Social Empowerment Assistant Career Opportunity in Kenya

Terre des hommes Foundation

Job Title: Social Empowerment Assistant

Position: Assistant

Job ID: 202304017

Category: Team member

Reports to: CP-Help desk Officer

Number of subordinates: 19 CPV

Location: Dadaab

Working % : 100

The Context: Terre des hommes Foundation is an independent, neutral, and impartial Swiss organization founded in 1960, dedicated to bringing about significant and lasting change in the lives of children and young people, especially those most at risk.

Tdh ensures their well-being and the effective implementation of their rights as defined in the Convention on the Child's Rights and other human rights instruments.

To make a difference, Tdh focus our efforts on maternal and child health, children and young people in migration situations, and access to justice.

Tdh promotes the active participation of children and young people to empower them.

We advocate for their rights and support them in expressing their needs and interests.

Tdh works in fragile contexts and conflict zones, as well as in more stable environments.

Tdh is present in Kenya since 2011.

Currently Tdh is providing protection services for children and families affected by migration, natural crises and poverty in Dadaab refugee camps, in Garissa County, and in Korogocho informal settlement in Nairobi.

The intervention in Dadaab refugee camps is focused on prevention and response to child protection needs while strengthening protection community-based mechanisms in the refugee operation and its host communities.

In Korogocho informal settlements, Tdh implements early child development activities and child protection activities with a strong community-based approach aiming at decreasing violence against children and strengthening child protection mechanisms.

Tdh will complement the Ministry of Health efforts to contribute to reduction in morbidity and mortality by early detection, referral and provision of appropriate treatment/management to severe malnourished children (6-59 months), pregnant and lactating women (PLW). In complement, a WASH component will be integrated in the activities.

The project will be implemented in three sub-counties in Garissa County: Dadaab, Garissa Township and Lagadera. Tdh will work with Community Health Volunteers at community level, in health facilities staff and with Sub-County Health Teams to improve early detection, management, and referral of SAM (Severe Acute
Malnutrition) children.

General job description

The Social empowerment assistant will be responsible for leading the Life Skills component.

S/He will be responsible for developing strategies/approach for mainstreaming Life Skills component by working in close collaboration with the programme team. This position will develop advocacy and behavior communication tools that meets intervention demands and feedback from across implementation sites ensuring that addressing barriers to girls and boys education and economic opportunities are being effectively addressed.

This position will contribute to the Program’s reporting requirements as outlined in the donor’s reporting guidelines. This position will ensure empowerment and advocacy implementation is responsive to improving the learning outcomes of the marginalized in-school and out-of-school children’s. S/He will report to the Help
desk officer.

He/she will conduct his or her duties in respect of the Charter of Terre des hommes and the Tdh Child Protection Policy.

Terre des hommes expects that its contractors’ professional conduct reflects proper behaviour in accordance with local culture and traditions. He/she assures the moral protection of the name of Terre des hommes and defends in all circumstances the interests of the movement.

Tdh intervenes without any affiliation for politics, religion or financial profit. He/she will direct his or her activities and engagements without preoccupation of political, racial or religious affiliation.

He/she commits to observe discretion on any information related to the organisation functioning and beneficiary related issues.

Specific Responsibilities

Responsibilities

  • Develop Behaviours Change Communication tools and materials to improve knowledge, attitude and practice of life skills choices for beneficiaries and their eco-system.
  • Developing and delivering training programs to Community and Community base groups on BCC techniques and best practices.
  • Creating educational resources such as brochures, posters, fact sheets, and training materials to support BCC efforts.
  • Track barriers across implementation sites and develop appropriate BCC intervention to address these barriers.
  • Facilitate out-of-school life skills training for adolescent boys and girls, as well as connect aged out adolescents to livelihood partners.
  • Carry out art base projects that are led by children and young people, using a participatory action research.
  • Support training of caregivers and community-based groups
  • Raising awareness and educating communities on child rights and child protection issues.
  • Identify skills and knowledge gaps related to community-based interventions among Livelihoods Field extension workers and address them through training
    and capacity building.
  • Write timely quality; weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannual and annual reports
  • CP Awareness, information, behavior change and advocacy in the Host/Refugee community
  • To be responsible to conduct proper recording, documentation for all the children and their caregiver seeking child protection services and information at the sectional level.
  • Provision and Dissemination of appropriate Child protection information to support decision making on voluntary repatriation and sustained protection for the children remaining in the camp.
  • Provide trainings and monitoring to the Community’s Own Child Protection Mentors and on behavior change and General Child protection concerns.
  • Document community during radio session for both Refugee/host communities.
  • Supervision of the CPVs and conducting on job training for them
  • Enhancing Empowerment, Partnership and Advocacy for Child Safe Repatriation, to access services including CP in the refugee communities.
  • Reports incidents and difficulties encountered with any CP staff or community worker to advocacy and empowerment officer or CP project manager.
  • Terre des hommes expects that its contractors’ professional conduct reflects proper behaviour in accordance with local culture and traditions. He/she assures the moral protection of the name of Terre des hommes and defends in all circumstances the interests of the movement.
  • Tdh intervenes without any affiliation for politics, religion or financial profit. He/she will direct his or her activities and engagements without preoccupation of political, racial or religious affiliation.
  • He/she commits to observe discretion on any information related to the organisation functioning and beneficiary related issues

Project Management

  • Ensure that assigned activities are appropriately implemented and, when necessary, ideas on amendments deemed will be shared with the child protection officer and Advocacy and empowerment officer.
  • Participates in weekly team and movement planning meetings and prepares timely activity/training plans and budgets to the child protection senior officer
    for upcoming activities.

