Tabitha Macharia

I am a self-motivated, organized, and results-driven public health specialist with more than 6 years of experience in public and community health programming.  I am competent at monitoring and managing of day-to-day operations and coordinating public health activities. In addition, I possess an in-depth understanding of the preparation and review of budgets and proposals for community health activities and monitoring community-based indicators and experience in the implementation and management of donor-funded programs.

United Nations Volunteer -UNICEF, ESARO

Public health Officer (Vaccines and Cold Chain Management) – Kitui County       April 2021 to Dec 2021.

 Key Responsibilities

• Support UNICEF and government capacity building to enhance efficient, effective, and timely supply delivery.
• Assess storage and cold chain capacity at all levels regarding vaccine characteristics.
• Support implementation of cold chain and vaccine management components of the county program for Covid-19 vaccinations and routine immunization.
• Provide day-to-day support and follow-up to the ministry of health in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating national and county cold chain logistics.
• Provide support for the implementation of vaccination activities in the health facilities supported by the program.
• Support the government on effective cold chain and vaccine management as well as the development of guidelines, SOPs, training, local-level planning, monitoring, and reporting.
• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of the project's strategic document, including work plans to support cold chain and vaccine management.
• Support and coordinate COVID-19 activities as well as review and track progress on project implementation and utilization of project resources.
• Undertake regular field visits to monitor capacities and compliance with cold chain and vaccine management standards and provide program reviews with government counterparts and other partners.
• Assist in the assessment of cold chain capacity and identify potential cold chain  solutions for sufficient storage capacity.
• Support the EPI logisticians with systems strengthening to identify temperature excursions, and prevent vaccine freezing during transportation, among other activities
• Identify opportunities for the organization to add value, maximize impact, and document lessons learned.
• Prepare periodic status reports, templates, SOPs, ToRs, analyses, and PowerPoint presentations related to these responsibilities.
• Perform any other duties as directed by the supervisor

Achievements

• Designing and developing of guidelines, SOPs, training, local-level planning, monitoring, and reporting tools. At the county level, we deliver to 400+ HCWs on COVID-19, vaccination/ immunization, and the different vaccines available.
• Implementation of the donor-funded program on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, GPEI.
• Coaching of HCWs at the field level to strengthen cold chain management as well as capacity building for the medical technicians.

Ministry of the East African Community

Public health Officer  - Namanga OSBP                                                           April 2020 to April 2021

 Key Responsibilities

• Enforce Kenyan laws and international travel requirements at the Namanga OSBP under the supervision of a Port Health Officer
• Generating daily, weekly and monthly reports to be shared with the Port Health Officer and the national coordinating team.
• Supporting the health team in implementing the county communication plans.
• Carrying out primary screening at the point of entry.
• Writing COVID-19 attestation letters for truckers whose results indicate negativity.
• Supported and trained on infection prevention and control at the border post, by ensuring that the required percentages of chlorine were properly prepared and regularly changed hand washing, and decontamination.
• Conducted refresher training for the Community health workers, staff, and community health committees on COVID-19.
• Communicated case definition
• Issuance and validation of travel documents, including COVID-19 attestation letters
• Implement instructions from Port Health Officer on domestic and international disease dynamics.
• Undertake disinfection and vector and vermin control.
• Liaise with County rapid response teams to pick confirmed cases at points of entry and conduct in-contact tracing within the point of entry
• Facilitation of medical examination of food handlers.
• Food quality assurance through sampling.
• Carryout community health education, including to other actors within the point of entry
• Participate in cargo clearance.
• Conduct Sanitary audits of the port environment, conveyances, buildings, and licensing of food establishments.
• Ensure safe packaging and transportation of human remains.
• Ensure the availability of commodities for waste storage, transportation, and disposal, including infectious waste.
• Perform any other duties as directed by the supervisor

Sino-Hydro Corporation

Occupational Health and Safety Officer                                                                 July 2017-August 2019

