforce MSF safety procedures and rules
Be particularly vigilant with regard to teams’ knowledge of and compliance with internal regulations, particularly with regard to deontological and ethical aspects relating to the respect and protection of beneficiaries.
Immediately report to the Project Manager any breach of HI rules observed or suspected within teams
Any other relevant task requested by his/her line Supervisor.