Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Kenya

Technical Co-operative Development Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Makueni, Kajiado, Narok, Nairobi, Kilifi, Kwale, Kericho, Homabay and Kakamega

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 Partners you will work with

The African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Association (ACCOSCA)
The African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Association (ACCOSCA) is a Pan-African confederation of national associations of savings and credit cooperatives societies. Having been established in Kenya by Co-operative leaders from across the continent in 1968, ACCOSCA has worked with various stakeholders in promoting the usage of the Co-operative Business model in a manner that would organically contribute towards the stimulating economic growth and development of a Country. Since its revitalization program at the Malawi General assembly in 2007, ACCOSCA has been leading the continent toward promoting financial inclusion in the local communities.

Currently, ACCOSCA has developed programs aimed at empowering and promoting cooperatives in Africa and is collaborating with various government bodies, development agencies and research institution in her service delivery to promote financial inclusion in Africa. Overall ACCOSCA aims at: Promoting the establishment of an institutional framework for mobilizing personal saving and credit cooperatives, Capacity Building, Technical Assistance, Information exchange, and Research on topical issues and addressing them amicably.

Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK)
Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) is a public institution that provides education and training with an emphasis on Cooperative development. The mission of the college was defined and stated as, a national training institute involved in the training personnel of co-operative societies and unions as well as middle cadre government officers who help in the supervision of activities of the movement on behalf of the Ministry in charge of Co-operative Development (COCK Annual Report, 1983). CUK also works with small and medium entrepreneurs Co-operative Enterprises in Kenya to build their capacities and enhance their sustainability.

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

The Co-op advisor Volunteer will be reporting directly to the Country Program Officer, who is coordinating all project activities at the country level. He/She is also expected to work hand in hand with the local partners ACCOSCA and CUK, the BOD and management of the credit Unions on a regular basis.

The cooperatives seek to improve their organizational processes (strategic plans, business plans, review their policies and bylaws) and develop a clear measurable path of success for their financial growth. The intention is to position the co-ops as formidable business entities resilient to social and economic challenges and provide incentivized products and services to their members. VOICE project conducted a needs assessment to identify the needs of the co-ops and developed a capacity building plan that will enable us to provide support to improve their capacity in providing innovative services to their members.

Objectives

The aim of this role is to support cooperatives to improve their services and develop innovative approaches that will enable them to provide better services to their members. The role will capacitate the cooperatives to review their policies for them to meet their members’ expectations.  The cooperative advisor is expected to play a leading role in gathering the needed information, analyzing the information, and advising the co-ops on growth and sustainability. VOICE project will benefit from the Cooperative Advisor expertise to develop tailor-made trainings, targeting specific needs of the cooperatives and their members.

Deliverables

The desired Co-operative Advisor is expected to carry out the following key duties and responsibilities:

• Develop scheme of activities with guidance from the capacity building plans for co-op and business development thematic areas. 
• Develop and administer cooperative performance assessment methodologies to identify specific areas for technical support.
• Provide training for the BOD, and leadership of the cooperatives relating to business development and support the Branch Managers and BOD to prepare their strategic and business plans and improve their policies.
• Mentor the BOD and Management in areas that need coaching interventions.
• Provide training, tools, orientation that will develop the capacity of the co-op managers to continue to provide organizational development support to the co-ops when the project comes to an end.
• Have engagement with the partner and the co-op managers to obtain information to develop the training session plans.
• Discuss with the CPO the best approach to develop the session plans, identify a training session plan development template that ensures better understanding of training steps for third party users.
• Develop tools and materials to support the partner gain the needed knowledge and skill to provide support to the co-ops.
• Share knowledge with the partner to help to improve the technical understanding of co-op operations to provide innovative services to the partner.
• Prepare and submit weekly deliverables to the program officer and discuss what you require to complete those tasks.
• Complete monthly reports and times sheets and submit to the CPO and volunteer coordinator.
• Develop and share case studies, success stories with communications advisor for social media content that communicates the project’s activities, outputs and/or outcomes.

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree in organizational development, business development, strategic development or equivalent experience in the areas listed.

Experience:

• Experience and knowledge in developing strategic plans for financial organizations.
• Knowledge and experience working with cooperatives management and leadership.
• Knowledge and skills in facilitation with understanding in adult learning methodologies
• Experience and knowledge of financial industry. Proven experience in co-operative development in a developing country context will be an asset. 
• Excellent capacity to analyze, develop recommendations and capture lessons learned.
• Knowledge and experience in cooperative performance assessment methodologies is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability and interest in communicating and interacting effectively with people of a different culture and literacy levels. 

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.