PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Building on successful implementation in previous years, the WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023–2027 focuses on the institutionalization and sustainability of an optimized national school meals model through strengthened systems, infrastructure, which includes complementary interventions in health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). In partnership with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, WFP provides policy support, advocacy, direct technical assistance, and mutual learning opportunities, leveraging the WFP-supported School Nutrition Unit within the Ministry of Education and Science and collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health.
In particular, ensuring access to safe water, functional sanitation facilities, and improved hygiene practices in schools is a key strategic focus, contributing to enhanced health, nutrition, and learning outcomes for schoolchildren. As the school meals programme advances toward full national ownership, WFP’s support increasingly focuses on capacity strengthening and system development to ensure a sustainable, cost-effective, and safe school feeding model. WASH interventions are central to this process, complementing school feeding operations by improving school-level infrastructure, promoting hygiene behaviours, and strengthening the management capacity of school staff and local authorities.
Within this framework, WFP, in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), implements the project “Establishment of a Sustainable Environment for Enhancing Health and Nutrition in Schools through the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic (2025–2028)”. The project aims to enhance school environments by integrating WASH infrastructure and services with school feeding operations, promoting healthy behaviours among students and communities, and strengthening the capacity of schools and local authorities for sustainable WASH management.
The Senior Programme Associate (WASH expert) will play a key role in the planning, coordination, implementation, and reporting of WASH-related activities under the KOICA-funded project and other relevant WFP initiatives. The incumbent will ensure effective delivery of project components related to school WASH infrastructure improvements, hygiene promotion campaigns, water quality monitoring, and institutional capacity strengthening for sustainable WASH operations in schools. The WASH Specialist will also engage strategically with the Government and partners to integrate WASH components into national school feeding and social protection systems, contributing to improved health and nutrition outcomes for children across the Kyrgyz Republic.
Supervision: The Senior Programme Associate will be directly supervised by the Outcome 4 Manager and under the general supervision of the Head of Programme
For more information and to apply, please follow the link: Job Openings at WFP