Linkage Officer

Anova is an NGO that empowers people and changes lives. Good health and quality of life is what motivates us to provide healthcare solutions and support for those who need it most. _
- We are looking for a Linkage Officer (Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services) who will promote healthy behavior and prevent risk behavior in adolescents through the implementation of targeted interventions at sub district level including institution of higher learning. They will be responsible for mentoring and monitoring activities done by the AYFS Peer Educators as per Anova work plan strategies._

**Key Duties and Responsibilities**

***Health Education/Promotion**
- Provide Health education to adolescents and young people at supported facilities and during
- outreach campaigns about risky behaviours and sexual reproductive Health and rights (SRHR)
- Distribute information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and other educational
- materials to adolescents and young people at supported facilities
- Facilitate Youth dialogues in collaboration with health teams

***
**Outreach Campaign and mobilization**
- Engage in outreach campaigns to increase uptake of HIV testing services (HTS) and other services
- Engage in other innovative campaigns in collaboration with other campus health implementing Partner
- Promote B-wise during health talks, outreach campaigns, and assist adolescents and young people at supported facilities to register on B-wise

**Youth Care Clubs (YCC)**
- Establish and maintain existing youth care clubs and maintain existing current Youth Care Clubs (YCCs) at supported facilities
- Facilitate disclosure process to adolescent living with HIV (ALHIV)
- Facilitate YCC in supported facilities using AYFS approach

***Adolescent Youth-friendly Service (AYFS) Youth-Friendly hours**
- Establish and facilitate ‘’Youth-friendly Hours’’ at supported facilities and mentor facility-based peer educator on AYFS youth-friendly hours
- Ensure that supported facilities are adherent to 10 national AYFS standards

**Scale up Youth-Friendly health service-condom distribution**
- Facilitate distribution of condoms both male and female including condom demonstration to adolescents and young people

**Case Identification and linkage to care**
- Screen adolescents and young people for HTS and other services and link positive clients to care using current navigation models e.g., Karabo model in nearby facilities
- Screen adolescents and young people for HTS and other services
- Link negative clients to prevention services e.g. VMMC to nearby facilities and clinics
- Link all positive clients to nearby facilities for ART and other services

**Adherence**
- Ensure that all adolescents and young people living with HIV are adherent to their ARVs
- Link all defaulters to tracing team enhanced adherence counsellors
- Monitor 90-90-90 treatment plan at supported facilities where peer educators are based

**Stakeholder Engagement**
- Attend Anova internal meetings
- Conduct adolescent health profile in communities
- Establish bi directional (community/facility) referral channels to AYFS
- Form Partnership (working with Anova team and linkage officer) with other implementing partners e.g. condom distributers, HEAIDS

**Capacity Building**
- Train and mentor health teams on AYFS, YCC 90-90-90, SRHR and CADC models
- Train and mentor facility peer educators and counsellors on YCC, child and adolescent disclosure counselling (CADC) model of HIV
- Mentor Anova clinicians and non -clinicians on peer education

**Reporting**
- Provide constant feedback on program development on weekly, monthly and quarterly basis to line managers and relevant people
- Weekly update of facility support visits on TA register
- Compile weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual report to adolescent Technical Advisor, Anova sub-district manager and linkage officer timely

**Any other tasks as agreed with line manager.**

**Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Skills Required**:

- Grade 12 (Matric)
- Diploma in social science or relevant qualification
- Qualified in HIV counsellor with 2 years’ experience in working with Adolescent and Young people
- Experience with public speaking and trained on facilitation skills
- Have knowledge and experience in TB/HIV/AIDS management
- Able to communicate in English and Sepedi highly advantageous
- Excellent organizational skills
- Proficiency in MS office

In accordance with our Employment Equity goals and plan, preference will be given to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto. Preference will be given to persons with disabilities.