Mission and objectives

Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners, and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. The WHO's mandate seeks and includes working worldwide to promote health, keeping the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. It advocates that a billion more people should have: universal health care coverage, engagement with the monitoring of public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting health and well-being. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data on global health issues.

Context

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe and often fatal illness affecting humans and primates. Uganda remains susceptible to recurrent outbreaks due to factors such as porous borders, limited health infrastructure in some regions, and gaps in public awareness and risk perception. In response to ongoing and potential Ebola threats, the World Health Organization (WHO) Uganda, in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, is launching a digital awareness campaign. The campaign aims to strengthen national Ebola preparedness and response through effective risk communication and community engagement. The initiative seeks to leverage the reach and creativity of online volunteers to amplify accurate public health messaging, promote preventive behaviours, and counter misinformation across digital platforms. The purpose of this assignment is to support WHO Uganda’s communication team in designing and implementing a dynamic, evidence-based digital awareness campaign on Ebola prevention and response. Online volunteers will contribute to: • Increasing public awareness of Ebola risks and prevention measures • Promoting timely health-seeking behaviour • Combating misinformation and myths circulating online • Enhancing community engagement through digital channels This initiative will: • Strengthen national Ebola preparedness and response • Improve public knowledge and preventive practices • Enhance WHO Uganda’s digital outreach capacity • Contribute to reducing misinformation and promoting trust in health systems

Task Description

Under the supervision of WHO Uganda’s Communications/RCCE team, online volunteers will: Content Development • Develop creative and culturally appropriate digital content (graphics, short videos, infographics, posts) • Translate technical public health information into accessible messages for diverse audiences • Adapt content for multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok) Social Media Engagement • Disseminate approved awareness messages across personal and community networks • Engage with audiences by responding to comments and questions using approved guidance • Promote key campaign hashtags and messaging consistency Misinformation Monitoring • Identify and report circulating misinformation and rumours related to Ebola • Support development of corrective messaging aligned with WHO guidelines Campaign Support • Participate in online coordination meetings and briefings • Provide innovative ideas to improve content reach and engagement • Support real-time communication during outbreak updates or alerts Data and Feedback • Track engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments, where applicable) • Provide feedback on community perceptions and trends observed online Expected Outputs • Regular production of high-quality digital content • Increased reach and engagement of Ebola awareness messages • Documented reports of misinformation trends • Weekly brief updates on activities and engagement metrics

Competencies and values

Living conditions and remarks