Project Strategy and Planning

  • Participates in CP assessments.
  • Participate in the review of the strategy for Tdh in Kenya if requested.

Project Implementation

Information dissemination and advocacy.

  • Sharing and provision of appropriate child protection information to support decision making on voluntary repatriation and sustained protection for the children remaining in the camp
  • Supports in child led advocacy campaigns, mass awareness and special events throughout the project. For the Host/refugee community level
  • Conduct refresher training and mentorship for children (Child Council members, peer support members and Ombudsman) to reinforce knowledge on Child Protection topics and provide information on any emerging issues such as Volrep or camp consolidation to strengthen child participation on issues affecting them.
  • Life skills training and provision of start-up kits and Nurturing kits for the babies (0-4) for trained vulnerable girl mothers to enhance income generated activities as a source of livelihood support.
  • Conduct refresher training and mentorship for children (Child Council members, peer support members and Ombudsman) to reinforce knowledge on Child Protection topics and provide information on any emerging issues such as Volrep or camp consolidation to strengthen child participation on issues affecting them.

Awareness

  • Participates in the development and organisation of awareness activities in close consultation with advocacy and empowerment officer and child protection officer.
  • Contributes and Participates in the preparation and implementation of special events at community level.

Documentation

  • Ensures correct data protection procedures and filing
  • Documentation of the conducted activities, documenting of human interest stories

Monitoring and evaluation

  • Participates in a base line survey and evaluation of the CP projects

Capacity building

  • Contributes to the training and capacity building of all community workers, community structures, Child protection volunteers and host community members.

Coordination

  • Supports and works in coordination with all CP team, community leaders CPCs and other relevant camp-based actors in all steps of project implementation.
  • Participates in weekly team meetings, Cluster weekly meeting
  • Participates in case conference meetings at section level.
  • Represents Tdh in inter-agency meetings.

Representation

  • Represents Tdh in the community level.
  • Develops a community network to facilitate the project acceptance and ownership.

Reporting

  • Participates in weekly meetings and weekly planning activities.
  • Provides accurate and timely activity, monitoring and assessment reports.
  • Maintain and ensure a culture of strict confidentiality - inter Tdh staff and between Tdh staff and non Tdh employees.
  • Upon completion of the assignment, submits detailed handover notes when leaving for annual leave.
  • Completes and meets the deadline of all assigned work.
  • Provides accurate and timely weekly and activity reports
  • Provide weekly reports to the advocacy and empowerment officer
  • Participating in the monthly report drafting

Security

  • Comply with Tdh Security Regulations.
  • Reports any security/safety incident and/or risk to the CP project manager and field coordinator.

Child Protection Policy

  • Commit to respect the Child Protection Policy.
  • Report serious cases of abuse on children identified by the Child Protection team to the CP Program Manager. Strict confidentiality must be respected.

Others

  • Undertake all other duties that may be determined by the advocacy and empowerment officer and CP project manager and that are compatible with the job.

Competencies: This position requires Personal, Social and Leadership competencies (PSLC), Technical and methodological competencies (TMC)

In particular:

  • Minimum Diploma/degree in Business administration, Social science, developmental studies or related field from a recognized institution
  • At least 2 years’ experience working with community outreach activities, Youth and adolescent’s empowerment program and livelihoods, preferably in a refugee setting.
  • Proven experience managing community dialogues and working directly with beneficiaries.
  • Competence using information technology including experience with graphic design, word-processing, spreadsheets and database software.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English and Kiswahili. Ability to communicate in Somali is a plus

Abuse Prevention Policy - Operational Risk Management

  • Commit to respect Tdh Risk Management Policies including Child Safeguarding Policy, Safety and Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policy, Whistle Blowing Policy
  • Commit to ensure the best implementation possible of the Tdh Risk Management Policies
  • Commit to inform supervisors and to deal with any cases, allegations, or possibility of transgression, even potential, of the Tdh Risk Management Policies.

Other:

  • Knowledge of the Dadaab context is a key requirement.

Application Modalities:

Interested candidates who meet the criteria above are encouraged to send their applications letter and detailed CVs to KEN.recruitment@tdh.ch

Candidates are required to indicate the position title on the subject line of the email when applying.

Kindly note only applications sent to this email address will be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Closing date for the application of this position is 3rd May 2023.

Tdh’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protect children’s rights, which includes the prevention of all forms of child abuse.

Tdh is an equal opportunity employer