Humanitarian and disaster management volunteers in Africa and Asia

Position at: local partner organization of ICCO & Kerk in Actie in Africa and Asia
Contract: 8 months (1 month preparation, 6 months deployment, 1 month communication activities)
Start date: December 2012, posting abroad: January/February 2013.

Conditions: all volunteers receive travel costs (international and national), insurance, reimbursement of housing costs (max. €300,- per month), and a monthly allowance of around €400,- (depending of country of placement).

Position
ICCO & Kerk in Actie are looking for enthusiastic volunteers and expert volunteers (see ‘volunteer profile’) to strengthen the capacities of our local partner organizations on resilience. The volunteer program aims to contribute to better preparation of emergency prone communities and emergency prevention and mitigation activities, resulting in more resilient communities. The volunteers and expert volunteers will be posted abroad for a period of six months at local partner organizations in Africa and Asia which work in the field of disaster management. The volunteers and expert volunteers will assist the local partner organization in their work in disaster management, with a focus on disaster risk reduction, capacity development, and building resilience among local communities. Countries of deployment are: Liberia, Uganda, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Mali, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Prior to their posting abroad in January or February 2013, volunteers and expert volunteers will receive a two week training at the ICCO & Kerk in Actie Global Office in Utrecht, from Monday 26 November 2012 till Friday 7 December 2012. The training will focus on resilience, capacity building, disaster management, safety and security, and is mandatory. After their posting abroad, all volunteers will for one month actively communicate their experiences abroad at various meetings with the aim to increase the support base for similar actions.

Type of Posting
Type of posting varies per country and local partner organization. In general, postings in the following countries will focus on:

Mali, DR Congo and Uganda. Postings in Mali, DR Congo and Uganda will predominately focus on capacity building, disaster risk reduction and community resilience in the context of food security issues, climate change adaption, agriculture, erosion, management of natural resources, and land right issues. Volunteer responsibilities may for example include assisting the local partner organization in developing strategies and policies, developing methods and tools for capacity building and resilience etc. in relation to the context mentioned above.

Liberia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Postings in these countries will focus on capacity building, disaster risk reduction and community resilience in a variety of fields, including disaster response, early warning, advocacy, needs assessment, etc.

Profile
All volunteers need to be citizens of the European Union and should be fluent in Dutch and English. ICCO & Kerk in Actie deploy 5 volunteers and 2 expert volunteers who should have the following profile:

Volunteer profile

Mali, DR Congo and Uganda: volunteers (vacancy number 2012-017)

• Academic background in (rural) development, agriculture, environment, socio-economic and/or related studies.
• Knowledge on agriculture and/or climate change adaption in the context of disaster risk reduction and resilience.
• International experience (internships and/or work)
• Six months to two years of work experience.
• Competencies: ability to work with others, respecting values of other people and cultures, willingness to learn, ability to analyse problems and develop sustainable solutions, flexibility and ability to adapt to different situations.
• Proficiency in Dutch and English. For Mali and DR Congo also French is required.

Liberia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh: volunteers (vacancy number 2012-018)

• Academic background in disaster management, humanitarian aid, development and/or related areas.
• International experience (internship, work)
• Six months to two years of work experience.
• Competencies: ability to work with others, respecting values of other people and cultures, willingness to learn, ability to analyse problems and develop sustainable solutions, flexibility and ability to adapt to different situations.
• Proficiency in Dutch and English.

Expert volunteer profile

Mali, DR Congo and Uganda: expert volunteers (vacancy number 2012-019)

• Academic background and/or extensive experience in (rural) development, agriculture, environment, socio-economic and/or related areas.
• Extensive knowledge on agriculture and/or climate change adaption in the context of disaster risk reduction and resilience.
• Knowledge and experience in capacity building.
• Minimum of three years relevant work experience in agriculture, development, capacity development, climate change or related areas.
• Competencies: ability to work with others, respecting values of other people and cultures, willingness to learn, ability to analyse problems and develop sustainable solutions, flexibility and ability to adapt to different situations.
• Proficiency in Dutch and English. For Mali and DR Congo also French is required.

Liberia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh: expert volunteers (vacancy nr. 2012-020)

• Academic background and/or extensive experience in disaster management, humanitarian aid, development and/or related areas.
• Minimum of three years relevant work experience in disaster management, humanitarian aid, development and/or related areas.
• Knowledge and experience in capacity building.
• Competencies: ability to work with others, respecting values of other people and cultures, willingness to learn, ability to analyse problems and develop sustainable solutions, flexibility and ability to adapt to different situations.
• Proficiency in Dutch and English.

Conditions
All volunteers are contracted for a period of eight months, which includes the training, a six-month posting abroad and one month of advocacy work. The two-week training starts on Monday 26 November 2012 and is mandatory. The posting at the local partner organization starts in January or February 2013. All volunteers receive travel costs (international and national), insurance, reimbursement of housing costs (max. €300,- per month), and a monthly allowance of around €400,- (depending on country of placement).

Application procedure
Deadline for applications is Thursday 20 September 2012 4pm NL time. Please email your CV (max. 3 pages) and a completed application form (to be found on the Togetthere website: http://www.togetthere.nl/site/doc.phtml?p=news&lang=&archive=0&index=631) to: Vacancies@icco.nl. State the vacancy number as the subject of the email. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview, which will take place between 1-5 October 2012. For more information, please contact Jeroen Jurriens: Jeroen.Jurriens@iccokia.org and +31 (0)30 8801511.

Background
Together with Finn Church Aid and DECCB, ICCO & Kerk in Actie received an ECHO grant for the implementation of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC) project, which the volunteer placement as described in this vacancy is part of. As suchthese volunteer positions are linked to the larger EVHAC initiative from the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) of the European Commission. ECHO’s initiative aims to provide international volunteer opportunities for Europeans to engage in humanitarian aid and civil protection activities around the world. ECHO sponsors several pilot projects which will contribute to laying the grounds for a community of European volunteers active in the field.

About ICCO & Kerk in Actie
ICCO is a faith-based Dutch organization for international development cooperation. Kerk in Actie works on behalf of the Protestant Church and local congregations in The Netherlands. Our passion is to end poverty and injustice in service of a full and dignified life for all. In a spirit of equality, co-responsibility and respect for diversity, we seek to cooperate on the basis of shared values and principles. Our core values are justice, compassion and stewardship.

ICCO and Kerk in Actie have integrated their international work. They facilitate financial advice, lobby, and brokerage services to local non-governmental organizations, the private sector, churches and networks that work for sustainable economic development, enhancing democracy and peace, food security and climate mitigation.

ICCO and Kerk in Actie bring together enterprising people. We work in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, in partnerships with civil society organizations, including development organizations, private companies and knowledge institutions. In this way we seek to help people to be(come) economically independent.

ICCO and Kerk in Actie have seven regional offices and several country offices spread around the world. The Global Office is based The Netherlands. We collaborate in alliances with several partners in The Netherlands (ICCO Alliantie), Europe and worldwide (ACT Alliance).

This volunteer program is sponsored by the European Commission, and is part of ECHO’s EVHAC pilot project.