Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Ghana

Coop development advisor.

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada

Location:   This position is in the field (Bimbila, Kpandai and Salaga)

Start Date:   As soon as possible.

Duration:   6 months

Language Requirement:   English (Mandatory)

Reporting to:   Country Program Officer

The Program – VOICE for Women and Girls

VOICE for Women and Girls, funded by the government of Canada, is a volunteer cooperation program (2020 – 2027) that aims to strengthen the performance of country partner organizations to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of 50,000 co-operative and credit union members from marginalized communities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

The program, supported by volunteers, strives to address the challenges and barriers that adversely affect the economic and social well-being of vulnerable groups, with particular emphasis on women and girls. VOICE aims to respond to the needs identified by these groups and to increase the capacities of individual producers and primary co-operatives, to support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth. Supporting institutions such as apex co-operatives, co-operative colleges, and government/regulatory bodies will also be engaged to increase the capacity and prioritization of vulnerable groups.

The Partner you will work with

SEND Ghana has previously implemented the ACCESS and Fostering project and in some initiatives including 4R-NSP in partnership with CDF with funding from GAC. SEND Ghana focuses on research and advocacy to increase good governance practices of accountability, transparency, equity and participation in pro-poor policies and social services as well as empowers resource poor women and men to expand their small enterprises to improve income and farmers to increase food and nutrition security

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

The VOICE for Women and Girls project is thoroughly working to strengthen the capacity of 3[RM1] [EM2]  credit unions and developing country partner (DCP) through various methods including providing series of trainings in the identified gaps; and developing/updating important documents to enable the DCP and cooperatives deal effectively with new changes, opportunities, threats, recent circumstances, and upcoming uncertainties. The VOICE for Women and Girls project planned to conduct different onsite training and follow up of the target coops members to increase effective coop management and applying gender mainstreaming in the day-to-day practice of these entities.  If you are passionate about helping organizations to increase the capacity of, the DCP and cooperatives in Coop development and training key cooperative leaders -this could be the role for you.

Your assignment

·       The selected volunteer will be based in Bimbila while working  in the other districts and   take the leading role of preparing training with close support of the CDF Canada in Ghana VOICE for Women and Girls project country office team and SEND staff. 

·       Create educational Campaigns for Cooperative Members to Promote the benefits of cooperative membership and increase member participation and retention.

·       Advice on Business Development and Income-Generating Activities to promote cooperative diversifying and enhancing their income streams through business development activities.[RM3] [EM4] 

·       Deliver training sessions for cooperative members on sustainable practices, financial literacy, governance, and resource management.

·       Strengthen leadership and decision-making within cooperatives.

·       Support cooperatives in developing or refining constitutions, business plans, and operational guidelines.

Deliverables

The desired Coop development advisor is expected to carry out the following key duties and responsibilities.

·        Review coops capacity assessment report to identify major areas of improvement specifically on mainstreaming issues in the cooperative business.  

·        Develop coops development training manual and guideline along with the project target need.  

·        Prepare training materials (presentation handouts, training schedules, pre/post training tests and training reports) and lead the training of selected cooperative leaders on IGA/entrepreneurship, finance, business development strategy and etc. 

·        Conduct actual training on the identified stream for coop leaders and members. 

·        Work closely with CDF Canada Ghana VOICE for Women and Girls project country office team, 

Your qualifications

Experience:

The successful applicant must possess the following skills, experiences, and personal characteristics: 

·        Degree in Agri business, business administration, rural development, policy and administration, international development/relations, cooperative development or closely related disciplines. 

·        Experience working in development projects specifically on applying rural finance, strategy development, gender-sensitive indicators in development projects preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

·        Experience in preparing coop development strategy manuals, guidelines to different projects or programs and providing  

·        Experience providing knowledge-building activities (training, coaching, mentoring) to development programs. 

·        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. 

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:

·        Return-trip international and/or domestic airfare.

·        Visa-related costs (if needed).

·        Police record check.

·        International health insurance.

·        Vaccination and health-related costs (covered by the insurance if needed).

·        Interpreter and/or translator (if needed and depending on the assignment).

·        Modest monthly living allowance.

·        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 assignment, volunteers are encouraged to provide e-volunteering support to our local partners before or after their assignment.

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 assignment, to share their experience during and upon return to 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 other Canadians to volunteer.