Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Malawi

Co-operative Development Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Zomba

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 grooming the local partner (MAFECO), in planning, and delivery of project activities. The mandate will require the volunteer to travel to rural societies of Malawi where most of these cooperatives are located.  

Objectives

The main objective of this mandate is to help cooperatives to identify training needs of the cooperative board of directors (BOD) and provide training, tools, mentoring that will enable them to support the co-ops to sustainable growth. To groom and mentor the local partner with organization development skills for its better service delivery to the local communities of Malawi. 

Deliverables

Co-op support:

• Provide training for the BOD, and leadership of the co-op relating to business development and support the co-op managers and BOD to prepare their strategic and business plans.
• Provide training, tools, coaching 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.
• Develop tools and materials to support the partner gain the needed knowledge and skill to provide support to the co-op.
• Share knowledge with the partner to help to improve the technical understanding of co-op operations to provide innovative services to the partner.
• Lead the coordination between local partner and VOICE project to ensure collaborative development of the partner’s capacity including the co-op managers.

Project Management:

• Document all program related information and share with the country Program officer.
• Prepare and submit reports and timesheets to the program officer and discuss what you require to complete those tasks.
• Collect and compile relevant data requires by the project and assist with the field data collection whenever its required.

Your qualifications

Education:

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

Experience:

• Experience and knowledge in developing Strategic plans for organization experience developing strategic plans with primary cooperative or Credit Union will be an asset.
• Knowledge and skills in facilitation with understanding in adult learning methodologies
• Experience and knowledge of co-operatives. Proven experience in co-operative 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 travel to and possibly live in remote locations where services (internet) are minimal 
• Ability to work autonomously, be flexible and analytical
• Experience facilitating group learning/training sessions or focus groups and knowledge in community participation methodologies. 
• Demonstrated ability and interest in communicating and interacting effectively with people of a different culture. 

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.