Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Malawi

Credit Union Product and Service Development Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Zomba, Dowa

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

Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada is working with Malawi Federations of Cooperatives (MAFECO) the national apex body for co-operatives. MAFECO aims to be a vibrant and sustainable national cooperative organization capable of providing quality leadership and services to the cooperative movement in Malawi. The organization has a vision to facilitate and coordinate promotion, development, and growth of sustainable, independent, and autonomous cooperatives in a competitive environment.

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

The volunteer will be report directly to the country program officer, who is responsible for coordinating all project activities in the country. The volunteer will be required to work hand in hand with Mudi Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO)- Zomba Branch located in Zomba District, and Tipindule SACCO, located in Dowa District. The mandate is for a minimum of one to three months in country, with a possibility of extension.

SACCO introduction
Mudi Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) is a member-owned Financial Cooperative. The SACCO was registered in 1990 under the cooperatives Societies ACT no 36 of 1998 as Malawi Bureau of Standards SACCO before it changed its name to Mudi SACCO in December 2000. Mudi SACCO operates by following the cooperative principles of voluntary and open membership, democratic control, member participation, concern for the community and informed membership as adopted by the World council of credit unions (WOCCU). The SACCO has several branches across the country, but for VOICE we are only focusing on the Zomba Branch.  The branch has over 2000 members and provides various financial services such as savings accounts, fixed deposit accounts and access to loans to the communities around it.

Tipindule Community SACCO, located in Dowa district is one of the Savings and Credit Cooperatives the VOICE project is supporting. Registered in 2018, the SACCO has over 2000 registered members with its focus on farmers, producers, and marketing cooperatives, as well as Village savings and loans.  Being a community SACCO, it provides financial training and loans to its members. The SACCO, despite having a great start, has been facing several challenges in its operations, one of which is how to boost the capital base.

Objectives

The main objective of the mandate is for the volunteer to support Credit Unions/SACCOs in providing capacity to the management in improving and developing products and services that are marketable and address current needs. The volunteer will also be required to provide training and coaching, board of directors, and management of the SACCOs on how to come up with new products and services. The volunteer will eventually be required to document the volunteer experience in Malawi so it can advise on the recruitment of more international volunteers to support the project.

Deliverables

SACCO support

• Develop tools and strategies to support the SACCOs in gathering information about customer/member needs and services
• Support the SACCO management in the review and update of their products and services.
• Provide training and orientation on how to develop new products and services that accommodate producer and marketing cooperatives and their other marginalized members and groups.
• Recommend opportunities to enhance products and services based on business objectives
• Support the SACCO in strategizing for increased cooperative membership/membership growth.  
• Documenting best practices and capturing stories including to support on the Volunteer Cooperation Program awareness.
• Participating in knowledge management sessions

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree in business management, marketing, entrepreneurship, economics and cooperative development or equivalent experience in the areas listed.

Experience:

• Experience and knowledge in product and services designing.
• Experience in market research
• Knowledge and skills in facilitation with understanding in adult learning methodologies
• Experience and knowledge of credit union. Proven experience in credit union development in a developing country context will be an asset. 
• Formal training in one of the following: organizational development, business development, strategic planning, co-operatives is a must.
• Excellent facilitation and interpersonal skills
• Excellent capacity to analyze, develop recommendations and capture lessons learned.
• Ability to work autonomously, be flexible and analytical.
• Knowledge of community participation methodologies. 
• Demonstrated ability and interest in communicating and interacting effectively with people of a different culture. 
• Must be able to work alone.
• Ability to transform complex concepts and information into plain simple language reports.

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.