Overseas Volunteer Opportunity - Ethiopia 

Environmental Advisor  

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada. 

Location:             Minjarshenkora, Fogera and Abya  

Start Date:     As soon as possible  

Duration:       3 months 

Language Requirement:     English (mandatory) 

Deadline:             Until fulfillment. 

The Project 

The VOICE for Women and Girls project is a seven-year initiative (2020 – 2027) aimed at strengthening the performance of developing country partner (DCP) organizations to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of 50,000 women and men from marginalised communities, in particular young women (target: 60% women and girls), in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Malawi with a focus on action areas of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), namely:  

• Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls, and 
• The growth that Works for Everyone. 

The Project responds to the needs identified by women and men of cooperatives and the entire members in the countries of operation and is designed to increase the capacities of individual producers and primary co-operatives to support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth. Supporting institutions, including apex co-operatives, co-operative colleges, and government/regulatory institutions will also be engaged to increase the capacity and prioritization of vulnerable groups. 

Our Partners 

Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada is working with one partner organization, Ethio-wetland and natural resource association, which has close ties to primary level co-operatives. Supporting institutions, including apex co-operatives, co-operative colleges, and government/regulatory institutions are also being engaged to increase the capacity and prioritization of vulnerable groups. Environment Advisor volunteer is required in the country to work with staff from CDF Canada, our partner organizations, and local co-operatives to gather data and convert that data into information and knowledge useful to all stakeholders, including the Canadian government. 

Your Assignment - Activities and Deliverables 

VOICE has completed data collection and analysis on the environment from the coop members and determined the focus areas for the environmental strategy. There is a great gap between the effort co-op members put into farm productive activities, the impact they make on the environment and the yields that accrue from their labor. Women are those affected the most. They have access to lands on the fringes which are often barren and lack nutrient to support any cash crop production. 

Ethiopia is one of the world's most drought-prone countries. Rain fed agriculture contributes to nearly half of national GDP and is the mainstay of livelihoods for 85% of the population. These rural livelihood systems are highly sensitive to climate. Drought is the single most destructive climate-related natural hazard in Ethiopia. These changes also hamper economic activity and aggravate existing social and economic problems. Projected increase in temperature of 1°C to2°C by 2050 Erratic rainfall and increased unpredictability of seasonal rains Increased incidence of drought and other extreme events The activities needed to be undertaking must be outlined and the narratives on how the strategy will be rolled out the roles of volunteers, partner and government stakeholders’ institutions collaborating with VOICE clearly outlined. VOICE is looking for a volunteer with the capacity and background to support the completion of these tasks. 

There are 30 Primary coops ( 10 Multi-purpose and 20 SACCOs) covering 3 districts with in two regional states working with the VOICE for Women and Girl's project. The focus is to help the coops, especially women in these districts to gain the needed information that will enhance the preservation of the environment to ensure that the environment continue to yield its benefit to support their livelihood and other activities that they are engaged in within the and communities where they live. 

Objectives 

Your role is to support the primary coops to learn new and improved methods of environmental adaptation which will help them to preserve the soil, conserve water and mitigate the impact of climate change. You will identify training needs of the farmers to support the co-ops and downstream the training at the lower levels. You will work closely with the coop development advisor to ensure the use of environmentally friendly methodologies in all training activities. 

Deliverables 

• Co-op support  
• Meet with the relevant government institutions to validate and finalize the environmental strategy for the VOICE program  
• Provide training and guidance on best environmental practices to volunteers the co-op development facilitators, co-op managers and the institutions that support co-op development to enhance farmer income and economic circumstance  
• Have exceptionally good understanding of proposal writing and development to be able to apply for financial support from the SIF fund to support acquisition of necessary material. 
• Share knowledge with the partner to help to improve the technical understanding of environmental issues of co-op operations to provide innovative services to the coops. 

Qualifications 

• The successful applicant must possess the following skills, experiences, and personal characteristics:  
• Minimum of bachelor's degree in environmental policy, integrated development studies, or climate change or environmental science or other equivalent qualifications.  
• Experience and knowledge in environmental strategy development, understanding of integrated environmental strategy supporting agriculture, soil quality and water conservation or climate change. 
• Experience in developing concept notes and proposals for small grants.  
• Knowledge and skills in facilitation with understanding in adult learning methodologies 
• Experience and knowledge of co-operative development in a developing country will be an asset.  

Terms and Conditions  

This is a voluntary assignment. CDF Canada supports volunteers through the provision of a comprehensive package designed to cover a modest and healthy lifestyle, while allowing for effectiveness in the placement: 

• Return international and domestic airfare. 
• Ground transportation. 
• Accommodation. 
• Meal and incidental allowance. 
• Visa-related costs (if needed).  
• Travel insurance. 
• Vaccination-related costs (if needed). 
• Dedicated interpreter/translator (if needed and depending on the position and duration of the assignment). 
• Pre-departure support and orientation. 
• Support and orientation during the assignment. 
• Debriefing upon completion of the assignment. 

E-volunteering 

Depending on the nature of the placement, volunteers are encouraged to provide e-volunteering support to our local partners or CDF Canada before or after their placement. Volunteers also have the option of requesting support from an e-volunteer to help them with their work while they are in placement.  

Engaging Canadians  

CDF Canada provides technical and logistical support to young and experienced professional through volunteer assignments to apply and gain new skills and knowledge in international co-operative development.  We ask each volunteer, regardless of placement duration, to share her/his experience during and/or upon completion of their assignment either in the country of assignment and in Canada. Experience may be shared through providing human interest stories and photographs that can be used for social media outreach; participating in organized talks at universities or other public engagement activities to share and tell their experiences to motivate others.   

Application Process 

The position is available until it is filled, please submit your application as soon as possible . You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Successful candidates will be required to obtain a police-check from their local police police/RCMP detachment. All applicants are thanked for their interest in CDF Canada; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.