National Consultant : Strengthening Nutrition Education through the Nutrition School Ambassadors[...]

National Consultant : Strengthening Nutrition Education through the Nutrition School Ambassadors (NUSA) Initiative, Pretoria, South Africa (Remote)

Job no :

Contract type : Consultant

Duty Station : Pretoria

Level : Consultancy

Location : South Africa

Categories : Health and Nutrition

UNICEF South Africa’s Health and Nutrition Outcome : Girls and boys, including the most deprived, receive an integrated package of quality and equitable maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH), HIV / AIDS, and nutrition care and services. The Health and Nutrition section has 3 outputs, and this consultancy supports Outputs 2 and 3 under the key interventions :

• Support the implementation of the Blueprint for improving the South African school Food environment
• Empower young people and learners to advocate for improved food environment in schools and institutions of higher learning, NCD prevention and modifiable risk factors, including overweight and obesity

Since 2022, UNICEF South Africa has supported government efforts to improve the food environment through youth‑led advocacy and social and behaviour change communication campaigns under the banner My Body, My Health : My Wealth. This initiative reached over 3 million youth aged 15‑24 years between 2022 and 2024 with messages on the prevention of obesity and non‑communicable diseases (NCDs), while empowering young people to become agents of change in addressing food system challenges and advocating for relevant policies.

In 2024 the third phase of this campaign introduced the youth‑led Fix My Food movement, aimed at transforming the food system through policy advocacy. This included support for the implementation of draft regulations on food labelling and advertising, and efforts to improve campus food environments.

In partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), UNICEF also supported the development of the Blueprint for Improving the South African School Food Environment (2021). This collaboration led to an 18‑month, two‑phase pilot in six public schools in the iLembe district of KwaZulu‑Natal. One of the key insights from this pilot was the establishment of Nutrition School Ambassadors to make learners agents of change for their own school food environment.

To bridge gaps, the DBE, in collaboration with UNICEF through the NSNP’s Nutrition Education (NE) pillar, aims to establish the Nutrition School Ambassadors (NUSA) initiative. This initiative complements current nutrition education, which is included in life orientation and related subjects, with nutrition content as part of the DBE’s Curriculum and Policy Statements (CAPS) through peer‑led initiatives, making learners active agents of change rather than passive recipients of information. The NUSA initiative will be integrated under the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Nutritional Support pillar through the establishment of a “NUSA School Club” as a sub‑committee within the Representative Council of Learners (RCL).

Under the supervision of the Nutrition Manager from the Health and Nutrition Section, the consultant will provide technical support to DBE in enhancing learners’ knowledge, skills and advocacy capacity through participatory, curriculum‑linked nutrition education, enabling them to critically engage with their own dietary behaviour and that of their peers. The consultant will develop toolkits for the NUSA initiative to empower learners to advocate for healthier school food environments by engaging with School Governing Bodies, School Management Teams and food vendors to promote and enforce policies that ensure the availability and affordability of nutritious options in and around schools.

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Kindly submit your financial proposal in ZAR; applications without financial proposal will not be accepted.

Deadline : 9 November 2025 (South Africa Standard Time)

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