Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, autonomous and self-governing international university, with 13 teaching sites in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKU provides higher education in multiple health science and social science disciplines, carries out research pertinent primarily to low- and middle-income countries and operates 7 hospitals (soon 8) and over 325 outreach clinics, all at international standards. It has almost 2,500 students and 14,000 staff. The University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change. As a leading international institution dedicated to excellence and change, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact and access.

There is an increasing epidemic of adolescent obesity that can contribute to adult obesity and morbidity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Sustainable health interventions in urban low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are critical in addressing lifestyle factors that contribute to NCDs in later life, such as unhealthy dietary habits, inactivity, and sedentary behaviors while shaping urban environments.

The AKU- CoEWCH together with 13 other local and international research institutions implementing a project titled, Changemaker, whose main objective is to promote co-designed sustainable health interventions with young people (changemakers) for reduced risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in urban Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania.

This is a three (3) year proposed position (with a possibility for extension for 1 year). The successful candidate will support CoEWCH in carrying out activities in the Work Package 2 (WP2) whose main objective is to establish a multi-actor platform (healthcare, education, environment, agriculture, research) for supporting a ‘multiple needs’ framework towards a healthy thriving of adolescents, and to coordinate the implementation of the co-designed intervention.       

• Support the stakeholder mapping under the directions of the WP2 leader.
• Identify and review published and grey literature on the social political and cultural context of the project.
• Create a document summarizing the social, cultural and political context of the changemaker project implementation.
• Create and maintain a list of WP participants for WP2 activities.
• Establish a platform for sharing and coordinating activities for WP2.
• Liaise with PI and WP 2 lead to set rules to be used for the formation of the intervention taskforce in the 3 countries.
• Coordinate with project leads to ensure that intervention in the three countries follow similar approaches through adherence to agreed processes outlined in the proposal and the implementation plan.  
• Coordinate the implementation of Changemaker in the three intervention countries.
• Required to visit study sites in Kisumu as and when needed