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Kenya - Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor
3-6 months (In-country support)
Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Kenya
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor
Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.
Eligibility criteria: Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
Location: Makueni, Kajiado, 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 an eight-year initiative (2020 – 2028) 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 marginalized 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 all members in the countries of operation, and it 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, are also engaged to increase capacity and prioritize vulnerable groups.
The Partner you will work with
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 of 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.
Your Assignment - Activities and Deliverables
The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor will report directly to the Country Program Officer (CPO), who coordinates all project activities at the country level. The Advisor will work closely with the local partner CUK, the Boards of Directors (BOD), management teams of primary cooperatives, and other project stakeholders. The GESI Advisor will support primary cooperatives to identify challenges and opportunities related to gender equality and social inclusion within their operations and governance structures. The role will focus on strengthening leadership capacity and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth by implementing GESI strategies that enhance gender integration, gender-transformative programming, and inclusive results measurement processes.
The volunteer will facilitate meetings, learning sessions, and technical discussions with the partner organization, cooperative leadership, and managers to support the achievement of project goals. In addition, s/he will support the project in reviewing and strengthening the existing Gender Equality Strategy to ensure it remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with the objectives of the VOICE for Women and Girls Project and current GESI best practices.
Objectives
Voice Project aims to support primary cooperatives to enhance their services and develop innovative financial and non-financial services that effectively meet the diverse needs of their members. Achieving this requires a thorough review of existing policies, practices, and systems to ensure they foster inclusive participation and equitable benefits for women, men, youth, and other marginalized groups.
The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor will play a pivotal role in supporting this process by collecting and analyzing gender and social inclusion data, advising cooperative leadership on best practices for gender-responsive and inclusive policies, and strengthening institutional capacity to mainstream GESI in governance, service delivery, and member engagement. Additionally, the Advisor will work closely with other project volunteers to ensure that all project activities integrate the VOICE GESI framework and align with the expected outputs, thereby contributing to a more equitable and inclusive cooperative environment.
Deliverables
· Conduct co-operative assessment and analysis to identify gender gaps and opportunities within cooperative operations.
· Provide technical guidance on integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) into the VOICE Project and related initiatives.
· Utilize and adapt existing learning materials to deliver effective training sessions for cooperative leaders and members.
· Collaborate with project managers, partners, and cooperative leadership to review activities and ensure GESI principles are effectively applied.
· Maintain progress tracking tools and databases for GESI indicators and contribute to monitoring and reporting.
· Design and facilitate training modules on GESI, gender-transformative approaches for cooperative leaders and members.
· Document and develop case studies, success stories, and lessons learned, and collaborate with communications teams to share project achievements.
· Document program report and regularly update the Country Program Officer on progress.
· Prepare and submit weekly deliverables and monthly progress reports and timesheets according to project guidelines.
· Develop and share case studies, success stories with communications advisor for social media content that communicates the project’s activities, outputs and/or outcomes.
Qualifications
Education:
- Degree (or equivalent) in gender studies, Social studies, development studies, or related humanities field.
Experience:
- Demonstrated experience in mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion in development programs.
- Experience in conducting research, analysis, and reporting on GESI-related data and indicators.
- Proven experience in advising institutions or projects on gender-responsive policies, strategies, and programming.
- Experience in designing, facilitating, and evaluating training programs for community groups or organizations.
· 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.