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Consultancy to Development of Person‑Centered Counseling Tools and Training for Health Workers and VHSGs in Cambodia

with Helen Keller
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BTDC-ID: 38935
Closing Date:

Expected Outputs

Consultancy to Development of Person‑Centered Counseling Tools and Training for Health Workers and VHSGs in Cambodia

Announcement Description

Health services are essential for improving maternal and child health outcomes. In Cambodia, sociocultural and gender-related factors influence women’s and caregivers’ access to and use of services. Understanding how gender dynamics, household roles and responsibilities, and socio‑cultural norms shape care‑seeking behaviors—particularly for optimal breastfeeding and for early screening and treatment of acute malnutrition—is critical. Limited attention has been paid to how counseling practices at the provider level interact with these dynamics.

The counseling approach is a critical lever for improving both the experience of care and continuity of service use. Women often face barriers such as limited counseling time (due to provider workloads), inconsistent use of job aids by health workers, and a lack of respectful communication. Evidence shows that person‑centered (women‑centered) counseling, grounded in respect, autonomy, dignity, emotional safety, and shared decision‑making, can improve service uptake and satisfaction, ultimately strengthening maternal and child health outcomes (Afulani et al., 2019).

The Transforming Lives with Nutrition Actions (TLNA) program, implemented by Helen Keller and funded by Global Affairs Canada, is a multi‑year initiative that identifies barriers and opportunities to improve access to essential health and nutrition services and co‑creates solutions with women, caregivers, influential household members, and communities in Cambodia, Kenya, and Senegal. Earlier phases mapped barriers and opportunities with health workers, women caregivers, fathers and mothers‑in‑law (“Action Committees”), as well as community leaders (Phase 2), and generated actionable ideas (Phase 3), including improvements to counseling tools and training for health workers.

Expected Outputs

Consultancy to Development of Person‑Centered Counseling Tools and Training for Health Workers and VHSGs in Cambodia

  • Career Category: Consultancies
  • Location: Phnom Penh
Summary

Program: Transforming Lives with Nutrition Actions (Phase 4)

Implementing organization: Helen Keller International

Funder: Global Affairs Canada

Duration: up to 45 days

Prioritized nutrition services:

  1. Optimal breastfeeding counseling (integrated within antenatal and postnatal care trajectories).
  2. Screening and treatment of acute malnutrition among children under five years old.
  3. OBJECTIVES

Overall objective:

Design person‑centered (women-centered) counseling tools and job aids and a practical, skills‑based training to strengthen health workers’ competencies in person‑centered counseling, aligned with national guidelines and informed by TLNA Phase 2–3 findings, to improve the quality and consistency of nutrition counseling services and increase client engagement.

Specific objectives:

  1. Review TLNA Phase 2 (barrier/opportunity analysis) and Phase 3 (co‑creation of solutions) reports to inform the design of person‑centered counseling tools and training.
  2. Review existing counseling tools and materials currently in use in Cambodia (provided by the team).
  3. Develop a stand‑alone counseling tool component (e.g., counseling cards, job aids) integrating person‑centered care principles, aligned with national guidelines and the cultural context.
  4. Design a 2‑day practical training for health staff and VHSGs in Cambodia, incorporating role‑plays, demonstrations, and micro‑skills practice emphasizing respectful care, shared decision‑making, and autonomy‑supportive communication. Include trainer’s guide, participant manual/materials, and supportive supervision checklist.
  5. With the program team, present the developed counseling tools to the Technical Steering Committee (TC) and gather feedback for finalization.
  6. Provide actionable recommendations for post‑training mentorship/coaching (remote and/or on‑site), and a structured refresher session (“come‑back day”) several months post‑training (to support scale‑up).
  7. Facilitate a 1‑day Training of Trainers (ToT) for the Helen Keller team to cascade training to health workers.

Eligibility

  • Minimum 5 years (10+ preferred) designing counseling tools and delivering trainings for health workers in Cambodia.
  • Advanced degree in public health, nursing/midwifery, social work, psychology, or a related field.
  • Proven experience codesigning pictorial/low‑literacy job aids and skills‑based trainings (role plays, simulations).
  • Familiarity with person‑ or family‑centered counseling and respectful maternity care frameworks; knowledge of national health systems and MoH guidelines in Cambodia.
  • Strong facilitation skills; excellent written and spoken Khmer; working proficiency in English.
  • Experience with supportive supervision and quality improvement.
  • Consultant/organization based in Cambodia
  • Technical proposal (max 2 pages): understanding of assignment, approach and workplan, team composition (if any), relevant experience, and sample tools
  • Financial proposal: itemized budget in KHR and USD.
  • CV(s) of key personnel.

Submission Requirements

Eligible Service Provider may submit their quotation in one of two ways:

  • Electronically: Sign, stamp, scan, and send the quotation as an attachment in PDF format to the email address provided in the contact details.
  • Hard copy: Submit the quotation with a cover letter signed and stamped to Helen Keller’s office.

Submissions will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Vendor RFP Response closes on March 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

In the spirit of our founder and namesake, Helen Keller is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity in all its forms is fully valued.

Please click the Attachment below for more information.

Attachment:
  • GAC_ToR_ConsultantPhase4_Cambodia
  • Helen Keller_Request for Proposal-GAC
 

Contact Details

Office Address
  • No. 40, Street 348, Sangkat Tuol Svay Prey Ti Muoy, Khan Boeng Keng Kang, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
 
Contact Name
  • Helen Keller
 
Email