 Key Responsibilities

• Provided training to ensure hazardous waste was correctly identified and correctly disposed of.
• Monitor and evaluate project activities to ensure productivity, as well as safety, is maintained.
• Interface with external and regulatory agencies on administrative issues, especially in implementation.
• Train employees, contractors, and other parties regarding the safety guidelines, including using PPEs.
• Participated in developing terms of reference (ToRs) and mission plans for the project.
• Monitor and ensure that all employees and contractors comply with safety guidelines, including PPE use.
• Monitor and evaluate safety inspection programs and carry out accident and incident investigations.
• Coordinate implementation of Fire Safety and Emergency Response guidelines and policy.
• Perform emergency response drills
• Issue work permits after inspection
• Respond to employees’ safety concerns.
• Query data inconsistencies and revise in compliance with standard operating procedures.
• Ensure routine backups on the databases.
• Travel to the field for supervision.

Ministry of Health-Loitoktok Sub-County Hospital

Public Health Officer-Volunteer                                                                                  April 2014-June, 2017 

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and enforce all environmental health and safety systems, policies, procedures, and practices in the hospital
• Implement hospital public health and sanitation programs and projects for safe and habitable environments.
• Enhance sanitation and hygiene partnerships through existing and innovative forums, such as stakeholders' meetings and chief barazas.
• Support and coordinate WASH activities to include water treatment, hygiene promotion, WASH Assessment and construction of sanitation facilities, and distribution of WASH sanitation items. 
• Provided training to the community health workers /volunteers (CHW/V) and the community in general on water, sanitation, and hygiene practices and guidelines.
• Conduct school health and community health education on hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, water treatment, mobilize immunization, waste disposal, preventable diseases, and insect control strategies, among other topics.
• Participate in the development and updating of monitoring and evaluation plans and frameworks.
• Engage with other local NGOs such as AMREF, Shokut Naretoi, and others to support sanitation activities within the county.
• Supporting data collection, analysis, and reporting to the relevant parties.
• Provide technical advice on preventive, promoting health, and ensuring compliance with the hospital's national public health policies and regulations.
• Proper filing of monthly data immediately after every monthly entry for future reference.
• Ensure regular reporting of activities, including key performance indicators
• Contribute towards strengthening primary health care projects.
• Manage and provide public health and sanitation database and record-keeping support
• Development of tools and systems for different projects
• Undertake periodic visits to field sites to monitor program implementation, support the rollout of new projects and provide field reports.
• Quality checks for outgoing and incoming products at ports of entry.

Africa Medical Research Foundation (AMREF)

Field Officer –Practicum                                                                                                May 2013 -Sept 2013

 Key Responsibilities

• Provided training to the community and schools within Kajiado county to ensure observance of hygiene and sanitation standards.
• Engaged with other partners to share in the WASH experiences through documentation and dissemination
• Supporting the Public Health team in the implementation of the county communication plans
• Prepare narrative reports for the donor(s) and AMREF as required, ensuring these are of high quality and submitted for review promptly.
• Integrated WASH activities into the county's existing nutrition, health, and education concepts and activities to improve health outcomes.
• Support and coordinate WASH activities to include water treatment, hygiene promotion, WASH Assessment and construction of sanitation facilities, and distribution of WASH sanitation items
• Liaise with community leaders for outreach activities, research, and behavior change.
• Ensure regular reporting of activities, including key performance indicators.
• Collect, register, and maintain information on program activities by reviewing field monitoring visits and quarterly and annual progress reports.
• Monitor and ensure all health projects meet the intended scope, time, and quality
• Contribute and assist in the development and implementation of projects in thematic areas.
• Contribute towards strengthening primary health care projects.
• Undertake periodic visits to field sites to monitor program implementation, support the rollout of new projects and provide field reports.
• Participate in proposal writing for new projects and internal and external reports
• Participate in the development, preparation, and dissemination of IEC materials
• Disseminate best practices at the community level to the elders, traditional birth attendants, and women’s groups
• Help in the management of project initiatives both at the community and Health facilities levels.
• Work as part of the baseline and end-line support research team.
• Identify and prepare outreach schedules and timetables.