What We Do

The team’s health system strengthening expertise was developed through previous roles with global and national health bodies. This includes conducting comprehensive health system reviews in Nigeria and Myanmar, identifying gaps, and recommending solutions. The team supported infrastructure projects such as constructing EPI buildings, rehabilitating national cold stores, and solarizing 10 health facilities with waste management systems. Additional efforts involved developing public-private partnerships in Pakistan, creating operational guidelines for vaccine introductions, and providing technical assistance to ministries of health in over 20 countries to enhance service delivery in rural and conflict-affected areas.

The team’s expertise in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) includes leading a national COVID-19 prevention program and mitigating its indirect impacts on MNCH services in a conflict-affected region, conducting anthropometric surveys, and designing community-based communication strategies. Achievements encompass evaluating a community care project for mothers and newborns, developing results-based work plans, training health workers on antenatal and postnatal care across multiple countries, and validating maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination.

The team possesses deep expertise in immunization strategy, including developing a national immunization strategy for 2023-2027 aligned with WHO guidelines in a conflict zone, supporting Gavi applications for vaccine introductions like TCV and IPV in multiple countries, and crafting operational guidelines for Hepatitis B vaccine introduction. The team contributed to a maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination acceleration strategy, led multi-year immunization plans, and implemented tailored coverage strategies in low-performing areas. Efforts also involved supporting polio eradication in high-risk regions.

The Nema team’s extensive expertise in cold chain management includes leading the expansion of national cold stores and ultra-cold chain units, enabling early COVID-19 vaccine receipt via the COVAX facility in a conflict-affected country and through strategic evacuations, saved $42.8 million worth of vaccines during a crisis. The team also developed cold chain technician manuals, training curricula, and conducted nationwide training for cold chain officers and technicians on vaccine handling and maintenance in challenging settings.

Expertise in vaccine management and supply chain logistics was developed through previous roles with international agencies. This includes managing annual multi-year immunization forecasting, procurement, and shipment planning with 100% accuracy, coordinating with global vaccine centers for timely deliveries. Achievements include overseeing vaccine clearance, internal distribution, and stock monitoring, developing guidelines for mOPV2 and nOPV vaccine deployment and destruction, and creating a real-time Vaccine Logistics Management Information System (vLMIS) integrated with DHIS2. The team also led the deployment of refrigerated trucks for vaccine timeliness and maintained supply to conflict zones, ensuring service continuity during emergencies.

The team’s proficiency in communication for development (C4D) and behavior change was gained through prior work with international organizations. This includes introducing geospatial mapping of community health workers, developing video-based training and counseling tools, and creating culturally appropriate IEC materials like posters, banners, radio dramas, and PSAs for polio and routine immunization. The team authored a global paper on immunization outreach integration, and developed communication strategies for new vaccine introductions, HIV prevention, and WASH programs, alongside documenting field trial successes and human interest stories.

The team’s expertise in emergency response and outbreak management was built through prior roles with UN agencies and NGOs. This includes supporting polio eradication in Nigeria and Pakistan through social mobilization, contributing to Ebola preparedness plans in South Asia, and leading COVID-19 vaccine deployment via COVAX in a conflict zone. The team investigated diarrheal disease outbreaks in Jamaica, conducted rapid assessments in crisis areas, established immunization services for refugees, drafted yellow fever outbreak response guidelines, and managed Immunization Plus Days in high-risk regions, including coordinating cross-border vaccine operations during conflicts.

The team’s expertise in capacity building and training involves designing and delivering global training materials for mid-level management, training 50,000 medical officers and 250,000 health workers on immunization across nine countries, and producing educational films on micro-planning, cold chain maintenance, disease surveillance, and interpersonal communication. The team conducted nationwide cascade training programs, reaching cold chain officers and technicians with specialized courses on vaccine handling, forecasting, and maintenance. Additional achievements encompass facilitating workshops for teachers in Nigeria on polio social mobilization, training district social mobilization consultants, and leading capacity-building initiatives for national and international NGOs on project management, humanitarian principles, and child rights across Africa and Asia. The team also adapted global training materials into local contexts, designed video-based modules for frontline workers, and provided mentorship programs for health managers, through supervision and evaluations.

Expertise in this area includes lobbying for child-sensitive policies, advocating for immunization equity, and supporting policies for refugees and IDPs. Achievements include developing national action plans for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination, preparing advocacy materials for World Immunization Day, representing organizations in global working groups, and coordinating with governments to align domestic protection laws with international standards in the Middle East and Africa.

The team has designed M&E frameworks for immunization strategies, conducting large household surveys on diarrhea and breastfeeding, and evaluating PHC projects in the Pacific. The team assessed neonatal tetanus risks, reviewed child health programs, documented lessons learned from child health weeks, and analyzed DHS data for under-five mortality trends. However, previous roles highlighted challenges with poor recording and reporting, as well as a scarcity of available statistics, which the team addressed by developing real-time data systems like vLMIS, triangulating EPI data for coverage and surveillance, and preparing detailed research papers.

This includes leading cross-border migration projects in East Africa, conducting two national child rights situation analyses, and integrating gender and child participation into health and education programs. Achievements encompass managing a justice for children program addressing early marriage and death penalty sentences and advocating for child-sensitive policies.