Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Kenya

Women Economic Empowerment Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Makueni, Kajiado, Machakos and Narok

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

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 Women Economic Empowerment Advisor 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 partner CUK, the BOD and management of SACCOs and Cooperatives on regular basis.

The Women Economic Empowerment Advisor will be working with SACCOs and Cooperatives to support them to identify any new challenges and opportunities for leaders to create sustainable, inclusive growth by implementing economic empowerment strategies that increase financial, societal, and environmental impact as well as ensure long-term competitiveness.

Objectives

The Volunteer is expected to work with SACCOs and multipurpose cooperatives and build the capacity of management, BOD of co-ops to provide innovative services that responds to the needs of their female members and primary co-operatives to support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth. The capacity building initiatives will also target to increase women’s economic opportunities and influence by removing barriers to work, enabling decent work, and supporting women’s enterprises in order to help women and girls thrive in the economy. The position holder will be expected to design inclusive approaches that meet the needs of women. This is expected to result in business growth, markets, and more decent employment opportunities for women. 

Deliverables

• Analyze women economic empowerment needs for different groups of women engaged in various economic activities.
• 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.
• Prepare and submit weekly deliverables to the program officer and discuss what you require to complete those tasks.
• 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 and 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.
• Create and develop a strategic innovation fund project or initiative for the women-led groups.
• 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 with a focus on Social Enterprise, International Development, Gender, Youth and Cooperative Development and/or any other related courses from a recognized institution.

Experience:

• Experience and expertise in supporting women economic empowerment in marginalized communities.
• Strong understanding of integration of GESI in development programs across a range of sectoral areas.
• Well-developed presentation, proposal, and report writing, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to carry out training and capacity building sessions at the community level.
• Commitment to upholding the organization’s values and principles of CDF and CUK.

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.