Community Engagement Officer at SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda: (Deadline 26 January 2024)

Community Engagement Officer at SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda: (Deadline 26 January 2024)

Vacancy announcement

Position Title: Community Engagement officer

Vacant positions: 1 Person

Type of contract: One year renewable

Working location: Field

Supervisor: EU project Officer

Deadline: 26^th January 2024

The National Office of SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda located at Kigali/Kacyiru wishes to recruit 1 Community Engagement officer for the EU funded project focusing at ppromotion of rights and inclusion of children and youth with disabilities (CYWDs) through strengthening social and economic living conditions of project participants.  

Context of the position: 

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is an independent, non-governmental social development & child-focused organization. The Organization supports vulnerable children and young people in four locations of Kigali, Gicumbi, Kayonza and Nyamagabe. SOS Rwanda applies a holistic approach to child care ensuring that the best interest of the child is catered for. This EU Funded project will be implemented in Musanze, Rubavu, Kayonza and Nyagatare districts. The project will contribute to the realization of the rights of children and youth with disabilities in Musanze, Kayonza, Nyagatare and Rubavu districts, enhance independence and decent living conditions of children and youth with disabilities as well as strengthen capacities of communities, families, and stakeholders to effectively contribute to the rights of children and youth with disabilities.

Programme Development

The position holder will therefore be responsible for the following tasks:

• Collaborate with local government officials and or stakeholders to identify and register project beneficiaries.
• Support and participate in conducting the baseline study for the project
• Identify 20 inclusive schools for project support
• Establish inclusive psychosocial support clubs in 20 identified schools to support CYWDs.
• Support Community structures to hold community disability awareness outreaches/campaign at district level
• Facilitate children and youth with disabilities to access and participate in events organised by project based on types of disabilities (interpretation, braille printing, large print, personal assistant)
• Work closely with local Partner-Association Générale des Handicapés du Rwanda (AGHR) to ensure effective implementation of the project activitie
• Oversee project field activities coordination and reporting
• Collaborate and oversee the activities of local CBOs supporting in implementation of project activities
• Closely collaborate with the project officer to ensure proper co-ordination and adequate recording of lessons learning among partners of the project, counterpart organisations/institutions
• Support the monitoring and evaluation for project activities, checking progress against expected outcomes and against the project’s theory of change
• Produce and disseminate success stories as well as related ‘impact’ films or other outputs
• Work closely with community volunteers and as well provide facilitate them effectively deliver their work.
• Support CYWDs participate in child and youth international days (Day of African child, international day for youth, IDPD) 3 years
• Mobilise and sensitize parents of Children with disabilities on the VSLAs methodology

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Enters data regularly in Programme Database module (PDB), ensures quality of data and uses regularly the reports and data stored in the database to track individual progress of children and families.
• Provides information for new requirements (new reports, new data fields or features) to M&E Manager
• Supports M&E in the self-evaluation and/or external evaluation processes.
• Collects regularly information about different indicators as defined in the M&E plan of the programme unit and reports to the M&E Manager
• Hold bi-annual coordination meetings for community child care structures to monitor progress and share experiences of CYWDs
• Conduct peer group supervision to para-social workers and IZUs

Partnership building and advocacy 

• Conduct training for children on Child led advocacy and support their initiatives
• Establish and run project steering committee at district level
• Keeps regular contacts with service providers to ensure that services are provided according to objectives and actions as per project arrangements
• Advocates for the individual child and his/her family to have access to social entitlements or obtain needed services.
• Liaise with the ministry of Agriculture and Rwanda Agriculture Board for support on technical matters related to the project
• Enhance collaboration with district and RAB officials to maximize on project impact
• Contributes in community development undertaken by the Family Strengthening Programme, i.e. organise/participate in awareness raising activities, community mobilisation events and capacity building of the community partners.
• Experienced in working in collaboration with local leaders and cooperatives.
• Conduct stakeholders’ meetings at district level for mainstreaming inclusiveness in District Development Plans

Knowledge Management 

• Supports Project officer in documenting good practises, human touch stories.
• Train YWDs on VSLAs management and support the formation of VSLAs 
• Train YWDs on entrepreneurships skills; marketing, drawing business plans, simple accounting and book keeping.
• Enrol YWDs on different trades (carpentry, welding, hairdressing, tailoring & knitting, etc.)
• Train the existing Child Protection community structures on child protection, disability right, safeguarding and reporting mechanism
• Train (para-social workers and youth volunteers) on VSLA management skills, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
• Keeps regular track of latest developments in social work area as well as changes in national legislation, policies and practises related to children and youth with disabilities as the target group.
• Train School Management Committees- (head teachers, Parent representative) on CYWDs rights
• Train caregivers on the rights of CYWDS
• Train male caregivers on positive masculinities to increase male involvement (Men-Engage approach) to care for CYWD
• Train social workforce CSOs and FBOs on Convention of the rights of children (UNCRC) and Convection on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD).
• Train caregivers of children with disabilities on positive parenting, nutrition, and hygiene

Technical Qualifications and personal skills: 

• A degree qualification in social sciences, Education, Development studies and any other relevant field
• At least 3 years’ work experience in the community development field and child protection,
• Experience in project cycle management
• Ability to work with Children and Youth with Disabilities (CYWDs).
• Positive and professional approach. Ability to work independently, self-organise, use initiative, fulfil commitments and meet deadlines.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including written and spoken English; French would be an added value
• Well-developed facilitation, group leadership and presentation skills.
• Ability to develop guidelines and tools, and oversee their implementation.
• Computer literacy (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access).
• A team player who is culturally astute, respectful and tolerant.

Experience in using applied social research skills (quantitative and qualitative). Additional skills to support FS families would be an added value

How to Apply:

If you believe you are the right candidate for the above position, please send your detailed application including application letter, CV with three traceable refferrees and copies of education qualification) to [email protected] and properly fill the application form found via the following  LINK by not later than 26^th  January, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

N.B: Please mention in the subject of your email: “Community engagement Officer”.

NB:

• Applications from qualified females are strongly encouraged
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted
• Late applications will not be accepted.

“SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda/ International holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates’ value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes”.

Done in Kigali on January 17^th, 2024.

KWIZERA Jean Bosco

National Director