Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Ethiopia

Women Economic Empowerment Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Addis Abba, with travel to Abaya-Gelana and Menjarshenkora 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

Recent review of the Co-op Assessment revealed that most of the targeted coops has skill gaps on women economic empowerment, inclusive development, and income generation that require intensive capacity building.  This volunteer role is expected to address these issues by providing extensive in-person trainings for coop members, particularly women leaders and groups, relevant stakeholders at different levels. The recommended approach of reaching the targets is through TOT training for selected members from coops, DCP staff (EWNRA), and country VOICE team and cascading the training to the cooperative members and other stakeholders at cooperative and community levels. VOICE for women and girls project in Ethiopia is operating women-focused activities in three districts of two regions targeting 30 coops. If you are passionate about helping organizations to increase the capacity of cooperatives and stakeholders in inclusive women economic empowerment, and income generation–this could be the role for you. The selected volunteer will take the leading role of providing TOT and beneficiary training with support from the CDF Ethiopia VOICE for Women and Girls project country office team and EWNRA staff.

Objectives

The Volunteer is expected to work with credit unions and multipurpose cooperatives and build the capacity of management, BOD of co-ops to provide innovative services that responds to the need of their members and primary co-operatives to support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth. The capacity building initiatives will also target cooperative supporting institutions at community and district level as well as government/regulatory institutions to increase their capacity to be able to prioritize vulnerable groups to provide the needed support. The VOICE project will benefit from gender equality and social inclusion expertise to develop tailor-made training, targeting specific needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Deliverables

• Prepare training material /module on women economic empowerment, improving enabling environment for coops to include marginalized and vulnerable people, and income generation for cooperatives and key community stakeholders.
• Develop a training action plan.
• Liaise with the country staff to arrange training logistics and modalities.
• Develop and administer training schedule and pre/post-tests evaluation template.
• Facilitate training for specifically targeted marginalized and vulnerable groups within the cooperative.
• Prepare training report including pre and post-test and evaluations.
• Carry out follow-up and monitoring of the trained beneficiaries.
• Provide technical support for TOT trainees on beneficiary training.
• Prepare activity, monthly and end of mandate report/output in a timely manner.
• Participate in knowledge management sessions with other volunteers within and in other VOICE implementing countries through sharing best practices.
• Develop and share success and case studies from the volunteer engagement experience.
• Create and develop a strategic innovation fund project or initiative for the women-led groups.
• Participate in planning and review meetings as expected during mandate.

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree in International Development and /or Social Sciences (focus on Gender, Youth, and cooperative development), Entrepreneurship and leadership.

Experience:

• Experience and knowledge of gender mainstreaming and integration with proven experience in cooperative development.
• Good understanding of Ethiopian cooperative development proclamation (Proclamation No. 985/2016).
• Knowledge and experience in the development gender mainstreaming, women and girls’ empowerment, and cooperative development.
• Well experienced on training material preparation and providing TOT training.
• Proven track record on development of women tailor-made initiatives of economic empowerment and working with micro, small and medium-term enterprises.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills to engage varied stakeholders.
• Experience working with cooperatives, farmer-based organizations, or groups.
• 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.
• A good understanding of the cooperative dynamics and issues related to cooperative business in Ethiopia will be an added advantage.

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.