Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Ethiopia

Communication Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Addis Ababa, with travel to Minjarshenkora and Abya districts

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

Duration:  3-6 months , in-country and online support

Language Requirement:   English (Mandatory)

Reporting to:   Country Program Officer

The Project – VOICE for Women and Girls

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
• 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.

The Partner you will work with

Implemented by the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) of Canada, the VOICE project in Ethiopia is working closely with government counterparts and different nongovernmental organizations. Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association (EWNRA) is the major Development Country Partner (DCP) of the project.  The organization envisions being a leading home-grown NGO contributing to sustainable development in Ethiopia. Whilst it exists to contribute to poverty reduction, resilience building and creation of productive ecosystems. In all its efforts, EWNRA gives great values to equity, equality, honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and sustainability. Moreover, EWNRA is devoted to do better for humanity and the environment, and its motto is sustainable development.

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

This volunteer role will work to engage stakeholders, volunteers, project beneficiaries, audience, various platforms to enhance public engagement. The volunteer is expected to support the VOICE project leading the establishment and maintenance of an appropriate public engagement platform and developing the needed content in a format that applies to the platform. VOICE could benefit from expertise in setting up communication systems which allows to reach the project partners, communities, stakeholders, and co-ops groups. 

As a part of building the capacity of the DCP organizations, the VOICE project engaged consultants to measure the overall capacity of the organization. Through the assessment EWNRA’s existing gaps were identified using relevant indicators at the intermediate, immediate, and output levels that track changes in existing capacities using various methods in a participatory approach. These terms of reference aims to build the capacity of the local partner to implement a vibrant communications strategy that would build and maintain presence in the country as well as across the region. The role will be based at the local partner office in Addis Abba with travel to rural communities where the project is based.

Objectives

This is a key role and will support the project overall project communications strategy as well as support other Canadian volunteers to capture and tell their volunteer journey during their mandate in Ethiopia to contribute towards increasing awareness of the volunteer program and international development among Canadian population. The role will improve, create and implement new communications activities to engage the Canadian population.

Furthermore, the VOICE for women and girls project is thoroughly working to strengthen the capacity of EWNRA through various methods including providing series of trainings in the identified gaps for its staff, partners and stakeholders; and developing/updating important strategic documents of the organization to enable the organization deal effectively with new changes, opportunities, threats, recent circumstances, and upcoming uncertainties. Reviewing/updating the partner organization’s communication strategy in such a way that can increase the communication efficiency of the organization’s workforce is among the identified areas of capacity development plan for the organization.

Deliverables

• Develop /update a comprehensive five-year communication strategy for EWNRA.
• Collect different feedback on the current communication bottlenecks of the organization form EWNRA staff, stakeholders and partners as needed.
• Collect different inputs from EWNRA staff, stakeholders, beneficiaries, and partners on the improvement of the organization’s communication strategy.
• Conduct reviews/assessments on EWNRA’s existing communication strategy and major gaps as needed,
• Periodically update the progress of the strategy development based on agreed schedules.
• Collect, consider and integrate different feedback and comments given by VOICE country office and EWNRA staff on the draft communication strategy.
• Lead the communication strategy workshop participants and train local partner staff and other volunteers on communications best practices.
• Provide technical support on implementation of the project communications strategy to other volunteers
• Work in collaboration with the CDF Canada Communications Officer to capture, collect and share volunteer stories for effective public engagement in Canada.
• Participate in public engagement activities during and post mandate in Canada to increase awareness of the VCP and international development amongst the Canadian population.
• Be willing to initiate and participate in fundraising activities in collaboration with CDF Canada
• Participate in knowledge management sessions with other volunteers across the VOICE implementing countries.
• Submit activity, monthly and end of mandate reports in a timely manner.
• Create and develop strategic innovation fund initiatives to support cooperatives and the local partner.

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree in communication, journalism, media and development, media and communication, international relations, mass communication, public relations, or closely related disciplines.

Experience:

• Progressive work experience in the areas of communications, marketing promotion, public relations, international relations, mass communication, journalism, or related disciplines.
• Experience working in public engagement platforms and networks in Canada.
• Good understanding of the Ethiopia Civil Societies Proclamation Proc. No. 1113-2019; and contexts of developing countries.
• Knowledge and experience in the development of communication strategies specifically in developing countries.
• Experience in conducting communications needs analysis and developing strategic plans for similar organizations.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills to engage varied stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to consult with high level and range of stakeholders.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in the English language.
• Should be a proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently; need strong ability to set priorities, solve problems, and be resourceful under pressure.
• Strong interest to communicate with various stakeholders and partners virtually.

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 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 during and/or at the end of their assignment either 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.