Introduction
Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.
Project Context and Scope
Ngara District Council in Kagera Region occupies one of Tanzania's most strategically exposed geographic positions for cross-border disease transmission. The district shares international borders with Burundi to the west and Rwanda to the north, with the Kabanga and Rusumo One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) as the two designated official crossing points. Both sites are characterized by high volumes of cross-border movement driven by trade, livelihoods, family visits, and health-seeking behavior.
The regional public health risk is substantially elevated by the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (BDBV) outbreak in Ituri Province, eastern DRC, which was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026. The outbreak has since spread to South Kivu province, which shares the Great Lakes corridor with western Tanzania. Confirmed EVD cases have also been reported in Uganda, and the temporary closure of the Uganda-DRC border on 27 May 2026 has heightened the risk of movement diversion through informal and unmonitored crossings into Tanzania.
Kagera Region has an estimated 110+ informal border crossing points, meaning that a significant proportion of cross-border movement occurs outside formal surveillance and health screening systems. There is currently no systematic, evidence-based understanding of population movement patterns at Kabanga and Rusumo OSBPs, mobility corridors, informal crossing points, congregation sites, or the profiles and behaviours of mobile populations.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing
Programme Coordination Unit/ Programme Support
Tasks to be performed under this contract
To generate systematic, geo-referenced evidence on population mobility dynamics in Ngara District Council, with a focus on Kabanga OSBP and Rusumo OSBP, to inform risk-stratified EVD surveillance, targeted public health messaging and community engagement, and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures.
To co-facilitate a two-day Participatory Mapping Exercise (PME) with key stakeholders to support the identification of mobility routes, crossing points, and high-risk sites.
To characterize the profiles of migrants and mobile populations and the major mobility routes used in Ngara district, with particular focus on the Kabanga and Rusumo OSBPs.
To assess the coverage, adequacy, and functionality of existing IPC measures, WASH infrastructure, and health screening systems along identified mobility corridors and at prioritized sites.
To evaluate the level of EVD awareness, perceived risk locations, and health-seeking behaviors among mobile populations and border-adjacent communities through structured community surveys and KIIs.-To generate actionable spatial outputs including hotspot maps, mobility corridor profiles, and risk-classified site inventories that directly guide the targeting of surveillance resources, public health messaging, community engagement, and IPC interventions.-
To draft a comprehensive PMM report in English and prepare an action-oriented analytical brief in both English and Swahili, including geo-referenced maps, key findings, and 5–7 prioritized actionable recommendations for EVD preparedness and response.
To work in close coordination with the IOM Public Health Specialist and Programme team, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Kagera Regional Health Management Team (RHMT), and the Ngara District Council Health Management Team (CHMT), to ensure that the PMM process, fieldwork, analysis, and final outputs are technically sound, contextually relevant, and aligned with public health preparedness and response priorities.
- Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
S/NDeliverableActivityTimeline Data collection tools draftedProduce an inception report outlining the methodology, tools for the PME, site evaluation, KIIs, community survey, and traveller flow monitoring survey, consistent with the IOM PMM framework and adapted to the Ngara context. By end of Week 1 Tools loaded onto tablets Populate all draft tools onto data collection tabletsBy end of Week 2 Data collector training co-facilitatedCo-facilitate a two-day training for data collectors covering PMM methodology, tool use, ethical data collection, and field protocols. Training report/attendance log to be submitted. By end of Week 3 Pre-test and finalization of the tools Conduct pre-testing in the field and document any revisions required. Participatory Mapping Exercise (PME) conductedCo-facilitate a two-day PME with selected district and community stakeholders using base maps of Ngara District.By end of Week 4 Prioritized site listProduce a structured, prioritized list of sites for field-based site evaluation, derived from PME outputs, with preliminary risk categorization (high/medium/low). Digitized GIS map layerDigitize all PME map outputs into a georeferenced GIS base layer, incorporating all identified crossing points, routes, congregation points, and risk zones. Clean dataset generated Compile, clean, and validate the full dataset collected by data collectors across all three components. Submit the clean dataset in an agreed format (e.g., Excel/CSV/SPSS) alongside a data quality notes memo.By end of Week 8 Full PMM Report (English) produced Draft a comprehensive PMM report detailing methodology, findings by component, geo-referenced maps, prioritized site risk classifications, KII and survey findings, and actionable recommendations.By end of Week 9 PMM Analytical Brief (English and Swahili) produced Produce a 4–6-page action-oriented analytical brief in both English and Swahili, including geo-referenced maps, key findings, and 5–7 prioritized actionable recommendations for EVD preparedness and response.
Education
Master’s degree in data science, Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Geomatics, Cartography, Spatial Data Science, Public Health, Epidemiology, Migration Studies, or a related field from an accredited academic institution.
Experience
Skills
Languages
For this consultancy, Fluency in English and Swahili (both written and spoken) is required
Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
Required Competencies
Notes
IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.
Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances.
IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.
IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.