Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Ethiopia 

MEAL advisor for  Ethiopia 

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada. 

Reporting to:            Country Program Officer 

Locations:             Ethiopia, Addis Ababa 

Start Date:             Timing will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Duration:          3-6 months, full-time assignment   

Language Requirements:     English (level 5 fluent)  

The Opportunity 

Are you looking for a position where you can build a solid base of grounded experience that could kick-start a career in research, monitoring and evaluation?  Are you a curious person with strong skills to learn quickly in new environments? Does the idea of doing applied research in a culturally diverse environment excite you? 

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 and co-operatives in particular, to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of 50,000 women and men from marginalised communities, in particular young women, 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 members of co-operatives and the wider community 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.  

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. MEL 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. 

Roles and responsibilities 

As a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) volunteer you will support the CDF Canada country project team to track, document and report on project achievements in of CDF Canada’s VOICE for Women and Girls Project. Working under the CDF Canada’s Country Program Officer (CPO), the MEAL volunteer will support data collection and analysis, information management and reporting processes and products. Your work will feed into high-quality communications with the Canadian government, the Canadian public and other stakeholders about activities, outputs and its outcomes of the VOICE project. With the support of the CDF Canada’s MEAL Specialist and the CPO, you will help refine methodologies and tools for collecting data in the country. Liaising with CDF Canada’s country partners, you will have the opportunity to travel on a regular basis to the project sites in the country to collect and validate data.  

Experience and Qualifications 

Basic requirements: 

• A degree in the Social Sciences, Agriculture, International Development or another relevant field 
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative social science research methods 
• Ability to conduct research and experience with project cycle management 
• Good knowledge and experience of assessing the impact of strategic innovation fund grant. 
• Experience with group facilitation and training 
• A commitment to gender equality, youth inclusion, and international volunteering 
• Flexibility, adaptability, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity 
• Excellent organizational and report-writing skills 
• Strong interpersonal and team working skills 
• Written and oral fluency in English  
• Additional experience considered an asset: 
• Knowledge of statistics. 
• Experience working with monitoring and evaluation frameworks. 
• Content development for adult education 
• Experience living and working internationally  
• Demonstrated ability to remain patient in difficult environments, manage expectations in low resource situations, and stay positive in the face of challenges 

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.