Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Ghana

Gender Equality Advisor - Ghana

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada

Location:   Salaga, Bimbilla, Kpandai

Start Date:   Exact timing will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Duration:   6-9 months, , in-country and online support

Language Requirement:   English (Mandatory)

Reporting to:   Country Program Officer

The Program – VOICE for Women and Girls

The VOICE for Women and Girls program is a seven-year initiative (2020 – 2027) aimed at strengthening the performance of developing country partner organizations 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
• Growth that Works for Everyone.

The Program 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.

The Partner you will work with

SEND Ghana is a national non-governmental organisation with specialty in policy research and advocacy to increase good governance practices of accountability, transparency, equity and participation in pro-poor policies and social services as well as empowers resource poor women and men to expand their small enterprises to improve income and farmers to increase food and nutrition security.

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

The Gender Equality Advisor volunteer will be reporting directly to the Country Program Officer, who is coordinating all program activities at the country level. He/She is also expected to work hand in hand with the partner, credit unions and relevant stakeholders that the VOICE program is working with.  On a regular basis, the volunteer is expected to host meetings and training sessions with the managers of the credit unions in the branch(es) where he/she has been assigned.

The VOICE program has conducted a gender assessment to elicit information on the major gender issues that needs to be addressed to achieve its objective and have the needed projected impact. The volunteer is expected to support the development of a country gender equality strategy (GES) that is feasible and acceptable from the assessment and in consultation with the gender specialist in Ottawa, the partner and the relevant stakeholders in the districts. This position will be located outfield and will require frequent travel to meet with key gender stakeholders at the district and branch level.

Objectives

The credit unions want to improve their services and develop innovative services that will enable them to serve their members very well. This requires support in reviewing existing policies and revise them to meet their needs. The gender equality advisor is expected to play a leading role in gathering the needed information, analyzing it, and advising on best practices to support their co-op members from a gender and inclusion perspective. 

The advisor will also work with other volunteers in-country to ensure that all their activities have incorporated the VOICE gender equality stratgey. VOICE for Women and Girls is working with 4 credit union co-ops in 5 districts of the Northern and Savannah regions of Ghana. These 4 credit union co-ops have 12 branches and an overall membership base of over 10,366. The program's interest is to improve women access and control over productive resources to ensure an economic growth that works for everyone. The aim is to have and implement a gender strategy that will enable the women and men in the co-ops to collaborate and enhance the acceptance of women’s economic empowerment. 

Deliverables

The desired Gender Equality Advisor volunteer is expected to carry out the following key duties and responsibilities:

• Liaise with the gender specialist in Ottawa to work on developing the VOICE gender equality strategy (GES).
• Facilitate a GES validation workshop in liaison with the local partner and the country program officer
• Train the partner staff and managers on the VOICE gender equality strategy and other gender related thematic areas.
• Review and update the gender equality policy for local partner and credit unions.
• Provide technical support to other volunteers to ensure they have incorporated the needed gender content in their session plans and training materials 
• Work with the country program officer to identify and establish the gender model families.
• Develop a Gender Training and Facilitation Manual (GTFM) to guide gender trainings and field facilitations.
• Work with other volunteers to support the gender model families.
• Work with the other volunteers to collect the needed data, analyze and use the information to review the gender strategy from time to time.
• Organize materials for workshops on Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming for selected credit unions.
• Track staff training needs and provide training to the staff to improve their capacities.

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree or equivalent experience in gender theories, approach and practical experience in gender field activities

Experience:

• Experience and knowledge in gender strategy development, contemporary issues on gender, gender equality and social inclusion in developing country.
• Knowledge and skills in collecting and analyzing data to update the gender strategy.
• Excellent capacity to analyze, develop recommendations and capture lessons learned.
• Knowledge in community participation methodologies.
• Experience facilitating group learning/training sessions or focus groups. 
• Knowledge or experience working in the co-operative sector is an asset.
• Ability to travel to and live in remote locations where services are minimal 
• Ability to work autonomously, be flexible and analytical

Support package

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:

• Monthly living allowance.
• Return-trip international and/or domestic airfare.
• Visa-related costs (if needed).
• International health insurance.
• Vaccination and health-related costs (if needed).
• Interpreter and/or 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 before or after their placement.

Engaging Canadians

CDF Canada provides technical and logistical support to young and experienced professionals through volunteer assignments to apply and acquire new skills and knowledge in international co-operative development. We ask each volunteer, regardless of the duration of their mandate, to share their experience in the country of assignment or in Canada. The experience can be shared by providing stories of human interest and photographs that can be used for social media outreach; Participate in events/conferences or other public engagement activities to share their experience to motivate others.

Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume, by applying directly on our recruitment webpage. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Successful candidates will be required to obtain a police-check from their local police or RCMP detachment. All applicants are thanked for their interest in CDF Canada; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.