Social and Behavior Change Officer

UNICEF has been working for the realization of the rights of children and women of Moldova since 1995. Partnerships with the government, parliamentarians, civil society, media, business and others have resulted in advances in the realization of children’s rights in a number of areas and the increased commitment of duty bearers to the fulfillment of their obligations as per the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). UNICEF’s work addresses issues of all children in the country to improve their health, education, development, and protection.

In 2024, the Ministry of Education and Research and UNICEF Moldova launched the communication campaign for social and behaviour change regarding educational inclusion of children with disabilities, "Learning Together". The campaign aims to address stigma and discrimination faced by children with disabilities and special educational needs, refugees, and ethnic minorities while promoting their right to education. Additionally, it supports the implementation of the National Program for Inclusive Education 2023–2027, fostering a more inclusive and equitable educational environment.

While the campaign’s interventions, such as community engagement, school-based activities, and social media outreach, have contributed to noticeable improvements in attitudes and behaviours toward inclusion, challenges remain. An encouraging 97.6% of participants expressed openness to supporting intersectoral efforts for inclusive education, and 96.7% of children agreed to actively promote inclusion within their schools. However, a portion of parents continue to hold concerns, believing that the presence of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms may negatively affect the learning of others. Some still believe that children with SEN should be placed in home or segregated institutional settings, rather than included in mainstream education.

Thus, to address these challenges, alongside systemic interventions aimed at removing physical, communication, and informational barriers, as well as policy reforms, efforts are increasingly focused on changing harmful attitudes, beliefs, and norms through Social and Behaviour Change interventions.

Under the direct supervision of Deputy Representative and in close coordination with the Social and Behaviour Change Officer, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

- Support in the designing and implementation of interventions and activities related to raising awareness, changing the attitudes and promotion of Inclusive Education.
- Support to the development and implementation of the Social and Behaviour Change Plan on Inclusiveness of children with disabilities and special educational needs.
- Support the implementation of information and raising awareness initiatives to promote the social inclusion and integration of refugee children into local schools.
- Assist the programme sections in the organization and implementation of SBC interventions related to education, additionally in health (immunization and nutrition).
- Support data collection, tracking, monitoring, and reporting SBC results and prepare syntheses of results. 
- Participate in all the coordination meetings with the Public Authorities, partners and other stakeholders involved in the SBC programs interventions.
- Contribute to UNICEF reports, strategy, studies, on Social and Behaviour Change in Education, and beyond.